Prioritization of invasive alien plants for biological control
Classical biological control (CBC) of invasive alien plants is receiving increased attention in the EPPO region, with a number of biocontrol programmes being implemented against species which have detrimental impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem services. Prioritizing species for control using this management method can act to identify those invasive alien plant species which may be amenable. Invasive alien plants from the List of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (Regulation 1143/2014) were prioritized using a scheme which focuses on (a) the suitability of the weed as a target for biological control, (b) the effort required to evaluate the safety of a biocontrol agent, and (c) the potential impact of the biocontrol agent on the target species. Sixteen invasive alien plant species were identified (Table 1) with a high potential for CBC in Europe.
Species | Family | EPPO Status | Main or potential biocontrol agents |
Acacia saligna | Fabaceae | List IAP | Melanterius castaneus (Coleoptera), Uromycladium morrisii (Pucciniales) |
Ailanthus altissima | Simaroubaceae | List IAP | Eucryptorrhynchus brandti (Coleoptera), Aculus taihangensis (Acari) |
Alternanthera philoxeroides | Amaranthaceae | A2 List | Agasicles hygrophila (Coleoptera) |
Baccharis halimifolia | Asteraceae | A2 List | Hellensia balanotes (Lepidoptera), Megacyllene mellyi (Coleoptera), Rhopalomyia californica (Diptera), Trirhabda baccharidis (Coleoptera) |
Cabomba caroliniana | Cabombaceae | List IAP | Hydrotimetes natans (Coleoptera) |
Cardiospermum grandiflorum | Sapindaceae | A2 List | Cissoanthonomus tuberculipennis (Coleoptera), Contarinia sp. (Diptera), Puccinia arechavaletae (Pucciniales) |
Hakea sericea | Proteaceae | A2 List | Erytenna consputa (Coleoptera), Carposina autologa (Lepidoptera), Aphanasium australe (Coleoptera), Dicomada rufa (Coleoptera), Cydmaea binotata (Coleoptera) |
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides | Araliaceae | A2 List | Listronotus elongatus (Coleoptera) |
Lagarosiphon major | Hydrocharitaceae | List IAP | Hydrellia lagarosiphon (Diptera) |
Ludwigia grandiflora | Onagraceae | A2 List | Liothrips ludwigi (Thysanoptera), Merocnemus binotatus (Coleoptera), Tyloderma spp. (Coleoptera) |
Ludwigia peploides | Onagraceae | A2 List | Liothrips ludwigi (Thysanoptera), Merocnemus binotatus (Coleoptera), Tyloderma spp. (Coleoptera) |
Myriophyllum aquaticum | Haloragaceae | List IAP | Lysathia sp. (Coleoptera) |
Parthenium hysterophorus | Asteraceae | A2 List | Epiblema strenuana (Lepidoptera), Zygogramma bicolorata (Coleoptera), Listronotus setosipennis (Coleoptera), Smicronyx lutulentus (Coleoptera), Puccinia xanthii var. parthenii hysterophorae (Pucciniales) |
Pistia stratiotes | Araceae | A2 List | Neohydronomus affinis (Coleoptera) |
Pontederia crassipes | Pontederiaceae | A2 List | Neochetina spp. (Coleoptera), Niphograpta albiguttalis (Lepidoptera) |
Salvinia molesta | Salviniaceae | A2 List | Cyrtobagous salviniae (Coleoptera) |
Sources
Lesieur V, Sforza RFH, Sheppard AW, Shaw RH (2023) Prioritising environmental invasive weeds of European concern for classical biological control: A reanalysis. Weed Research (early view). https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12582