Editing Solidago (section)

== Ecology ==
Goldenrod is considered a [[keystone species]], and has been called the single most important plant for North American pollinator biodiversity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Perkins |first1=Deborah |title=Goldenrods: Top Plant for Boosting Biodiversity |url=https://www.nrcm.org/blog/first-light-wildlife-habitats/goldenrods-top-plant-boosting-biodiversity/ |website=ncrm.org |date=23 September 2019 |publisher=Natural Resources Council of Maine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Goldenrod (Solidago) Is Trending! |url=https://www.nurturenativenature.com/post/goldenrod-solidago-is-trending |website=nurturenativenature.com|date=29 December 2020 }}</ref> Goldenrod species are used as a food source by the [[larva]]e of many [[Lepidoptera]] species. As many as 104 species of butterflies and moths use it as a host plant for their larvae, and 42 species of bees are goldenrod specialists, visiting only goldenrod for food.<ref>{{cite web |title=Keystone Native Plants Eastern Temperate Forests - Ecoregion 8 |url=https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Keystone-Plants/NWF-GFW-keystone-plant-list-ecoregion-8-eastern-temperate-forests.ashx?la=en&hash=1E180E2E5F2B06EB9ADF28882353B3BC7B3B247D |website=nwf.org |publisher=National Wildlife Federation}}</ref> Some lepidopteran larvae bore into plant tissues and form a bulbous tissue mass called a [[gall]] around it, upon which the larva then feeds. Various [[parasitoid wasp]]s find these galls and lay eggs in the larvae, penetrating the bulb with their [[ovipositor]]s. Woodpeckers are known to peck open the galls and eat the insects in the center.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Foraging patterns of Eastern gray squirrels (''Sciurus carolinensis'') on goldenrod gall insects, a potentially important winter food resource|author=Shealers, D. A.|pages=102–109|journal=The American Midland Naturalist|volume=142|issue=1|date=July 1999|doi=10.1674/0003-0031(1999)142[0102:FPOEGS]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=85741057 |issn=0003-0031|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

Goldenrods have become invasive species in many parts of the world outside their native range, including China, Japan, Europe and Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/50599 |title=Solidago canadensis (Canadian goldenrod) |work=[[Invasive Species Compendium]] (ISC) |publisher=[[CAB International]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/50575 | title=Solidago gigantea (Giant goldenrod) }}</ref> ''Solidago canadensis'', which was introduced as a garden plant in Central Europe, has become common in the wild, and in [[Germany]] is considered an [[invasive species]] that displaces native vegetation from its natural habitat.