EICA Hypothesis

Literature Review

Kelly Moffett, Lindsey Youngman, Taylor Arsenault, Ryan

Crawford

EICA

“Evolution of increased competitive ability in invasive nonindigenous plants: a hypothesis”

by Bernd Blossey and Rolf Notzold1995

Our Hypothesis

EICA: Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability

1. Optimal Defense2. Specialized Herbivore Performance

Hypothesis Background

What is the EICA hypothesis?

Simply put: -Without native predators, introduced plants are able to reallocate defense mechanism resources and focus on their growth and development

Specialized Herbivores will perform better because the plants have limited defense.

EICA in Invasive Nonindigenous Plants

Lythrum salicaria

-Seeds collected from native and invaded environments

-Herbivorous insects tested

Blossey, Notzfold, 1995

Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability in Invasive Nonindigenous

Plants

Was the EICA hypothesis supported?

Methods for Our Research

Collected data from various articles using Google Scholar, Web of Science, UMass Library Databases

Results

Overall, support for the hypothesis was strong

Literature Support

Alternate Findings

“No evidence for an ‘evolution of increased competitive ability’ for the invasive Lepidium draba” Cripps et al. 2008

All plant traits greater in native plants

Proposition?

Final Thoughts

Can generalizations be made?

References

Joshi, J. and Vrieling, K. (2005), The enemy release and EICA hypothesis revisited: incorporating the fundamental difference between specialist and generalist herbivores. Ecology Letters, 8: 704–714. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00769.x

Bossdorf, O., Prati, D., Auge, H. and Schmid, B. (2004), Reduced competitive ability in an invasive plant. Ecology Letters, 7: 346–353. doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00583.x

Fukano, Y., & Tetsukazu, Y. (2012). Changes in Defense of an Alien Plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia before and after the Invasion of a Native Specialist Enemy Ophraella communa. MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES, 7(11). Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://apps.webofknowledge.com/full_record.do?product=WOS&search_mode=Refine&qid=10&SID=4DOmUeua3qHkeSwQGa1&page=1&doc=6#

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