Forest trees delay budburst across landscapes to escape herbivory - data and code

This repository contains the data and scripts for the manuscript entitled "Forest trees delay budburst across landscapes to escape herbivory."Topic: The study investigates how forest trees adjust the timing of budburst across landscapes in response to herbivory under climate change.

Key findings: Using 5 years of satellite data across 60 oak-forest sites, the study found that trees experiencing higher levels of leaf herbivory delayed budburst by an average of 3 days, which reduced subsequent herbivory by 55%. This herbivory-induced delay represents an adaptive defense strategy that offsets the effects of climate warming on budburst timing and helps explain why trees have not advanced budburst as rapidly as rising temperatures would predict.