[APWG] Abstract of Opposing Effects of Native and Exotic Herbivores on Plant Invasions - Science article

[Craig Dremann]

Dear All,

Interesting article, but unless you subscribe to SCIENCE, or pay for the
article, on-line you can only read the free abstract, which follows:

Science 10 March 2006:  Vol. 311. no. 5766, pp. 1459 - 1461

              Reports

              Opposing Effects of
              Native and Exotic
              Herbivores on Plant
              Invasions 

              John D. Parker,*
              Deron E. Burkepile, Mark E. Hay 

              Exotic species are widely assumed to
              thrive because they lack natural enemies in
              their new ranges. However, a
              meta-analysis of 63 manipulative field
              studies including more than 100 exotic
              plant species revealed that native
              herbivores suppressed exotic plants,
              whereas exotic herbivores facilitated both
              the abundance and species richness of
              exotic plants. Both outcomes suggest that
              plants are especially susceptible to novel,
              generalist herbivores that they have not
              been selected to resist. Thus, native
              herbivores provide biotic resistance to
              plant invasions, but the widespread
              replacement of native with exotic
              herbivores eliminates this ecosystem
              service, facilitates plant invasions, and
              triggers an invasional "meltdown." 

              School of Biology, Georgia Institute of
              Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. 

              * Present address: Department of Ecology
              and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell
              University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
              E-mail: jdp52{at}cornell.edu 

               To whom correspondence should be
              addressed. E-mail:
              mark.hay{at}biology.gatech.edu 

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Exotic herbivores like sheep and cows?

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333