ABSTRACT Earleaf acacia (Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth) is a fast-growing, evergreen tree from Australia that was introduced into the United States as an ornamental plant, but it has become a serious plant invader in Florida, USA. Spread of this invasive tree has accelerated in recent years and current control efforts do not meet conservation or land management needs. Our objective was to review and summarize available information to determine if pursuing classical biological control for earleaf acacia is warranted. Feasibility studies such as this identify pitfalls and conflicts before a project begins, increasing the likelihood that biological control efforts will be successful. This review compiles a list of non-target species based on their geographic overlap with the weed invasion and their relatedness to A. auriculiformis. Feasibility is also determined based on other criteria including conflicts of interest and availability of potential biological control agents. We also present a report from our initial explorations for natural enemies in the native range of Australia. Eighty-nine arthropod and one pathogen species have been identified feeding on earleaf acacia in the native range. Several of the arthropods found have the potential to be host specific and impactful. Few potential conflicts of interests were identified. These findings paired with the high-risk assessment for invasion and lack of sustainable and effective control methods, supports our conclusion that earleaf acacia is a promising target for classical biological control.

中文翻译：

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对耳叶金合欢 (Acacia auriculiformis) 的生物防治在美国可行吗？

摘要 耳叶金合欢（Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth）是一种来自澳大利亚的速生常绿乔木，作为观赏植物被引入美国，但在美国佛罗里达州已成为严重的植物入侵者。近年来，这种入侵树木的传播速度加快，目前的控制工作不能满足保护或土地管理的需要。我们的目标是审查和总结可用信息，以确定是否有必要对耳叶金合欢进行经典的生物防治。诸如此类的可行性研究可在项目开始之前确定陷阱和冲突，从而增加生物防治工作取得成功的可能性。本综述根据非目标物种与杂草入侵的地理重叠及其与 A. auriculiformis 的相关性编制了一份非目标物种清单。可行性还取决于其他标准，包括利益冲突和潜在生物控制剂的可用性。我们还介绍了我们对澳大利亚本土范围内的天敌进行初步探索的报告。已发现 89 种节肢动物和一种病原体以原生范围的耳叶金合欢为食。发现的几种节肢动物有可能具有宿主特异性和影响力。几乎没有发现潜在的利益冲突。这些发现与入侵的高风险评估和缺乏可持续有效的控制方法相结合，支持我们的结论，即耳叶金合欢是经典生物控制的有希望的目标。