首页|Contrasting responses of an invasive plant to herbivory of native and introduced insects

Contrasting responses of an invasive plant to herbivory of native and introduced insects

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Background Interactions between alien plants and insect herbivores in introduced ranges may determine their invasion success.However,few studies have investigated whether alien plants respond differently to native and intro-duced herbivores in their introduced ranges and whether genotypes of alien plants matter.We conducted a green-house experiment to examine the effects of herbivory by a native insect(Spodoptera litura),by an introduced insect(S.frugiperda),and simultaneously by both insect species on growth,morphology,and biomass allocation of 17 genotypes of an invasive alien clonal plant Hydrocotyle verticillata,and used selection gradient analysis to test which herbivory conditions favor selection of a specific leaf or root trait value.Results Different genotypes of H.verticillata showed significant variation in growth,morphology,and biomass alloca-tion,but their responses to herbivory were relatively consistent.All three herbivory treatments significantly decreased total mass and stolon mass,but herbivory of S.frugiperda increased specific leaf area.Herbivory of S.litura and simul-taneous herbivory of both insect species also decreased leaf mass,petiole mass,root mass,and ramet mass.Selection gradient analysis showed that leaf and root traits varied under different herbivory treatments.To achieve greater fit-ness,as measured by total mass and/or number of ramets,H.verticillata favored larger leaf area under herbivory by S.frugiperda,larger leaf area and lower specific leaf area under herbivory by S.litura,and larger leaf area,lower specific leaf area,and lower root-to-shoot ratio under simultaneous herbivory.Conclusions H.verticillata demonstrated contrasting responses to herbivory by native and introduced insects,show-ing a remarkable ability to coordinate leaf trait plasticity and optimize biomass allocation.This strategy allows H.ver-ticillata to achieve greater fitness under various herbivory conditions,potentially contributing to its invasion success.These findings highlight the importance of plant-herbivore interactions in shaping invasion dynamics and under-score the complex adaptive mechanism that enables invasive plants to establish and spread in introduced ranges.

Hydrocotyle verticillataInvasive plantIntroduced herbivoreNative herbivorePhenotypic plasticitySelection gradient analysis

Qiu-Yue Fu、Guan-Wen Wei、Mo-Zhu Wang、Yuan Cui、Bi-Cheng Dong、Fei-Hai Yu

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School of Ecology and Nature Conservation,Beijing Forestry University,Beijing 100083,China

Ecology and Genetics Unit,University of Oulu,Oulu,Finland

State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops & Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany,Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100093,China

China National Botanical Garden,Beijing 100093,China

Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Wetland Conservation,Restoration and Ecological Services,National Plateau Wetlands Research Center,Southwest Forestry University,Kunming 650224,China

The Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection in the Yellow River Basin of National Forestry and Grassland Administration,Beijing Forestry University,Bei-jing 100083,China

Institute of Wetland Ecology and Clone Ecology/Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation,Taizhou University,Taizhou 318000,Zhejiang,China

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2024

10.1186/s13717-024-00560-2

ISSN：
年,卷(期)：2024.(4)