Abstract:Herbivory is the common characteristics of plant community. To explore the effects of latitude and meteorological factors on herbivory, we investigated the entomic herbivory characteristics of Quercus variabilis leaves acorss different geographical regions, with a 14° latitudinal spanning from 26° N(Chengbu, Hu‘nan Province) to 40°N(Beijing). Either the mature tree or juvenile tree, leaf herbivory rate and frequency significantly increased toward the equator or at lower latitudes(P<0.05). According to the insect herbivory structure, the proportion of the non-chewed leaves decreased, while the proportion of the above 25%-chewed leaves increased toward the equator. Namely, it shows strong herbivory at lower latitudes. Except the southest site(Chengbu, Hu‘nan Province), the proportion of herbivory mainly concentrated between 0.5%-5% for all other sites. Leaf herbivory rates in the juvenile tree were significantly higher than that in the mature tree(P<0.05). Multiple regression results revealed significant effects of annual precipitation and minimum temperature of the coldest month on leaf herbivory rate and frequency despite ontogenic stages, but the maximum temperature of the warmest month significantly affected leaf herbivory frequency in the juvenile tree. Therefore, the latitudinal variation in leaf herbivory likely appears to be driven predominantly by variation in extreme temperature and precipitation.