Direct and indirect effects of herbivores influencing plant invasions.

Abstract

Non-native plants rarely escape damage by herbivores. Instead, upon arrival in a new region, they begin to acquire new enemies, replacing those they have lost during their migration. These herbivores can include both natives to the new region and species that have themselves been accidentally or deliberately introduced from elsewhere, potentially including examples originating from the invader's original range. Shifts of new enemies from other hosts can occur over a range of timescales, depending in part on whether evolutionary change is required, but are likely to be faster for plants that are widespread and phylogenetically related to a herbivore's original host, and faster for generalist herbivores than for specialists. The occurrence of herbivores is not necessarily uniform across an invader's range; instead, they may be less diverse or abundant in host populations that are geographically or ecologically marginal, though existing evidence is mixed. Collectively, these new suites of herbivores can affect the growth and fitness of invaders, both directly by damaging them and indirectly by attacking their competitors. Studies comparing the demographic consequences of herbivory for successful vs unsuccessful invaders may help to clarify how often such impacts limit invasiveness. The view that an invader enters 'enemy-free' space is inaccurate; instead, persistence and spread of non-native plants often may be affected by the novel and changing assemblage of herbivores that they acquire within their new distribution.