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Invertebrate community turnover following control of an invasive weed

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Abstract

Non-native invasive plants are a significant threat to native biodiversity as they change community structure and ecosystem processes and it is becoming imperative that these invasive plants are controlled. We investigated the response of wetland invertebrates to glyphosate chemical control of an introduced tree, grey willow (Salix cinerea), in a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experiment within a New Zealand wetland. Our findings suggest that control of grey willow resulted in significant increases in the abundance of invertebrates within 2 years after herbicide application. Analysis of beetle communities revealed that the abundance and species richness of herbivorous and predacious beetles, the abundance of introduced species, and the species richness of native and introduced species were all significantly higher in the herbicide-treated plots than in the unsprayed plots. The composition of the beetle community separated into two clear groups—plots before spray/no spray and plots 1 and 2 years after herbicide application. We suggest that the beetle compositional changes were driven by complex changes in vegetation associated with the canopy collapse of grey willow trees and the initial influx of introduced plant species, predominantly weedy annuals and perennials, after willow control. Restoration via invasive plant control can promote the reestablishment of invertebrate communities typical of native wetlands, but their long-term sustainability is contingent on prevention of grey willow reinvasion and reestablishment of the native plant habitat.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, under contract CO9X1002 and CoRE funding. We thank Joshua Ormsby and Jonathan Brown for assistance in the field. Chris Winks provided advice on beetle interactions with introduced annuals and perennials. Anne Austin and William Lee provided helpful comments on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3216, New Zealand

    Corinne Watts, Beverley Clarkson, Danny Thornburrow & Scott Bartlam

  2. Centre of Science and Primary Industries, Waikato Institute of Technology, Private Bag 3036, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Helen Ranson

  3. School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen Thorpe

  4. AgResearch, Private Bag 3115, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Vanessa Cave

  5. National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, PO BOX 11-115, Hamilton, 3251, New Zealand

    Kerry Bodmin

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  1. Corinne Watts
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  2. Helen Ranson
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  3. Stephen Thorpe
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  8. Kerry Bodmin
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Correspondence to Corinne Watts.

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Handling Editor: Rupesh Kariyat.

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Watts, C., Ranson, H., Thorpe, S. et al. Invertebrate community turnover following control of an invasive weed. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 9, 585–597 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-015-9396-6

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