Interactive Effect of Herbivory and Competition on the Invasive Plant Mikania micrantha

Abstract

A considerable number of host-specific biological control agents fail to control invasive plants in the field, and exploring the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is important and helpful for the management of invasive plants. Herbivory and competition are two of the most common biotic stressors encountered by invasive plants in their recipient communities. We predicted that the antagonistic interactive effect between herbivory and competition would weaken the effect of herbivory on invasive plants and result in the failure of herbivory to control invasive plants. To examine this prediction, thus, we conducted an experiment in which both invasive Mikania micrantha and native Coix lacryma-job i were grown together and subjected to herbivory-mimicking defoliation. Both defoliation and competition had significantly negative effects on the growth of the invader. However, the negative effect of 75% respective defoliation on the above- and below-ground biomass of Mikania micrantha was alleviated by presence of Coix lacryma-jobi. The negative effect of competition on the above- and below-ground biomass was equally compensated at 25%, 50% and 100% defoliation and overcompensated at 75% defoliation. The interactive effect was antagonistic and dependent on the defoliation intensity, with the maximum effect at 75% defoliation. The antagonistic interaction between defoliation and competition appears to be able to release the invader from competition, thus facilitating the invasiveness of Mikania, a situation that might make herbivory fail to inhibit the growth of invasive Mikania in the invaded community.

Use of exotic plants to control Spartina alterniflora invasion and promote mangrove restoration

“…A number of studies have been conducted to “control grass with grass”. However, the majority of the existing research has focused on how to change resources in the environment and use native plants to control invasive plants 44 . For example, a previous study 28 successfully replaced invasive Flanueria bidentis with native foliage.…”

Direct and indirect effects of native plants and herbivores on biotic resistance to alien aquatic plant invasions

“…Herbivores foraging on native plant species can also reduce native plant competition abilities (Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Gross, & Straile, 2012; Li, Xiao, Zhang, & Dong, 2013). Furthermore, herbivores can also indirectly affect alien plant establishment through non-trophic effects, including alteration of disturbance regimes and/or resource availability, for example by increasing nutrient recycling (Ribas et al, 2017).…”

Mycorrhizal influence on the growth and bioactive compounds composition of two medicinal plants: Mikania glomerata Spreng. and Mikania laevigata Sch. Bip. ex Baker (Asteraceae)

“…This AM fungus has been considered a ruderal species, known to be present in different soils and a number of ecosystems worldwide (Sýkorová et al 2007), and characterized for investing more resources in fungal biomass and quickly colonizing the roots of any species (Hart and Reader 2002;Chagnon et al 2013). Mikania species, as other plants from the Asteraceae family, are known to be mycotrophic and able to form AM in natural conditions, and although no previous reports of mycorrhization status of M. laevigata and M. glomerata were found, the mycotrophic ability of the invasive species M. micrantha Kunth was previously related (Li et al 2013).…”