Evaluation and Research
The use of biocontrol agents requires a commitment to evaluate the agents once they have been released to
the landscape for control of their target plant. Evaluation can address many topics, including:
- Monitoring release sites to determine whether the agent has established;
- Monitoring the area to determine if the agent is dispersing;
- Investigating whether the targeted plant is being affected at the release site;
- Investigating possible impact of the agent on non-target plants;
- Investigating interaction among biocontrol agents and cumulative effects of multiple agents targeting
one plant species; and
- Evaluation of changes in plant and animal communities coinciding with biological control of invasive
plants.
Evaluation can take many forms, ranging from cursory observations to intensive research trials. The Ministry
of Forests and Range is committed to evaluate the biocontrol agents released in B.C. and the Biocontrol
Development Program (BDP) is involved in a variety of evaluation efforts. Several of the topics listed above
are addressed in-house while others are addressed through partnerships with similar-focussed agencies. The BDP
is open to expanding these partnerships to ensure proper evaluations of biological control releases are conducted
in BC.
Some examples of evaluation conducted by the BDP include biocontrol agent establishment and dispersal monitoring,
which results in data entered into the Invasive Alien Plant Program (IAPP)
Application. Data collected via transects or with Biocontrol Success Images
to document the effect of biocontrol agents on the target plant
at specific release sites is also entered into IAPP. The following table summarizes a few of the more in-depth
studies the Biocontrol Development Program has engaged in.
Table 1. Biocontrol Development Program Evaluation Research
| Evaluation Study | Partnering Agency | Field Completion Date | Publication Status |
|---|
| BC knapweed case study | MFR Research and Range Branches, AAFC | Ongoing | In development |
| Population threshold study of Rhinocyllus conicus on marsh plume thistle | None | Ongoing | In development |
| Impact of Rhinocyllus conicus on marsh plume thistle seeds | AAFC | Ongoing | In development |
| Effectiveness monitoring trial for Mecinus janthinus control of Dalmatian toadflax | None | Ongoing | In development |
| Effectiveness monitoring trial for Mogulones cruciger control of hound's-tongue | None | Ongoing | In development |
| Effectiveness monitoring trial for Longitarsus quadriguttatus control of hound's-tongue | None | Ongoing | In development |
| Effectiveness monitoring trial for Rhinusa antirrhini control of Dalmatian toadflax | None | Ongoing | In development |
| Efficacy and interaction trial for knapweed bioagents - Cyphocleonus achates, Larinus minutus, Larinus obtusus, Agapeta zoegana and Urophora affinus (and secondarily Chaetorellia acrolophi and Terellia virens) | AAFC | Ongoing | One publication to date: Crowe, M.L. and R.S. Bourchier. 2006 (see below to access full reference) |
| Landscape-scale impacts of the weed biocontrol agent, Mecinus janthinus | AAFC, MFR Range Branch | 2007 | In progress |
| Impacts of Mogulones cruciger on hound's-tongue infestation | None | 2002 | Unpublished data |
| Sphenoptera jugoslavica dispersal sampling in MFR's Southern Interior Region | MFR RSI | 1994 | Unpublished data to be included in BC Knapweed Assessment Study |
Where available, MFR sponsored publications on biocontrol evaluation and research and references pertinent to
biocontrol are housed in the Invasive Plant Research Compendium (IPRC).
The IPRC also houses references for multiple topics on invasive plant
management. For additional information regarding on-going research in the
province please view the Invasive Plant Council of BC's British Columbia
Invasive Research Database.
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