Invasive Species Appear to Disrupt the Top-Down Control of Herbivory on a Mexican Oceanic Island

• Published in: Pacific science 2019-01, Vol.73 (1), p.1-16
• Main Authors: Ruiz-Guerra, Betsabé, Aguilar-Chama, Ana, León, Salvador González de, Guevara, Roger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal introduction; bird diversity; bottom-up; depredation; Environmental aspects; Herbivores; invasive predators; Socorro Island
• ISSN: 0030-8870; 1534-6188
• DOI: 10.2984/73.1.1

Oceanic islands are simplified ecosystems, which are very useful for understanding the processes related to the structuring of natural communities and for assessing cascade effects after perturbations. Socorro Island in the Pacific Ocean reaches up to 1040 m in elevation, and the northeastern side that faces trade winds is more humid than the leeward southwestern side. Apparently, the lack of freshwater throughout most of the island has prevented the spread of invasive cats and sheep to the north, but these species have severely impacted land bird communities on the southern side, where they have potentially disrupted functions such as the top-down control of herbivory. We tested the relative importance of bottom-up (soil and foliage nutrient availability) and top-down (predation of insect herbivores) drivers of herbivory in three endemic tree species. By experimentally excluding birds, we assessed changes in herbivory when top-down control was disrupted, and we also evaluated herbivore predation rates using artificial caterpillars. Our findings suggest that the herbivory patterns on Socorro Island are driven by the top-down control of herbivores by land birds, because their exclusion resulted in higher herbivory (12%) despite low nitrogen content (bottom-up control) of leaves on the north side, whereas the leaves were richer in nitrogen on the south side but no change in herbivory was observed when birds were excluded, and overall, herbivory was 30% higher than in the north, suggesting release of herbivores from top down control on the south side, probably due to effects of invasive predators (cats) or sheep, which may have reduced suitable bird habitats. A better understanding of how drivers of ecological interactions operate on Socorro Island may increase the likelihood of success of future restoration programs.