Effect of elevation on the insect herbivory of Mongolian oaks in the high mountains of southern South Korea

Elevation is strongly associated with the diversity and ecology of plants and animals. We explored how elevation affects herbivores on one of the major cool-temperate trees, Quercus mongolica, in southern South Korea. The feeding activities of insect herbivores were measured through insect-feeding damage on leaves. Of 78 types of insect-feeding damage that were observed from Jirisan Mountain (Mount.) and Hallasan Mount. in Korea, 61.6% was associated with externally feeding insects. The sum of feeding damages per leaf was significantly higher on Jirisan Mount. than on Hallasan Mount., and higher at higher elevation in both mountains. Two feeding guilds, externally feeding, and piercing and sucking were strongly related with elevation, but the relationship was opposite depending on feeding guild. Leaf damage by the internal feeding guild showed no effect of elevation at the two mountains. These study results showed that insect herbivory responds to elevational differences in temperate forests, and that such response can vary among feeding guilds.