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Spillover of tent caterpillar ( Malacosoma americanum ) herbivory onto willow bioenergy crops in an agricultural landscape
Author(s) -
Eckberg J.O.,
Johnson G.A.,
Pain R.E.,
Wyse D.L.,
Heimpel G.E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/aab.12216
Subject(s) - willow , biology , short rotation coppice , botany , bioenergy , herbivore , coppicing , woody plant , agronomy , ecology , biofuel
The circumstances and potential for insects to damage perennial bioenergy crops is not well understood in the United States. In this study, we evaluated the spillover and herbivory of eastern tent caterpillars ( Malacosoma americanum ) from host trees onto short rotation coppice ( SRC ) willow bioenergy crops ( Salix sp.). Host trees were all in the Rosaceae family and included Prunus americana , Prunus virginiana and Malus sp. Willow showed greater leaf herbivory with increasing proximity to a defoliated host tree, suggesting that tent caterpillars spilled‐over to willow after denuding their host. More tent caterpillar herbivory was associated with greater mortality of willow. This study suggests that landscape context and spatial position of host trees is important to the early establishment of a willow bioenergy crop.