Microarthropod Diversity, Co-occurrence and Ecosystem Impacts among Invasive and Native Plant Species

The study compared aerial micro-arthropod diversity in exotic and native shola species in a high-altitude shola ecosystem. The thysanoptera, hymenoptera, and ixodida were more abundant in exotic plants, while entomobryidae, paronellidae, and acariformes are more abundant in shola species and exotic Cestrum. The native shola dependent plant Piper brachystachyum has abundant entomobryidae but is less diverse.The study concluded that shola species have an indigenous population of micro-arthropods, particularly collembolans. The exotic plants act as a significant reservoir of those micro-arthropods, which could potentially damage the local ecosystem and agriculture.