Data from: A pioneering pest: the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is expanding its outbreak range into low-arctic shrub tundra

• Main Authors: Laksforsmo Vindstad, Ole Petter, Uhd Jepsen, Jane, Molvig, Helge, Anker Ims, Rolf
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Norway; Fennoscandia; Tundra; Arctic University of Norway; UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• Online Access: https://zenodo.org/record/5562815; https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sxksn0336

Climate warming allows generalist boreal consumers to expand into arctic ecosystems. We present experimental and observational field data showing that a generalist boreal insect pest – the winter moth (Operophtera brumata Linnaeus, 1758) – is expanding its outbreak range out of the northern-boreal mountain birch forest in northeast Fennoscandia and into the adjacent low-artic shrub tundra. This is the first documented example of an outbreaking boreal insect pest expanding into a tundra ecosystem. The expansion has coincided with a long-term advancing trend in the expected hatching date of moth eggs in spring for the study region. We show that the winter moth can complete development on low-arctic willows and that the density of winter moth larvae in willow thickets is unrelated to the amount of mountain birch (the main host plant in northern-boreal forest) in the thickets. However, we also demonstrate that larval densities on willows show a regional-scale spatial decline when moving away from the birch forest and into the shrub tundra. Continued monitoring is needed to establish if the outbreaks will spread further into the tundra. The expansion of outbreaking boreal pests into the tundra could alter conventional expectations of increasing vegetation productivity and shrubification in tundra ecosystems. Experimental mesh bags: Information on the mesh bags used in the experiment meshbag_branchvariables_2019.txt Winter moth individuals found in experimental mesh bags: Information on the winter moth individuals found in the experimental mesh bags. meshbag_larvavariables_2019.txt Funding provided by: Norges ForskningsrådCrossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100005416Award Number: 301922Funding provided by: UiT The Arctic University of Norway*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment*Crossref Funder Registry ID: Award Number: Funding provided by: Norsk institutt for naturforskningCrossref Funder Registry ID: ...