| Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle) dominates a degraded meadow at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. We tested four removal methods of Morrow's honeysuckle during spring and autumn 2004. Cut, stump application of 20% glyphosate, and mechanical removal in autumn were not successful (<47% reduction), while mechanical removal in spring and foliar application of 2% glyphosate were somewhat successful (>66% reduction). We used a modified leaf blower to sample invertebrates at our site. Invertebrate biomass was lowest within the native shrub, Viburnum recognitum (southern arrowwood) (p<0.05). Biomass of larval leaf chewers was highest in the native shrub. Invertebrate abundance, biomass, and richness were reduced under dense thickets of Morrow's honeysuckle (p<0.05), due to low amount of herbaceous cover beneath the shrubs. The amount of leaf area consumed by herbivores was 10 times more on the native shrub. Overall, our findings reveal that the exotic shrubs negatively impact invertebrate communities. |
