Biotic resistance to the infiltration of natural benthic habitats: Examining the role of predation in the distribution of the invasive ascidian Botrylloides violaceus

Anthropogenic vectors have moved marine species around the world leading to increased invasions and expanded species' ranges. The biotic resistance hypothesis of Elton (in The ecology of invasions by animals and plants , 1958) predicts that more diverse communities should have greater resistance to invasions, but experiments have been equivocal. We hypothesized that species richness interacts with other factors to determine experimental outcomes. We manipulated species richness, species composition (native and introduced) and availability of bare space in invertebrate assemblages in a marina in Monterey, CA. Increased species richness significantly interacted with both initial cover of native species and of all organisms to collectively decrease recruitment. Although native species decreased recruitment, introduced species had a similar effect, and we concluded that biotic resistance is conferred by total species richness. We suggest that contradictory conclusions in previous studies about the role of diversity in regulating invasions reflect uncontrolled variables in those experiments that modified the effect of species richness. Our results suggest that patches of low diversity and abundance may facilitate invasions, and that such patches, once colonized by non-indigenous species, can resist both native and non-indigenous species recruitment.

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The role of competition and herbivory in biotic resistance against invaders: a synergistic effect

Ecology ◽

10.1002/ecy.3440 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Santamaría ◽

Fiona Tomas ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Juan M. Ruiz ◽

Jaime Bernardeau‐Esteller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synergistic Effect ◽

Biotic Resistance

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The biotic resistance role of fish predation in fouling communities

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-016-1210-6 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 3223-3237 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Laura Pioli Kremer ◽

Rosana Moreira da Rocha

Keyword(s):

Biotic Resistance ◽

Fish Predation ◽

Fouling Communities

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Biotic Resistance Against Invasive Macroalgae: The Role of Omnivorous Sparid Fishes in the Herbivory on Caulerpa Cylindracea

10.21203/rs.3.rs-194752/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Santamaría ◽

Fiona Tomas ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Emma Cebrian

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Fish Species ◽

Potential Role ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Sea Bream ◽

Main Food ◽

Omnivorous Fish ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

Invasive Alga

Abstract Herbivory has long been considered an important component of biotic resistance against macroalgae invasions in marine habitats. However, most of the studies on herbivory of invasive algae refer only to consumption by strictly herbivorous organisms, whereas consumption by omnivorous organisms has been largely ignored and rarely quantified. In this study, we assess whether the commonest omnivorous sparid species in the Mediterranean Sea are consuming the highly invasive alga, Caulerpa cylindracea, and determine its importance in their diet and their electivity towards it as a source of food. Our results confirm that three of the four fish species we studied do, in fact, consume C. cylindracea, but in most cases, the importance of C. cylindracea in the diet was low. Indeed, the low electivity values confirm that all four fish species avoid feeding on the invasive alga and that it is probably consumed accidentally. However, despite animals and detritus being the main food for these sea bream species, several individual specimens were found to have consumed high amounts of C. cylindracea. This suggests a potential role that these fish species may play in controlling, to some extent, the abundance of the invader. We suggest that herbivory by omnivorous fish might complement the higher impact exerted by the strict herbivores, and together, they might contribute to the overall biotic resistance against the invader.

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Plant invasions: the role of biotic interactions - an overview.

Plant invasions: the role of biotic interactions ◽

10.1079/9781789242171.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Anna Traveset ◽

David M. Richardson

Keyword(s):

Plant Invasion ◽

Native Species ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Biotic Interactions ◽

Invasion Biology ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Native Plant ◽

Common Garden Experiments

Abstract Diverse biotic interactions between non-native plant species and other species from all taxonomic groups are crucial mediators of the dynamics of plant invasions. This chapter reviews the key hypotheses in invasion ecology that invoke biotic interactions to explain aspects of plant invasion dynamics. We examine the historical context of these hypotheses and assess the evidence for accepting or rejecting their predictions. Most hypotheses invoke antagonistic interactions, mainly competition, predation, herbivory interactions and the role of pathogens. Only in the last two decades have positive (facilitative/mutualistic) interactions been explicitly included in invasion biology theory (as in ecological theory in general). Much information has accumulated in testing hypotheses relating to biotic resistance and Enemy Release Theory, although many of the emerging generalizations are still contentious. There is growing consensus that other drivers of plant invasion success, such as propagule pressure and disturbance, mediate the outcome of biotic interactions, thereby complicating our ability to make predictions, but these have rarely been assessed in both native and adventive ranges of non-native invasive species. It is also widely acknowledged that biogeographic comparisons, more than common garden experiments, are needed to shed light on many of the contradictory results. Contrasting findings have also emerged in exploring the roles of positive interactions. Despite strong evidence that such interactions are crucial in many communities, more work is needed to elucidate the factors that influence the relative importance of positive and negative interactions in different ecosystems. Different types of evidence in support of invasional meltdown have emerged for diverse habitats and across spatial scales. In light of increasing evidence that biotic indirect effects are crucial determinants of the structure, dynamics and evolution of ecological communities, both direct and indirect interactions involving native and non-native species must be considered to determine how they shape plant invasion patterns and the ecological impacts of non-native species on recipient communities. Research that examines both biotic interactions and the factors that mediate their strength and alter interaction outcomes is needed to improve our ability to predict the effects of novel interactions between native and non-native species, and to envisage how existing invaded communities will respond to changing environmental conditions. Many opportunities exist for manipulating biotic interactions as part of integrated control strategies to reduce the extent, density and impacts of non-native plant invasions. These include the introduction of species from the native range of the non-native plant for biological control, diverse manipulations of plant - herbivore interactions and many types of interaction to enhance biotic resistance and steer vegetation recovery following non-native plant control.

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Sharing and Distinction in Biodiversity and Ecological Role of Bryozoans in Mediterranean Mesophotic Bioconstructions

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2020.581292 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Jacopo Giampaoletti ◽

Frine Cardone ◽

Giuseppe Corriero ◽

Maria F. Gravina ◽

Luisa Nicoletti

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Growth Forms ◽

Ecological Role ◽

Mediterranean Species ◽

Benthic Habitats ◽

Northern Site ◽

Β Diversity ◽

Mediterranean Habitats ◽

Santa Maria

Bryozoan assemblages of three mesophotic habitats, recently found in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, were investigated in terms of species composition and diversity, colonial growth forms, and species ecological affinity, with the purposes to analyze variations and similarities between the different bioconstructions and to compare the mesophotic assemblages with those of other benthic habitats. Bryozoans came from three sites off the Apulian coast: Monopoli, 30–55-m depth, where scleractinians are dominant; Otranto, 45–64-m depth; and Santa Maria di Leuca, 45–70-m depth, where the bivalve Neopycnodonte cochlear is the main bioconstructor. A total number of 50 species of bryozoans were recorded, accounting for about 10% of the total number of Mediterranean species. Only few species were shared between the three sites, whereas a considerable pool of species was characteristic of each site. The β-diversity and Sörensen similarity analyses highlighted the highest similarity between the two southern sites, Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca, with respect to the northern site of Monopoli, in agreement with the hydrological pattern of the area. The encrusting zoarial type was the most abundant in each site, and few species with erect, celleporiform and petraliform colonies were found. The Sörensen similarity, based on data of zoarial forms composition, revealed values considerably higher than those based on species composition, thus highlighting the similar ecological role played by the bryozoans in all the sites. Moreover, significant differences between the mesophotic bryozoan assemblages and those of other benthic Mediterranean habitats were highlighted, showing higher affinity with the coralligenous and detritic sciaphilic habitats. The relevant ecological role of bryozoans as binders in the bioconstructions of the Mediterranean mesophotic zone has been exhibited.

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Herbivory on the Invasive Alga Caulerpa cylindracea: The Role of Omnivorous Fishes

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.702492 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Jorge Santamaría ◽

Fiona Tomas ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Emma Cebrian

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Fish Species ◽

Potential Role ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Main Food ◽

Marine Habitats ◽

Species Being ◽

Rocky Bottoms ◽

Invasive Alga

Herbivory has long been considered an important component of biotic resistance against macroalgae invasions in marine habitats. However, most of the studies on herbivory of invasive algae refer only to consumption by strictly herbivorous organisms, whereas consumption by omnivorous species has been largely ignored and rarely quantified. In this study, we assess whether the commonest omnivorous sparid species in the Mediterranean Sea are consuming the highly invasive alga, Caulerpa cylindracea, and determine both, its importance in their diet and their electivity toward it as a source of food. Our results confirm that three of the four fish species studied regularly consume C. cylindracea, but in most cases, the importance of C. cylindracea in the diet is low. Indeed, the low electivity values indicate that all species avoid feeding on the invasive alga and that it is probably consumed accidentally. However, despite animals and detritus being the main food for these sparid species, several individual specimens were found to have consumed high amounts of C. cylindracea. This suggests a potential role that these fish species, being really abundant in shallow rocky bottoms, may play in controlling, to some extent, the abundance of the invader.

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Choosing exotic over the familiar taste: habitat-specific preferences of a malacophagous leech for freshwater snails as prey gastropod establishment?

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.17161/eurojecol.v6i1.13693 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 121-136

Author(s):

Pranesh Paul ◽

Rupsha Karmakar ◽

Gautam Aditya

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Biotic Resistance ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Habitat Conditions ◽

Gastropod Mollusc ◽

Freshwater Gastropod ◽

Indoplanorbis Exustus ◽

Made In

The spread of freshwater invasive species through aquarium trade poses a threat to the ecosystem, economy and human health. The availability of the exotic freshwater gastropod mollusc, Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae), in pet shops in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, raises concern for its potential establishment as an invasive species. Assuming the role of the native predators as a potential biotic barrier for invasion, observations on the predation pattern of the malacophagous leech, Glossiphonia weberi (Blanchard, 1897) (Clitellata: Glossiphoniidae) against P. corneus was made in single as well as in combination with the native snail Indoplanorbis exustus (Deshayes, 1834) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae). Using varying size classes and densities of P. corneus, the predation potential of G. weberi was estimated after a 24 hour period. In another set of experiments, the predation of G. weberi against the snail P. corneus was observed in the presence of I. exustus under four different habitat conditions. The purpose was to justify - (1) the effect of conspecific and heterospecific conditions of the prey availability and (2) the effect of habitat complexity on the predatory efficacy of G. weberi. The results indicated that G. weberi consumed varied numbers of P. corneus, depending on the size and the densities of the prey and predator. Although the prey heterogeneity and complex habitats caused significant reduction of predation on both of the prey species, G. weberi significantly preferred P. corneus over I. exustus in open (P < 0.0001), macrophyte (P = 0.002) and pebbles and macrophyte containing habitats (P < 0.0001). Apparently, G. weberi preferred the exotic snail P. corneus in presence of alternative prey snail I. exustus, under different habitat conditions. Therefore, G. weberi may act as a significant biotic resistance against the colonization and establishment of P. corneus in the Indian context. However, further studies including the multiple prey and predators are required to ascertain the food web level impact of the exotic snail P. corneus in invaded freshwater ecosystems.

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