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Beggs JR, Rees JS. Restructuring of Lepidoptera communities by introduced Vespula wasps in a New Zealand beech forest. Oecologia. 1999;119(4):565-571doi: 10.1007/s004420050820.
Beggs, J. R., & Rees, J. S. (1999). Restructuring of Lepidoptera communities by introduced Vespula wasps in a New Zealand beech forest. Oecologia, 119(4), 565-571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050820
Beggs, Jacqueline R, and Rees, Jo S. "Restructuring of Lepidoptera communities by introduced Vespula wasps in a New Zealand beech forest." Oecologia vol. 119,4 (1999): 565-571. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050820
Beggs JR, Rees JS. Restructuring of Lepidoptera communities by introduced Vespula wasps in a New Zealand beech forest. Oecologia. 1999 Jun;119(4):565-571. doi: 10.1007/s004420050820. PMID: 28307715.
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Oecologia. 1999 Jun;119(4):565-571. doi: 10.1007/s004420050820.

Restructuring of Lepidoptera communities by introduced Vespula wasps in a New Zealand beech forest.

Oecologia

Jacqueline R Beggs, Jo S Rees

Affiliations

  1. Landcare Research, Private Bag 6, Nelson, New Zealand e-mail: [email protected], Fax: 03-546-8590, , , , , , NZ.

PMID: 28307715 DOI: 10.1007/s004420050820

Abstract

Introduced social wasps (Vespula vulgaris) reach high densities in some New Zealand beech forests, because honeydew provides an abundant high-energy food source. We manipulated wasp density to estimate an "ecological damage threshold" for large, free-living Lepidoptera larvae. There will be a continuum of ecological damage thresholds for wasp density depending on the prey species or habitat. Experimentally placed small caterpillars had a significantly higher survival rate than large caterpillars, and the survival rate of both groups decreased with increasing wasp density. Spring-occurring caterpillars have a probability of surviving of 0.90-0.95, assuming wasps are the only source of mortality. However, at the peak of the wasp season we predict caterpillars would have virtually no chance (probability of 10

Keywords: Ecological impact; Key wordsVespula; Lepidoptera; Phenology; Shared predator

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