Comparing the ecological impacts of native and invasive crayfish: could native species’ translocation do more harm than good?

AbstractTemperature is one of the most important factors governing the activity of ectothermic species, and it plays an important but less studied role in the manifestation of invasive species impacts. In this study, we investigated temperature-specific feeding and metabolic rates of invasive and native crayfish, and evaluated how temperature regulates their ecological impacts at present and in future according to different climatic scenarios by bioenergetics modelling. We conducted a series of maximum food consumption experiments and measured the metabolic rates of cold-adapted native noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) originally from a warmer environment over a temperature gradient resembling natural temperatures in Finland. The maximum feeding rates and routine metabolic rates (RMR) of native noble crayfish were significantly higher at low temperatures (< 10 °C than the rates of invasive signal crayfish. The RMRs of the species crossed at 18 °C, and the RMRs of signal crayfish were higher at temperatures above 18 °C. These findings indicate that the invader’s thermal niche has remained stable, and the potential impacts per capita are lower at suboptimal cold temperatures than for the native species. Our bioenergetics modelling showed that the direct annual predation impact of noble and signal crayfish seem similar, although the seasonal dynamics of the predation differs considerably between species. Our results highlight that the temperature-specific metabolic and feeding rates of species need to be taken into account in the impact assessment instead of simple generalisations of the direction or magnitude of impacts.

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High predatory efficiency and abundance drive expected ecological impacts of a marine invasive fish

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps13251 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 637 ◽

pp. 195-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

EM DeRoy ◽

R Scott ◽

NE Hussey ◽

HJ MacIsaac

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Marine Species ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Marine Predator ◽

Eastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Red Grouper ◽

Per Capita

The ecological impacts of invasive species are highly variable and mediated by many factors, including both habitat and population abundance. Lionfish Pterois volitans are an invasive marine species which have high reported detrimental effects on prey populations, but whose effects relative to native predators are currently unknown for the recently colonized eastern Gulf of Mexico. We used functional response (FR) methodology to assess the ecological impact of lionfish relative to 2 functionally similar native species (red grouper Epinephelus morio and graysby grouper Cephalopholis cruentata) foraging in a heterogeneous environment. We then combined the per capita impact of each species with their field abundance to obtain a Relative Impact Potential (RIP). RIP assesses the broader ecological impact of invasive relative to native predators, the magnitude of which predicts community-level negative effects of invasive species. Lionfish FR and overall consumption rate was intermediate to that of red grouper (higher) and graysby grouper (lower). However, lionfish had the highest capture efficiency of all species, which was invariant of habitat. Much higher field abundance of lionfish resulted in high RIPs relative to both grouper species, demonstrating that the ecological impact of lionfish in this region will be driven mainly by high abundance and high predator efficiency rather than per capita effect. Our comparative study is the first empirical assessment of lionfish per capita impact and RIP in this region and is one of few such studies to quantify the FR of a marine predator.

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Effect of indaziflam on native species in natural areas and rangeland

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1017/inp.2019.4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 60-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shannon L. Clark ◽

Derek J. Sebastian ◽

Scott J. Nissen ◽

James R. Sebastian

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Weed Management ◽

Native Species ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Limited Information ◽

Perennial Species ◽

Temporary Reduction ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

AbstractMinimizing the negative ecological impacts of exotic plant invasions is one goal of land management. Using selective herbicides is one strategy to achieve this goal; however, the unintended consequences of this strategy are not always fully understood. The recently introduced herbicide indaziflam has a mode of action not previously used in non-crop weed management. Thus, there is limited information about the impacts of this active ingredient when applied alone or in combination with other non-crop herbicides. The objective of this research was to evaluate native species tolerance to indaziflam and imazapic applied alone and with other broadleaf herbicides. Replicated field plots were established at two locations in Colorado with a diverse mix of native forbs and grasses. Species richness and abundance were compared between the nontreated control plots and plots where indaziflam and imazapic were applied alone and in combination with picloram and aminocyclopyrachlor. Species richness and abundance did not decrease when indaziflam or imazapic were applied alone; however, species abundance was reduced by treatments containing picloram and aminocyclopyrachlor. Species richness was only impacted at one site 1 yr after treatment (YAT) by these broadleaf herbicides. Decreases in abundance were mainly due to reductions in forbs that resulted in a corresponding increase in grass cover. Our data suggest that indaziflam will control downy brome (Bromus tectorumL.) for multiple years without reduction in perennial species richness or abundance. IfB. tectorumis present with perennial broadleaf weeds requiring the addition of herbicides like picloram or aminocyclopyrachlor, forb abundance could be reduced, and in some cases there could be a temporary reduction in perennial species richness.

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Trapping for invasive crayfish: comparisons of efficacy and selectivity of baited traps versus novel artificial refuge traps

Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

10.1051/kmae/2018007 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 15 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nicky Green ◽

Matt Bentley ◽

Paul Stebbing ◽

Demetra Andreou ◽

Robert Britton

Keyword(s):

Ecological Impacts ◽

Catch Per Unit Effort ◽

Metal Base ◽

Baited Traps ◽

Trapping Method ◽

Invasive Crayfish ◽

Trapping Methods ◽

Body Sizes ◽

The Mean ◽

Native Crayfish

Non-native crayfish can dominate the invertebrate biomass of invaded freshwaters, with their high ecological impacts resulting in their populations being controlled by numerous methods, especially trapping. Although baited funnel traps (BTs) are commonly used, they tend to be selective in mainly catching large-bodied males. Here, the efficacy and selectivity of BTs were tested against an alternative trapping method based on artificial refuges (ARTs) that comprised of a metal base with several tubes (refuges) attached. The target species was signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in an upland river in southwest England. Trapping was completed in April to October over two consecutive years. In total, 5897 crayfish were captured, with 87% captured in ARTs. Comparison of the catch per unit effort (CPUE) between the trapping methods in the same 24 hour periods revealed significantly higher CPUE in ARTs than of BTs. ARTs fished for 6 consecutive days had higher catches than both methods over 24 hours. Whilst catches in BTs were significantly dominated by males (1.49M:1F), the sex ratio of catches in ARTs was 0.99M:1F. The mean carapace length of crayfish was also significantly larger in BTs (43.2 ± 0.6 mm) than in ARTs (33.6 ± 0.2 mm). Thus, ARTs had higher CPUE over 24 hour and 6 day periods versus BTs and also captured a greater proportion of smaller and female individuals. These results indicate that when trapping methods are deployed for managing invasions, the use of ARTs removes substantial numbers of crayfish of both sexes and of varying body sizes.

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Animal personality and the ecological impacts of freshwater non-native species

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/60.3.417 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 417-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Tristan Juette ◽

Julien Cucherousset ◽

Julien Cote

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Life History Traits ◽

Animal Personality ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Personality Types ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Individual ◽

Taxonomic Groups

Abstract While the ecological impacts of invasive species have been demonstrated for many taxonomic groups, the potential effects of behavioural variation among non-native individuals (i.e. personality) on these impacts have been largely overlooked. This is despite the fact that recent studies have demonstrated that, by nature, the three first stages of biological invasions (i.e. transport, establishment and spread) can lead to personality-biased populations. Freshwater ecosystems provide a unique opportunity to investigate this issue, notably because the ecological impacts of non-native species have been extensively documented and because animal personality has been widely studied using freshwater model species. Here, we aim at developing some perspectives on the potential effects of animal personality on the ecological impacts of freshwater non-native species across levels of biological organizations. At the individual level, personality types have been demonstrated to affect the physiolo- gy, metabolism, life history traits and fitness of individuals. We used these effects to discuss how they could subsequently impact invaded populations and, in turn, recipient communities. We also discussed how these might translate into changes in the structure of food webs and the functioning of invaded ecosystems. Finally we discussed how these perspectives could interact with the management of invasive species.

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Interactions between Elk (Cervus canadensis) and invasive Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) on the Canadian Prairies

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v134i2.2213 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 134 (2) ◽

pp. 132-135

Author(s):

Ryan K. Brook ◽

Mackenzie J. Clarke

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Sus Scrofa ◽

Native Species ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Feral Swine ◽

Canadian Prairies ◽

Cervus Canadensis ◽

Trail Camera ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Free Ranging

Elk (Cervus canadensis), a native species on the Canadian Prairies, makes extensive use of agro-ecosystems. Feral Swine (Sus scrofa) is a highly invasive species introduced to western Canada in the late 1980s; it is now endemic and rapidly expanding its range across the Canadian Prairies. Here we consider a series of 14 trail camera photos obtained near St. Breiux, Saskatchewan on 18 November 2018. Taken at night over 67 minutes, they document close, non-aggressive encounters between Elk and Feral Swine. We believe that these are the first documented observations of close (<5 m) interactions between free-ranging Elk and Feral Swine in North America that include no indications of fear response or displacement of one species by the other. These types of indirect interactions among species have important implications in terms of potential risk of disease transmission and interpreting potential ecological impacts of invasive Feral Swine on native large mammals.

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The Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail, Potamopyrgus Antipodarum, Reduces Growth of the Native Snail, Fossaria SP.

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2005.3605 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 42-48

Author(s):

Amy Krist ◽

Mark Dybdahl

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

New Zealand ◽

Biological Invasions ◽

Native Species ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Potamopyrgus Antipodarum ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Or Gene ◽

New Zealand Mud Snail ◽

The Impact

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. Hence, understanding the role of invasive species is of grave importance to managing and minimizing the impact of biological invasions. To date, the ecological impacts of biological invasions have received significant attention, but little effort has been made to address the evolutionary impact (Sakai et al. 2001, Cox 2004). This is despite the fact that evolutionary impacts are likely to be widespread; invasive species have been shown to alter patterns of natural selection or gene flow within native populations (Parker et al. 1999), and many of the best examples of rapid evolution involve invasive species interacting with native species (Reznick and Ghalambor 2001, Strauss et al. 2006). We have begun to address some of the evolutionary consequences of the invasion of the New Zealand mud snail, (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) on a species of native snail in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA).

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Force and Boldness: Cumulative Assets of a Successful Crayfish Invader

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.581247 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Lucian Pârvulescu ◽

Dan Ioan Stoia ◽

Kristian Miok ◽

Mihaela Constanţa Ion ◽

Adela Estera Puha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Invasion Success ◽

Muscular Tissue ◽

Agonistic Interactions ◽

Muscle Energetics ◽

Reproduction Strategies ◽

Invasive Crayfish ◽

Natural Equilibrium ◽

Native Crayfish

Multiple causes can determine the disturbance of natural equilibrium in a population of a species, with a common one being the presence of invasive competitors. Invasives can drive native species to the resettlement of the trophic position, changing reproduction strategies or even daily normal behaviours. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that more effective anatomical features of an intruder (Faxonius limosus) come with increased boldness behaviour, contributing to their invasion success in competition against the native species (Pontastacus leptodactylus). We tested the boldness of specimens representing the two species by video-based assessment of crayfish individuals’ attempts to leave their settlement microenvironment. The experiment was followed by a series of measurements concerning chelae biometry, force and muscle energetics. The native species was less expressive in terms of boldness even if it had larger chelae and better muscular tissue performance. In contrast, because of better biomechanical construction of the chelae, the invasive species was capable of twice superior force achievements, which expectedly explained its bolder behaviour. These findings suggest that, in interspecific agonistic interactions, the behaviour strategy of the invasive crayfish species is based on sheer physical superiority, whereas the native crayfish relies on intimidation display.

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Comparative feeding behaviour of native and introduced terrestrial snails tracks their ecological impacts

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.47.35000 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 81-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tedi Hoxha ◽

Steve Crookes ◽

Ian MacIsaac ◽

Xuexiu Chang ◽

Mattias Johansson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Response ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Native Species ◽

Ecological Impact ◽

Land Snails ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Food Type ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Competitive Abilities ◽

Non Indigenous Species

A developing body of theory and empirical evidence suggest that feeding behaviour as measured by the functional response (FR) can assist researchers in assessing the relative potential, ecological impacts and competitive abilities of native and introduced species. Here, we explored the FRs of two land snails that occur in south-western Ontario, one native (Mesodonthyroidus) and one non-indigenous (Cepaeanemoralis) to Canada. The non-indigenous species appears to have low ecological impact and inferior competitive abilities. Consistent with theory, while both species conformed to Type II functional responses, the native species had a significantly higher attack rate (5.30 vs 0.41, respectively) and slightly lower handling time (0.020 vs 0.023), and hence a higher maximum feeding rate (50.0 vs 43.5). The non-indigenous species exhibited a significantly longer time to contact for a variety of food types, and appeared less discriminating of paper that was offered as a non-food type. The non-indigenous species also ate significantly less food when in mixed species trials with the native snail. These feeding patterns match the known low ecological impact of the introduced snail and are consistent with the view that it is an inferior competitor relative to the native species. However, field experimentation is required to clarify whether the largely microallopatric distributions of the two species in south-western Ontario reflect competitive dominance by the native species or other factors such as habitat preference, feeding preferences or predator avoidance. The relative patterns of feeding behaviour and ecological impact are, however, fully in line with recent functional response theory and application.

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Tree diversity regulates forest pest invasion

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1821039116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (15) ◽

pp. 7382-7386 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Qinfeng Guo ◽

Songlin Fei ◽

Kevin M. Potter ◽

Andrew M. Liebhold ◽

Jun Wen

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Native Species ◽

Large Scale ◽

Tree Diversity ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Invasion Success ◽

Small Scale ◽

Forest Pest ◽

Natural Ecosystems

Nonnative pests often cause cascading ecological impacts, leading to detrimental socioeconomic consequences; however, how plant diversity may influence insect and disease invasions remains unclear. High species diversity in host communities may promote pest invasions by providing more niches (i.e., facilitation), but it can also diminish invasion success because low host dominance may make it more difficult for pests to establish (i.e., dilution). Most studies to date have focused on small-scale, experimental, or individual pest/disease species, while large-scale empirical studies, especially in natural ecosystems, are extremely rare. Using subcontinental-level data, we examined the role of tree diversity on pest invasion across the conterminous United States and found that the tree-pest diversity relationships are hump-shaped. Pest diversity increases with tree diversity at low tree diversity (because of facilitation or amplification) and is reduced at higher tree diversity (as a result of dilution). Thus, tree diversity likely regulates forest pest invasion through both facilitation and dilution that operate simultaneously, but their relative strengths vary with overall diversity. Our findings suggest the role of native species diversity in regulating nonnative pest invasions.

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