
caterpillar to nestlings
To protect themselves, plants have evolved special chemical defenses in their leaves to deter herbivory from insects. However, over evolutionary time, plant-eating insects adapted their own protection against certain plant defenses, resulting in insect species that are highly specialized to feed on particular plant species. One great example of this is the relationship between Monarch butterflies and Milkweed plants--milkweed plants (genus Asclepias) are the only type of plant monarch caterpillars will eat with few exceptions. When entomologists look across all herbivorous insects, we find that most species are specialized feeders on just one or a few different plant genera or families.
The loss of native plant species, and replacement by non-natives, reduces the availability of host plants for insect herbivores because these insects are not adapted to feed on novel hosts. Non-native plants are known to support fewer insect species than natives, which could also reduce the abundance and biomass of insects available for consumers. This reduction in habitat quality may be particularly evident in urban and urbanizing landscapes where non-native plants are commonly used and extraordinarily abundantin landscaping because of horticultural preferences. It has been suggested that insect eating birds may, in part, be negatively affected by non-native plants by way of reducing available food resources. For my doctoral research, I tested this hypothesis with the help of Neighborhood Nestwatch participants in Washington, D.C.
Visit the Nestwatch Food Web Project Website
Project Email: [email protected]
Funded by: National Science Foundation, The North American Bluebird Society, The Maryland Ornithological Society
The loss of native plant species, and replacement by non-natives, reduces the availability of host plants for insect herbivores because these insects are not adapted to feed on novel hosts. Non-native plants are known to support fewer insect species than natives, which could also reduce the abundance and biomass of insects available for consumers. This reduction in habitat quality may be particularly evident in urban and urbanizing landscapes where non-native plants are commonly used and extraordinarily abundantin landscaping because of horticultural preferences. It has been suggested that insect eating birds may, in part, be negatively affected by non-native plants by way of reducing available food resources. For my doctoral research, I tested this hypothesis with the help of Neighborhood Nestwatch participants in Washington, D.C.
Visit the Nestwatch Food Web Project Website
Project Email: [email protected]
Funded by: National Science Foundation, The North American Bluebird Society, The Maryland Ornithological Society

Publications:
- Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W. and Marra, P.P. (2017) Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird. Biological Conservation, 213, pp.42-50. Press coverage: Audubon Society, Earth Sky, EurekAlert!, Phys.org, Newswise, NSF 360, Total Landscape Care, Science Codex, Science Daily, Science Newsline, UDaily, The Wildlife Society, GrowerTalks
- Narango, D.L., Tallamy D.W. and Marra P.P. (2018) Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115, 45: 11549-11554. Press coverage: Udaily, Smithsonian, Audubon Society, Popular Science, Mother Nature Network, Long Room News, Science Daily, Phys.org, Sierra Magazine, NSF awesome discoveries, National Wildlife Federation (pdf), NPR, Michigan Public Radio, Bay Nature, MongaBay
- Narango, D.L. (2020) Natural History in the City: Connecting people with the ecology of their plant and animal neighbors. Invited submission for special issue: “Historia naturalis: Inspiring Ecology”. Journal of Natural History Education and Experience, 14, pp.13-17.
- Tallamy, D.W., Narango, D.L., Mitchell, A. Do nonnative plants contribute to insect population declines? Invited submission to special issue on “Insect Declines”. In press, Ecological Entomology. Press Coverage: Yale 360

In prep:
- Narango, D.L. Tallamy, D.W. and Marra P.P. Residential plant communities influence diet, parental effort and nestling condition of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis). In prep (Full draft available).
- Full draft available. Narango, D.L. Carlo, T.A., Tallamy, D.W. and Marra P.P. Tracking nitrogen flow from native and nonnative plants to invertebrate and avian consumers using a stable isotope tracer. In revision.
- Relationships between plant diversity and animal diversity in managed residential landscapes. In prep.
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![]() Occasionally, we blog about some of our field adventures chasing chickadees around our nation's capital. You can read more about our progress here:
December 17, 2015,"Off-Season Update" April 28, 2015 "Time to Breed!" June 4, 2014 "Nestling Provisioning" May 28, 2014 "Carolina Chickadee Study II" December 10, 2013 "Carolina Chickadee Study" |
Other Press:
Great Gardening: Raise your caterpillar consciousness to help bird survival and plant pollination - Buffalo News (May 19, 2016)
Native Plants Support Bugs for Birds! - Napo Solano Audubon Society (Spring 2017)
Chickadees show why bird need native trees - NWF (April 28, 2017)
Why Birds Needs Native Trees - NWF (Jan 15, 2015)
Be a Better Gardner: The environmental impact of non-native plant species - Hudson Valley 360 (October 9, 2020)
The pleasure and value of our street trees - Greenfield Recorder (October 25, 2020)
Great Gardening: Raise your caterpillar consciousness to help bird survival and plant pollination - Buffalo News (May 19, 2016)
Native Plants Support Bugs for Birds! - Napo Solano Audubon Society (Spring 2017)
Chickadees show why bird need native trees - NWF (April 28, 2017)
Why Birds Needs Native Trees - NWF (Jan 15, 2015)
Be a Better Gardner: The environmental impact of non-native plant species - Hudson Valley 360 (October 9, 2020)
The pleasure and value of our street trees - Greenfield Recorder (October 25, 2020)
In Walden wood the chickadee
Runs round the pine and maple tree
Intent on insect slaughter:
O tufted entomologist!
Devour as many as you list,
Then drink in Walden Water
- R. W. Emerson
Runs round the pine and maple tree
Intent on insect slaughter:
O tufted entomologist!
Devour as many as you list,
Then drink in Walden Water
- R. W. Emerson