The Invasive Plant, Alliaria petiolata, Is an Ecological Trap for the Native Butterfly, Anthocharis midea, in North America
Danielle M. Thiemann, Don Cipollini

TL;DR
An invasive plant in North America attracts a native butterfly to lay eggs but is deadly to the butterfly's larvae, creating an ecological trap.
Contribution
The study reveals that Alliaria petiolata acts as an ecological trap for Anthocharis midea butterflies, affecting both oviposition and larval survival.
Findings
Adult butterflies prefer Alliaria petiolata for laying eggs later in the season despite it being lethal to larvae.
Larvae strongly prefer and survive on the native host Cardamine concatenata but die when feeding on Alliaria petiolata.
Drought stress does not improve larval survival on Alliaria petiolata, and older larvae are not better at surviving on it.
Abstract
Invasive plant species can have numerous effects on flora and fauna in their introduced ranges. We show that Alliaria petiolata, a Eurasian invader in North American forests, is an attractive oviposition site for adult Anthocharis midea butterflies, but it is lethal to larvae when they try to feed on it. The drought stress of hosts had little effect on feeding and survival and older larvae were no better than young larvae at surviving on this plant. At present, A. petiolata serves as an ecological trap for A. midea butterflies, which may lead to local declines in populations of this butterfly and drive selection for the altered behavior of adults to avoid this plant or for larvae to better tolerate it. The introduction of novel plant species to new habitats may have consequences for native herbivores. We examined the impact of Alliaria petiolata, a Eurasian invader of forest…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPlant and animal studies · Insect-Plant Interactions and Control · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
