Invasive plant architecture alters trophic interactions by changing predator abundance and behavior

Abstract

As primary producers, plants are known to influence higher trophic interactions by initiating food chains. However, as architects, plants may bypass consumers to directly affect predators with important but underappreciated trophic ramifications. Invasion of western North American grasslands by the perennial forb, spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), has fundamentally altered the architecture of native grassland vegetation. Here, I use long-term monitoring, observational studies, and field experiments to document how changes in vegetation architecture have affected native web spider populations and predation rates.

Citation

Pearson, Dean E. 2009. Invasive plant architecture alters trophic interactions by changing predator abundance and behavior. Oceologia. 159: 549-558.