Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 11, Issue 16, Pages 11200-11206Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7905
Keywords
Araneae; biological invasions; enemy release hypothesis; invasion biology; Linyphiidae; Mermessus trilobatus
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Funding
- German Research Foundation DFG [EN 979/5--1]
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Contrary to expectations, the invasive spider Mermessus trilobatus is more susceptible to predation by native species compared to local counterparts. This suggests that the relationship between the invasive spider and its native predator is mainly influenced by prey naivete rather than enemy release. Further studies are needed to explore the evolutionary and ecological processes contributing to the invasion success of Mermessus trilobatus in Europe, including the role of natural parasites and rapid reproduction.
Ecosystems may suffer from the impact of invasive species. Thus, understanding the mechanisms contributing to successful invasions is fundamental for limiting the effects of invasive species. Most intuitive, the enemy release hypothesis predicts that invasive species might be more successful in the exotic range than resident sympatric species owing to the absence of coevolution with native enemies. Here, we test the enemy release hypothesis for the invasion of Europe by the North American spider Mermessus trilobatus. We compare the susceptibility of invasive Mermessus trilobatus and a native species with similar life history to a shared predator with which both species commonly co-occur in Europe. Contrary to our expectations, invasive Mermessus trilobatus were consumed three times more frequently by native predators than their native counterparts. Our study shows that invasive Mermessus trilobatus is more sensitive to a dominant native predator than local sympatric species. This suggests that the relation between the invasive spider and its native predator is dominated by prey naivete rather than enemy release. Further studies investigating evolutionary and ecological processes behind the invasion success of Mermessus trilobatus, including testing natural parasites and rapid reproduction, are needed to explain its invasion success in Europe.
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