Additive effects of aboveground and belowground herbivores on the dominance of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe)

Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) is found in over 3 million ha of rangeland and forests across North America, and evidence supporting the use of biological control as a regional method to reduce infestations and their associated impacts remains inconclusive. Several species of insects have been reported to reduce plant densities in some areas; however, rigorous studies that test combinations of these species and the influence of resource availability are lacking. We examined the singular and combined effects of herbivory by a root weevil (Cyphocleonus achates) and a flower head weevil (Larinus minutus) on the growth and flower production of C. stoebe. We also manipulated soil resource fertility as an additional factor that could explain the outcomes of contradictory biological control herbivore effects on C. stoebe. In a greenhouse study, herbivory by C. achates decreased flower production for plants across all resource environments. In a caged common garden study, the negative effects of herbivory also did not interact with soil nutrient status. However, the presence of plant competition further decreased knapweed growth, and the negative effects of concurrent herbivory by C. achates and L. minutus on plant biomass and flower production were additive. Derived within the context of variable levels of soil nutrient availability and competing vegetation, these results support the cumulative stress hypothesis and the contention that combined above- and belowground herbivory can reduce spotted knapweed densities and reduce the ecological and economic impacts of this species in rangelands of western North America.