Abstract
The influence of native fauna on non-native plant population growth, size, and distribution is not well documented. Previous studies have shown that native insects associated with tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum) also feed on the leaves, stems, and flower heads of the Eurasian congener C. vulgare, thus limiting individual plant performance. In this study, we tested the effects of insect herbivores on the population growth rate of C. vulgare. We experimentally initiated invasions by adding seeds at four unoccupied grassland sites in eastern Nebraska, USA, and recorded plant establishment, survival, and reproduction. Cumulative foliage and floral herbivory reduced C. vulgare seedling density, and prevented almost any reproduction by C. vulgare in half the sites. The matrix model we constructed showed that this herbivory resulted in a reduction of the asymptotic population growth rate (λ), from an 88 % annual increase to a 54 % annual decline. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that indigenous herbivores limit population invasion of this non-native plant species into otherwise suitable grassland habitat.
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Acknowledgments
We thank E. Bockman for providing valuable field assistance and discussion. M. Schroeder (UNL: Agricultural Research and Development Center) and T. Genrich (City of Lincoln) kindly provided access to the grassland study sites. J.O.E. was supported by UNL fellowships: Life Sciences Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Fellowships, Arthur William Sampson Fellowship and Graduate Studies Fellowships. The research was funded by UNL grants to J.O.E. from School of Biological Sciences Special Funds, Initiative for Evolutionary and Ecological Analysis, and Center for Great Plains Studies; and supported by NSF-DEB 0532018 and USDA NRI-2005-35320-12 15379 grants for thistle research to F. L. Russell and S. M. Louda. The Nature Conservancy provided partial support for this work through the Nebraska Chapter’s J.E. Weaver Competitive Grants Program. All experiments comply with current laws of the United States.
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Communicated by Miguel Franco.
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Eckberg, J.O., Tenhumberg, B. & Louda, S.M. Native insect herbivory limits population growth rate of a non-native thistle. Oecologia 175, 129–138 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2876-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2876-4