Data and scripts from Slimon & Agrawal (2026): "Phenological plasticity mediates sequential herbivory and fitness"

Data and scripts from Slimon & Agrawal (2026): "Phenological plasticity mediates sequential herbivory and fitness"

Abstract: 

In seasonal environments, when organisms reproduce can be as important as how much they reproduce, yet causal evidence that shifts in reproductive phenology impact fitness is scarce. In a two-cohort field experiment, we measured early herbivory, flowering phenology, seed predation and lifetime seed production of a native plant, and used structural equation models to separate direct from phenology-mediated effects. Herbivory advanced the timing of first flower and delayed last flowering, prolonging reproduction and shifting the flowering window. Indirect, phenology-mediated effects on fitness exceeded direct effects, largely because prolonged flowering increased total flower and seed production. Phenological changes also altered the overlap with seed predators: earlier flowering reduced damage whereas later flowering increased damage, producing opposing effects that largely cancelled impacts on fitness. By altering the flowering window, phenological plasticity links early events such as herbivory to both subsequent biotic interactions and seasonal abiotic exposure, ultimately shaping fitness.