Population-level effects of augmented herbivory on Lespedeza cuneata: implications for biological control

Invasive species pose significant ecological costs, and therefore successful management techniques are important. One commonly employed method is biological control. The success of biological control depends largely on whether additional inflicted damage can successfully reduce the fitness and population growth rate of a target species. Here, we simulate herbivory on the invasive Lespedeza cuneata and create stage-structured projection models to determine if augmented herbivory by a leaf-chewing biological control agent would regulate the population growth rate of this species. We found that augmented herbivory influenced stage transitions of plants in the smallest stage class, causing higher mortality and reduced growth. No other effect was found on stage transitions or fecundities, despite manipulation of herbivory at exceptionally high levels (up to 80% leaf loss). None of the clipping treatments significantly reduced the population growth rate of L. cuneata. We conclude that biological control by a leaf chewing herbivore would not likely be successful, even if an exceptionally large amount of each plant were consumed. We suggest that this approach, a combination of simulated herbivory and demographic modeling, will provide essential information for understanding the utility of biological control to curb the population growth of invasive plant species.