A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants

Spafford, Ryan D. and Lortie, Christopher J. and Butterfield, Bradley J. (2013) A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants. NeoBiota, 16. pp. 81-102. ISSN 1314-2488

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Abstract

Invasive plants represent a significant financial burden for land managers and also have the potential to severely degrade ecosystems. Arthropods interact strongly with plants, relying on them for food, shelter, and as nurseries for their young. For these reasons, the impacts of plant invasions are likely strongly reflected by arthropod community dynamics including diversity and abundances. A systematic review was conducted to ascertain the state of the literature with respect to plant invaders and their associated arthropod communities. We found that the majority of studies did not biogeographically contrast arthropod community dynamics from both the home and away ranges and that studies were typically narrow in scope, focusing only on the herbivore feeding guild, rather than assessing two or more trophic levels. Importantly, relative arthropod richness was significantly reduced on invasive plant species. Phylogenetic differences between the invasive and local plant community as well as the plant functional group impact arthropod diversity patterns. A framework highlighting some interaction mechanisms between multiple arthropod trophic levels and native and invasive plants is discussed and future research directions relating to these interactions and the findings herein are proposed.

Item Type:	Article
ID number or DOI:	10.3897/neobiota.16.4190
Keywords:	Arthropod; biogeographic contrast; ecosystem management; invasive plant; multi-trophic interactions; phylogenetic differences; plant invasions;
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Faculty/Staff
Department/Unit:	College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Science > Biological Sciences Research Centers > Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2016 16:34
URI:	http://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/2145

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