Infiltration of a Hawaiian Community by Introduced Biological Control Agents
M. L. Henneman,
J. Memmott*
To examine the community-wide effects of introduced
biocontrol agents on Kauai Island, Hawaii, we constructed quantitative food webs showing interactions among plants, moths, and moth
parasitoids in a native forest. Eighty-three percent of parasitoids
reared from native moths were biological control agents, 14% were
accidental immigrants, and 3% were native species. Although parasitism
by biological control agents reached 28% in some species of moth, all
biocontrol agents reared had been released before 1945. This study
highlights the importance of considering the potential damage caused by
an introduced control agent, in addition to that caused by the target
alien species.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland
Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
Jane.Memmott{at}bristol.ac.uk