Predicting future invasion of an invasive alien tree in a Japanese oceanic island by process-based statistical models using recent distribution maps

Modelling and predicting the potential habitat and future range expansion of invasive species can help managers to mitigate the impact of such species. Because habitat suitability and the colonization process are key determinants of range expansion, inferences drawn from invasion patterns should be based on both attributes. To predict the potential habitat and expansion rate of the invasive tree Bischofia javanica on Hahajima Island, we used simultaneous models of habitat and dispersal to estimate the effect of environment and dispersal from the source population on the current distribution. We compared the fit and the estimated magnitudes of the environment and dispersal effects in the simultaneous models with those in habitat suitability and colonization kernel models. The values of Akaike’s information criterion for the simultaneous models were better than those of the habitat suitability and colonization kernel models, indicating that the current distribution of Bischofia was determined by both environment and dispersal. The simultaneous models predicted that the potential habitat of Bischofia would be larger than that predicted by the habitat suitability model. The potential habitat distribution and future invasion predicted by the simultaneous models will contribute to the development of specific landscape-scale management plans to control this invasive species.     

Beetle responses to artificial gaps in an oceanic island forest: implications for invasive tree management to conserve endemic species diversity

Natural forests are often replaced by invasive alien trees on isolated oceanic islands. Adequate eradication of invasive trees should be conducted with the goal of biodiversity conservation, because islands support many endemic organisms that depend on native forests. An invasive alien tree, Bischofia javanica Blume (Euphorbiaceae), has invaded and replaced natural forests on the oceanic Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. To determine how the removal of B. javanica trees affects insect diversity, we examined flying beetles captured using Malaise traps in B. javanica forests on Hahajima. The abundance, species density, and species composition of wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Elateridae, Mordellidae, and Scolytidae) were compared between closed-canopy sites and gaps created by girdling B. javanica trees in alien forests during two seasons (June–July and October–November 2005). Of the collected beetles, 75.8, 87.5, 90.0, and 0.0% of cerambycid, elaterid, mordellid, and scolytid beetle species, respectively, were endemic to the Ogasawara Islands. More cerambycid, elaterid, and mordellid individuals were captured in June–July than in October–November; the number of scolytid individuals did not differ between seasons. More cerambycid, elaterid, and scolytid individuals were captured in artificial gaps than on the closed-canopy forest floor. Although fewer mordellid individuals were captured in gaps, more endemic mordellids were captured in gaps. More cerambycid and scolytid species were captured in artificial gaps than in closed-canopy areas. The positive responses of beetles to artificial gaps suggest that the removal of B. javanica increases beetle diversity and the abundance of endemic beetles.     

Clonal diversity amongst island populations of alien,invasive Lemna minuta kunth

Biological Invasions - Invasive alien species can negatively impact on newly colonised ecosystems. Thus, it is important to understand factors that facilitate invasiveness. Genetic diversity will...     

Temporal dynamics and nestedness of an oceanic island bird fauna

Aim To examine temporal variation in nestedness and whether nestedness patterns predict colonization, extinction and turnover across islands and species. Location Dahlak Archipelago, Red Sea. Method The distributions of land birds on 17 islands were recorded in two periods 30 years apart. Species and islands were reordered in the Nestedness Temperature Calculator, software for assessing degrees of nestedness in communities. The occupancy probability of each cell, i.e. species–island combinations, was calculated in the nested matrix and an extinction curve (boundary line) was specified. We tested whether historical and current nested ranks of species and islands were correlated, whether there was a relationship between occupancy probability (based on the historical data) and number of extinctions or colonizations (regression analyses) and whether the boundary line could predict extinctions and colonizations (chi‐square analyses). Results Historical and current nested ranks of islands and species were correlated but changes in occupancy patterns were common, particularly among bird species with intermediate incidence. Extinction and turnover of species were higher for small than large islands, and colonization was negatively related to isolation. As expected, colonizations were more frequent above than below the boundary line. Probability of extinction was highest at intermediate occupancy probability, giving a quadratic relationship between extinction and occupancy probability. Species turnover was related to the historical nested ranks of islands. Colonization was related negatively while extinction and occupancy turnover were related quadratically to historical nested ranks of species. Main conclusions Some patterns of the temporal dynamics agreed with expectations from nested patterns. However, the accuracy of the predictions may be confounded by regional dynamics and distributions of idiosyncratic, resource‐limited species. It is therefore necessary to combine nestedness analysis with adequate knowledge of the causal factors and ecology of targeted species to gain insight into the temporal dynamics of assemblages and for nestedness analyses to be helpful in conservation planning.     

Multi-scale sampling to evaluate assemblage dynamics in an oceanic marine reserve

To resolve the capacity of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) to enhance fish productivity it is first necessary to understand how environmental conditions affect the distribution and abundance of fishes independent of potential reserve effects. Baseline fish production was examined from 2002–2004 through ichthyoplankton sampling in a large (10,878 km²) Southern Californian oceanic marine reserve, the Cowcod Conservation Area (CCA) that was established in 2001, and the Southern California Bight as a whole (238,000 km² CalCOFI sampling domain). The CCA assemblage changed through time as the importance of oceanic-pelagic species decreased between 2002 (La Niña) and 2003 (El Niño) and then increased in 2004 (El Niño), while oceanic species and rockfishes displayed the opposite pattern. By contrast, the CalCOFI assemblage was relatively stable through time. Depth, temperature, and zooplankton explained more of the variability in assemblage structure at the CalCOFI scale than they did at the CCA scale. CalCOFI sampling revealed that oceanic species impinged upon the CCA between 2002 and 2003 in association with warmer offshore waters, thus explaining the increased influence of these species in the CCA during the El Nino years. Multi-scale, spatially explicit sampling and analysis was necessary to interpret assemblage dynamics in the CCA and likely will be needed to evaluate other focal oceanic marine reserves throughout the world.     

Invasional 'meltdown' on an oceanic island

Islands can serve as model systems for understanding how biological invasions affect community structure and ecosystem function. Here we show invasion by the alien crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes causes a rapid, catastrophic shift in the rain forest ecosystem of a tropical oceanic island, affecting at least three trophic levels. In invaded areas, crazy ants extirpate the red land crab, the dominant endemic consumer on the forest floor. In doing so, crazy ants indirectly release seedling recruitment, enhance species richness of seedlings, and slow litter breakdown. In the forest canopy, new associations between this invasive ant and honeydew‐secreting scale insects accelerate and diversify impacts. Sustained high densities of foraging ants on canopy trees result in high population densities of host‐generalist scale insects and growth of sooty moulds, leading to canopy dieback and even deaths of canopy trees. The indirect fallout from the displacement of a native ‘keystone’ species by an ant invader, itself abetted by introduced/cryptogenic mutualists, produces synergism in impacts to precipitate invasional ‘meltdown’ in this system.     

从口岸截获疫情浅析外来昆虫入侵特点和防范对策

从我国口岸截获外来昆虫比例高以及入侵昆虫危害严重情况 ,论述了昆虫是外来生物入侵的主要物种 ;并从昆虫的独特性 ,分析了外来昆虫传播途径多 ,入侵成功率高的原因 ,并提到相应的防范对策。     

刈割和施肥对高寒草甸物种多样性和功能多样性时间动态及其关系的影响

强烈扰动和环境胁迫对植物群落的物种多样性(SD)和功能多样性(FD)有重要影响, 但SD和FD随时间的变化模式及其关系至今少有研究。该研究通过对高寒矮生嵩草(Kobresia humilis)草甸为期7年(2007-2013年)的刈割(3个水平: 不刈割、留茬3 cm和留茬1 cm)和施肥(2个水平: 施肥和不施肥)控制实验探讨了SD和FD随时间的变化模式及其关系。研究结果显示: (1)刈割显著增加了SD和FD, 施肥处理则降低了SD, 对FD增加仅有微弱影响; (2)各处理群落的SD随着时间而下降, FD则随时间增加; (3)随着刈割强度的增加, SD(x)-FD(y)关系由正线性相关变为无相关, 斜率大小为slope_l ≥ slope_m > slope_h (下标l、m和h分别表示轻度、中度和重度扰动强度), 施肥并不会改变此关系形式和斜率; (4)刈割与施肥对SD和FD的互作效应都不显著, 且不施肥群落SD(x)-FD(y)关系的斜率也为slope_l ≥ slope_m > slope_h。上述结果说明, 刈割并不一定导致植物功能性状的趋同构建, 也能引发趋异构建, 而施肥引起的强烈种间竞争也并未显著增强趋异构建过程, 这与植物群落构建理论的预测不完全一致。与施肥相比, 刈割扰动是决定群落中SD-FD时间关系形式的主要因素, 并决定着SD-FD关系斜率的变化。     

云南省外来入侵植物的区系成分及多样性分析

【目的】弄清云南省外来入侵植物的区系成分及多样性成因,为减少外来入侵植物对云南省生物多样性的影响提供理论依据。【方法】在已知云南省外来入侵植物种类组成的基础上,对其科、属、种的分布区类型进行了分析,并从生态指标(种子植物数、气候类型数、地表水总量、年均最高温)及社会经济指标(10年总进口额,10年总入境游客数) 2方面,将云南省与其他入侵植物多样性最高的9个省市进行比较,以探讨外来入侵植物多样性的成因。【结果】在区系组成上,云南省外来入侵植物的热带成分占绝对优势,其比例在科、属、种水平上分别为50.85%、63.16%和63.39%。入侵种所在科、属,常广域分布,但入侵种原产地分布范围却不大,并倾向于集中在某些特定区域(如热带美洲、狭义地中海区)。入侵植物所在科的入侵种数与该科包含的世界种数存在显著性正相关。省市级行政区域内入侵植物种数与该省市国际贸易额、入境游客数等指标没有相关性,而与各省市的种子植物数、气候类型数存在显著性关系,与地表水总量和年均温度存在一定的关系。【结论】云南省的自然生境适宜外来入侵植物的生存和扩散。需要对具有热带性质,所在分类单元为大科、大属,且地理分布距离与云...     

Effect of an invasive ground cover plant on the abundance and diversity of a forest floor spider assemblage

Ground dwelling spiders are important predators in the detrital food web, which plays important roles in nutrient cycling and energy flow in forest ecosystems. The cursorial spider assemblage in a Beech-Maple forest in southwestern Michigan at sites where and invasive plant, Vinca minor, has invaded was compared to a native site within the same forest and to the forest prior to invasion by the plant. Pitfall traps were used to sample cursorial spiders over the course of a summer. Vinca minor substantially altered the forest floor spider assemblage. The invasive plant reduced the total activity-abundance of spiders by nearly 49% and depressed species diversity and evenness; in contrast, species richness was not affected. We found that V. minor changed the guild and family structure with wolf spiders being common at sites where the plant had invaded. Vinca minor reduced the abundance of vagrant web building and crab spiders. Similarity indices revealed that the spider communities between the two sites were quite dissimilar (Bray-Curtis = 0.506; Jaccard’s = 0.520). Importantly, comparison to a study conducted in the same forest 28 years earlier showed that the cursorial spider assemblage in the forest prior to Vinca invasion was very different than it was after Vinca invaded but was similar to the current native site in species and guild composition. We conclude that invasion by Vinca has caused the striking changes we observed in community organization of this important group of forest floor predators. We suggest that changes in the physical structure of the litter/soil microhabitat with the invasion of V. minor are likely the cause of the substantial impacts of the plant on the spider assemblage.     

Genetic diversity and population structure of the invasive alien red swamp crayfish

High genetic diversity is thought to characterize successful invasive species, as the potential to adapt to new environments is enhanced and inbreeding is reduced. The red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, native to northeastern Mexico and south-central USA was introduced to Nanjing, China from Japan in 1929. Little is known about the genetic diversity and population structure of this species in China. We examined the genetic diversity and population structure of six P. clarkii populations using nine polymorphic microsatellites. Among the six populations, Nanjing population showed the highest allele number, allele richness and gene diversity, which is consistent with records indicating Nanjing may be the first site of introduction. In all six populations, significant heterozygote deficit was observed, suggesting founder effects and non-random mating. Analysis of bottleneck under infinite allele model, stepwise mutation model and two-phased model of mutation revealed evidence of a recent bottleneck in all these populations. Pairwise genetic distance analysis, AMOVA and assignment tests demonstrated high genetic differentiation between populations. Pairwise genetic distance did not fit the pairwise geographic distance, suggesting that human mediated dispersal have played a role in the population expansion and genetic differentiation.     

Seed bank dynamics of an invasive alien species,Helianthus annuus L.

形成持久种子库的能力是预测物种在新区域成功建群的最佳指标之一。野生向日葵(Helianthus annuus L.)原产于北美,干扰促进了其种子库的形成,并对本地种群的建立和延续起着关键作用。然而,种子库在入侵种群的建立和延续中所起的作用尚不清楚。在本研究中,我们评估了种子库和干扰对几种向日葵生物类型(采集于阿根廷荒地生境中的野生向日葵、野生农田野生向日葵与作物向日葵自然杂交种,以及商业品种的后代)的建立和适应性,以及土壤中种子持久性的作用。在种子库试验中,我们评估了上述材料两年在干扰和未干扰条件下的出苗率、成活率到繁殖率、出苗成活率、每株花序数和每块地的花序数;在种子埋藏试验中,我们评估了其种子在四个春季(6个月、18 个月、30个月和42个月)土壤中的持久性。研究结果表明,总体而言,幼苗在生长期(冬季)出苗较早,且受到干扰促进,尤其是第一年。尽管如此,在两种情况下,每块样地的花序数是相近的,尤其是荒地生境中。第二年,种子库出苗率较低,但成活率较高。在种子掩埋实验中,观察到遗传差异,荒地和野生生境中种子持久性达到42个月,而商业品种后代的种子持久性不超过6个月。在这两项实验中,农田野生型和商业向日葵品种后代生物型表现出一种中间行为。结果表明,野生向日葵和作物野生向日葵杂交种均能在其生长范围之外形成持久的种子库,且干扰可能有助于其在新区域的建立。     

Invasion dynamics of two alien Carpobrotus (Aizoaceae) taxa on a Mediterranean island: I. Genetic diversity and introgression

This study, based on morphological and isozyme analysis, clearly discriminates two invasive Carpobrotus taxa, C. edulis and C. acinaciformis, in the Hyères archipelago off the southeastern coast of France. However, three different allelic combinations demonstrate the presence of intermediate individuals resulting from an introgression of part of the C. edulis genome into that of C. acinaciformis. Both taxa have higher than average genetic (C. edulis: P(0.95)=62.5%, A=2.25+/-0.70, H(o)=0.329+/-0.324; C. acinaciformis: P(0.95)=75%, A=2.38+/-0.42, H(o)=0.645+/-0.109) and clonal diversities (C. edulis: IP=0.37; C. acinaciformis: IP=0.48). Furthermore, C. acinaciformis has an excess of heterozygotes (F=-0.585+/-0.217), probably due to introgression. The relationship between the probability of clonal identity for two individuals and distance indicates that C. acinaciformis relies more on clonal reproduction than on sexual recruitment (seed recruitment/vegetative propagation=u/v=0.027), in contrast to C. edulis, whose probability of clonal identity did not vary with distance. The overwhelming clonal growth and high genetic diversities of C. acinaciformis and the previously recorded invasion potential for C. edulis raises concern for intensified invasion via hybridisation.     

Leaf production of an overstorey rainforest tree and its effects on the temporal distribution of associated insect herbivores

Summary The host phenology and temporal distribution of insect herbivores associated with a rainforest canopy tree, Argyrodendron actinophyllum (Sterculiaceae), were monitored for 3 and 2 years respectively in an Australian subtropical rain forest near Brisbane. Leaf production of this evergreen species was synchronous among individuals, occurring from October to February, but differed markedly between years for some fast-growing trees. Most herbivore species fed selectively upon young leaves and, consequently, occurred only during windows of young foliage availability, with the exception of some mesophyll-feeders that preferred mature foliage. Fast-growing trees sustained high herbivore activity during periods of intense leaf production but some slow-growing trees, whose availability of young foliage appeared to be more constant and predictable, also supported high herbivore activity in the long term. Host suitability of particular trees during study years was dependent upon the intensity of leaf production and other unidentified factors, and was different for generalist and specialist herbiovores. Certain specialist species, such as psyllids, were able to overcome the changing availability of young foliage between years on vigorous A. actinophyllum trees by feeding upon both vegetative and reproductive meristems. Most of the data suggest that availability of young foliage is an important factor in this insect-plant system.     

Comparison of tree genotypic diversity and species diversity effects on different guilds of insect herbivores

Although the effects of plant diversity on herbivores are contingent upon herbivore traits and the source of plant diversity (e.g. intra‐ and interspecific), most studies have analyzed these effects separately. We compared the effects of genotypic diversity of big‐leaf mahogany Swietenia macrophylla with that of tree species diversity on two specialist caterpillars (Hypsipyla grandella stem borers and Phyllocnistis meliacella leaf miners) and three generalist leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) feeding on mahogany in a large‐scale (7.2 ha) forest diversity experiment in southern Mexico. The experiment consisted of fifty‐nine 21 × 21‐m plots, with 64 tree saplings each (3‐m spacing between plants). Plots were either mahogany monocultures or species polycultures of four species (including mahogany) and – within each of these two plot types – mahogany was represented by either one or four genotypes. Throughout a five‐month period, beginning six months after planting, we measured mahogany growth and monitored herbivore and predator (spider) abundance. We found no effect of mahogany genotypic diversity on either specialist caterpillars or generalist leafhoppers, and this result was consistent across levels of tree species diversity. In contrast, species diversity had significant effects on both specialists but neither of the generalist herbivores. Specifically, species diversity lowered H. grandella attack at the middle of the sampling season, but increased attack at the end of the season, whereas P. meliacella abundance was consistently reduced. Such effects were not mediated by effects of species diversity on plant growth (of which there were none), but rather through resource heterogeneity. Diversity did not influence spider abundance. This study is one of few to directly compare sources of plant diversity, and uniquely compares such effects among herbivores with contrasting life histories (e.g. diet breadths). Overall, we demonstrate that plant species diversity effects outweigh those of genotypes, and our results suggest that such effects are stronger on specialist than generalist herbivores.     

The status quo of invasive alien insect species and plant quarantine in Korea

The recent increase in agricultural commodities from abroad and travelers due to the economic growth and globalization in Korea has resulted in an increase in invasive alien insect species establishing in Korea. When “alien” is defined as species introduced after the beginning of the Greater Korean Empire Era (1897), 171 insect species are considered invasive alien species. On average, 0.85 alien insect species have become established each year for the last 40 years, and 76.6% of the alien insect species are economic agricultural pests. The annual invasion rate and the pest interceptions from imported cut flowers, planting material, and vegetables have been increasing rapidly. Traveler's baggage is an important pathway for fruit flies. Most of the alien pests that were first found in Japan were confirmed in Korea at least 3 years later until the 1990s, but the pattern has been reversed since the 2000s. Thus, continuous information sharing with neighboring countries such as Japan and China is needed to develop a system for early detection and prompt action against invading insect species. Thus, we introduce and summarize the present status of invasive alien insect species in Korea.     

Patterns of species diversity on an oceanic versus a continental island mountain: a hypothesis on species diversification1

Abstract. The vegetation on a wet mountain slope on Haleakala (an oceanic island) is compared with that on Kinabalu (a continental island) to examine relationships between regional floristic richness and α- and β-diversities. The two mountains are similar in their constant tropical climate, generic and family-level floristic elements and geological age of the summit regions, but different in regional floristic richness (rich on Kinabalu vs. poor on Haleakala). α-diversity of canopy and subcanopy tree species was much higher on Kinabalu than in comparable zones on Haleakala. Average turnover rate of species (as logarithmic community similarity) on the slope was one order of magnitude greater on Kinabalu than on Haleakala (0.127 vs. 0.017 per 100 m alt.). While there were genera with wide altitudinal ranges on both mountains, a large proportion of the genera was differentiated into parapatric altitudinal congeners on Kinabalu. By contrast, most genera are altitudinally monotypic on Haleakala. The number of sympatric congeners per genus, and the frequency of multi-specific genera per plot were high on lower slopes but decreased with increasing altitude on Kinabalu, whereas the values were low across all altitudes on Haleakala. These patterns suggest that sympatric and parapatric species radiation was less on Haleakala than on Kinabalu. This may be related to Haleakala's initially poor and disharmonic flora.