Exotic herbivores indirectly decelerate litter decomposition via increased resistance to herbivory in exotic plants

The chemical components of exotic plants can change after invasion as they adapt to local conditions. Studying these changes is important because they can have a marked effect on ecosystem processes and dynamics. We examined the leaf and litter chemistry of exotic goldenrods (Solidago altissima) that invaded Japan from the USA approximately 100 years ago. We investigated how changes in leaf chemistry caused by herbivory by the exotic lace bug (Corythucha marmorata) affected litter decomposition rates in three native (USA) and three exotic (Japanese) populations under semi-natural experimental conditions.
In both native and invasive goldenrods, populations in areas where lace bugs were absent or present at low densities had lower foliar phenolic concentrations (defensive compounds) than populations in areas where lace bugs were abundant. The observed pattern of reduced herbivory (i.e., stronger resistance) in lace bug-abundant areas suggests that an increase in defensive compounds may be..., , # Exotic herbivores indirectly decelerate litter decomposition via increased resistance to herbivory in exotic plants

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w4r](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w4r)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset accompanies the article “Exotic herbivores indirectly decelerate litter decomposition via increased resistance to herbivory in exotic plants” (Katayama et al. 2025, Functional Ecology).

It contains raw and processed data used to analyze how genotypic variation among populations exposed to different densities of the exotic lace bug (*Corythucha marmorata*) influences litter decomposition in the exotic perennial herb *Solidago altissima* (tall goldenrod).

The data were obtained from a series of controlled and semi-natural experiments comparing three native (USA: Minnesota, Kansas, Florida) and three introduced (Japan: Hokkaido, Shiga, Saga) populations of *S. altissima*. Each population was represented by 8–10 distinct genotypes.

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