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Gallardo B, Bacher S, Barbosa AM, Gallien L, González-Moreno P, Martínez-Bolea V, Sorte C, Vimercati G, Vilà M. Risks posed by invasive species to the provision of ecosystem services in Europe. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2631. [PMID: 38600085 PMCID: PMC11006939 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46818-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Invasive species significantly impact biodiversity and ecosystem services, yet understanding these effects at large spatial scales remains a challenge. Our study addresses this gap by assessing the current and potential future risks posed by 94 invasive species to seven key ecosystem services in Europe. We demonstrate widespread potential impacts, particularly on outdoor recreation, habitat maintenance, crop provisioning, and soil and nitrogen retention. Exposure to invasive species was higher in areas with lower provision of ecosystem services, particularly for regulating and cultural services. Exposure was also high in areas where ecosystem contributions to crop provision and nitrogen retention were at their highest. Notably, regions vital for ecosystem services currently have low invasion suitability, but face an average 77% increase in potential invasion area. Here we show that, while high-value ecosystem service areas at the highest risk represent a small fraction of Europe (0-13%), they are disproportionally important for service conservation. Our study underscores the importance of monitoring and protecting these hotspots to align management strategies with international biodiversity targets, considering both invasion vulnerability and ecosystem service sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda Gallardo
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50192, Zaragoza, Spain.
- Biosecurity Initiative at St. Catherine's (BioRISC), Cambridge, UK.
| | - Sven Bacher
- Department of Biology, Unit Ecology & Evolution, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 15, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Ana Marcia Barbosa
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais (CICGE), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Laure Gallien
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
| | - Pablo González-Moreno
- Department of Forest Engineering, University of Cordoba, Campus de Rabanales, Crta. IV, km. 396, 14071, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Víctor Martínez-Bolea
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50192, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Cascade Sorte
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Giovanni Vimercati
- Department of Biology, Unit Ecology & Evolution, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 15, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Montserrat Vilà
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), CSIC, Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of Sevilla, 41012, Sevilla, Spain
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2
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Swensen SM, Gomez AM, Piasecki-Masters C, Chime N, Wine AR, Rodriguez NC, Conklin J, Melcher PJ. Minimal impacts of invasive Scaevola taccada on Scaevola plumieri via pollinator competition in Puerto Rico. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1281797. [PMID: 38332769 PMCID: PMC10850390 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1281797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Scaevola taccada and Scaevola plumieri co-occur on shorelines of the Caribbean. Scaevola taccada is introduced in this habitat and directly competes with native dune vegetation, including S. plumieri, a species listed as locally endangered and threatened in Caribbean locations. This study addresses whether the invasive S. taccada also impacts the native S. plumieri indirectly by competing for pollinators and represents the first comparative study of insect visitation between these species. Methods Insect visitation rates were measured at sites where species co-occur and where only the native occurs. Where species cooccur, insect visitors were captured, identified and analyzed for the pollen they carry. Pollen found on open-pollinated flowers was analyzed to assess pollen movement between the two species. We also compared floral nectar from each species by measuring volume, sugar content, and presence and proportions of amine group containing constituents (AGCCs). Results Our results demonstrate that both species share insect visitors providing the context for possible pollinator competition, yet significant differences in visitation frequency were not found. We found evidence of asymmetrical heterospecific pollen deposition in the native species, suggesting a possible reproductive impact. Insect visitation rates for the native were not significantly different between invaded and uninvaded sites, suggesting that the invasive S. taccada does not limit pollinator visits to S. plumieri. Comparisons of nectar rewards from the invasive and the native reveal similar volumes and sugar concentrations, but significant differences in some amine group containing constituents that may enhance pollinator attraction. Conclusion Our analysis finds no evidence for pollination competition and therefore S. taccada's main impacts on S. plumieri are through competitive displacement and possibly through reproductive impacts as a consequence of heterospecific pollen deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M. Swensen
- Department of Biology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, United States
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3
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Yang Y, Bian Z, Ren W, Wu J, Liu J, Shrestha N. Spatial patterns and hotspots of plant invasion in China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
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4
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Tomat-Kelly G, Flory SL. Research gaps limit understanding of invasion-fire cycles. Biol Invasions 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02951-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
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5
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Pei C, Hovick TJ, Limb RF, Harmon JP, Geaumont BA. Invasive grass and litter accumulation constrain bee and plant diversity in altered grasslands. Glob Ecol Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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McGranahan DA, Wonkka CL. Fuel Properties of Effective Greenstrips in Simulated Cheatgrass Fires. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 70:319-328. [PMID: 35577981 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-022-01659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Invasive annual grasses alter fire regime in steppe ecosystems, and subsequent trends toward larger, more frequent wildfires impacts iconic biodiversity. A common solution is to disrupt novel fuel beds comprising continuous swaths of invasive annual grasses with greenstrips-linear, human-maintained stands of less-flammable vegetation. But selecting effective native species is challenged by the fact that identifying the optimal combination of plant traits that interrupt wildfire spread is logistically difficult. We employed fire behavior simulation modeling to determine plant traits with high potential to slow fire spread in annual Bromus-dominated fuelbeds. We found species with low leaf:stem (fine:coarse) ratios and high live:dead fuel ratios to be most effective. Our approach helps isolate fuelbed characteristics that slow fire spread, providing a geographically-agnostic framework to scale plant traits to greenstrip effectiveness. This framework helps managers assess potential native species for greenstrips without needing logistically-difficult experimental assessments to determine how a species might affect fire behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devan Allen McGranahan
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Livestock & Range Research Laboratory, 243 Ft. Keogh Rd., Miles City, 59301, MT, USA.
| | - Carissa L Wonkka
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, 1500 Central Ave., Sidney, 59270, MT, USA
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Campbell C, Russo L, Albert R, Buckling A, Shea K. Whole community invasions and the integration of novel ecosystems. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010151. [PMID: 35671270 PMCID: PMC9173635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of invasion by a single non-native species on the function and structure of ecological communities can be significant, and the effects can become more drastic–and harder to predict–when multiple species invade as a group. Here we modify a dynamic Boolean model of plant-pollinator community assembly to consider the invasion of native communities by multiple invasive species that are selected either randomly or such that the invaders constitute a stable community. We show that, compared to random invasion, whole community invasion leads to final stable communities (where the initial process of species turnover has given way to a static or near-static set of species in the community) including both native and non-native species that are larger, more likely to retain native species, and which experience smaller changes to the topological measures of nestedness and connectance. We consider the relationship between the prevalence of mutualistic interactions among native and invasive species in the final stable communities and demonstrate that mutualistic interactions may act as a buffer against significant disruptions to the native community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Campbell
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics, University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Laura Russo
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Réka Albert
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Angus Buckling
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Dettori EE, Balestrieri A, Zapata-Pérez VM, Palazón S, Bruno D, Rubio-Saura N, Robledano-Aymerich F. Eurasian otter Lutra lutra diet mirrors the decline of native fish assemblages in a semi-arid catchment (River Segura, SE Spain). EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01588-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn semi-arid environments, the effects of irregularly distributed rainfall, flow regulation and water inter-basin transfer enhance the spread of non-native fish to the detriment of native communities. In the River Segura, since the 1980s the number of non-native fish species has progressively increased, also because of the building of water transfer facility connecting the rivers Segura and Tajo. With the aim of highlighting how man-driven changes in the diversity of fish communities affect the diet of top-predators, we compared Eurasian otter Lutra lutra diet in the span of 20 years, i.e. 1997–98 vs. 2016–19. As habitat quality affects the condition of Andalusian barbel Luciobarbus sclateri, the most widespread native fish, we also compared the size of preyed barbels to point out whether human activities may have lowered their profitability to otters. Fish and introduced red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii formed the bulk of otter diet in both study periods. In 2016–19 the contribution of non-native species to otter diet increased significantly, both for crayfish and fish, which included ten non-native species. Otter feeding habits faithfully mirrored the variation in the composition of the fish community and confirmed the importance of crayfish as alternative-to-fish prey in the Iberian Peninsula. The average length of preyed barbels was significantly lower in the second study period, consistently with a decline in barbel profitability for otters.
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Shifting Limitations to Restoration across Dryland Ecosystems in Hawaiʻi. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14095421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Hawaiian dryland ecosystems are important for global biodiversity conservation and contain numerous species threatened with extinction. Over the past century, wildfire frequency and size have increased dramatically because of invasion by fire-promoting non-native invasive species, greatly threatening these ecosystems. Native species restoration is a tool that can disrupt the cycle of increased fire and invasion in lowland dry forest communities, but restoration prescriptions have not been studied systematically in other dryland plant communities. We examined the restoration of three Hawaiian dryland plant communities (a high-productivity Diospyros sandwicensis and Metrosideros polymorpha lowland dry forest (HP), a moderate-productivity Myoporum sandwicense and Sophora chrysophylla dry forest/woodland (MP), and a low-productivity Dodonaea viscosa shrubland (LP)), using a community-assembly framework to understand the abiotic and biotic constraints to species establishment and growth in each community. Because active restoration methods are often needed, at both high and low levels of productivity, we also examined restoration treatments and outcomes across the three sites, which spanned a gradient of rainfall and substrate age. At each site, we used the same factorial field experiment with three factors: habitat quality (high or low), weed control (yes or no), and species addition (none, seeding, or outplanting). Outplants (cohort 1) and seeds were added in the winter of 2009–2010, and outplants were added again in March 2011 (cohort 2). Dispersal limitation was apparent at the LP and HP sites, but was not observed in the MP site, which had, overall, greater native diversity and abundance. Outplant survival was greater in high-quality habitats at the HP site, likely due to reduced abiotic stress. Invasive species were found in greater abundance in certain types of microsites at the LP and MP sites, suggesting that shade or topography can be used to plan restoration and weed-control activities. Overall, active restoration methods improved restoration outcomes at the high- and low-productivity sites, and less so at the moderately productive site. Weed removal and outplanting were effective restoration prescriptions at the LP and HP sites, and habitat quality could also be used to increase survival at the HP site. Active restoration could be a lower priority for moderately invaded, moderate-productivity communities, which have the capability to maintain a native ecosystem state.
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Burruss ND, Peters DPC, Huang H, Yao J. Simulated distribution of
Eragrostis lehmanniana
(Lehmann lovegrass): Soil–climate interactions complicate predictions. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- N. Dylan Burruss
- Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USA
| | - Debra P. C. Peters
- Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USA
- Jornada Experimental Range Unit US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Las Cruces New Mexico USA
- SCINet/Big Data Program US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Maryland USA
| | - Haitao Huang
- Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USA
- SCINet/Big Data Program US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Beltsville Maryland USA
| | - Jin Yao
- Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces New Mexico USA
- Jornada Experimental Range Unit US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Las Cruces New Mexico USA
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11
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Jayakumar R, Nair KKN. Invasion and distribution of exotic plants in the tropical forests of Western Ghats, India. Trop Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42965-021-00191-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Walker ZC, Morgan JW. Perennial pasture grass invasion changes fire behaviour and recruitment potential of a native forb in a temperate Australian grassland. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02743-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractInvasive grasses can modify fire regimes of native ecosystems leading to changed ecosystem structure, composition, and functioning. Temperate grasslands in Australia are currently being invaded by a suite of exotic perennial pasture grasses, but their effects on ecosystems remain largely unknown. We aimed to determine the effect of invasion by the exotic perennial grass Phalaris aquatica on fire behaviour, as well as the regeneration potential of an endangered forb in temperate native grasslands in south-eastern Australia. Frequently burnt native grasslands invaded by exotic grasses were found to have two times more fuel than grasslands dominated by native grasses; in less-frequently burned native grasslands, exotic grasses contributed to fuel loads that were five times higher than native grasslands. Exotic-dominated grasslands burned differently than native grasslands; fire intensities were three times higher in exotic-dominated grasslands and had a wide variability in fire residence times. Soil heating was positively related to fire residence time but had no clear relationship with fire intensity. Seed germinability of Leucochrysum albicans var. tricolor (Hoary Sunray, Asteraceae) was reduced by exotic grass-fueled fire and increasing fire residence times. The observed changes in fire behaviour represent an invasion-driven shift in the ecosystem’s fire regime. By increasing fuel mass, fire residence time increased, and this influenced seed survival and subsequent germinability. Increased fire intensity following invasion highlights that invasive grasses can increase the fire-risk of grasslands. Maintaining native grasslands free of invasive pasture grasses therefore has environmental and fire-risk benefits.
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Guidobono JS, Calfayan LM, Faggi A, Busch M. Invasion determinants of honey locust in agroecosystems of the Rolling Pampa, Argentina. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juan S. Guidobono
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón II, 4° piso, Ciudad Universitaria Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA Argentina
| | - Laura M. Calfayan
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón II, 4° piso, Ciudad Universitaria Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA Argentina
| | - Ana Faggi
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón II, 4° piso, Ciudad Universitaria Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA Argentina
- Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de Flores Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - María Busch
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA) CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Pabellón II, 4° piso, Ciudad Universitaria Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA Argentina
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Hensel MJS, Silliman BR, Hensel E, Byrnes JEK. Feral hogs control brackish marsh plant communities over time. Ecology 2022; 103:e03572. [PMID: 34706065 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Feral hogs modify ecosystems by consuming native species and altering habitat structure. These invasions can generate fundamentally different post-invasion habitats when disturbance changes community structure, ecosystem function, or recovery dynamics. Here, we use multiple three-year exclusion experiments to describe how feral hogs affect hyper-productive brackish marshes over time. We find that infrequent yet consistent hog foraging and trampling suppresses dominant plants by generating a perpetually disturbed habitat that favors competitively inferior species and disallows full vegetative recovery over time. Along borders between plant monocultures, trampling destroys dominant graminoids responsible for most aboveground marsh biomass while competitively inferior plants increase fivefold. Hog activities shift the brackish marsh disturbance regime from pulse to press, which changes the plant community: competitively inferior plants increase coverage, species diversity is doubled, and live cover is lowered by 30% as large plants are unable to take hold in hog-disturbed areas. Release from disturbance does not result in complete recovery (i.e., dominant plant monocultures) because hog consumer control is a combination of both top-down control and broader engineering effects. These results highlight how habitats are susceptible to invasive effects outside of structural destruction alone, especially if large consumers are pervasive over time and change the dynamics that sustain recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc J S Hensel
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
- Nicholas School for the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, 23062, USA
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School for the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA
| | - Enie Hensel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, 23062, USA
| | - Jarrett E K Byrnes
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
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Christianson KA, Eggleston DB. Testing ecological theories in the Anthropocene: alteration of succession by an invasive marine species. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kayla A. Christianson
- Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology North Carolina State University Morehead City North Carolina28557USA
| | - David B. Eggleston
- Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology North Carolina State University Morehead City North Carolina28557USA
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Non-Native Eragrostis curvula Impacts Diversity of Pastures in South-Eastern Australia Even When Native Themeda triandra Remains Co-Dominant. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10030596. [PMID: 33810119 PMCID: PMC8005164 DOI: 10.3390/plants10030596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Lowland grassy woodlands in Australia's south-east face reductions in native plant diversity because of invasion by non-native plants. We compared the relative abundance and diversity of plant species among sites dominated by the native Kangaroo grass (KG) Themeda triandra with sites co-dominated by the non-native African lovegrass (ALG) Eragrostis curvula and KG. We found significant differences in plant species composition depending on the dominant species. Furthermore, our results revealed differences in several diversity parameters such as a lower species richness and forb diversity on sites co-dominated by ALG and KG. This was the case despite the functional similarity of both ALG and KG-both C4 perennial tussock grasses of a similar height. Therefore, our results highlight the critical function of the native KG in maintaining and enhancing the target plant species composition and diversity within these grassy woodlands. Herbivore grazing potentially impacts on the abundance of the dominant grass and forb species in various ways, but its impact likely differs depending on their evolutionary origin. Therefore, disentangling the role of individual herbivore groups (native-, non-native mammals, and invertebrates) on the plant community composition of the lowland grassy woodlands is essential to find appropriate grazing regimes for ALG management in these ecosystems.
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Llanos EN, Saracho Bottero MA, Jaubet ML, Garaffo GV, Hines E, Cuello GV, Elías R. The boom-bust dynamic of the invader Boccardia proboscidea mediated by sewage discharge: The response of the intertidal epilithic community in the Southwest Atlantic. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 164:112045. [PMID: 33515833 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Biological invasions produce an invader population boom but are often followed by an invader population bust. The decrease of the invader abundance ends with the coexistence of native species and the invader or with repeated boom and bust events. In the southwest Atlantic, the polychaete Boccardia proboscidea invaded the coasts influenced by sewage discharge. We studied the change in the intertidal benthic community during the boom-bust dynamic of the Bo. proboscidea invasion. During the boom, the invader polychaete was dominant forming monoculture reefs. Species richness, diversity, and evenness indices decrease in the boom phase. During the bust of the Bo.proboscidea invasion, the decrease of organic matter allowed Br. rodriguezii to coexist with Bo. proboscidea. Beta diversity comparing boom with the bust phase showed a greater nesting (nestedness component); reflecting a process of species loss. We found that both boom and bust phases of the polychaete Bo. proboscidea invasion were mediated by sewage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Noemi Llanos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - María Andrea Saracho Bottero
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - María Lourdes Jaubet
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Griselda Valeria Garaffo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Emiliano Hines
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - Graciela Valeria Cuello
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Rodolfo Elías
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (IIMyC), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEyN), Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP)- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Rodriguez Peña 4046, Nivel 1. Casilla de Correo 1260, Correo Central, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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Hyperspectral Monitoring of Non-Native Tropical Grasses over Phenological Seasons. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13040738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The miniaturisation of hyperspectral sensors for use on drones has provided an opportunity to obtain hyper temporal data that may be used to identify and monitor non-native grass species. However, a good understanding of variation in spectra for species over time is required to target such data collections. Five taxological and morphologically similar non-native grass species were hyper spectrally characterised from multitemporal spectra (17 samples over 14 months) over phenological seasons to determine their temporal spectral response. The grasses were sampled from maintained plots of homogenous non-native grass cover. A robust in situ standardised sampling method using a non-imaging field spectrometer measuring reflectance across the 350–2500 nm wavelength range was used to obtain reliable spectral replicates both within and between plots. The visible-near infrared (VNIR) to shortwave infrared (SWIR) and continuum removed spectra were utilised. The spectra were then resampled to the VNIR only range to simulate the spectral response from more affordable VNIR only hyperspectral scanners suitable to be mounted on drones. We found that species were separable compared to similar but different species. The spectral patterns were similar over time, but the spectral shape and absorption features differed between species, indicating these subtle characteristics could be used to distinguish between species. It was the late dry season and the end of the wet season that provided maximum separability of the non-native grass species sampled. Overall the VNIR-SWIR results highlighted more dissimilarity for unlike species when compared to the VNIR results alone. The SWIR is useful for discriminating species, particularly around water absorption.
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Rayment JT, French K. Uncertainty in research about key invasion characteristics limits the evaluation of exotic perennial grasses in natural systems in New South Wales, Australia. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Granse D, Suchrow S, Jensen K. Long-term invasion dynamics of Spartina increase vegetation diversity and geomorphological resistance of salt marshes against sea level rise. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02408-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe cordgrass Spartina anglica C.E. Hubbard (Poaceae) is an invasive transformer in many salt marsh ecosystems worldwide. Relatively little is known about the capacity of Spartina to accelerate salt marsh succession and to protect salt marshes against sea level rise. We analyzed long-term changes in vegetation and elevation in mainland salt marshes of the European Wadden Sea in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, to estimate the impact of non-native Spartina on the geomorphological resistance of salt marshes to sea level rise and on changes in species diversity. From 1989 to 2019, the Spartina-zone shifted and expanded upwards to elevations of the high marsh zone and Spartina increased in frequency in several salt marsh vegetation communities. At sites where Spartina dominated the vegetation already three decades ago, elevation and species diversity increased with a higher rate compared to sites lacking Spartina. The median change rates reached for elevation MHT +8.6 versus +1.5 mm per year, for species richness +3 versus $$\pm$$
±
0 species per three decades, and for evenness +0.04 versus −0.08 per three decades, regarding plots with versus without former Spartina dominance, respectively. Invasion of salt marshes by Spartina and its continued, long-term presence were associated with increased elevation and species diversity in the face of sea level rise.
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Motta L, Barrios-Garcia MN, Ballari SA, Rodriguez-Cabal MA. Cross-ecosystem impacts of non-native ungulates on wetland communities. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02323-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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22
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Reznick DN, De Bona S, López‐Sepulcre A, Torres M, Bassar RD, Benzen P, Travis J. Experimental study of species invasion: early population dynamics and role of disturbance in invasion success. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David N. Reznick
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology University of California Riverside California 92521 USA
| | - Sebastiano De Bona
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Survontie 9C Jyvaskyla Finland
| | - Andrés López‐Sepulcre
- CNRS UMR 7618 Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES) Sorbonne Université France
- Department of Biology Washington University Campus Box 1137 St. Louis Missouri 63130 USA
| | - Mauricio Torres
- Senate of the Republic of Colombia Cra. 7 8‐62 Bogata Colombia
- Fundación Iguaque Calle 52 35a‐23 Bucaramanga Santander Colombia
| | - Ronald D. Bassar
- Department of Biology Williams College 59 Lab Campus Drive Williamstown Massachusetts 01267 USA
| | - Paul Benzen
- Department of Biology Dalhousie University LSC 6052 1355 Oxford Street PO Box 15000 Halifax Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 Canada
| | - Joseph Travis
- Department of Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee Florida 32306‐4340 USA
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Funk JL, Parker IM, Matzek V, Flory SL, Aschehoug ET, D’Antonio CM, Dawson W, Thomson DM, Valliere J. Keys to enhancing the value of invasion ecology research for management. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02267-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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24
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Repeated, high-severity wildfire catalyzes invasion of non-native plant species in forests of the Klamath Mountains, northern California, USA. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02227-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Lear L, Hesse E, Shea K, Buckling A. Disentangling the mechanisms underpinning disturbance-mediated invasion. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192415. [PMID: 31992171 PMCID: PMC7015320 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Disturbances can play a major role in biological invasions: by destroying biomass, they alter habitat and resource abundances. Previous field studies suggest that disturbance-mediated invader success is a consequence of resource influxes, but the importance of other potential covarying causes, notably the opening up of habitats, have yet to be directly tested. Using experimental populations of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens, we determined the relative importance of disturbance-mediated habitat opening and resource influxes, plus any interaction between them, for invader success of two ecologically distinct morphotypes. Resource addition increased invasibility, while habitat opening had little impact and did not interact with resource addition. Both invaders behaved similarly, despite occupying different ecological niches in the microcosms. Treatment also affected the composition of the resident population, which further affected invader success. Our results provide experimental support for the observation that resource input is a key mechanism through which disturbance increases invasibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Lear
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Elze Hesse
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology and Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, 208 Mueller Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Angus Buckling
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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Vaugeois M, Venturelli PA, Hummel SL, Accolla C, Forbes VE. Population context matters: Predicting the effects of metabolic stress mediated by food availability and predation with an agent- and energy budget-based model. Ecol Modell 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Kim IR, Choi W, Kim A, Lim J, Lee DH, Lee JR. Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Nutria ( Myocastor coypus) in South Korea. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:E1164. [PMID: 31861229 PMCID: PMC6940949 DOI: 10.3390/ani9121164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The nutria (Myocastor coypus) is an invasive alien species that have had major adverse effects on biodiversity and the agricultural economy in wetland habitats. Since 2014, the Ministry of Environment in South Korea has been carrying out the Nutria Eradication Project, and we investigated nutria distribution and genetic diversity of nutria populations in South Korea. We estimated that 99.2% of nutria habitats are in the mid-lower Nakdong River regions. To further analyze the genetic diversity in eight major nutria populations, we performed a genetic analysis using microsatellite markers. Genetic diversity levels of the eight nutria populations in South Korea were relatively lower than those in other countries. The probability of migration direction among nutria populations was predicted from genetic distance analysis. Genetic structure analysis showed little difference among the nutria populations in South Korea. These results suggest that nutrias in South Korea originated from a single population. Our results provide important data for establishing management strategies for the successful eradication of nutria populations in South Korea, as well as in other countries with alien invasive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Il Ryong Kim
- National Institute of Ecology (NIE), Seocheon 33657, Korea; (I.R.K.); (W.C.); (A.K.)
- Division of Applied Life Science and PMBBRC, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea
| | - Wonkyun Choi
- National Institute of Ecology (NIE), Seocheon 33657, Korea; (I.R.K.); (W.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Areum Kim
- National Institute of Ecology (NIE), Seocheon 33657, Korea; (I.R.K.); (W.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Jongpyo Lim
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195, USA;
| | - Do-Hun Lee
- National Institute of Ecology (NIE), Seocheon 33657, Korea; (I.R.K.); (W.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Jung Ro Lee
- National Institute of Ecology (NIE), Seocheon 33657, Korea; (I.R.K.); (W.C.); (A.K.)
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Characterizing the Spatial Distribution of Eragrostis Curvula (Weeping Lovegrass) in New Jersey (United States of America) Using Logistic Regression. ENVIRONMENTS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/environments6120125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The increasing spread of invasive plants has become a critical driver of global environmental change. Once established, invasive species are often impossible to eradicate. Therefore, predicting the spread has become a key element in fighting invasive species. In this study, we examined the efficiency of a logistic regression model as a tool to identify the spatial occurrence of an invasive plant species. We used Eragrostis curvula (Weeping Lovegrass) as the dependent variable. The independent variables included temperature, precipitation, soil types, and the road network. We randomly selected 68 georeferenced points to test the goodness of fit of the logistic regression model to predict the presence of E. curvula. We validated the model by selecting an additional 68 random points. Results showed that the probability to successfully predict the presence of E. Curvula was 82.35%. The overall predictive accuracy of the model for the presence or absence of E. Curvula was 80.88%. Additional tests including the Chi-square test, the Hosmer–Lemeshow (HL) test, and the area under the curve (AUC) values, all indicated that the model was the best fit. Our results showed that E. curvula was associated with the identified variables. This study suggests that the logistic regression model can be a useful tool in the identification of invasive species in New Jersey.
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Invasion intensity influences scale-dependent effects of an exotic species on native plant diversity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18769. [PMID: 31822718 PMCID: PMC6904574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55165-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive plant species reduce the diversity of natives by altering habitats or disturbance regimes, but it is less clear whether they do so via competitive exclusion. Here, we show that invader abundance alters scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native plant richness. Large-seeded exotic annual Erodium cicutarium invaded a site that manipulated rodent granivores. The invader became dominant on all plots but attained its highest abundance on plots that removed rodents. Invasion reduced plant abundance but not evenness; site-wide richness did not change over time on control plots but declined significantly on rodent removal plots. Species-area relationships within plots changed differently with invasion intensity: slopes increased and y-intercepts decreased on control plots relative to rodent removal plots. Changes in species-area slopes and y-intercepts following invasion suggest that common rather than rare species were most strongly impacted at small spatial scales on control plots, while common and rare species were both negatively impacted at all spatial scales on rodent removal plots. Small-seeded species declined in abundance following invasion more so than large-seeded species, indicative of competitive interactions mediated by seed size. These results reveal variation in scale-dependent competitive effects of invasion on native richness associated with invasion intensity.
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Molinari NA, D’Antonio CM. Where have all the wildflowers gone? The role of exotic grass thatch. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02135-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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31
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Fire effects on germination response of the native species Daucus carota and the invasive alien species Helichrysum foetidum and Oenothera glazioviana. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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32
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Henn JJ, Yelenik S, Damschen EI. Environmental gradients influence differences in leaf functional traits between native and non-native plants. Oecologia 2019; 191:397-409. [PMID: 31494711 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04498-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Determining the characteristics of non-native plants that can successfully establish and spread is central to pressing questions in invasion ecology. Evidence suggests that some non-native species establish and spread in new environments because they possess characteristics (functional traits) that allow them to either successfully compete with native residents or fill previously unfilled niches. However, the relative importance of out-competing native species vs. filling empty niche space as potential mechanisms of invasion may depend on environmental characteristics. Here, we measured plant functional traits, proxies indicative of competitive and establishment strategies, to determine if these traits vary among native and invasive species and if their prevalence is dependent on environmental conditions. Using a natural environmental gradient in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, we evaluated how functional traits differ between native and non-native plant communities and if these differences change along an environmental gradient from hot, dry to cool, wet conditions. Functional trait differences suggested that both competition and open niche space may be important for invasion. Non-native communities tended to have traits associated with faster growth strategies such as higher specific leaf area and lower leaf thickness. However, native and non-native community traits became more dissimilar along the gradient, suggesting that non-native species may be occupying previously unfilled niche space at the hot, dry end of the gradient. We also found that most of the variation in functional trait values amongst plots was due to species turnover rather than intraspecific variation. These results highlight the role of environmental context when considering invasion mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Henn
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Stephanie Yelenik
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawai'i National Park, HI, 96718, USA
| | - Ellen I Damschen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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Romero-Blanco A, Alonso Á. Tolerance assessment of the aquatic invasive snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum to different post-dispersive conditions: implications for its invasive success. NEOBIOTA 2019. [DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.44.31840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The New Zealand mudsnail (NZMS) Potamopyrgusantipodarum (Gray, 1843) (Tateidae, Mollusca) is a successful invasive species able to alter the functioning of the invaded ecosystems. However, to arrive and establish in new aquatic ecosystems, this snail must survive to the overland translocation through aerial exposure and must tolerate the new physical and chemical conditions of the recipient ecosystem. In this study, we simulated different conditions for the NZMS invasion by combining two air exposure treatments (0 and 20 h) with different physical and chemical conditions of the rehydration water (low and normal water temperatures and normal and high water conductivities). Mortality, behavior and neonate production were compared across treatments. Air exposure caused a high percentage of mortality but survivors tolerated the subsequent abiotic conditions. Low temperatures and high conductivities altered the behavior of adult snails, increasing significantly their reaction time (i.e. time to start normal movement). This may have negative consequences for the survival of this species under natural conditions. Finally, these conditions did not affect significantly the production of neonates. These results supported that the surviving NZMS to a brief period of air exposure possess the ability to acclimate to contrasting abiotic conditions with a potential establishment of new populations and that survivors can reproduce in different abiotic conditions after an air exposure period.
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Caspi T, Hartz LA, Soto Villa AE, Loesberg JA, Robins CR, Meyer WM. Impacts of invasive annuals on soil carbon and nitrogen storage in southern California depend on the identity of the invader. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:4980-4993. [PMID: 31031959 PMCID: PMC6476773 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-native plant invasions can alter nutrient cycling processes and contribute to global climate change. In southern California, California sage scrub (hereafter sage scrub), a native shrub-dominated habitat type in lowland areas, has decreased to <10% of its original distribution. Postdisturbance type-conversion to non-native annual grassland, and increasingly to mustard-dominated invasive forbland, is a key contributor to sage scrub loss. To better understand how type-conversion by common invasive annuals impacts carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage in surface soils, we examined how the identity of the invader (non-native grasses, Bromus spp.; and non-native forbs, Brassica nigra), microbial concentrations, and soil properties interact to influence soil nutrient storage in adjacent native and invasive habitat types at nine sites along a coast to inland gradient. We found that the impact of type-conversion on nutrient storage was contingent upon the invasive plant type. Sage scrub soils stored more C and N than non-native grasslands, whereas non-native forblands had nutrient storage similar to or higher than sage scrub. We calculate that >940 t C km-2 and >60 t N km-2 are lost when sage scrub converts to grass-dominated habitat, demonstrating that grass invasions are significant regional contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. We found that sites with greater total C and N storage were associated with high cation exchange capacities and bacterial concentrations. Non-native grassland habitat type was a predictor of lower total C, and soil pH, which was greatest in invasive habitats, was a predictor of lower total N. We demonstrate that modeling regional nutrient storage requires accurate classification of habitat type and fine-scale quantification of cation exchange capacity, pH, and bacterial abundance. Our results provide evidence that efforts to restore and conserve sage scrub enhance nutrient storage, a key ecosystem service reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Caspi
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKennaPitzer, and Scripps CollegesClaremontCalifornia
| | - Lauren A. Hartz
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKennaPitzer, and Scripps CollegesClaremontCalifornia
| | | | - Jenna A. Loesberg
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKennaPitzer, and Scripps CollegesClaremontCalifornia
| | - Colin R. Robins
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKennaPitzer, and Scripps CollegesClaremontCalifornia
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Simulation model suggests that fire promotes lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) invasion in Patagonia. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-01975-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Perry KI, Herms DA. Dynamic Responses of Ground-Dwelling Invertebrate Communities to Disturbance in Forest Ecosystems. INSECTS 2019; 10:E61. [PMID: 30813524 PMCID: PMC6468525 DOI: 10.3390/insects10030061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In forest ecosystems, natural and anthropogenic disturbances alter canopy structure, understory vegetation, amount of woody debris, and the properties of litter and soil layers. The magnitude of these environmental changes is context-dependent and determined by the properties of the disturbance, such as the frequency, intensity, duration, and extent. Therefore, disturbances can dynamically impact forest communities over time, including populations of ground-dwelling invertebrates that regulate key ecosystem processes. We propose conceptual models that describe the dynamic temporal effects of canopy gap formation and coarse woody debris accumulation following disturbances caused by invasive insects, wind, and salvage logging, and their impacts on ground-dwelling invertebrate communities. Within this framework, predictions are generated, literature on ground-dwelling invertebrate communities is synthesized, and pertinent knowledge gaps identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla I Perry
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
| | - Daniel A Herms
- Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
- The Davey Tree Expert Company, 1500 Mantua Street, Kent, OH 44240, USA.
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McCary MA, Zellner M, Wise DH. The role of plant-mycorrhizal mutualisms in deterring plant invasions: Insights from an individual-based model. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2018-2030. [PMID: 30847089 PMCID: PMC6392346 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the factors that determine invasion success for non-native plants is crucial for maintaining global biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. One hypothesized mechanism by which many exotic plants can become invasive is through the disruption of key plant-mycorrhizal mutualisms, yet few studies have investigated how these disruptions can lead to invader success. We present an individual-based model to examine how mutualism strengths between a native plant (Impatiens capensis) and mycorrhizal fungus can influence invasion success for a widespread plant invader, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard). Two questions were investigated as follows: (a) How does the strength of the mutualism between the native I. capensis and a mycorrhizal fungus affect resistance (i.e., native plant maintaining >60% of final equilibrium plant density) to garlic mustard invasion? (b) Is there a non-linear relationship between initial garlic mustard density and invasiveness (i.e., garlic mustard representing >60% of final equilibrium plant density)? Our findings indicate that either low (i.e., facultative) or high (i.e., obligate) mutualism strengths between the native plant and mycorrhizal fungus were more likely to lead to garlic mustard invasiveness than intermediate levels, which resulted in higher resistance to garlic mustard invasion. Intermediate mutualism strengths allowed I. capensis to take advantage of increased fitness when the fungus was present but remained competitive enough to sustain high numbers without the fungus. Though strong mutualisms had the highest fitness without the invader, they proved most susceptible to invasion because the loss of the mycorrhizal fungus resulted in a reproductive output too low to compete with garlic mustard. Weak mutualisms were more competitive than strong mutualisms but still led to garlic mustard invasion. Furthermore, we found that under intermediate mutualism strengths, the initial density of garlic mustard (as a proxy for different levels of plant invasion) did not influence its invasion success, as high initial densities of garlic mustard did not lead to it becoming dominant. Our results indicate that plants that form weak or strong mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi are most vulnerable to invasion, whereas intermediate mutualisms provide the highest resistance to an allelopathic invader.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. McCary
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
- Institute for Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
- Present address:
Department of EntomologyUniversity of WisconsinMadisonWisconsin
| | - Moira Zellner
- Institute for Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
- Department of Urban Planning and PolicyUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
| | - David H. Wise
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
- Institute for Environmental Science and PolicyUniversity of IllinoisChicagoIllinois
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Eyer PA, McDowell B, Johnson LNL, Calcaterra LA, Fernandez MB, Shoemaker D, Puckett RT, Vargo EL. Supercolonial structure of invasive populations of the tawny crazy ant Nylanderia fulva in the US. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:209. [PMID: 30594137 PMCID: PMC6310932 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1336-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social insects are among the most serious invasive pests in the world, particularly successful at monopolizing environmental resources to outcompete native species and achieve ecological dominance. The invasive success of some social insects is enhanced by their unicolonial structure, under which the presence of numerous queens and the lack of aggression against non-nestmates allow high worker densities, colony growth, and survival while eliminating intra-specific competition. In this study, we investigated the population genetics, colony structure and levels of aggression in the tawny crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva, which was recently introduced into the United States from South America. RESULTS We found that this species experienced a genetic bottleneck during its invasion lowering its genetic diversity by 60%. Our results show that the introduction of N. fulva is associated with a shift in colony structure. This species exhibits a multicolonial organization in its native range, with colonies clearly separated from one another, whereas it displays a unicolonial system with no clear boundaries among nests in its invasive range. We uncovered an absence of genetic differentiation among populations across the entire invasive range, and a lack of aggressive behaviors towards conspecifics from different nests, even ones separated by several hundreds of kilometers. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results suggest that across its entire invasive range in the U.S.A., this species forms a single supercolony spreading more than 2000 km. In each invasive nest, we found several, up to hundreds, of reproductive queens, each being mated with a single male. The many reproductive queens per nests, together with the free movement of individuals between nests, leads to a relatedness coefficient among nestmate workers close to zero in introduced populations, calling into question the stability of this unicolonial system in which indirect fitness benefits to workers is apparently absent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-André Eyer
- Department of Entomology, 2143 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2143, USA.
| | - Bryant McDowell
- Department of Entomology, 2143 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2143, USA
| | - Laura N L Johnson
- Department of Entomology, 2143 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2143, USA
| | - Luis A Calcaterra
- Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) and CONICET, Bolívar 1559, B1686EFA, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Belen Fernandez
- Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) and CONICET, Bolívar 1559, B1686EFA, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - DeWayne Shoemaker
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996-4560, USA
| | - Robert T Puckett
- Department of Entomology, 2143 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2143, USA
| | - Edward L Vargo
- Department of Entomology, 2143 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2143, USA
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Summer habitat use and activity patterns of wild boar Sus scrofa in rangelands of central Argentina. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206513. [PMID: 30356269 PMCID: PMC6200264 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological invasions are one of the main components of human-caused global change and their negative impact on invaded ecosystems have long been recognized. Invasive mammals, in particular, can threaten native biodiversity and cause economic impacts in the region where they are introduced, often through a wide range of conflicts with humans. Although the wild boar, Sus scrofa, is considered by the IUCN as one of the 100 invasive species most damaging to biodiversity in the world, in Argentina there have only been a few studies focused on its ecology with most of them conducted in protected areas. In this study, we evaluated the effect of several factors related with human disturbance, landscape composition, degree of fragmentation and the presence of a potential competitor and a predator on the habitat use of wild boar using data from camera traps and site-occupancy modeling. Additionally, we described the daily activity pattern of the species and we studied the level of overlap with both a potential competitor and a predator. The sampling effort totaled 7,054 camera trap days. Farm density, proportion of shrubland and proportion of grassland with bushes were the detection variables included in the most supported model whereas proportion of grassland and capture rate of the Pampas fox Lycalopex gymnocercus were the occupancy variables included in the most supported model. However, the proportion of grassland was the only variable that showed statistically significant support in the averaged model, indicating that habitat use of wild boar in this area was significantly negatively affected by the level of grass cover. Wild boars were mostly nocturnal, with more activity between 21:00 and 3:00 and a peak around midnight. Wild boars showed a high level of overlap with the activity pattern of the Pampas fox and a low overlap with the activity pattern of the puma Puma concolor. Despite wild boar being introduced in Argentina a few decades ago, this study is the first landscape-scale research carried out in an agricultural landscape in Argentina and the first one based on camera-trapping data. Our study contributes valuable information that could be used to design strategies to reduce wild boar population or to minimize the damage caused by this invasive species in Argentina.
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Kucsicsa G, Grigorescu I, Dumitraşcu M, Doroftei M, Năstase M, Herlo G. Assessing the potential distribution of invasive alien species Amorpha fruticosa (Mill.) in the Mureş Floodplain Natural Park (Romania) using GIS and logistic regression. NATURE CONSERVATION 2018. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.30.27627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of invasive terrestrial plant species in the Romanian protected areas is an important research direction, especially since the adventive species have become biological hazards with significant impacts on biodiversity. Due to limited resources being available for the control of the invasive plants, the modelling of the spatial potential distribution is particularly useful in order to find the best measures to eliminate them or prevent their introduction and spread, as well as including them in the management plans of protected areas. Thus, the present paper aims to assess one of the most disturbing invasive terrestrial plant species in Europe – A.fruticosa in one of the most important natural protected area in Romania, i.e. Mureş Floodplain Natural Park (V IUCN category and RAMSAR –Wetlands of International Importance). The current study is a geographical approach seeking to explain the spatial relationships between this invasive species and several explanatory factors (soil type, depth to water, vegetation cover, forest fragmentation and distance to near waters, roads and settlements) and to assess its potential distribution by integrating GIS and logistic regression into spatial simulation. The resultant probability map can be used by the park’s administration in implementing the Management Plan in terms of identifying the areas with the highest occurrence potential of A.fruticosa according to the primary habitats and ecosystems and setting up actions for its eradication/limitation.
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Hall SJ, Huber DP, Hughes RF. Invasion of Hawaiian rainforests by an introduced amphibian predator and N2-fixing tree increases soil N2O emissions. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon J. Hall
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona 85287-4501 USA
| | - David P. Huber
- Northwest Watershed Research Center; USDA-Agricultural Research Service; Boise Idaho 83712 USA
| | - R. Flint Hughes
- Institute for Pacific Islands Forestry; Pacific Southwest Research Station; USDA Forest Service; Hilo Hawaii 96720 USA
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Sofaer HR, Jarnevich CS, Pearse IS. The relationship between invader abundance and impact. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Helen R. Sofaer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
| | | | - Ian S. Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
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The impact of failure: unsuccessful bacterial invasions steer the soil microbial community away from the invader's niche. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 12:728-741. [PMID: 29374268 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-017-0003-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Although many environments like soils are constantly subjected to invasion by alien microbes, invaders usually fail to succeed, succumbing to the robust diversity often found in nature. So far, only successful invasions have been explored, and it remains unknown to what extent an unsuccessful invasion can impact resident communities. Here we hypothesized that unsuccessful invasions can cause impacts to soil functioning by decreasing the diversity and niche breadth of resident bacterial communities, which could cause shifts to community composition and niche structure-an effect that is likely exacerbated when diversity is compromised. To examine this question, diversity gradients of soil microbial communities were subjected to invasion by the frequent, yet oft-unsuccessful soil invader, Escherichia coli, and evaluated for changes to diversity, bacterial community composition, niche breadth, and niche structure. Contrary to expectations, diversity and niche breadth increased across treatments upon invasion. Community composition and niche structure were also altered, with shifts of niche structure revealing an escape by the resident community away from the invader's resources. Importantly, the extent of the escape varied in response to the community's diversity, where less diverse communities experienced larger shifts. Thus, although transient and unsuccessful, the invader competed for resources with resident species and caused tangible impacts that modified both the diversity and functioning of resident communities, which can likely generate a legacy effect that influences future invasion attempts.
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Elfekih S, Etter P, Tay WT, Fumagalli M, Gordon K, Johnson E, De Barro P. Genome-wide analyses of the Bemisia tabaci species complex reveal contrasting patterns of admixture and complex demographic histories. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190555. [PMID: 29364919 PMCID: PMC5783331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Once considered a single species, the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is a complex of numerous morphologically indistinguishable species. Within the last three decades, two of its members (MED and MEAM1) have become some of the world's most damaging agricultural pests invading countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas and affecting a vast range of agriculturally important food and fiber crops through both feeding-related damage and the transmission of numerous plant viruses. For some time now, researchers have relied on a single mitochondrial gene and/or a handful of nuclear markers to study this species complex. Here, we move beyond this by using 38,041 genome-wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, and show that the two invasive members of the complex are closely related species with signatures of introgression with a third species (IO). Gene flow patterns were traced between contemporary invasive populations within MED and MEAM1 species and these were best explained by recent international trade. These findings have profound implications for delineating the B. tabaci species status and will impact quarantine measures and future management strategies of this global pest.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Elfekih
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, ACT, Australia
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - P. Etter
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America
| | - W. T. Tay
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, ACT, Australia
| | - M. Fumagalli
- Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, United Kingdom
| | - K. Gordon
- CSIRO, Black Mountain Laboratories, ACT, Australia
| | - E. Johnson
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America
| | - P. De Barro
- CSIRO Ecosciences Precinct, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Staude IR, Vélez-Martin E, Andrade BO, Podgaiski LR, Boldrini II, Mendonça M, Pillar VD, Overbeck GE. Local biodiversity erosion in south Brazilian grasslands under moderate levels of landscape habitat loss. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ingmar R. Staude
- Graduate Program in Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Eduardo Vélez-Martin
- Graduate Program in Ecology; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Bianca O. Andrade
- Graduate Program in Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | | | - Ilsi I. Boldrini
- Graduate Program in Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
- Department of Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Milton Mendonça
- Graduate Program in Ecology; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
- Department of Ecology; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Valério D. Pillar
- Graduate Program in Ecology; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
- Department of Ecology; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Gerhard E. Overbeck
- Graduate Program in Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
- Department of Botany; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; Porto Alegre RS Brazil
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Grzędzicka E, Kowalik K, Bacler-ŻZbikowska B. Does the invasion of Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra in parkland influence the diversity of birds? Biologia (Bratisl) 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/biolog-2017-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Sokol NW, Kuebbing SE, Bradford MA. Impacts of an invasive plant are fundamentally altered by a co-occurring forest disturbance. Ecology 2017; 98:2133-2144. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noah W. Sokol
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Yale University; 195 Prospect Street New Haven Connecticut 06511 USA
| | - Sara E. Kuebbing
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Yale University; 195 Prospect Street New Haven Connecticut 06511 USA
| | - Mark A. Bradford
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Yale University; 195 Prospect Street New Haven Connecticut 06511 USA
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Ceradini JP, Chalfoun AD. Species' traits help predict small mammal responses to habitat homogenization by an invasive grass. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1451-1465. [PMID: 28317278 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Invasive plants can negatively affect native species, however, the strength, direction, and shape of responses may vary depending on the type of habitat alteration and the natural history of native species. To prioritize conservation of vulnerable species, it is therefore critical to effectively predict species' responses to invasive plants, which may be facilitated by a framework based on species' traits. We studied the population and community responses of small mammals and changes in habitat heterogeneity across a gradient of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover, a widespread invasive plant in North America. We live-trapped small mammals over two summers and assessed the effect of cheatgrass on native small mammal abundance, richness, and species-specific and trait-based occupancy, while accounting for detection probability and other key habitat elements. Abundance was only estimated for the most common species, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). All species were pooled for the trait-based occupancy analysis to quantify the ability of small mammal traits (habitat association, mode of locomotion, and diet) to predict responses to cheatgrass invasion. Habitat heterogeneity decreased with cheatgrass cover. Deer mouse abundance increased marginally with cheatgrass. Species richness did not vary with cheatgrass, however, pocket mouse (Perognathus spp.) and harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys spp.) occupancy tended to decrease and increase, respectively, with cheatgrass cover, suggesting a shift in community composition. Cheatgrass had little effect on occupancy for deer mice, 13-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and Ord's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii). Species' responses to cheatgrass primarily corresponded with our a priori predictions based on species' traits. The probability of occupancy varied significantly with a species' habitat association but not with diet or mode of locomotion. When considered within the context of a rapid habitat change, such as caused by invasive plants, relevant species' traits may provide a useful framework for predicting species' responses to a variety of habitat disturbances. Understanding which species are likely to be most affected by exotic plant invasion will help facilitate more efficient, targeted management and conservation of native species and habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Ceradini
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming, 82071, USA
| | - Anna D Chalfoun
- U.S. Geological Survey Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming, 82071, USA
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