Alien plant and native herbivore network of Kashmir Himalaya
2022
Ahmad, Tarek | Rashīd, ʻIrfān | Ahmad, Rayees | Mehraj, Maajid | Ahmad, Naieem
Biological invasions are regarded as a major threat to native biodiversity, with cascading ecological and economic consequences within invaded areas. Anticipating and managing these invasions requires a better understanding of the interactions between non-native and native species. We compiled a list of alien plant species and their native insect herbivores from various terrestrial habitats in the Kashmir Himalaya. On alien plants, a total of 15 native insect herbivores were found, four of which were specialists (Aglais caschmirensis on Urtica dioica, Agrotis sp. and Chrysolina herbacea on Mentha longifolia and Nezara viridula on Verbascum thapsus) and the rest were generalists. Altica himensis is the most common native insect herbivore, feeding on nearly 31 alien plants. Various diversity indices show a quantitative estimate of the alien plant and native insect herbivore network. A total of 42 alien plants were recorded throughout the course of 2 years (2018–2020), with Plantago major having the highest relative abundance of 9.7. The study provides a baseline information on the challenging issue of biological invasion by highlighting the role of native insect herbivores as natural biocontrol agents against invasive alien plants.
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