Ecological disequilibrium drives insect pest and pathogen accumulation in non-native trees.

ABSTRACT: Non-native trees have become dominant components of many landscapes, including urban ecosystems, commercial forestry plantations, fruit orchards, and as invasives in natural ecosystems. Often, these trees have been separated from their natural enemies (i.e. insects and pathogens) leading to ecological disequilibrium, that is, the immediate breakdown of historically co-evolved interactions once introduced into novel environments. Long-established, non-native tree plantations provide useful experiments to explore the dimensions of such ecological disequilibria. We quantify the status quo of non-native insect pests and pathogens catching up with their tree hosts (planted Acacia, Eucalyptus and Pinus species) in South Africa, and examine which native South African enemy species utilise these t

SUBMITTER: Crous CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5499825 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature