Effects of invasive aquatic carrion on soil chemistry and terrestrial microbial communities

Carrion plays a crucial role in the recycling of nutrients and organic matter in ecosystems. Yet, despite their ecological importance, studies addressing the relevance of carrion originated from invasive alien species (IAS) in the interface between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are uncommon, especially those assessing belowground effects. In this study, we carried out a manipulative experiment to assess the impact of massive mortalities of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) as a carrion subsidy evaluating possible effects on the terrestrial soil chemistry and the structure of a microbial (bacteria and fungi) community. We placed five levels of C. fluminea density (0, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 ind. m^?2) and samples were collected 7, 30 and 90 days after clams’ addition. The results revealed that C. fluminea carrion have a significant effect belowground, especially on nutrients content (mainly NH₄ ⁺, NO₂ ^?, NO₃ ^? and PO₄ ^3?), fungal biomass and fungal and bacterial diversity. Given the predicted increase and intensification of extreme climatic events and the widespread distribution of several aquatic IAS (including bivalve species such as C. fluminea) the ecological importance of these massive mortalities (and resulting carrion) cannot be ignored because they may affect microbial communities with significant impacts on nutrient cycling, even in adjacent terrestrial habitats.     

The distribution, density and biomass of terrestrial reptiles in Dominica, West Indies

Fourteen species of reptiles have been recorded from the island of Dominica, Lesser Antilles. As part of a larger study of the ecology of Dominica's forests, the distribution, density and biomass of three widespread lizard species ( Anolis oculatus, Ameiva fuscata and Mabuya mabouya ) were estimated in all major vegetation types. No consistent differences between seasons occurred for any of the three species, and at no site was a definite breeding season detected. Densities, estimated mainly by plot counts, were highest in coastal woodlands where mean densities reached 2148 Anolis per hectare, 379 Ameiva per hectare, and 751 Mabuya per hectare. Densities in rain forest sites were often very low. Combined biomass for the three species also reached a maximum in coastal woodlands of 44.7 kg/ha. This value is amongst the highest recorded for terrestrial reptile assemblages, and suggests that Dominica's coastal woodlands are unusually favourable habitats for reptiles.
Previous studies of Caribbean lizards have suggested that either competition or predation from birds may influence lizard densities. The present study, however, found no such relationships, and it was concluded that lizard density was independent of bird density.     

Natural population die-offs: causes and consequences for terrestrial mammals

Extreme changes in the environment can generate high mortalities in wildlife populations. When these mortalities are attributable to extreme natural events, they are referred to as natural population die-offs. Despite growing reports of such die-offs, a consensus on how to define them has not emerged. Furthermore, although anthropogenically caused extreme events are predicted to occur at a higher frequency and intensity compared with natural events, an integrative synthesis assessing their significance for wildlife population viability is lacking. These issues hamper the ability to identify populations most at risk. Here, we propose a functional definition of natural population die-offs, an assessment of extrinsic and intrinsic processes shaping these die-offs, and a framework for assessing the vulnerability of terrestrial mammals to natural and anthropogenically caused extreme events.     

The functional role of burrowing bivalves in freshwater ecosystems

1. Freshwater systems are losing biodiversity at a rapid rate, yet we know little about the functional role of most of this biodiversity. The ecosystem roles of freshwater burrowing bivalves have been particularly understudied. Here we summarize what is known about the functional role of burrowing bivalves in the orders Unionoida and Veneroida in lakes and streams globally. 2. Bivalves filter phytoplankton, bacteria and particulate organic matter from the water column. Corbicula and sphaeriids also remove organic matter from the sediment by deposit feeding, as may some unionids. Filtration rate varies with bivalve species and size, temperature, particle size and concentration, and flow regime. 3. Bivalves affect nutrient dynamics in freshwater systems, through excretion as well as biodeposition of faeces and pseudofaeces. Excretion rates are both size and species dependent, are influenced by reproductive stage, and vary greatly with temperature and food availability. 4. Bioturbation of sediments through bivalve movements increases sediment water and oxygen content and releases nutrients from the sediment to the water column. The physical presence of bivalve shells creates habitat for epiphytic and epizoic organisms, and stabilizes sediment and provides refugia for benthic fauna. Biodeposition of faeces and pseudofaeces can alter the composition of benthic communities. 5. There is conflicting evidence concerning the role of resource limitation in structuring bivalve communities. Control by bivalves of primary production is most likely when their biomass is large relative to the water volume and where hydrologic residence time is long. Future studies should consider exactly what bivalves feed upon, whether feeding varies seasonally and with habitat, and whether significant overlap in diet occurs. In particular, we need a clearer picture of the importance of suspension versus deposit feeding and the potential advantages and tradeoffs between these two feeding modes. 6. In North America, native burrowing bivalves (Unionidae) are declining at a catastrophic rate. This significant loss of benthic biomass, coupled with the invasion of an exotic burrowing bivalve (Corbicula), may result in large alterations of ecosystem processes and functions.     

Invasive bivalves increase benthic communities complexity in neotropical reservoirs

Invasive bivalves often act as ecosystem engineers, generally causing physical alterations in the ecosystems in which they establish themselves. However, the effects of these physical alterations over benthic macroinvertebrate communities’ structure are less clear. The objective of this study was to characterize the ecological effects of the invasive bivalves Corbicula fluminea and Limnoperna fortunei on the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in neo-tropical reservoirs. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) invasive bivalves act as facilitator species to other benthic macroinvertebrates, resulting in communities with higher number of species, abundance and diversity; (2) invasive bivalves change the taxonomic composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities; (3) invasive bivalves increase the complexity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. For that it was used data from 160 sampling sites from four reservoirs. We sampled sites once in each area, during the dry season from 2009 to 2012. The first hypothesis was rejected, as the presence of invasive bivalves significantly decreased the host benthic communities’ number of species and abundance. The second hypothesis was corroborated, as the composition of other benthic macroinvertebrates was shown to be significantly different between sites with and without invasive bivalves. We observed a shift from communities dominated by common soft substrate taxa, such as Chironomidae and Oligochaeta, to communities dominated by the invasive Gastropoda Melanoides tuberculata. The biomass data corroborated that, showing significantly higher biomass of M. tuberculata in sites with invasive bivalves, but significantly lower biomass of native species. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities presenting invasive bivalves showed significantly higher eco-exergy and specific eco-exergy, which corroborate the third hypothesis. These results suggest that while the presence of invasive bivalves limits the abundance of soft bottom taxa such as Chironomidae and Oligochaeta, it enhances benthic communities’ complexity and provide new energetic pathways to benthic communities in reservoirs. This study also suggests a scenario of invasion meltdown, as M. tuberculata was facilitated by the invasive bivalves.     

背角无齿蚌(Anodonta woodiana)对浅水系统底栖和浮游藻类竞争关系的影响

底栖藻类和浮游藻类之间的竞争关系对浅水生态系统的结构、功能具有重要的影响,双壳类可通过滤食控制浮游藻类,从而改变底栖藻类与浮游藻类之间的竞争结果。论文通过比较放养背角无齿蚌(Anodonta woodiana)(蚌处理组)与不放养背角无齿蚌(对照组)系统中底栖藻类、浮游藻类的生物量和优势种等的变化,研究了滤食性双壳类对底栖藻类和浮游藻类间竞争的影响。结果表明,背角无齿蚌可显著降低浮游藻类生物量,提高水体透明度和沉积物表面光照条件,从而显著提高底栖藻类的生物量;背角无齿蚌也改变了浮游藻类的优势种,使优势种由蓝藻转变成硅藻。因此,滤食性双壳类有利于促进浅水生态系统从混水态向清水态转变,本研究结果对富营养化浅水湖泊修复与管理具有一定的参考意义。     

Predator diversity effects cascade across an ecosystem boundary

Food webs in different ecosystems are often connected through spatial resource subsidies. As a result, biodiversity effects in one ecosystem may cascade to adjacent ecosystems. I tested the hypothesis that aquatic predator diversity effects cascade to terrestrial food webs by altering a prey subsidy (biomass and trophic structure of emerging aquatic insects) entering terrestrial food webs, in turn altering the distribution of a terrestrial consumer (spider) that feeds on emerging aquatic insects. Fish presence, but not diversity, altered the trophic structure of emerging aquatic insects by strongly reducing the biomass of emerging predators (dragonflies) relative to non‐feeding taxa (chironomid midges). Fish diversity reduced emerging insect biomass through enhanced effects on the most common prey taxa: predatory dragonflies Pantala flavescens and non‐feeding chironomids. Terrestrial spiders (Tetragnathidae) primarily captured emerging chironomids, which were reduced in the high richness (3 spp.) treatment relative to the 1 and 2 species treatments. As a result, terrestrial spider abundance was lower above pools with high fish richness (3 species) than pools with 1 and 2 species. Synergistic predation effects were mostly limited to the high richness treatment, in which fish occupied each level of vertical microhabitat in the water‐column (benthic, middle, surface). This study demonstrates that predator diversity effects are not limited to the habitat of the predator, but can propagate to adjacent ecosystems, and demonstrates the utility of using simple predator functional traits (foraging domain) to more accurately predict the direction of predator diversity effects.     

Potential alteration of cross‐ecosystem resource subsidies by an invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate: implications for the terrestrial food web

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Density of red alder (Alnus rubra) in headwaters influences invertebrate and detritus subsidies to downstream fish habitats in Alaska

We investigated the influence of red alder (Alnus rubra) stand density in upland, riparian forests on invertebrate and detritus transport from fishless headwater streams to downstream, salmonid habitats in southeastern Alaska. Red alder commonly regenerates after soil disturbance (such as from natural landsliding or timber harvesting), and is common along streams in varying densities, but its effect on food delivery from headwater channels to downstream salmonid habitats is not clear. Fluvial transport of invertebrates and detritus was measured at 13 sites in spring, summer and fall during two years (2000–2001). The 13 streams encompassed a riparian red alder density gradient (1–82% canopy cover or 0–53% basal area) growing amongst young-growth conifer (45-yr-old stands that regenerated after forest clearcutting). Sites with more riparian red alder exported significantly more invertebrates than did sites with little alder (mean range across 1–82% alder gradient was about 1–4 invertebrates m^?3 water, and 0.1–1 mg invertebrates m^?3 water, respectively). Three-quarters of the invertebrates were of aquatic origin; the remainder was of terrestrial origin. Aquatic taxa were positively related to the alder density gradient, while terrestrially-derived taxa were not. Streams with more riparian alder also exported significantly more detritus than streams with less alder (mean range across 1–82% alder gradient was 0.01–0.06 g detritus m^?3 water). Based on these data, we predict that headwater streams with more riparian alder will provide more invertebrates and support more downstream fish biomass than those basins with little or no riparian alder, provided these downstream food webs fully utilize this resource subsidy.     

Do Low-Mercury Terrestrial Resources Subsidize Low-Mercury Growth of Stream Fish? Differences between Species along a Productivity Gradient

Low productivity in aquatic ecosystems is associated with reduced individual growth of fish and increased concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) in fish and their prey. However, many stream-dwelling fish species can use terrestrially-derived food resources, potentially subsidizing growth at low-productivity sites, and, because terrestrial resources have lower MeHg concentrations than aquatic resources, preventing an increase in diet-borne MeHg accumulation. We used a large-scale field study to evaluate relationships among terrestrial subsidy use, growth, and MeHg concentrations in two stream-dwelling fish species across an in-stream productivity gradient. We sampled young-of-the-year brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), potential competitors with similar foraging habits, from 20 study sites in streams in New Hampshire and Massachusetts that encompassed a wide range of aquatic prey biomass. Stable isotope analysis showed that brook trout used more terrestrial resources than Atlantic salmon. Over their first growing season, Atlantic salmon tended to grow larger than brook trout at sites with high aquatic prey biomass, but brook grew two-fold larger than Atlantic salmon at sites with low aquatic prey biomass. The MeHg concentrations of brook trout and Atlantic salmon were similar at sites with high aquatic prey biomass and the MeHg concentrations of both species increased at sites with low prey biomass and high MeHg in aquatic prey. However, brook trout had three-fold lower MeHg concentrations than Atlantic salmon at low-productivity, high-MeHg sites. These results suggest that differential use of terrestrial resource subsidies reversed the growth asymmetry between potential competitors across a productivity gradient and, for one species, moderated the effect of low in-stream productivity on MeHg accumulation.     

Impact of Polluted Bottom Deposits on the Species Structure and Abundance of Bivalves in Peter the Great Bay,Sea of Japan

Data from long-term (1979–1988) studies of bivalve fauna and of the content of priority pollutants in the bottom deposits of Peter the Great Bay have been analyzed. It was established that the biomass, population density, number of species, and the species diversity indexes of Shannon-Weiner and of the Pielou evenness of bivalves negatively correlated with the total pollution factor, TPF, of bottom sediments. Changes in the ecological parameters of bivalves with an increase in pollution occurred in spurts within the 3.4–3.6 interval of TPF values. The area of such values covered not only the coastal zone of Vladivostok, but also a considerable part of Amursky Bay.     

Ecosystem services transcend boundaries: estuaries provide resource subsidies and influence functional diversity in coastal benthic communities

Background

Estuaries are highly productive ecosystems that can export organic matter to coastal seas (the ‘outwelling hypothesis’). However the role of this food resource subsidy on coastal ecosystem functioning has not been examined.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We investigated the influence of estuarine primary production as a resource subsidy and the influence of estuaries on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in coastal mollusk-dominated sediment communities. Stable isotope values (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) demonstrated that estuarine primary production was exported to the adjacent coast and contributed to secondary production up to 4 km from the estuary mouth. Further, isotope signatures of suspension feeding bivalves on the adjacent coast (Dosinia subrosea) closely mirrored the isotope values of the dominant bivalves inside the estuaries (Austrovenus stutchburyi), indicating utilization of similar organic matter sources. However, the food subsidies varied between estuaries; with estuarine suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) dominant at Tairua estuary, while seagrass and fringing vegetation detritus was proportionately more important at Whangapoua estuary, with lesser contributions of estuarine SPOM. Distance from the estuary mouth and the size and density of large bivalves (Dosinia spp.) had a significant influence on the composition of biological traits in the coastal macrobenthic communities, signaling the potential influence of these spatial subsidies on ecosystem functioning.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study demonstrated that the locations where ecosystem services like productivity are generated are not necessarily where the services are utilized. Further, we identified indirect positive effects of the nutrient subsidies on biodiversity (the estuarine subsidies influenced the bivalves, which in turn affected the diversity and functional trait composition of the coastal sediment macrofaunal communities). These findings highlight the importance of integrative ecosystem-based management that maintains the connectivity of estuarine and coastal ecosystems.     

Resource subsidies between stream and terrestrial ecosystems under global change

Streams and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems are characterized by permeable boundaries that are crossed by resource subsidies. Although the importance of these subsidies for riverine ecosystems is increasingly recognized, little is known about how they may be influenced by global environmental change. Drawing from available evidence, in this review we propose a conceptual framework to evaluate the effects of global change on the quality and spatiotemporal dynamics of stream–terrestrial subsidies. We illustrate how changes to hydrological and temperature regimes, atmospheric CO₂ concentration, land use and the distribution of nonindigenous species can influence subsidy fluxes by affecting the biology and ecology of donor and recipient systems and the physical characteristics of stream–riparian boundaries. Climate‐driven changes in the physiology and phenology of organisms with complex life cycles will influence their development time, body size and emergence patterns, with consequences for adjacent terrestrial consumers. Also, novel species interactions can modify subsidy dynamics via complex bottom‐up and top‐down effects. Given the seasonality and pulsed nature of subsidies, alterations of the temporal and spatial synchrony of resource availability to consumers across ecosystems are likely to result in ecological mismatches that can scale up from individual responses, to communities, to ecosystems. Similarly, altered hydrology, temperature, CO₂ concentration and land use will modify the recruitment and quality of riparian vegetation, the timing of leaf abscission and the establishment of invasive riparian species. Along with morphological changes to stream–terrestrial boundaries, these will alter the use and fluxes of allochthonous subsidies associated with stream ecosystems. Future research should aim to understand how subsidy dynamics will be affected by key drivers of global change, including agricultural intensification, increasing water use and biotic homogenization. Our conceptual framework based on the match–mismatch between donor and recipient organisms may facilitate understanding of the multiple effects of global change and aid in the development of future research questions.     

Bivalve suspension-feeding dynamics and benthic-pelagic coupling in an eutrophicated marine bay

The open exposed Laholm Bay in the Kattegat is eutrophicated through riverine input, mainly of N. The benthic macrofauna down to 10 m depth (60 km²) is dominated by the suspension-feeding bivalves Cardium edule and Mya arenaria. To estimate the seasonal and annual consumption of seston by the suspension-feeders in Laholm Bay, we carried out three sets of observations. (1) The abundance and biomass of the macrofauna in this depth interval were assessed along eight transects. (2) The secondary production of the two bivalves was estimated over a 10-month period in two sampling squares. (3) The filtration rate of C. edule was determined in natural seawater in laboratory experiments during different seasons. The bivalves can in theory filter all of the water volume down to 10 m in 3 days and, thus, make a significant impact on the phytoplankton concentration. In our study, however, they filtered only approximately half of their potential feeding capacity, perhaps because food availability was low due to low turnover close to the bottom or due to physical disturbance. The majority of the phytoplankton is exported from the bay. Bivalve abundance, biomass, production and growth rate were moderate and generally lower than in adjacent areas to the north. In autumn, the bivalves consumed >90% of the seston in comparison with net-zooplankton consumption. An energy-flow diagram for the bivalves is presented including estimates of bivalve N excretion and biodeposition.     

珠江三角洲河网浮游轮虫的群落结构

通过2012年4次对珠江三角洲河网浮游动物的生态调查,研究该水域浮游轮虫的群落结构,包括种类组成、优势种、生物量及多样性等的时空分布,探讨了浮游轮虫群落结构与环境因子的相关关系,并阐析了浮游轮虫的聚群结构.结果表明： 共检出53种浮游轮虫.优势种类的季节演替及空间变化明显,针簇多肢轮虫占有较大优势.从季节变化来看,枯水期密度及生物量均大于丰水期,丰水期的生物多样性指数和均匀度要高于枯水期,浮游轮虫生物量和多样性的季节间差异显著;从空间分布来看,平均密度及平均生物量均呈现自西南向东北升高的趋势,最大密度及生物量均出现在市桥,而生物多样性指数和均匀度指数的空间变化趋势则相反,最高值均出现在青岐,浮游轮虫密度在各调查站位间差异显著,生物量及多样性在各调查站位间的差异不显著.浮游轮虫的密度与生物量、生物多样性指数与均匀度指数呈显著正相关,多样性与生物量呈显著负相关,生物多样性指数和均匀度指数随着生物量的增加显著降低.在不同季节,浮游轮虫密度与水温、pH、溶解氧、叶绿素a含量及总磷、总氮等环境因子密切相关.根据浮游轮虫密度对调查站位进行聚群分析得出5种聚群结构,说明相应调查站位的水质状况有显著差异.     

Phytostabilization of heavy metals by the emergent macrophyte Vossia cuspidata (Roxb.) Griff.: A phytoremediation approach

The present study was conducted to investigate the potential of Vossia cuspidata as a phytoremediator to accumulate heavy metals from polluted water bodies. Thirty-two quadrats, distributed equally in eight sites (six polluted sites along the Ismailia canal and two unpolluted sites along the Nile River) were selected seasonally for plant, water, and sediment investigations. Winter plants recorded the highest values of shoot height, diameter, and leaf width, but the lowest shoot density. Plants collected in autumn had the lowest values of leaf length, width, and area, while those collected in spring had the highest shoot density, with the lowest shoot height. Summer populations had the highest fresh and dry plant biomass, while winter plants had the lowest. Fresh production and dry biomass of V. cuspidata in the unpolluted Nile were significantly higher than those in polluted canals. Chlorophyll a and carotenoid concentrations were reduced under pollution stress. Spring plants accumulated the highest concentrations of Cr, Cu, and Pb in their root, and the lowest concentrations of Al, Cd, Cr, and Zn in their shoot. The bioaccumulation factor for most investigated metals, except Al, Cr, and Fe was greater than 1, while the translocation factor of all metals was less than 1, therefore this plant is considered to be a potential for these metals phytostabilization.     

Emerging aquatic insects as predators in terrestrial systems across a gradient of stream temperature in North and South America

1. Empirical and theoretical research over the past decade has demonstrated the widespread importance of aquatic subsidies to terrestrial food webs. In particular, adult aquatic insects that emerge from streams and lakes are prey for terrestrial predators. While variation in the magnitude of this subsidy is clearly important, the potential top‐down effects of the predatory adults of some aquatic insects in terrestrial food webs are largely unknown. 2. I used published data on benthic insect density (as a proxy for emergence) in North and South America to explore how the proportion of benthic insects that are predatory as adults varies across a gradient of mean annual stream temperature. 3. The proportion of benthic insects that are predatory as adults varied widely across sites (0–12% by abundance; 0–86% by biomass). There was a positive relationship between mean annual stream temperature and the proportion of predatory adults across all sites, driven largely by the greater abundance/biomass of predatory taxa (e.g. odonates), relative to non‐predators (e.g. midges, mayflies, caddisflies), in tropical than in temperate streams. 4. The ‘trophic structure’ (i.e. the proportion of predators) of emerging adult aquatic insects is an understudied source of variation in aquatic–terrestrial interactions. Incorporation of trophic structure in future studies is needed to understand how future modification of fresh waters may affect adjacent terrestrial food webs through both bottom‐up and top‐down effects.     

Invading rainbow trout usurp a terrestrial prey subsidy from native charr and reduce their growth and abundance

Movements of prey organisms across ecosystem boundaries often subsidize consumer populations in adjacent habitats. Human disturbances such as habitat degradation or non-native species invasions may alter the characteristics or fate of these prey subsidies, but few studies have measured the direct effects of this disruption on the growth and local abundance of predators in recipient habitats. Here we present evidence, obtained from a combined experimental and comparative study in northern Japan, that an invading stream fish usurped the flux of allochthonous prey to a native fish, consequently altering the diet and reducing the growth and abundance of the native species. A large-scale field experiment showed that excluding terrestrial invertebrates that fell into the stream with a mesh greenhouse reduced terrestrial prey in diets of native Dolly Varden charr (Salvelinus malma) by 46–70%, and reduced their growth by 25% over six weeks. However, when nonnative rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were introduced, they monopolized these prey and caused an even greater reduction of terrestrial prey in charr diets of 82–93%, and reduced charr growth by 31% over the same period. Adding both greenhouse and rainbow trout treatments together produced similar results to adding either alone. Results from a comparative field study of six other stream sites in the region corroborated the experimental findings, showing that at invaded sites rainbow trout usurped the terrestrial prey subsidy, causing a more than 75% decrease in the biomass of terrestrial invertebrates in Dolly Varden diets and forcing them to shift their foraging to insects on the stream bottom. Moreover, at sites with even low densities of rainbow trout, biomass of Dolly Varden was more than 75% lower than at sites without rainbow trout. Disruption of resource fluxes between habitats may be a common, but unidentified, consequence of invasions, and an additional mechanism contributing to the loss of native species Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Impact of invasive Asian clams,Corbicula spp., on a large river ecosystem

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