Can enemy release explain the invasion success of the diploid Leucanthemum vulgare in North America?

0464257 - BÚ 2017 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Stutz, S. - Štajerová, Kateřina - Hinz, H. L. - Müller-Schärer, H. - Schaffner, U.
Can enemy release explain the invasion success of the diploid Leucanthemum vulgare in North America?
Biological Invasions. Roč. 18, č. 7 (2016), s. 2077-2091. ISSN 1387-3547. E-ISSN 1573-1464
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP505/11/1112
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : biogeography * herbivores * polyploidy
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 2.473, year: 2016

In summary, our biogeographic survey revealed comparable herbivore loads on L. vulgare and L. ircutianum in the native range, suggesting that differential escape from specialist herbivores does not explain the higher invasion success of L. vulgare compared to L. ircutianum. When comparing L. vulgare between the native and the introduced range, plants in North America had significantly lower levels of herbivory, grew taller and produced more flower heads than plants in Europe, which is in line with the predictions of the enemy release hypothesis. Yet, the low levels of herbivory found in the native range suggest that the increased performance of L. vulgare in the introduced range is not primarily caused by enemy release and that other factors such as a shift in plant competition may play a more important role.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0265208