Abstract
1. Since its recent arrival in Britain, the planthopper Prokelisia marginata has spread widely around saltmarshes on the east and south coast of England and south Wales, feeding on Common Cordgrass, Spartina anglica, itself an invasive non‐native species.2. Results suggest that P. marginata populations in Britain benefit from a degree of natural enemy release. No evidence of parasitism was found in over 71 000 eggs, nymphs, and adults inspected. The only potential natural enemy control was suggested by a positive correlation between the densities of planthoppers and generalist spiders.3. Experimental exposure under both glasshouse and field conditions to typical field densities of planthoppers resulted in significant negative effects on a number of host plant performance metrics.4. Spartina anglica is important for stabilising estuarine sediments and has been deliberately planted for this purpose in the past. Its weakening as a result of heavy planthopper herbivory could have serious consequences for the long‐term stability of Britain's vulnerable saltmarsh habitats.
Highlights
Invasive alien species are those that establish in areas outside their native range, subsequently spread beyond the location of their introduction, and have an impact on the recipient community
Results suggest that P. marginata populations in Britain benefit from a degree of natural enemy release
Prokelisia marginata Van Duzee is a stenophagous phloem-feeding planthopper that is native to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of North America, where it is the most abundant herbivore of the Saltmarsh Cordgrass Spartina alterniflora C.E
Summary
Invasive alien species are those that establish in areas outside their native range, subsequently spread beyond the location of their introduction, and have an impact on the recipient community (sensu Colautti & MacIsaac, 2004). Invasive alien species are the subject of considerable political, public, and academic interest (Huenneke, 1988; IUCN, 2000; Mack et al, 2000) and are considered to be among the top five most severe threats to global biodiversity and ecosystem integrity, along with habitat change, climate change, overexploitation, and pollution (Bellard et al, 2016; IPBES, 2019; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; Nelson et al, 2006; Vila et al, 2011; Wagner, 2020) Both the rate and extent of biological invasions continue to escalate (McGeoch et al, 2010), with no indication of levelling off (Seebens et al, 2017). P. marginata exhibits phenotypic plasticity in wing morphology, with both brachypterous and macropterous forms present in the same population, enabling the planthopper to maximally exploit the prevailing environmental
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