An increase in biotic interactions towards lower latitudes is one of the most consistent patterns in ecology. Higher temperatures and more stable climatic conditions at low latitudes are thought to enhance biotic interactions, accelerating biological evolution and leading to stronger anti-herbivore defences in plants. However, some studies report contradictory findings, highlighting the need for further investigation into the...

Aim Climate is a major driver of large‐scale variability in biodiversity, as a likely result of more intense biotic interactions under warmer conditions. This idea fuelled decades of research on plant‐herbivore interactions, but much less is known about higher‐level trophic interactions. We addressed this research gap by characterizing both bird diversity and avian predation along a climatic gradient at the European scale. Loc...

Aim Leaves support a large diversity of fungi, which are known to cause plant diseases, induce plant defences or influence leaf senescence and decomposition. To advance our understanding of how foliar fungal communities are structured and assembled, we assessed to what extent leaf flush and latitude can explain the within‐ and among‐tree variation in foliar fungal communities. Location A latitudinal gradient spanning c . 20 de...