Biological control of water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes L., facilitates macroinvertebrate biodiversity recovery: a mesoco
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AQUATIC HOMOGENOCENE
Biological control of water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes L., facilitates macroinvertebrate biodiversity recovery: a mesocosm study J. A. Coetzee
. S. D. F. Langa . S. N. Motitsoe . M. P. Hill
Received: 5 September 2019 / Revised: 21 July 2020 / Accepted: 28 July 2020 Ó Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Floating aquatic weed infestations have negative socio-economic and environmental consequences to the ecosystems they invade. Despite the long history of invasion by macrophytes, only a few studies focus on their impacts on biodiversity, while the ecological benefits of biological control programmes against these species have been poorly quantified. We investigated the process of biotic homogenization following invasion by Pistia stratiotes on aquatic biodiversity, and recovery provided by biological control of this weed. Biotic homogenization is the increased similarity of biota as a result of introductions of non-native species. The study quantified the effect of P. stratiotes, and its biological
Guest editors: Andre´ A. Padial, Julian D. Olden & Jean R. S. Vitule / The Aquatic Homogenocene J. A. Coetzee (&) Centre for Biological Control, Botany Department, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa e-mail: [email protected] S. D. F. Langa Departamento de Cieˆncias Biologicas, Faculdade de Ciceˆncias, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, C. Postal 257 Maputo, Mozambique S. D. F. Langa S. N. Motitsoe M. P. Hill Centre for Biological Control, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
control through the introduction of the weevil, Neohydronomus affinis on recruitment of benthic macroinvertebrates to artificial substrates. Mats of P. stratiotes altered the community composition and reduced diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in comparison to an uninvaded control. However, reduction in percentage cover of the weed through biological control resulted in a significant increase in dissolved oxygen, and recovery of the benthic macroinvertebrate community that was comparable to the uninvaded state. This highlights the process of homogenization by an invasive macrophyte, providing a justification for sustained ecological and restoration efforts in the biological control of P. stratiotes where this plant is problematic. Keywords Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity Invasive aquatic plants Community recovery Neohydronomus affinis
Introduction Freshwater ecosystems are particularly susceptible to invasions by non-native species across a range of floral and faunal taxa, largely as a consequence of anthropogenic pressures on these systems (Dudgeon et al., 2006; Ricciardi & MacIsaac, 2011). The alteration of hydrological flows, trade, and intentional stocking
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Hydrobiologia
have resulted in homogenous flora and fauna (Rahel, 2002) with ecological and socio-economic impacts to these ecosystems. The homogenization of biotas is the process whereby introduct
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