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Herbivory and population dynamics of invasive and native Lespedeza

  • Population ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Some exotic plants are able to invade habitats and attain higher fitness than native species, even when the native species are closely related. One explanation for successful plant invasion is that exotic invasive plant species receive less herbivory or other enemy damage than native species, and this allows them to achieve rapid population growth. Despite many studies comparing herbivory and fitness of native and invasive congeners, none have quantified population growth rates. Here, we examined the contribution of herbivory to the population dynamics of the invasive species, Lespedeza cuneata, and its native congener, L. virginica, using an herbivory reduction experiment. We found that invasive L. cuneata experienced less herbivory than L. virginica. Further, in ambient conditions, the population growth rate of L. cuneata (λ = 20.4) was dramatically larger than L. virginica (λ = 1.7). Reducing herbivory significantly increased fitness of only the largest L. virginica plants, and this resulted in a small but significant increase in its population growth rate. Elasticity analysis showed that the growth rate of these species is most sensitive to changes in the seed production of small plants, a vital rate that is relatively unaffected by herbivory. In all, these species show dramatic differences in their population growth rates, and only 2% of that difference can be explained by their differences in herbivory incidence. Our results demonstrate that to understand the importance of consumers in explaining the relative success of invasive and native species, studies must determine how consumer effects on fitness components translate into population-level consequences.

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Acknowledgments

We thank J.M. Chase and E.A. Pardini for discussion and comments on the manuscript, C.D. Melm, J. Mueller, and K. Smyth for field assistance, the Tyson Research Center for allowing us to conduct this project and for logistical support. This research was funded by St. Louis University, the Tyson Research Center’s Crescent Hills Research Fund, and Washington University, St. Louis, MO. The authors declare that this work was conducted in compliance with the laws of the United States.

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  1. Michele R. Schutzenhofer

    Present address: McKendree University, 701 College Road, Lebanon, IL, 62254, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Michele R. Schutzenhofer & Thomas J. Valone

  2. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Tiffany M. Knight

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  1. Michele R. Schutzenhofer
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  2. Thomas J. Valone
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Correspondence to Michele R. Schutzenhofer.

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Communicated by John Silander.

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Schutzenhofer, M.R., Valone, T.J. & Knight, T.M. Herbivory and population dynamics of invasive and native Lespedeza . Oecologia 161, 57–66 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1354-5

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