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Anthropogenic disturbance affects specialist, but not generalist, endophagous insects associated with two African grasses: implications for biological control

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Sutton, G. F., Day, M. D., Canavan, K. and Paterson, I. D. (2023) Anthropogenic disturbance affects specialist, but not generalist, endophagous insects associated with two African grasses: implications for biological control. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 33 (11). pp. 1051-1064. ISSN 0958-3157

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Article Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2023.2275114

Abstract

The specialisation-disturbance hypothesis (SDH) predicts that specialist and generalist taxa respond differently to disturbance, with generalists more tolerant of disturbance, while habitat stability (i.e. no/limited disturbance) should favour specialist species. If the SDH holds true, this would have implications for the design and implementation of biological control programmes, in terms of performing native-range surveys in search of candidate agents and subsequent development of management programmes for their release in the weeds invaded range. We assessed the effect of anthropogenic disturbance (mowing/slashing and fire) on the endophagous insect communities associated with two African grasses, Sporobolus pyramidalis and Sporobolus natalensis (Poaceae), that are targets for biological control in Australia. Comparisons, of insect community structure and presence/abundance of each species between disturbed and undisturbed sites, were made at 19 sites in South Africa. Disturbance caused a shift in insect species composition and abundance, whereby specialist insects were less frequently encountered and less abundant at disturbed versus undisturbed sites. If the potential agents for Sporobolus spp. are released in Australia they may be negatively affected by disturbance and may therefore be incompatible with certain integrated management strategies, such as mowing and prescribed burning. Moreover, our results suggest that field sites with limited disturbance should be prioritised during native-range surveys to maximise the chances of locating specialist natural enemies. The effect disturbance has on insect community composition may be particularly relevant for the biological control of invasive grasses, due to the intensity of disturbance of grasslands worldwide.

Item Type:Article
Corporate Creators:Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland
Business groups:Biosecurity Queensland
Subjects:Science > Invasive Species > Plants > Weed ecology
Plant pests and diseases > Weeds, parasitic plants etc
Live Archive:24 Nov 2023 01:58
Last Modified:24 Nov 2023 01:58

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