Influence of release size on establishment and impact of a root weevil for the biocontrol of houndstongue (<i>Cynoglossum officinale</i>)

Clerck-Floate, Rosemarie De; Wikeem, Brian M.

doi:10.1080/09583150802650167

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The strong impact on rosette survival observed in our study may explain why M. crucifer has been an effective biocontrol insect for C. officinale in Canada. The quick 2‐yr collapse of C. officinale populations after release observed by De Clerck‐Floate and Wikeem () occurred in too short of a time frame for differences in fecundity alone to impact plant population abundance, although in that study, weevil effects were interacting with drought conditions. Fecundity values for C. officinale on our release sites were not significantly lower than on nonrelease sites; however, we suspect our experiment may have underestimated the impact of M. crucifer on this target weed vital rate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Approved for release in Canada in 1997, the weevil has quickly suppressed populations of its target weed and dispersed to new infestations (De Clerck‐Floate et al. , De Clerck‐Floate and Wikeem ). In some cases on rangeland in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, M. crucifer has eliminated local C. officinale within 2 yr after release when interacting with drought conditions (De Clerck‐Floate et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases on rangeland in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, M. crucifer has eliminated local C. officinale within 2 yr after release when interacting with drought conditions (De Clerck‐Floate et al. , De Clerck‐Floate and Wikeem ). In its native range, M. crucifer is known to decrease fecundity of C. officinale by 30–35%, but not affect mortality of vegetative rosettes (Prins et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), or to phenomenological differences in plant density or cover (e.g., Butler et al. , De Clerck‐Floate and Wikeem ) without linking the changes in plant abundance to underlying vital rate driver. Experimental studies that measure aspects of both target weed performance and density come closer to uncovering mechanisms behind population‐level impacts of agent exposure (e.g., Dhileepan , Seastedt et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biocontrol insect impacts population growth of its target plant species but not an incidentally used nontarget

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Understanding the impact of herbivory on plant populations is a fundamental goal of ecology.Damage to individual plants can be visually striking and affect the fates of individuals, but these impacts do not necessarily translate into population-level differences in vital rates (survival, growth, or fecundity) or population growth rates. In biological control of weeds, quantitative assessments of population-level impacts of released agents on both target invasive plants and native, nontarget plants are needed to inform evaluations of the benefits and risks of releasing agents into new regions. Here we present a 3-yr experimental demographic field study using the European root-feeding biocontrol weevil, Mogulones crucifer, first released in Canada in 1997 to control the invasive weed Cynoglossum officinale (Boraginaceae). Mogulones crucifer is an effective "search and destroy" agent in Canada, but sporadically feeds, oviposits, and develops on native nontarget Boraginaceae. We investigated the population-level impacts of this biocontrol insect on its target weed and a native nontarget plant, Hackelia micrantha (Boraginaceae), by releasing large numbers of weevils into naturally occurring patches of H. micrantha growing isolated from or interspersed with C. officinale. We followed the fates of individual plants on release and nonrelease (control) sites for two transition years, developed matrix models to project population growth rates (λ) for each plant species, and examined the contributions from differences in vital rates to changes in λ using life table response experiments (LTRE). In contrast to studies of the insect-plant interaction in its native range, as a biocontrol agent, M. crucifer increased mortality of C. officinale rosettes in the year immediately following release, depressing the weed's λ to below the population replacement level. However, λ for H. micrantha was never depressed below the replacement level, and any differences between release and nonrelease sites in the nontarget could not be explained by significant contributions from vital rates in the LTRE. This study is the first to simultaneously and experimentally examine target and nontarget population-level impacts of a weed biocontrol insect in the field, and supports the theoretical prediction that plant life history characteristics and uneven herbivore host preferences can interact to produce differences in populationlevel impacts between target and nontarget plant species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biocontrol insect impacts population growth of its target plant species but not an incidentally used nontarget

et al. 2016

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“…Biological control programs provide a unique opportunity to study invasion processes because introduction information (location, time of release, and propagule pressure) is often recorded and releases can be manipulated to examine effects of propagule pressure on specific invasion processes (Beirne 1975;Grevstad 1999a, b;De Clerck-Floate and Wikeem 2009). Despite post-release monitoring of biological control species having multiple benefits, it is often neglected in biological control programs (Blossey 1995;Morin et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological control as an invasion process: disturbance and propagule pressure affect the invasion success of Lythrum salicaria biological control agents

et al. 2011

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Life history variation in an invasive plant is associated with climate and recent colonization of a specialist herbivore

Duncan

Williams

2020

American J of Botany

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Spatial variation in selective pressures can lead to intraspecific variation in life history, favoring some life histories and constraining others depending on the vulnerability of life stages. We examined how spatial variation in herbivory and climate influences flowering size and the occurrence of semelparity (reproducing once) versus iteroparity (reproducing multiple times) in the introduced range of an invasive plant, houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale). Houndstongue is a short-lived, semelparous perennial in its native range. In its introduced range, we previously documented increased rates of iteroparity and a higher median threshold flowering size compared to the native range. We hypothesized that the recent introduction of a specialist biocontrol insect (a rootboring weevil, Mogulones crucifer) would decrease threshold flowering size and reduce the proportion of iteroparous plants because M. crucifer preferentially attacks large individuals and may reduce overwinter survival. METHODS: We surveyed 24 sites across the northwestern United States to quantify the frequency of semelparity versus iteroparity and to estimate weevil abundance and used demographic data collected from six sites to estimate median threshold flowering size. RESULTS: We found that sites with greater winter precipitation and no weevils had a greater proportion of iteroparous plants. Sites with higher weevil attack had a lower median threshold flowering size. CONCLUSIONS: The variation in frequency of flowering and threshold flowering size that we documented in North American houndstongue populations, and the relationships between this variation and herbivory and climate, provide evidence for how selective pressures covary with the life histories of invasive plants.

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Influence of release size on establishment and impact of a root weevil for the biocontrol of houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Cited by 16 publications

References 28 publications

Biocontrol insect impacts population growth of its target plant species but not an incidentally used nontarget

Biocontrol insect impacts population growth of its target plant species but not an incidentally used nontarget

Biological control as an invasion process: disturbance and propagule pressure affect the invasion success of Lythrum salicaria biological control agents

Life history variation in an invasive plant is associated with climate and recent colonization of a specialist herbivore

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