Is the biomass of water hyacinth lost through herbivory in native areas important?

Franceschini, Celeste; Neiff, Alicia Poi de; Galassi, María Eugenia

doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2010.01.005

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…By growing faster in the absence of herbivory, E. crassipes could attain an advantage over native species. However, when consumed in the native environment, E. crassipes undergoes small effects on coverage and biomass maintaining growing populations (Adis & Junk, ; Franceschini, Poi de Neiff & Galassi, ; Gutiérrez, Ruiz, Uribe, & Martinez, ). Furthermore, native herbivores are found in China (Chu et al, ; Ding, Wang, Fu, & Zhang, ); therefore, an enemy release benefit is unlikely to occur in the introduced ranges in China.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative correlations between native macrophyte diversity and water hyacinth abundance are stronger in its introduced than in its native range

Lolis

Alves

Fan

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim:We tested the hypothesis that the diversity and abundance of aquatic macrophytes are negatively related with Eichhornia crassipes abundance in its introduced range, but not in its native range.Location: Upper Paraná River Floodplain, Brazil and Southeast China. Methods:We sampled aquatic macrophytes patches in Brazil (native range) andChina (introduced range) along a biomass gradient of E. crassipes. For each patch, we obtained values of species richness and aquatic macrophytes percentage cover, as response variables in regression models. We also used species accumulation curves to quantify the total plot diversity in dominated and non-dominated plots for both countries. Finally, we compared the influence of E. crassipes dominance on community composition and beta diversity with Permanova and Permdisp, respectively. Results:The regression analyses revealed a negative correlation between macrophyte richness and cover and E. crassipes biomass only in the introduced range. The cumulative number of species decreased at a higher extent in plots dominated by E. crassipes in China, compared with Brazil. Also, species composition changed and beta diversity decreased in the dominated plots in China, but not in Brazil. Main Conclusions:The reduction of all diversity attributes related to E. crassipes probably results from its engineer species role, which decreases littoral region habitat heterogeneity and affects rare species in the introduced range. Differences between countries may be associated with impacts of water hyacinth on native macrophytes as this plant grows very fast and is highly competitive. Although less probable, biotic resistance at the establishment phase of water hyacinth in sites with higher number of native species is also a possibility. Regardless of the main mechanism explaining our patterns, it is suggested that invasion by water hyacinth is a cause for concern for its higher impacts in the introduced ranges than the native ranges. | 243LOLIS et aL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative correlations between native macrophyte diversity and water hyacinth abundance are stronger in its introduced than in its native range

Lolis

Alves

Fan

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Cornops aquaticum is of special interest in South American wetlands because this grasshopper constitutes one of the most abundant herbivores of E. crassipes floating meadows and its feeding behavior causes damage on the leaf biomass and productivity of this host plant (Adis & Junk 2003, Franceschini et al 2010, 2011a. In non-native ecosystems, this grasshopper is also a potential biological control agent of the water hyacinth (Silveira Guido & Perkins 1975, Center et al 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age Structure and Feeding of the Neotropical Grasshopper Cornops aquaticum (Bruner) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) on Water Hyacinth

2013

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We aimed to evaluate the variation in the age structure of Cornops aquaticum (Bruner) population and its relation to the host plant biomass and the feeding of the different age classes of this grasshopper on the water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes along 2 years, in a Paraná River floodplain lake (Chaco, Argentina). Individuals of C. aquaticum were captured with a 70-cm diameter sweep and separated in nymphs A (instars I and II), nymphs B (instars III to VI), adult females, and adult males; host plant biomass was sampled using a ring with a 0.30-m(2) diameter. Relative daily feeding of C. aquaticum population was calculated by multiplying the number of individuals captured per minute by the daily consumption by individual obtained in each age classes. We found that the age structure and the relative daily feeding of C. aquaticum varied between seasons and years. The highest values of grasshopper abundance, leaf biomass, and relative daily feeding of C. aquaticum population were observed in summer 2006. Plant biomass was directly correlated with nymph abundance and not correlated with adult abundance. Plant biomass available as refuge (leaves), food (laminas), and oviposition site (petioles) to C. aquaticum represented up to 62% of the total plant biomass. The results obtained in C. aquaticum show the importance of considering total plant biomass and plant biomass available for herbivores separately. Our study highlights the need to find an adequate method to estimate the density of C. aquaticum and other semiaquatic grasshoppers in the Paraná River floodplain involving different seasons, years, and water phases (rising and falling).

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“…The food consumption of C. aquaticum and other herbivores has not been taken into account in estimations of E. crassipes productivity, possibly because invertebrate herbivory of living macrophytes was considered unimportant until recently (Wetzel 1983), whereas in terrestrial systems, damage caused by grasshoppers is included in estimations of grassland productivity (De Wysiecki & Sánchez 1992). Franceschini et al (2010) found that the lamina biomass removed in E. crassipes by C. aquaticum and other herbivorous invertebrates is high (13% to 26% of the lamina biomass/m 2 ), pointing that damage due to herbivory must be taken into account in biomass and productivity estimations of this macrophyte.…”

Section: Effect Of C Aquaticum Consumption On the Productivity Of Ementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The seasonal growth pattern is characterized by high biomass in the summer and reduced biomass in the winter (Neiff & Poi de Neiff 1984. During the high biomass period of E. crassipes, abundance of herbivorous population (Casco & Poi de Neiff 1998, Franceschini 2008 and leaf biomass removed by herbivory (Franceschini et al 2010) are highest in the Paraná River floodplain lakes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C. aquaticum constitute one of the most important herbivores of native waterhyacinth floating meadows (Adis & Junk 2003, Franceschini 2008, Franceschini et al 2010 and is considered as a biological control agent of this macrophyte in non-native ecosystems (Center et al 2002). For these reasons, several aspects of feeding of this grasshopper are intensely studied in native (Silveira-Guido & Perkins 1975, Ferreira & Vasconcellos-Neto 2001, Adis & Junk 2003, Vieira & Santos 2003, Lhano et al 2005, Franceschini & Capello 2006, Franceschini 2008, Franceschini et al 2010 and non-native areas (Oberholzer & Hill 2001, Bownes et al 2010.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The role of the host-specific grasshopper Cornops aquaticum (Orthoptera: Acrididae) as consumer of native Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) floating meadows

Franceschini¹,

Wysiecki²,

Neiff³

et al. 2010

RBT

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Cornops aquaticum is a widely distributed semiaquatic grasshopper in the Neotropics. The development, feeding and oviposition of C. aquaticum take place on Pontederiaceae, especially on species of Eichhornia. Several aspects of the feeding of C. aquaticum are studied because is one of the most important herbivores of the highly invasive floating Eichhornia crassipes in native areas. The aims of this paper were:(1) to quantify the amount of E. crassipes consumed by C. aquaticum, (2) to determine the growth rate and the conversion efficiency of food ingested by this grasshopper, and (3) to determine the possible effect of consumption on E. crassipes productivity. Thirty individuals from each specific age class were used in the experiment: nymphs A, nymphs B, adult males and adult females. Insects were individually confined in plastic pots with a leaf of E. crassipes. We estimated feeding by individual, consumption index (CI), relative growth rate (GR) and efficiency of conversion of ingested food to body substance (ECI). The impact of C. aquaticum consumption on E. crassipes floating meadows was assessed with the abundance of the grasshopper, and the available data on primary production of the host plant at the study site. Food intake of C. aquaticum was 11.23% of plant productivity. Food consumption, growth rate and food conversion efficiency of this grasshopper varied according to the specific age classes. Damage caused by C. aquaticum is high in comparison with the damage caused by other semiaquatic and grassland grasshoppers, however it is not enough to prevent the growth and coverage of native E. crassipes floating meadows because abundance of grasshoppers are realtively low and the growth rate and productivity of the host plant is high. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (3):

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Is the biomass of water hyacinth lost through herbivory in native areas important?

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

Negative correlations between native macrophyte diversity and water hyacinth abundance are stronger in its introduced than in its native range

Negative correlations between native macrophyte diversity and water hyacinth abundance are stronger in its introduced than in its native range

Age Structure and Feeding of the Neotropical Grasshopper Cornops aquaticum (Bruner) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) on Water Hyacinth

The role of the host-specific grasshopper Cornops aquaticum (Orthoptera: Acrididae) as consumer of native Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) floating meadows

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