When can herbivores slow or reverse the spread of an invading plant? A test case from Mount St. Helens

William F Fagan; Mark Lewis; Michael G Neubert; Craig Aumann; Jennifer L Apple; John G Bishop

doi:10.1086/497621

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When can herbivores slow or reverse the spread of an invading plant? A test case from Mount St. Helens

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When can herbivores slow or reverse the spread of an invading plant? A test case from Mount St. Helens

William F Fagan, Mark Lewis, Michael G Neubert, Craig Aumann, Jennifer L Apple and John G Bishop

The American naturalist, Vol.166(6), pp.669-685

12/2005

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/497621

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https://hdl.handle.net/2376/105180

PMID: 16475084

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Abstract

Lupinus - physiology

Plant Development

Seeds

Germination

Feeding Behavior

Volcanic Eruptions

Lupinus - growth & development

Washington

Life Cycle Stages

Animals

Models, Biological

Plant Physiological Phenomena

Animal Feed

Here we study the spatial dynamics of a coinvading consumer-resource pair. We present a theoretical treatment with extensive empirical data from a long-studied field system in which native herbivorous insects attack a population of lupine plants recolonizing a primary successional landscape created by the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens. Using detailed data on the life history and interaction strengths of the lupine and one of its herbivores, we develop a system of integrodifference equations to study plant-herbivore invasion dynamics. Our analyses yield several new insights into the spatial dynamics of coinvasions. In particular, we demonstrate that aspects of plant population growth and the intensity of herbivory under low-density conditions can determine whether the plant population spreads across a landscape or is prevented from doing so by the herbivore. In addition, we characterize the existence of threshold levels of spatial extent and/or temporal advantage for the plant that together define critical values of "invasion momentum," beyond which herbivores are unable to reverse a plant invasion. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for successional dynamics and the use of biological control agents to limit the spread of pest species.

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Title: When can herbivores slow or reverse the spread of an invading plant? A test case from Mount St. Helens
Creators: William F Fagan - Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
Mark Lewis
Michael G Neubert
Craig Aumann
Jennifer L Apple
John G Bishop
Publication Details: The American naturalist, Vol.166(6), pp.669-685
Academic Unit: Biological Sciences, School of
Publisher: United States
Identifiers: 99900546840801842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article