Can interactions between native and non-native plants in urban landscapes influence herbivore abundance and diversity?

As urban and suburban regions radically expand throughout the United States, a

 large variety of non-native plant species both invasive and non-invasive are becoming

 more prevalent. Invasive plants have proven to be detrimental to native ecosystems,

 however, the impacts of non-native, non-invasive ornamental species have received

 less attention. Most non-native plant species produce a smaller abundance and

 fewer species of herbivores, especially caterpillars, and suburban landscapes are

 often planted with a mixture of natives and non-natives. This begs the question:

 can the association between native and non-native plants influence the abundance

 of herbivorous insects in suburban landscapes? Associational Resistance (AR) and

 Associational Susceptibility (AS) are widely cited concepts in ecology and are used

 to better understand the relationship between an herbivore and its host plant in

 various plant community contexts. This study investigates the roles of AR and AS in

 mediating caterpillar abundance on two native plant species representing two genera

 (Quercus and Acer), when either native or non-native neighbor plants are present. In

 a 2 year field experiment, we will assess herbivore abundance and feeding on native

 plants when provided neighboring plants that vary in origin (native vs. non-native) and

 relatedness (congener vs. non-congener). Results from year 1 of this study will be

 presented and discussed.