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Strangers in a strange land: do life history traits differ for alien and native colonisers of novel environments?

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Abstract

Do alien invasive species exhibit life history characteristics that are similar to those of native species that have become pests in their continent of origin? We compared eucalypt specialists that have become pests in Australian plantations (natives) to those that have established overseas (aliens) using 13 life history traits and found that although traits that support rapid population build-up were shared, overall, aliens and native colonisers differed significantly. Distance from source (New Zealand vs. other) had no significant effect, but species that established more than 50 years ago exhibited different life history traits from those that established within the last 50 years, possibly because of more effective quarantine. Native and alien eucalypt insect invaders differed predominantly in traits that facilitate long-distance movement (pathway traits), compared to traits that facilitate establishment and spread. Aliens had longer adult flight seasons, were smaller and more closely host-associated (cryptic eggs and larvae), had lower incidence of diapause (i.e. were more seasonally plastic) and more generations per year than natives. Thus, studies of species invasive within their country of origin can shed light on alien invasions.

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Acknowledgments

Our very sincere thanks to Drs Simon Lawson and Ross Wylie (DAFF-Q), Dr Brendan Murphy (CSIRO) and Dr Chenyuan Xu (Griffith University) for discussion and comments, and to Dr David Mayer (DAFF-Q) for additional statistical analyses. Sincere thanks also to Dr Manon Griffiths (DAFF-Q), A/Prof Martin Steinbauer (LaTrobe University), Professor David Walter (USC) and Dr Owen Seeman (Qld Museum) for additional critical comments on the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Helen F. Nahrung.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

List of insect eucalypt specialists invading eucalypt plantations in Australia (natives) and that have established overseas (aliens). Species in common to both are in bold.

Within aliens, E = early overseas establishment (1873–1955) L = late overseas establishment (>1955), the two phases of movement described by Paine et al. (2011); N = established first in New Zealand; F = established further from Australia. Initials are as used in Fig. 3.

Natives

Aliens

AO Amorbus obscuricornis (Hem: Coreidae)

AL Acrocercops laciniella (Lep: Gracillariidae)LN

AB Anoplognathus boisduvali (Col: Scarabaeidae)

AE Aleuroclava eucalypti (Hem: Aleyrodidae) EN

AnCAnoplognathus chloropyrus (Col: Scarabaeidae)

AC Anoeconeossa communis (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

AH Anoplognathus hirsutus(Col: Scarabaeidae)

BO Blastopsylla occidentalis (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

AM Anoplognathus montanus (Col: Scarabaeidae)

CS Callidiopsis scutellaris (Col: Cerambycidae) EN

AP Anoplognathus porosus (Col: Scarabaeidae)

CF Cardiaspina fiscella (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

CE Cadmus excrementarius (Col: Chrysomelidae)

CL Creiislituratus (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

CF Cardiaspina fiscella (Hem: Psyllidae)

CT Cryptoneossa triangular (Hem: Psyllidae) LF

CM Cardiaspina maniformis(Hem: Psyllidae)

CtECtenarytaina eucalypti (Hem: Psyllidae) EN

CR Cardiaspina rotator (Hem: Psyllidae)

CP Ctenarytaina peregrina(Hem: Psyllidae) LF

CL Creiis lituratus (Hem: Psyllidae)

CtS Ctenarytaina spatulata (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

CtECtenarytaina eucalypti (Hem: Psyllidae)

EB Epichrysocharisburwelli(Hym: Eulophidae) LF

CA Culama australis (Lep: Cossidae)

EC Eriococcus coriaceous (Hem: Eriococcidae) EN

DV Doratifera vulnerans (Lep: Limacodidae)

EM Eucalyptoly mamaideni (Hem: Psyllidae) LN

EC Endoxyla cinerea (Lep: Cossidae)

GB Glycaspis brimblecombei (Hem: Psyllidae) LF

ECo Eriococcus coriaceous (Hem: Eriococcidae)

GG Glycaspisgranulata(Hem: Psyllidae) LN

EM Eucalyptoly mamaideni (Hem: Psyllidae)

GS Gonipterus scuttelatus complex (Col: Curculionidae) EN

EF Eurymela fenestrate (Hem: Eurymelidae)

LE Lepidosaphes eucalypti (multiplora) (Hem: Diaspididae) EN

GN Glycaspis nigrocincta (Hem: Psyllidae)

LI Leptocybe invasa (Hym: Eulophidae) LF

GS Gonipterus scuttelatus complex (Col: Curculionidae)

NX Nambouria xanthops (Hym: Pteromalidae) LN

MP Mnesam pelaprivata (Lep: Geometridae)

OE Ophelimus eucalypti (Hym: Eulophidae) EN

OpE Opodiphthera eucalypti (Lep: Saturniidae)

OM Ophelimus maskelli (Hym: Eulophidae) LF

OxP Oxyopspicti pennis (Col: Curculionidae)

OpE Opodiphthera eucalypti (Lep: Saturniidae) EN

PA Paropsis atomaria (Col: Chrysomelidae)

PC Paropsis charybdis (Col: Chrysomelidae) EN

PP Paropsis porosa (Col: Chrysomelidae)

PG Paropsisterna gloriosa (Col: Chrysomelidae) LF

PaA Paropsisterna agricola (Col: Chrysomelidae)

PM Paropsisterna m-fuscum (Col: Chrysomelidae) LF

PB Paropsisterna bimaculata (Col: Chrysomelidae)

PR Phoracantha recurva (Col: Cerambycidae) EF

PaCParopsisternacloelia(Col: Chrysomelidae)

PS Phoracanthasemipunctata(Col: Cerambycidae) EN

PV Paropsisterna variicollis (Col: Chrysomelidae)

PF Phylacteophaga froggatti (Hym: Pergidae) LN

PeA Perga affinis (Hym: Pergidae)

SG Selitrichodes globulus (Hym: Eulophidae) LF

PhA Phoracantha acanthocera (Col: Cerambycidae)

SI Strepsicrates infensa (Lep: Tortricidae) EN

PhM Phoracantha mastersi(Col: Cerambycidae)

Strepsicrates macropetana (Lep: Tortricidae) EN

PSo Phoracantha solida (Col: Cerambycidae)

TP Thaumastocoris peregrinus (Hem: Thaumasticoridae) LF

PE Phylacteophaga eucalypti (Hym: Pergidae)

TC Trachymela catenata (Col: Chrysomelidae) LN

PF Phylacteophaga froggatti (Hym: Pergidae)

TS Trachymela sloanei (Col: Chrysomelidae) LN

SM Strepsicrates macropetana(Lep: Tortricidae)

TT Trachymelatinc ticollis (Col: Chrysomelidae) LF

TS Thaumastocoris safordi (Hem: Thaumasticoridae)

UL Uraba lugens (Lep: Nolidae) LN

UL Uraba lugens (Lep: Nolidae)

 

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Nahrung, H.F., Swain, A.J. Strangers in a strange land: do life history traits differ for alien and native colonisers of novel environments?. Biol Invasions 17, 699–709 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0761-7

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