Early Stages of Vascular Plant Succession in a Central New York Old Field

Dayton, Bruce R.

doi:10.2307/2424538

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…3) was very similar to that in a ®eld abandoned directly from agriculture in central New York State (Dayton 1975). We found that E. graminifolia (formerly S. graminifolia; Kartesz 1994) was the dominant species by the third year of succession in control plots (see also Dayton 1975).…”

Section: Biomass and Species Richnesssupporting

confidence: 69%

“…Bazzaz 1996). In some cases, however, these goldenrods fail to dominate by year three or four (e.g., Beckwith 1954;Bazzaz 1968;Dayton 1975). Our results suggest that insect herbivory is a viable explanation for this delay.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Bazzaz (1990Bazzaz ( , 1996 concluded that these goldenrods do not dominate earlier due to a delay in colonization, which undoubtedly occurs in some cases (e.g., Hartnett and Bazzaz 1985). Nonetheless, these species of goldenrods often colonize in the ®rst or second year of succession (e.g., Quarterman 1957;Root and Wilson 1973;Hopkins and Wilson 1974;Dayton 1975;Carson and Barrett 1988) and sometimes become dominant by year three (e.g., Quarterman 1957;Root and Wilson 1973;Hopkins and Wilson 1974). We conclude that two conditions are required for goldenrods to dominate early in succession.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S. altissima or S. canadensis frequently colonize old-®elds in the ®rst or second year of succession (e.g., Beckwith 1954;Quarterman 1957;Bazzaz 1968;Root and Wilson 1973;Hopkins and Wilson 1974;Dayton 1975;Carson and Barrett 1988;cf. Bazzaz 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Top-down effects of insect herbivores during early succession: influence on biomass and plant dominance

1999

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We tested the hypothesis that phytophagous insects would have a strong top-down effect on early successional plant communities and would thus alter the course of succession. To test this hypothesis, we suppressed above-ground insects at regular intervals with a broad-spectrum insecticide through the first 3 years of old-field succession at three widely scattered locations in central New York State. Insect herbivory substantially reduced total plant biomass to a similar degree at all three sites by reducing the abundance of meadow goldenrod, Solidago altissima. As a result, Euthamia graminifolia dominated control plots whereas S. altissima dominated insecticide-treated plots by the third year of succession. S. altissima is the dominant old-field herbaceous species in this region but typically requires at least 5 years to become dominant. Past explanations for this delay have implicated colonization limitation whereas our data demonstrate that insect herbivory is a likely alternative explanation. A widespread, highly polyphagous insect, the xylem-tapping spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius, appeared to be the herbivore responsible for the reduction in standing crop biomass at all three sites. Insect herbivory typically caused little direct leaf tissue loss for the ten plant species we examined, including S. altissima. Consequently, the amount of leaf area removed was not a reliable indicator of the influence of insect herbivory on standing crop biomass or on early succession. Overall, we found a strong top-down effect of insect herbivores on biomass at several sites, so our results may be broadly applicable. These findings run counter to generalizations that top-down effects of herbivores, particularly insects, are weak in terrestrial systems. These generalizations may not apply to insects, such as spittlebugs, that can potentially mount an effective defense (i.e., spittle) against predators and subsequently reach relatively high abundance on common plant species. Our results suggest that insect herbivory may play an important but often overlooked role during early old-field succession.

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Section: Biomass and Species Richnesssupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%