A Field Tests of Interspecific Competition on Oviposition of Gall‐Forming Sawflies on Willow

Abstract

We performed a manipulative field experiment to test for competitive effects of the stem galling sawfly (Euura lasiolepis) on three other gall—forming sawflies on arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis). Within a willow clone, three branches were left untreated, three branches had E. lasiolepis females placed on them in nylon screen bags during that species' oviposition period, and three branches were bagged during that same period but had no sawflies introduced. When oviposition by E. lasiolepis was completed, bags were removed, and three other sawflies were permitted to oviposit on the branches. We found no significant interspecific competitive effects on the densities of three species in response to 9— and 17—fold increase in densities of galls of the stem—galling sawfly on branches of field plants in 1985 and 1986, respectively. The densities of stem gallers on the experimental branches were high, but were near densities observed on some unmanipulated field plants. The density of the petiole galler in 1985 was higher on branches with the stem galler than was the density of the leaf galler. This suggested a facilitation effect, which was not repeated in 1986. The leaf folder had significantly greater densities than the leaf galler or petiole galler. However, bagging of branches resulted in greatly reduced densities of the leaf folder compared to unbagged control branches in both years. The petiole galler and leaf galler were not affected by bagging in either year, probably due to their later oviposition phenology. Within treatment branches, where stem gall densities were high, these three sawfly species did not significantly avoid oviposition on shoots with stem galls, and in 1986 there were generally positive co—occurrence patterns of each of these species with stem galls on shoots. We conclude that interspecific competitive effects on gall density was not important under these field conditions for the leaf galler and the petiole galler, but bagging effects on the leaf folder density could have reduced the likelihood of detecting competitive effects by the stem galler on this species. Differences in the results of this study with an earlier experiment may be related to compensatory ability of the larger field plants and differences in stem gall densities.