Chilades pandava Damage among 85 Cycas Species in a Common Garden Setting

Abstract

<jats:p>The extent of <jats:italic>Chilades pandava</jats:italic> Horsfield herbivory among 85 Cycadaceae species was determined by three evaluators in a common garden setting in Thailand to identify patterns that may improve horticultural and conservation management practices. The significant differences in herbivory damage from this invasive lepidopteran pest ranged 8.7-fold among the species. Phylogenetic sections of this monogeneric cycad family did not correspond to the relative differences among the species, and country of nativity was also not informative for this purpose. We suggest the <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> L. species that share native habitat with this butterfly or the closely related <jats:italic>Theclinesthes onycha</jats:italic> Hewitson are among the least damaged taxa when they are comingled with other <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> species in a common landscape. Grouping the most damaged <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> species together in a managed landscape may reduce costs associated with plant protection. The inclusion of non-native <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> plants in gardens nearby native <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> habitats carries the potential of disrupting the delicate specialist relationship that native butterfly populations have with host <jats:italic>Cycas</jats:italic> species.</jats:p>

Three invasive insects alterCycas micronesicaleaf chemistry and predict changes in biogeochemical cycling

“…An interesting question that remains to be answered is how the post-herbivory chemical responses of C. micronesica and other naïve Cycas species that did not co-evolve with a leaf-feeding herbivore differ from those of the Cycas species that did co-evolve with a leaf-feeding insect. We have reported highly contrasting levels of damage among Cycas species caused by Chilades pandava herbivory in a common garden setting 37,38 . The results lend evidence that constitutive chemical deterrents are highly heterogeneous among the Cycas species, and perhaps the species that co-evolved with Chilades pandava also possess greater inducible chemical responses to leaf infestations of insect herbivores.…”

First Record of the Cycad Blue,Chilades pandava, in Egypt — A New Invasive Butterfly Species in the Mediterranean Region and on the African Continent (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

“…Whereas in Egypt this species can threaten only cultivated plants, its further spread in Africa may have strong effects on the native cycad flora. This butterfly was reported from a large number (85) of Cycas species (Marler et al 2012).…”

“…It was documented that the species may cause severe defoliation leading to plant mortality (cf. Wu et al 2010;Marler et al 2012). Whereas in Egypt this species can threaten only cultivated plants, its further spread in Africa may have strong effects on the native cycad flora.…”

Tree conservation can be constrained by agents from conservation permitting and funding agencies

“…Indeed, ecosystem changes can be misunderstood in insular settings if consistent monitoring is not used [50]. This wise approach of a funding agency enabled the accumulation of the only existing long-term C. micronesica survival data set throughout three islands and has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed articles that are available to inform future C. micronesica conservation decisions [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68].…”