Glebionis coronaria Spach (L.)

Chrysanthemum contains an insecticidal class of chemicals collectively known as pyrethrins (Marongiu et al. 2009), which may have contributed to the lower abundances of plant-sucking insects, such as the herbivorous hemipterans and thyanopterans.

We found similar or lower abundances and diversity of canopy fauna in the presence of Chrysanthemum. Community composition dramatically differed, however, in the presence Chrysanthemum, which was associated with higher abundances of dipterans, wasps and flower beetles, and lower abundances of hemipterans and thysanopterans than native shrubs. Differences in communities were consistent at the species- and order-levels, and were associated with the generally greater plant biomass and shadier conditions afforded by the natives.

The presence of invasive Chrysanthemum in this site was associated with faunal communities and physical conditions different than those found in the native plant assemblages. The cause of these communitylevel and physical differences may be rooted in the unique biological, physical and chemical characteristics of the Chrysanthemum plants compared to the native plants in this area.