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Article: Insect herbivore faunal diversity among invasive, non-invasive and native Eugenia species: implications for the enemy release hypothesis.(Report)
- Article from:
- Florida Entomologist
- Article date:
- December 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Florida Entomological Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract
The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) frequently has been invoked to explain the naturalization and spread of introduced species. One ramification of the ERH is that invasive plants sustain less herbivore pressure than do native species. Empirical studies testing the ERH have mostly involved two-way comparisons between invasive introduced plants and their native counterparts in the invaded region. Testing the ERH would be more meaningful if such studies also included introduced non-invasive species because introduced plants, regardless of their abundance or impact, may support a reduced insect herbivore fauna and experience less damage. In this study, we ...