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Quantifying how acquired interactions with native and invasive insects influence population growth rates of a non-indigenous plant

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An Erratum to this article was published on 25 November 2016

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Abstract

Non-native species often acquire novel interspecific interactions, which are central to several hypotheses of invasion success, including biotic resistance and invasional meltdown. However, the outcome of these interactions is not often linked with the demographic evidence based on the full life cycle of the species. The Philippine Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata) has invaded Puerto Rico and has acquired both negative and positive interspecific interactions involving the native weevil Stethobaris polita and the invasive red fire ant Solenopsis invicta, respectively. We studied a population in the Rio Abajo Forest, and asked how these interactions affect population demography by using a combination of field, experimental and modelling approaches. Stage-structured matrix population models based on four years of field observations showed that the population of S. plicata is growing at a rate (λ) of 1.05 under natural conditions. When we modified fecundity values based on experimental exclusion of weevils and ants, the control treatment showed a similar λ. Excluding weevils increased λ to 1.20, whereas the exclusion of ants decreased λ to 1.03. When we incorporate demographic and environmental stochasticity in our models, exclusion of invasive red fire ants significantly reduces the orchid abundance over time. Although weevils offer some biotic resistance to S. plicata, these effects do not prevent orchid population growth and expansion. On the other hand, invasive red fire ants have a positive effect on the invasive orchid’s λ, partially supporting the invasional meltdown hypothesis. This study presents a method that allows one to combine opposing mechanisms of species interactions within the same quantitative framework, and the results highlight the importance of considering acquired plant–animal interactions and stochastic processes when evaluating the population growth rates and dynamics of invasive plants.

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Fig. 1

Weevil image by Tom Murray, and ant image by WP Amstrong (modified and used with authorization)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Weevil image by Tom Murray (modified and used with authorization)

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Acknowledgements

The PR-LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship (HRD-0601843), and the Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation (HRD-0734826) provided economical and logistical support to this project, for which we are grateful. We also want to thank Rafael D. Rodríguez, Joham Ríos, Taisa Alicea, Gilberto Colón, Rebecca Hernández, Wilnelia Recart and Jonathan Molinary for their help the during the many hours of fieldwork. Drs. Riccardo Papa and Ingi Agnarsson provided insightful comments and suggestion to do this project, for which we are grateful. We also thank Caner Aktas for his much appreciated help with part of the R code. Finally, we are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers, and the editors, whose comments and suggestions greatly improved this article.

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  1. Wilfredo Falcón

    Present address: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, PR, USA

    Wilfredo Falcón & James D. Ackerman

  2. Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR, USA

    Wilfredo Falcón, James D. Ackerman & Raymond L. Tremblay

  3. Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico – Humacao Campus, Humacao, PR, USA

    Raymond L. Tremblay

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  1. Wilfredo Falcón
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Correspondence to Wilfredo Falcón.

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Falcón, W., Ackerman, J.D. & Tremblay, R.L. Quantifying how acquired interactions with native and invasive insects influence population growth rates of a non-indigenous plant. Biol Invasions 19, 895–911 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1318-8

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