Does the invasive horse-chestnut leaf mining moth, Cameraria ohridella, affect the native beech leaf mining weevil, Orchestes fagi, through apparent competition?

Péré, Christelle, Bell, Robert, Turlings, Ted C. J. and Kenis, Marc (2011) Does the invasive horse-chestnut leaf mining moth, Cameraria ohridella, affect the native beech leaf mining weevil, Orchestes fagi, through apparent competition? Biodiversity and Conservation, 20 (13). pp. 3003-3016. ISSN 0960-3115

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Abstract

Apparent competition, through the action of shared natural enemies, is frequently suggested as a possible mechanism underlying the impact of invasive alien species on native species, but examples are rare, particularly in insects. A previous study showed that the beech leaf mining weevil, Orchestes fagi, was significantly less abundant close to horse-chestnut trees infested by the invasive horse-chestnut leaf mining moth, Cameraria ohridella, compared to control sites. Apparent competition through the sharing of natural enemies was proposed as a potential mechanism underlying this effect. To test the occurrence of apparent competition between the two leaf miner species, three observational studies and one experimental manipulation were carried out in Switzerland during 3 years. The total mortality, parasitism, predation and parasitoid diversity of larvae and pupae of O. fagi were compared between sites with and without horse-chestnut trees severely attacked by C. ohridella. Total mortality and predation rates of O. fagi were not significantly different between sites with and sites without C. ohridella. Despite a large overlap between the parasitoid complexes of the two leaf miners, parasitism of O. fagi was found to be positively influenced by the presence of horse-chestnuts infested by C. ohridella in only one of the four studies and only for 1 year. Similarly, parasitoid diversity was not higher near infested horse-chestnut trees compared to control sites. Thus, little evidence for apparent competition was found. Possible reasons, including possible insufficiencies in the experimental circumstances and design, are discussed.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Users 2731 not found.
Date Deposited:	26 Sep 2011 12:49
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2022 01:01
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/34885
DOI:	10.1007/s10531-011-0134-9

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