GAINESVILLE, Fla., June 15 (UPI) — If it weren’t for the diminutive bella moth, many more natural habitats in Florida might be overrun by rattlebox plants, a poisonous invasive species. The small orange and black motsh have an affinity for the seeds of the plant.
Roughly a century ago, the tall, yellow-flowered rattlebox plant (Crotalaria retusa) was introduced by farmers in Florida as a cover crop. The plant, which can grow up to eight feet tall, suppresses weeds, keeps out nematodes and minimizes erosion.
But like so many other exotic plants introduced for their advantages, the rattlebox has drawbacks. It’s poisonous, and can sicken livestock. It’s also efficient, and can overtake important native species.
Most alarmingly, it’s sneaky. It sometimes shows up in crop fields, its toxins threatening contamination of cereals and tea leaves.
“Once a species is introduced, they may take on a life of their own,” Andrei Sourakov, a University of Florida lepidopterist, warned in a press release.
Several years ago, Sourakov noticed that an infestation of rattlebox had been beaten back by a local population of bella moths. In the lab, Sourakov observed the moth’s taste for rattlebox and found that the plant’s poison makes the moths’ eggs unpalatable to predators.
The moths typically eat native relatives of the rattlebox, which is part of the genus Crotalaria, but the exotic invader offered the moths a chance to bolster their chemical defenses.
“The moth has always fed on native species of Crotalaria,” said Sourakov. “Now they’ve switched from the native to the invasive species. It is clear that moths are able to feed on the invasives and I am studying how these new host plants effect moth biology.”
Modern farmers, Sourakov said, are more aware of the risks of introducing nonnatives.
“But in this case, we have a rare success story,” he said. “A native species of moth does a good job of keeping these plants under control, and provides a great research model for me and my students.”
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