[Pollinator] Removing invasive species increases butterfly abundance

[Ladadams at aol.com]

Thanks to Dennis L. Krusac for this:
 
Laurie:  Below is a link to a recent article regarding invasive  species 
removal and butterfly abundance.  I thought it might be of interest  to the 
pollinator group.  Abstract is below. 

Invasive  plants are one of the greatest threats to endangered insect 
species and a major  threat to Lepidoptera in eastern North America. We 
investigated the effects of  the invasive shrub Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) 
and two methods (mulching  or hand-felling) of removing it from riparian 
forests on butterfly communities  and compared them to untreated, heavily invaded 
control plots and to ‘‘desired  future condition’’ forests that never had 
extensive privet cover. Privet  mulching resulted in nearly twice as many 
butterflies as privet felling and both  treatments had more butterflies two 
years after privet removal than untreated  control plots. Butterfly 
communities on control plots differed from those on the  two treatments and the 
desired future condition forests. A number of forest  characteristics were 
evaluated but only herbaceous plant cover (excluding  privet) was positively 
correlated with butterfly abundance, diversity and  evenness. The Carolina satyr, 
Hermeuptychia sosybius, was the best indicator of  forests where privet had 
never invaded. Removing Chinese privet from riparian  forests in the 
southeastern United States greatly improved forest habitats for  butterflies and 
evidence suggests that butterfly communities in other temperate  forests 
could benefit from removal of extensive shrub layers dominated by a  single 
species. 

_http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6T6X-52XTJBF-1-1&_
cdi=5042&_user=4250274&_pii=S0378112711002635&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list
_item&_coverDate=08%2F15%2F2011&_sk=997379995&wchp=dGLbVzW-zSkWl&md5=378673f
0c12c42dbcdf82ebc5c18c5cd&ie=/sdarticle.pdf_ 
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6T6X-52XTJBF-1-1&_cdi=5042&_user=4250274&_pii=S03
78112711002635&_origin=browse&_zone=rslt_list_item&_coverDate=08/15/2011&_sk
=997379995&wchp=dGLbVzW-zSkWl&md5=378673f0c12c42dbcdf82ebc5c18c5cd&ie=/sdart
icle.pdf)  

Dennis L.  Krusac
Endangered Species Specialist
USDA Forest Service, Southern  Region
Suite 816 North, 1720 Peachtree Road, NW
Atlanta, GA  30309
404-347-4338;  404-347-4154 (fax); 404-660-4377  (cell)
dkrusac at fs.fed.us

"What is the use of a house if you haven't  got a tolerable planet to put 
it on?"   Henry David  Thoreau
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