Ecology of a simple plant-herbivore system. Biological control of Salvinia.

The salvinia-herbivore system has been investigated in more detail than most, because of its relative simplicity due to the absence o f sexual and dormant stages in the plant's life cycle, the apparent genetic uniformity of the plant, the absence of water stress, the uniformity of the water surface habitat and the absence of herbivores outside the plant's native range. This review describes how biological control of salvinia was achieved and discusses ecological principles illustrated by salvinia and its herbivores.