concept

Native plants

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Compendium Vol. 5 No. 1: The ecological role of native plants bio4climate.org Bio4Climate 21 facts

measurementIn a two-year experiment reported in 2010, Burghardt et al. found that lepidopteran richness (number of species) and abundance were lower on non-native plants compared to native plants.

referenceDesiree L. Narango, D. W. Tallamy, and P. P. Marra found that native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for insectivorous birds in a 2017 study published in Biological Conservation.

referenceA study in Washington DC by Narango (2017) demonstrated that both lepidoptera and their bird predators prospered in the presence of native plants.

claimNative plants are more likely to host a higher biomass of caterpillars compared to non-native plants, and chickadees strongly prefer to forage in native plants that support the most caterpillars.

claimAvian abundance, diversity, richness, and biomass, particularly for bird species of conservation concern, were greater on properties with native plants compared to conventionally landscaped properties with a mix of native and non-native plants.

claimNon-native plants that belong to the same genus or family as native plants are the most likely successful substitutes for native plants because they are more similar in foliar chemistry, nutrition, phenology, and morphology.

claimWhen native plants are displaced by non-native species, phytophagous insects often fail to recognize the new plants for feeding or egg-laying, or cannot overcome the novel plant defenses, which can lead to local insect extirpation and altered food web structures.

claimNorth American experiments show that exotic European plants strongly inhibit the growth of native plants, while not negatively affecting European members of the same genus as the inhibited native plants.

procedureBurghardt et al. (2010) conducted an experiment using four gardens near mature woodlots to compare lepidopteran richness and abundance on native plants versus non-native congener species of 13 woody plant genera, as well as comparing native plants to unrelated non-native plants.

referenceA study by Burghardt (2008) showed greater diversity and abundance of both lepidoptera and birds in suburban yards with native plants only, compared to yards with a mix of native and non-native plants.

claimIn a study of residential Washington DC, native plants were found to produce more caterpillars, which in turn support more Carolina chickadees, a local breeding insectivore.

claimInsects with specialized diets are less likely to tolerate non-native food sources than generalist insects, and because there are more specialist insect species than generalist species, a larger proportion of insect species are susceptible to the loss of native plants.

referenceResearch conducted by Tallamy and colleagues (Burghardt 2008, Burghardt 2010, Narango 2017, Tallamy 2020) in the eastern United States illustrates that native plants are critical for local moths, butterflies (lepidopterans), and the birds that depend on those insects.

claimNative plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for insectivorous birds.

claimLepidopterans suffer from the replacement of native plants by non-native plants, particularly when those non-native plants are unrelated to any native plant species.

claimA native ecosystem is defined as one dominated by native plants, animals, and microorganisms that occurred together before the time of Euro-American settlement.

claimNative plants are preferred in eco-restoration initiatives because they are typically well-adapted to local environmental conditions and interact with other local species, such as serving as food sources for herbivores.

referenceDuring urban conversion, native plants are replaced by non-native species that possess novel chemical, physical, and phenological features, for which native herbivorous arthropods lack sufficient physiological or behavioral adaptations, according to Narango (2017).

referenceKarin T. Burghardt, Douglas W. Tallamy, and W. Gregory Shriver demonstrated that native plants have a positive impact on bird and butterfly biodiversity in suburban landscapes in a 2008 study published in Conservation Biology.

claimLepidopterans more commonly use non-native plants that are similar to native plants (such as Norway maple being similar to red maple) than non-native plants that lack a related native counterpart.

claimLepidopterans suffer from the replacement of native plants by non-native plants, particularly when the non-native plants are unrelated to any native plant species.

Plant Ecology | US Forest Service Research and Development research.fs.usda.gov USDA Forest Service Jul 29, 2022 1 fact

claimNative plants provide economic, ecological, genetic, and aesthetic benefits.