Direct and indirect interactions of native and introduced species in coastal habitats

<p>Current research has emphasized the need to identify and quantify the effects of positive and negative interactions (both direct and indirect) between species, taking into account the influence of abiotic conditions and spatial scales. In this research it is particularly challenging to adequately assess and predict the impact of introduced species on native communities. This study examined interactions of introduced and native species on coastal sand dunes in New Zealand. Substantial areas of this habitat have become dominated by the highly competitive exotic sand-binder marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) and other exotic weeds, replacing native species, including the native eco-engineering spinifex (Spinifex sericeus). First, I examined direct interactions (competition and facilitation) between marram and spinifex along an abiotic stress gradient where experimental plots were subject to different restoration management techniques. In my large-scale dune experiment I planted 2475 spinifex seedlings in three different treatments (bare sand, live marram, dead marram) including an unplanted control, and monitored the plots for one year along exposed marram grass-dominated dune fields near Whanganui, West Coast, North Island/New Zealand. The stress gradient hypothesis predicts facilitation will be greatest where stress is most severe. I hypothesized facilitation of spinifex plantings and other self-colonizing plants in dead sprayed marram compared to live marram and a change of interaction between spinifex and marram grass along an abiotic stress gradient. Spinifex survival was not significantly different across treatments, but the interaction between treatment and location from the sea as well as pre-existing marram cover were significant predictors of plant growth in a linear mixed effect model. Exotic weeds such as Senecio elegans, Conyza canadensis, dandelions and legumes were facilitated by sprayed marram grass relative to abundances in live marram grass, while grasses other than marram grass and spinifex performed best in bare sand, in the absence of competitors. For S. elegans, abundances were higher closer to the sea. Spinifex growth was greatest in plots closest to the sea. Comparing spinifex growth in live marram grass and dead marram showed similar patterns at the fore, mid and back dune, but sprayed maram showed better facilitation of spinifex. For restoration plantings it is only recommended to plant into dead marram if the site is not weed prone as weeds were facilitated in the same way as spinifex and in some instances appeared to hinder spinifex growth. Crucial for a successful conversion from marram to spinifex is that the initial marram cover is not too high prior to spraying- lower densities allow for better spinifex growth. Second, I examined indirect competition with a survey of natural populations and a common garden experiment at a shingle beach. I was interested in determining the influence of plant density at different spatial scales as well as plant morphology on insect abundances. I studied indirect interactions by choosing native and introduced Senecio spp. as host plants for insect colonization and incorporated fine scale plant density (50cm radius circle, area = 0.8 m²) and coarse scale plant density (6m quadrat annulus, area = 32 m²) as predictors for insect colonization in addition to plant morphology. I surveyed Senecio spp. over a period of three growth seasons and conducted an experiment where I manipulated densities of pairs of species of either introduced Senecio elegans, S. skirrhodon and native S. lautus. My survey of natural populations and the manipulative field experiment show a negative impact of high conspecific and heterospecific plant density on the colonization of the seed head predator fly Sphenella fascigera. Along with plant density, plant size was a significant predictor of insect abundances. Higher densities of introduced S. elegans indirectly facilitated S. lautus at fine spatial scales by reducing the incidence of S. fascigera. This supports the resource dilution hypothesis which predicts higher insect herbivore numbers on isolated resource patches. Thus, my results provide empirical evidence for apparent facilitation of a native plant by an introduced plant via a shared herbivore. For future assessments of the impacts of invasive species it will be important to consider the net-outcome of direct and indirect competitive and facilitative interactions. In particular, for restoration purposes in stressful environments removal of invasive species may have to occur in a carefully controlled manner taking into account the abiotic conditions and spatial scales at which interactions occur.</p>

Setting the evolutionary timeline: Tillandsia landbeckii in the Chilean Atacama Desert

The Chilean Atacama Desert is among the oldest deserts of the world. Here, Tillandsia landbeckii is forming a unique vegetation type known as Tillandsia lomas. This vegetation consists in its typical configuration of one single vascular plant species only and forms regular linear structures in a sloped landscape and is largely depending on fog occurrence as dominant source of water supply. Without developing a typical root system, there are only few other terrestrial Tillandsia species growing on bare sand in Chile and Peru such as T. marconae, T. virescens, T. purpureaor T. latifolia. Although phylogenetic evidence is limited, convergent evolution of this unique growth behavior is evident. The predominantly arid and hyper-arid climate exists since the Early Miocene, which raises the question about timing of T. landbeckii evolutionary history. Phylogenomic analyses using whole plastome sequence data highlight the onset of diversification in T. landbeckii approximately 500,000 years ago. We also demonstrate subsequent secondary genetic contact with T. purpurea during the Late Pleistocene using DNA sequence data and genome size estimates, which resulted into the formation of T. marconae.

Using High-Spatial Resolution UAV-Derived Data to Evaluate Vegetation and Geomorphological Changes on a Dune Field Involved in a Restoration Endeavour

Nowadays, the employment of high-resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and RGB orthophotos has become fundamental in coastal system studies. This work aims to explore the potentiality of low-cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveys to monitor the geomorphic and vegetation state of coastal sand dunes by means of high-resolution (2–4 cm) RGB orthophotos and DSMs. The area of study (Punta Marina, Ravenna, Italy), in the North Adriatic Sea, was considered very suitable for these purposes because it involves a residual coastal dune system, damaged by decades of erosion, fragmentation and human intervention. Recently, part of the dune system has been involved in a restoration project aimed at limiting its deterioration. RGB orthophotos have been used to calculate the spectral information of vegetation and bare sand and therefore, to monitor changes in their relative cover area extension over time, through the using of semi-automatic classification algorithms in a GIS environment. Elevation data from high-resolution DSMs were used to identify the principal morphological features: (i) Dune Foot Line (DFL); (ii) Dune Crest Line (DCL); Dune seaward Crest Line (DsCL); Stable Vegetation line (SVL). The USGS tool DSAS was used to monitor dune dynamics, considering every source of error: a stable pattern was observed for the two crest lines (DCL and DsCL), and an advancing one for the others two features (DFL and SVL). Geomorphological data, as well as RGB data, confirmed the effectiveness of planting operations, since a constant and progressive increase of the vegetated cover area and consolidation of the dune system was observed, in a period with no energetic storms. The proposed methodology is rapid, low-cost and easily replicable by coastal managers to quantify the effectiveness of restoration projects.

Impacts of soil disturbance on plant diversity in a dry grassland

Dry grasslands are among the most species rich habitats in Europe, but they are also among the most threatened. Threats include too high and too low levels of disturbance. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of soil disturbance intensity on species composition and diversity in a dry grassland in Mols Bjerge National Park in Denmark. We recorded vascular plant species inside and just outside patches of bare sand, and in the transition zone between these. We found that the number of species was highest in the dense vegetation, intermediate at the transition and lowest in bare sand areas. However, an analysis of plant traits showed that the number of small annual species was highest in the transition zone. High abundance of small annual species may therefore indicate intermediate disturbance regimes. Based on a literature study we demonstrate that many threatened species are adapted to such habitats. This suggests that dry grasslands should be managed to maintain areas with intermediate disturbances intensities to maintain optimal conditions for many threatened species. To our knowledge, this is the first time it has been documented that small annual species can indicate intermediate disturbance regimes in dry grasslands.

Gill microbiome structure and function in the chemosymbiotic coastal lucinid Stewartia floridana

Lucinid bivalves harbor environmentally acquired, chemosynthetic, gammaproteobacterial gill endosymbionts. Lucinid gill microbiomes, which may contain other gammaproteobacterial and/or spirochete taxa, remain under-sampled. To understand inter-host variability of the lucinid gill microbiome, specifically in the bacterial communities, we analyzed the microbiome content of Stewartia floridana collected from Florida. Sampled gills contained a monospecific gammaproteobacterial endosymbiont expressing lithoautotrophic, mixotrophic, diazotrophic, and C1 compound oxidation-related functions previously characterized in similar lucinid species. Another low-abundance Spirochaeta-like species in ∼72% of the sampled gills was most closely related to Spirochaeta-like species in another lucinid Phacoides pectinatus and formed a clade with known marine Spirochaeta symbionts. The spirochete expressed genes were involved in heterotrophy and the transport of sugars, amino acids, peptides, and other substrates. Few muscular and neurofilament genes from the host and none from the gammaproteobacterial and spirochete symbionts were differentially expressed among quadrats predominantly covered with seagrass species or 80% bare sand. Our results suggest that spirochetes are facultatively associated with S. floridana, with potential scavenging and nutrient cycling roles. Expressed stress- and defense-related functions in the host and symbionts also suggest species-species communications, which highlight the need for further study of the interactions among lucinid hosts, their microbiomes, and their environment.

Near-shore distribution of alien Ponto-Caspian amphipods in a European dam reservoir in relation to substratum type and occurrence of macroinvertebrate taxa

Knowledge of habitat requirements and interspecific interactions of invasive species helps predict their impact and spread. We determined the relationships within the invasive freshwater Ponto-Caspian amphipod assemblage, and their associations with macroinvertebrates in the near-shore zone of a central European lowland dam reservoir. We sampled five habitat types: bare sand at the water line, bare sand (0.2 m depth), bare sand (0.5 m depth), macrophyte-overgrown sand (1 m depth), stones (0.3 m depth) on four dates (October 2015–October 2016). Pontogammarus robustoides occurred in all habitats, Dikerogammarus villosus and Echinogammarus ischnus were limited to the stony bottom. Amphipod densities were positively associated with one another except Dikerogammarus juveniles, negatively correlated with adults. The occurrence of D. villosus, juvenile Dikerogammarus and E. ischnus was positively related to the presence of the shelter-forming bivalve Dreissena polymorpha. Pontogammarus robustoides was positively associated with sphaeriid clams and gastropods (shelters), as well as oligochaetes and chironomids (potential prey items). Dikerogammarus villosus and E. ischnus were positively related to chironomids and oligochaetes, respectively. Coexistence of various alien amphipods in the studied area, indicated by prevailing positive relationships in their assemblage, may be enabled by the abundance of shelters and rich food sources allowing habitat partitioning.

Agave americana (century plant).

A. americana is a large, rhizomatous succulent that grows in a wide range of habitats and soil types. Additionally, it is tolerant to salt spray, high temperatures, and extreme drought. Because this species spread by seeds, but also vegetatively by bulbils and rhizomes, it has the potential to escape from cultivation and rapidly colonize disturbed sites, roadsides, bare sand and coastal areas (ISSG, 2016). Currently, A. americana is considered a serious environmental weed by the IUCN (ISSG, 2016) and it is listed as invasive in many countries in Europe as well as in China, Japan, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Bermuda, Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia among others (BioNET-EAFRINET, 2016; ISSG, 2016; DAISIE, 2016; PIER, 2016; Weeds of Australia, 2016). It is also known to have become invasive in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Fragmentation in Seagrass Canopies Can Alter Hydrodynamics and Sediment Deposition Rates

Seagrasses are valuable coastal ecosystems that protect the seabed from waves and currents. They are threatened by predominately anthropogenic activities which are causing their decline in many regions, often converting large continuous meadows into highly fragmented ones with gaps or bare sand interspersed within the meadows. To evaluate the impact fragmentation is having on the meadows’ capacity to attenuate waves, the hydrodynamics in four meadows with different fragmentation were studied by measuring wave velocity and turbulent kinetic energy. In our study area, as gap size increases, both the turbulent kinetic energy and wave velocity increase in the center of the gaps. However, although wave attenuation varied between the different fragmentation levels, no clear trend was found for wave attenuation or the level of fragmentation. Simply put, neither wave velocity nor turbulent kinetic energy presented significant trends with the fragmentation levels of the canopy on larger scales. Therefore, within the spatial and temporal limitation of this study, fragmentation on a landscape scale did not affect the hydrodynamics within the gaps. Furthermore, as with hydrodynamics, sedimentation rates also increased with gap size, but did not show differences at the landscape level with the fragmentation levels of the meadows.

Biopolymer-Reinforced Levee for Breach Development Retardation and Enhanced Erosion Control

This study proposes an earthen levee reinforcement method with a new biopolymer-based material to prevent levee scour and breach. It is an eco-friendly method that can efficiently protect the levee slope as it enhances soil strength, even at a very low concentration of biopolymer, and has high resistance to surface runoff in addition to promoting vegetation growth. The function and effectiveness of this method were demonstrated through an overflow-based semi-scale experiment in a previous study. In this study, we examined the effect of biopolymer-mixed soil layer on levee stability against an overflow-induced breach. In these experiments, biopolymer-mixed soils were sprayed on the crest and land-side levee surface. Two full-scale tests were conducted (2.5–2.7 m high and 14 m wide on bottom). Case 1 (control case) consisted of bare sand without any treatment, while Case 2 consisted of a 1.0% biopolymer-mixed soil sprayed on the crest and landside slope of the levee and turf put on it. By applying an image analysis technique, we analyzed the breach phenomenon and breach retardation effect of the levee treated with a biopolymer and covered with vegetation. In this experiment, the slope loss rate of Case 2 was retarded 1.5 to 2.3 times over time as compared to Case 1. During the experiment, we observed that soil erosion followed through the narrow water channel formed by the stripped turfs. This means that the grasses did not root firmly enough to protect the surface. In this regard, although the experimental results may seem unsatisfactory, the biopolymer was found to help improve erosion retardation. In 2020, we will conduct more experiments with different compositions and concentrations of the biopolymer regardless of levee vegetation. With this research, we expect to confirm that the new technology of using biopolymer-treated soils is promising for solving the levee overflow breach problem.