Conclusions
Our study highlights, that effects of non-native trees on resident insect abundance and diversity do not depend on the geographical proximity of the area of origin, as often assumed especially by practitioners in forestry, but predominately on the phylogenetic history non-natives share with their resident, native counterparts. Our study furthermore shows, that non-native tree species should be regarded differentiated and that impacts of non-native trees on insect communities in the introduced range differ according to their relatedness to native congeners. While closely related non-native congeners hosted a higher number of insect individuals and species, more distantly related non-natives of the same genus inhabit significantly less species and individuals. This highlights the necessity of account for phylogenetic history as a global driver of the effects of non-native tree species in future alien species and forest management. This study was performed with four of the most important tree genera of the temperate zone. Our results therefore can provide important input for tree species selection and management in forestry and urban greening in the future.