Identifying the generalizable controls on insect associations of native and non‐native trees

Abstract

Trees growing outside their native geographic ranges often exhibit exceptional growth and survival due in part to the lack of co‐evolved natural enemies that may limit their spread and suppress population growth. While most non‐native trees tend to accumulate natural enemies over time, it remains uncertain which host and insect characteristics affect these novel associations and whether novel associations follow patterns of assembly similar to those of native hosts. Here, we used a dataset of insect–host tree associations in Europe to model which native insect species are paired with which native tree species, and then tested the model on its ability to predict which native insects are paired with which non‐native trees. We show that native and non‐native tree species closely related to known hosts are more likely to be hosts themselves, but that native host geographic range size, insect feeding guild, and sampling effort similarly affect insect associations. Our model had a strong ability to predict which insect species utilize non‐native trees as hosts, but evolutionarily isolated tree species posed the greatest challenge to the model. These results demonstrate that insect–host associations can be reliably predicted, regardless of whether insect and host trees have co‐evolved, and provide a framework for predicting future pest threats using a select number of easily attainable tree and insect characteristics.