Abstract (from Springer): Exotic plants are common in urban landscapes and are often planted by landscape managers in an effort to reduce herbivory damage and improve landscape aesthetics. However, exotic plants may be less palatable to many native insects and reduce herbivore biomass that may fuel higher trophic levels. Furthermore, a loss of herbivores in exotic ornamental landscapes may reduce top-down control by natural enemies. In this study, we compare herbivory in native and exotic congener ornamental landscapes. We also explore if caterpillar abundance, natural enemy abundance, diversity, community composition, spider biomass, and egg predation differ between the two landscape types. We predicted that herbivory, as well as [...]
