Ecology. 2014 Jan;95(1):30-6. doi: 10.1890/13-0728.1.
Competition plays an important role in structuring the community dynamics of phytophagous insects. As the number and impact of biological invasions increase, it has become increasingly important to determine whether competitive differences exist between native and exotic insects. We conducted a meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that native/ exotic status affects the outcome of herbivore competition. Specifically, we used data from 160 published studies to assess plant-mediated competition in phytophagous insects. For each pair of competing herbivores, we determined the native range and coevolutionary history of each herbivore and host plant. Plant-mediated competition occurred frequently, but neither native nor exotic insects were consistently better competitors. Spatial separation reduced competition in native insects but showed little effect on exotics. Temporal separation negatively impacted native insects but did not affect competition in exotics. Insects that coevolved with their host plant were more affected by interspecific competition than herbivores that lacked a coevolutionary history. Insects that have not coevolved with their host plant may be at a competitive advantage if they overcome plant defenses. As native/exotic status does not consistently predict outcomes of competitive interactions, plant-insect coevolutionary history should be considered in studies of competition.
竞争在植食性昆虫的群落动态结构中起着重要作用。随着生物入侵的数量和影响的增加，确定本地和外来昆虫之间是否存在竞争差异变得越来越重要。我们进行了一项荟萃分析，以检验这样一个假设，即本地/外来状态会影响食草动物竞争的结果。具体来说，我们使用了来自 160 项已发表研究的数据来评估植食性昆虫中的植物介导的竞争。对于每一对竞争的食草动物，我们确定了每只食草动物和其寄主植物的本地范围和共同进化历史。植物介导的竞争经常发生，但本地和外来昆虫都不是一贯的更好的竞争者。空间分离减少了本地昆虫的竞争，但对外来物种几乎没有影响。时间分离对本地昆虫的竞争有负面影响，但对外来物种的竞争没有影响。与宿主植物共同进化的昆虫比缺乏共同进化历史的食草动物更容易受到种间竞争的影响。如果外来昆虫克服了植物的防御，它们可能在竞争中处于优势地位。由于本地/外来状态并不总是能预测竞争相互作用的结果，因此在竞争研究中应考虑植物-昆虫的共同进化历史。
