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Top-down and bottom-up controls on Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) performance along the Colorado Front Range, USA

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Abstract

Plant performance is influenced by both top-down (e.g., herbivores) and bottom-up (e.g., soil nutrients) controls. Research investigating the collective effects of such factors may provide important insight into the success and management of invasive plants. Through a combination of observational and experimental field studies, we examined top-down and bottom-up effects on the growth and reproduction of an invasive plant, Linaria dalmatica. First, we assessed attack levels and impacts of an introduced biocontrol agent, the stem-mining weevil Mecinus janthinus, on L. dalmatica plants across multiple years and sites. Then, we conducted a manipulative experiment to examine the effects of weevil attack, soil nitrogen availability, and interspecific competition on L. dalmatica. We found substantial variations in weevil attack within populations as well as across sites and years. Observational and experimental data showed that increased weevil attack was associated with a reduction in plant biomass and seed production, but only at the highest levels of attack. Nitrogen addition had a strong positive effect on plant performance, with a two-fold increase in biomass and seed production. Clipping neighboring vegetation resulted in no significant effects on L. dalmatica performance, suggesting that plants remained resource limited or continued to experienced belowground competitive effects. Overall, our research indicates that M. janthinus can exert top-down effects on L. dalmatica; however, weevil densities and attack rates observed in this study have not reached sufficient levels to yield effective control. Moreover, bottom-up controls, in particular, soil nitrogen availability, may have a large influence on the success and spread of this invasive plant.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks are due to Sarah Travers, Patrick Travers, Nicole Won, Ariana Calderon, and Hayden Hedman for their assistance in field and laboratory. Manuscript clarity was greatly improved by Janet S. Prevéy, and three anonymous reviewers. We also thank the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and Linda and Sergio Sanabria for use of their land to conduct research. Funding was provided by the Boulder County Open Space and Parks, the US Department of Agriculture NRI CSREES grant number, 2009-55320-05072 and 2009-04893, and the National Science Foundation grants, DEB 0614883 and 0808473.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioagricultural Science and Pest Management, Colorado State University, 1177 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Mary A. Jamieson

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, UCB 450, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    David Knochel, Adriana Manrique & Timothy R. Seastedt

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  1. Mary A. Jamieson
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  2. David Knochel
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  3. Adriana Manrique
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  4. Timothy R. Seastedt
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Correspondence to Mary A. Jamieson.

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Jamieson, M.A., Knochel, D., Manrique, A. et al. Top-down and bottom-up controls on Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) performance along the Colorado Front Range, USA. Plant Ecol 213, 185–195 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-011-0013-1

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