Knowledge Tree
non-native plant species
Also known as: non-native plant species, non-native plants
Facts (19)
Sources
Compendium Vol. 5 No. 1: The ecological role of native plants bio4climate.org 19 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.
claimSpecialist lepidopteran species perform worse on non-native plants than generalist lepidopteran species, as generalists can consume a wider variety of foods and survive in broader habitat ranges.
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.
perspectiveNon-native plant species have important roles to play in ecosystem rehabilitation and potentially as substitutes for extinct native species of the same genus or functional group.
measurementOnly 7% of specialist lepidopteran species used non-native plants with no similar native counterpart as hosts, while less than half of generalist lepidopteran species did.
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.
claimChickadees are less likely to breed in yards as the dominance of non-native plants increases.
claimMost herbivorous insects either avoid non-native plants or, if they attempt to feed on them, are killed or malnourished by the experience, as only a minority of insects can feed successfully on non-native plants.
claimThe introduction of non-native plants has not resulted in global extinction, but it has significantly impacted ecosystem function by causing bottom-up reductions of energy available in local food webs.
claimNon-native plants reduce the abundance, richness, and host specialization of lepidopteran communities.
referenceKarin T. Burghardt, Douglas W. Tallamy, Christopher Philips, and Kimberly J. Shropshire found that non-native plants reduce the abundance, richness, and host specialization of lepidopteran communities in their 2010 study published in Ecosphere.
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.
claimMany native herbivore species are likely to become locally extinct rather than adapt to non-native plants when the latter displace native plants, and the resulting loss of insects blocks the flow of energy from plants up the food chain, negatively affecting ecosystem function.
claimCarolina chickadees were less likely to breed in residential yards as the dominance of non-native plants increased.
claimCarolina chickadees in residential Washington DC avoided foraging in non-native plants, including non-native species of the same tree genera, preferring maples native to the eastern United States over European-origin maples.
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.