The effect of belowground herbivory by wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) on performance of Calamagrostis epigejos (L) Roth in post-mining sites
Abstract
The effect of belowground herbivory by the wireworm Agriotes lineatus L. (Coleoptera: Elateridae) on the grass Calamagrostis epigejos was studied in greenhouse and field experiments. In the greenhouse, C. epigejos and Festuca rubra were grown together in pots with or without wireworms; wireworms decreased the above- and belowground biomass of C. epigejos but increased the above- and belowground biomass of F. rubra.
In a field experiment at a post-mining site, repeated insecticide application reduced a wireworm population dominated by A. lineatus by 70% and significantly (p = 0.0317) increased the belowground biomass of C. epigejos; redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated a significant difference in plant community composition. Both the field and greenhouse experiment indicated that wireworms negatively affect C. epigejos and therefore can speed up succession and help establishment of a more diverse plant community on spoil heaps.