Polyploidy in creosote bush (<i>Larrea tridentata</i>) shapes the biogeography of specialist herbivores

Contact zones between plant cytotypes are dispersal barriers for many <i>Asphondylia</i> species due to plant-insect interactions. The distribution of <i>L. tridentata</i> cytotypes therefore shapes herbivore species ranges and herbivore community structure across North American deserts. Our results demonstrate that polyploidy in plants can affect the biogeography of ecological communities.