The effectiveness of management interventions for the control of <i>Spartina</i> species: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Roberts, P.D.; Pullin, Andrew S.

doi:10.1002/aqc.889

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 57 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…However, this does not apply to S. densiflora due to its relatively low trophic contribution compared with the space it occupies, for which control measures should be considered. Complete eradication is unlikely to be cost effective (Roberts and Pullin 2008), but maintenance of P. australis, at least at present coverage, may be important to aquatic food webs and support to birds. Similarly detrimental are carp although control measures are also probably unfeasible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of water management on extensive aquaculture food webs in the reconstructed wetlands of the Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain

et al. 2015

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Extensive aquaculture in coastal and estuarine wetlands can support both increased food production and wider ecosystem services when underpinned by effective management to promote productivity and hence food webs that support both commercial species and biodiversity. Changing hydrology, specifically water movement, within wetlands significantly impacts the physico-chemical properties of the water body and hence can be employed to manipulate productivity and alter patterns of recruitment of commercial species and may also transfer non-native species from the supplying water bodies. The reconstructed wetlands of Veta la Palma in the Doñana Natural Park are subjected to either a 1 % or 5 % d -1 water exchange with water drawn from the adjacent Guadalquivir estuary. This site provides an excellent opportunity for examining the effect of water management on the food webs that support both the birdlife and aquaculture activities for which this habitat is managed. Stable isotopes were used to examine food webs in three replicate lagoons under each water management scheme. In lagoons receiving higher water exchange, phytoplankton productivity appeared to be more important than benthic production in supporting food webs. Increased water exchange also changed the shape of the food webs, facilitated the colonisation of at least one non-native species and increased the importance of non-native species in the diets of large commercially harvested fish (> 60 % of seabass diet). Lagoons with high water flows also had between three and four times greater shrimp biomass than those of low flow lagoons. Non-native fauna were opportunistic omnivores, eating marginally more non-natives in lagoons with greater water exchange. Overall non-native cordgrass Spartina densiflora contributed only slightly more to food webs compared with the native reed Phragmites australis, despite the lagoon edge occupancy ratio of 9:1, respectively. Nonnatives also appear to enhance food provision for large predators and wetland birds, by increasing biomass, without competing for resources with native species, supporting the dual management objectives of aquaculture and waterbird conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of water management on extensive aquaculture food webs in the reconstructed wetlands of the Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain

et al. 2015

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“…Species introductions can result in major impacts on ecosystems (Roberts & Pullin 2008). This is particularly so in the marine environment because of the ease with which reproductive propagules can disperse and colonize nearby habitats once they have established a new population (Griffiths 1991, Johnson & Carlton 1996, Wonham et al 2000.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population expansion of a new invasive coral species, Tubastraea micranthus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Sammarco¹,

Porter²,

Sinclair³

et al. 2014

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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An Indo-Pacific scleractinian coral has invaded the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Tubastraea micranthus. It was initially observed on one oil platform (GI-93C) near the Mississippi River. Here, we determined whether its populations were spreading and whether there was evidence of rapid expansion. We compared population density data of T. micranthus with those from T. coccinea, a congener which invaded the western Atlantic earlier. Fourteen oil/gas platforms were assessed down to 138 m depth using remotely operated vehicle digital video. Colony densities in numbers m −2 were determined for both species, and colony size was measured for T. micranthus. Data were analyzed by platform and for geographic distribution. T. micranthus densities were highest on GI-93C and on GI-116A, SW of the Mississippi River, being significantly higher than on other platforms. Densities declined radially from there. Mean colony size was highest on MC-311A, with colonies generally being >100 cm 2 . This platform is situated at the head of the Mississippi Canyon and may have been the original site of colonization. It also receives blue water instead of turbid, lower salinity water, and this species may grow better under those conditions. T. micranthus size frequency distributions were generally skewed towards 1-200 cm 2 (5 cm diameter) (sometimes > 90% of the population), suggesting that most populations are potentially in an expanding growth phase. T. coccinea densities were high (range: ~50 to 300 colonies m −2 ). Its populations were also centered SW of the Mississippi River. T. micranthus is spreading through this region, and the window for its potential eradication may be closing.

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“…There are a further ten environmental SRs [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65], that have used an approach to quality assessment that is similar to the current best practice in healthcare, albeit using the Pullin and Knight [54] hierarchy of evidence in combination with an assessment of some of the individual aspects of study design that are empirically proven to be controls on selection bias, performance bias, detection bias and attrition bias. Although these environmental versions of the Cochrane Collaboration's current approach are: untested outside of each of the review teams, designed to be review-specific, use an evidence hierarchy with the limitations mentioned above, and make an assessment of overall quality for each study (rather than for the body of evidence overall for each outcome) -the general approach is very similar, demonstrating that it is feasible to capitalise on the research and development that the healthcare field has completed on quality assessment.…”

Section: Applicability To Environmental Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality assessment tools for evidence from environmental science

2014

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Assessment of the quality of studies is a critical component of evidence syntheses such as systematic reviews (SRs) that are used to inform policy decisions. To reduce the potential for reviewer bias, and to ensure that the findings of SRs are transparent and reproducible, organisations such as the Cochrane Collaboration, the Campbell Collaboration, and the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence, recommend the use of formal quality assessment tools as opposed to informal expert judgment. However, there is a bewildering array of around 300 formal quality assessment tools that have been identified in the literature, and it has been demonstrated that the use of different tools for the assessment of the same studies can result in different estimates of quality, which can potentially reverse the conclusions of a SR. It is therefore important to consider carefully, the choice of quality assessment tool. We argue that quality assessment tools should: (1) have proven construct validity (i.e. the assessment criteria have demonstrable link with what they purport to measure), (2) facilitate inter-reviewer agreement, (3) be applicable across study designs, and (4) be quick and easy to use. Our aim was to examine current best practice for quality assessment in healthcare and investigate the extent to which these best practices could be useful for assessing the quality of environmental science studies. The feasibility of this transfer is demonstrated in a number of existing SRs on environmental topics. We propose that environmental practitioners should revise, test and adopt the best practice quality assessment tools used in healthcare as a recommended approach for application to environmental science. We provide pilot versions of quality assessment tools, modified from the best practice tools used in healthcare, for application on studies from environmental science.

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The effectiveness of management interventions for the control of Spartina species: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Cited by 42 publications

References 57 publications

The effect of water management on extensive aquaculture food webs in the reconstructed wetlands of the Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain

The effect of water management on extensive aquaculture food webs in the reconstructed wetlands of the Doñana Natural Park, Southern Spain

Population expansion of a new invasive coral species, Tubastraea micranthus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Quality assessment tools for evidence from environmental science

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