Evidence for effects of <i>Spartina anglica</i> invasion on benthic macrofauna in Little Swanport estuary, Tasmania

Hedge, Paul; Kriwoken, Lorne K.

doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2000.01016.x

Cited by 103 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…In some marshes dominated by S. alterniflora (Zipperer 1996;O'Connell 2002), S. anglica (Jackson 1985), S. foliosa (Levin et al 1998), and a hybrid of Spartina alterniflora · S. foliosa (hereafter referred to as ''hybrid Spartina'') (Neira et al 2005), macrobenthic communities exhibit lower densities and fewer species relative to adjacent tidal flats. These differ from existing paradigms that predict positive vegetation effects on macrofaunal abundance and diversity (e.g., Netto and Lana 1999;Hedge and Kriwoken 2000;Pennings and Bertness 2001;Brusati and Grosholz 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Influence of invasive Spartina growth stages on associated macrofaunal communities

et al. 2007

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In coastal wetlands, invasive plants often act as ecosystem engineers altering flow, light and sediments which, in turn, can affect benthic animal communities. However, the degree of influence of the engineer will vary significantly as it grows, matures and senesces, and surprisingly little is known about how the influence of an ecosystem engineer varies with ontogeny. We address this issue on the tidal flats of San Francisco Bay where hybrid Spartina (foliosa · alterniflora) invaded 30 years ago. The invasion has altered the physico-chemical properties of the sediment habitat, which we predicted should cause changes in macrofaunal community structure and function. Through mensurative and manipulative approaches we investigated the influence of different growth stages of hybrid Spartina on macrobenthos and the underlying mechanisms. Cross-elevation sampling transects were established covering 5 zones (or stages) of the invasion, running from the tidal flat (pre-invasion) to an unvegetated dieback zone. Additionally, we experimentally removed aboveground plant structure in the mature (inner) marsh to mimic the 'unvegetated areas'. Our results revealed four distinct faunal assemblages, which reflected Spartina-induced changes in the corresponding habitat properties along an elevation gradient: a pre-invaded tidal flat, a leading edge of immature invasion, a center of mature invasion, and a senescing dieback area. These stages of hybrid Spartina invasion were accompanied by a substantial reduction in macrofaunal species richness and an increase in dominance, as well as a strong shift in feeding modes, from surface microalgal feeders to subsurface detritus/ Spartina feeders (mainly tubificid oligochaetes and capitellid polychaetes). Knowledge of the varying influence of plant invaders on the sediment ecosystem during different phases of invasion is critical for management of coastal wetlands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Influence of invasive Spartina growth stages on associated macrofaunal communities

et al. 2007

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“…Apart from a shift in benthic assemblages, birds may also not able to physically reach benthos living in the marsh vegetation. Researchers studying invasive Spartina have reported altered faunal composition and abundance (e.g., Hedge and Kriwoken 2000;Neira et al 2005) and trophic function .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing biodiversity effects among ecosystem engineers of contrasting strength: macrofauna diversity in Zostera noltii and Spartina anglica vegetations

2008

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Whereas it is well known that ecosystem engineers can have a large influence on biodiversity, underlying mechanisms are still not fully clear. We try to enhance insight by comparing biodiversity effects of two neighboring intertidal, clonal, ecosystem engineering plant species that modify the physical environmental parameters in a similar way, but with a different magnitude. Macrobenthic assemblages were compared between meadows of the seagrass Zostera noltii, small patches (B0.5 m Ø) and large areas ()5 m Ø) of the emergent halophyte Spartina anglica and the surrounding bare tidal mudflat (control). Multivariate analyses revealed that the mudflat benthic assemblage and Zostera meadow assemblage showed highest similarities, whereas the Spartina marsh assemblage showed the highest dissimilarity with these two areas. Whereas the descriptive nature of our study limits interpretation of the data, some clear patterns were observed. For all vegetated areas, species diversity was lower compared to the unvegetated mudflat, and we observed a strong shift from endo-towards epibenthic species, suggesting that increased above-ground habitat complexity may be a main driving process in our system. As there were no clear patterns related to feeding types, food availability/productivity appeared to be of minor importance in structuring the benthic assemblages. Nevertheless, animals were in general smaller in vegetated areas. Patchiness had a distinct positive effect on biodiversity.

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“…invasions in diVerent parts of the world. Expanding S. anglica marshes appeared hospitable for native macroinvertebrates in Little Swanport estuary, Australia (Hedge and Kriwoken 2000) and Paranagua Bay, Brazil (Netto and Lana 1999). On the other hand, negative eVects similar to those observed in the present study have been reported at various locations, such as San Francisco Bay (Neira et al 2005), southwest Netherlands (Gribsholt and Kristensen 2003) and south coast of Britain (Frid and James 1989).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between macrobenthos and invasive cordgrass, Spartina anglica, in the Danish Wadden Sea

Tang

Kristensen

2010

Helgol Mar Res

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We conducted a survey to provide knowledge on mechanisms controlling spatial and temporal variability of macrobenthos in an intertidal Wadden Sea area partly covered by invasive Spartina anglica. Benthic macrofauna was collected seasonally at seven stations along a transect covering non-vegetated mudXat and vegetated marsh areas. Shannon diversity index was consistently higher for macrobenthos in the open mudXat compared to the marsh area. Infaunal species, like Arenicola marina, TubiWcoides benedeni and Macoma balthica, were more abundant in the mudXat than the marsh, while the opposite was evident for epifaunal species, like Hydrobia ulvae and Littorina littorea. The infaunal crustacean, Corophium volutator, on the other hand, appeared particularly attracted to the mudXatmarsh boundary. The biomass of below-ground plant materials and macrodetritus was positively correlated with the total macrofaunal abundance, while the biomass of dead below-ground plant materials alone showed a signiWcant negative correlation with infaunal abundance. Total macrofaunal abundance was highest during summer in the mudXat, while no seasonal pattern was evident in the marsh.The negative inXuence of S. anglica invasions on infaunal abundance may have serious implications for higher trophic levels, such as waterbirds, that forage in Wadden Sea areas and thus for the overall biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

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Evidence for effects of Spartina anglica invasion on benthic macrofauna in Little Swanport estuary, Tasmania

Cited by 103 publications

References 30 publications

Influence of invasive Spartina growth stages on associated macrofaunal communities

Influence of invasive Spartina growth stages on associated macrofaunal communities

Comparing biodiversity effects among ecosystem engineers of contrasting strength: macrofauna diversity in Zostera noltii and Spartina anglica vegetations

Associations between macrobenthos and invasive cordgrass, Spartina anglica, in the Danish Wadden Sea

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