The introduction of<i>Fontinalis antipyretica</i>Hedw. into South Africa and its biological effects

Richards, P. W.

doi:10.1179/006813847804879403

Cited by 8 publications

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“…Such spreading actually became a nuisance in South Africa where Fontinalis antipyretica was introduced in an attempt to increase the number of insects available for fish food (Richards 1946). Species that typically occur only in slow water (such as E antipyretica var.…”

Section: Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such increased densities, and changes in relative abundances of major taxa, have also been observed in the Kuparuk River (Table 5). For example, bryophytes are thought to influence the structure of invertebrate assemblages in streams by providing habitat for colonization, providing a surface for growth of epiphytic food resources, trapping organic matter used for food, and providing a refuge from predators or high current velocities (Richards 1946 Hershey et al 1996). Natarsia, a relative large and predatory chironomid, the mayfly Ephemerella, and the caddisflies Brachycentrus and Rhyacophila were also more abundant in bryophytes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Roles of Bryophytes in Stream Ecosystems

1999

Journal of the North American Benthological Society

123

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.Abstract. Aquatic bryophytes are a common but often overlooked component of a wide variety of stream ecosystems. Although stream environments present a number of challenges for bryophyte reproduction and survival, some bryophytes have characteristics that allow them to persist in a wide variety of stream types (e.g., adaptations to low light and temperature, rapid nutrient uptake, resistance to scouring and spates). Primary production by aquatic bryophytes can equal or exceed that by epilithic and periphytic algae, which have been much more widely studied. Also, it is clear that bryophytes can profoundly influence both the abundance and community structure of stream invertebrates. However, a number of fundamentally important roles of bryophytes in stream ecosystems remain unexamined. Very little is known, for example, about the dynamics of nutrient uptake by bryophytes. The dynamics of nutrient regeneration from decomposing bryophyte tissues are essentially unknown. Nor is it known whether bryophytes increase or decrease the habitat quality for stream trophic levels other than stream invertebrates. For example, ecological interactions between bryophytes and epiphytic microorganisms are potentially important but unknown. Similarly, it is not clear whether fish benefit from the increased abundance of insects often observed when bryophytes are present in streams. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the functions of bryophytes as important ecosystem components, rather than as simple environmental indicators. We hope that this information will foster a greater appreciation for the potential functions of these organisms, and will stimulate additional research that will improve our knowledge of wholestream ecosystem dynamics.Bryophytes may profoundly alter the structure and function of stream ecosystems. They can substantially alter the abundance and community structure of stream fauna, and they have the potential to compete effectively for resources such as space, nutrients, and light. However, their impacts on fundamental ecosystem processes such as production, decomposition, and nutrient regeneration are poorly known. Despite the potential importance of these impacts, research on bryophytes as functional components of stream ecosystems is sparse. A literature search of the last 10 y of Biological Abstracts showed that <1% of the world literature on aquatic ecology addresses bryophyte ecology (W. B. Bowden and D. B. Arscott, unpublished data). Furthermore, <5-10% of the literature published on aquatic bryophytes in the last 10 y deals with ecosystem-level processes. A number of fundamental questions about bryophytes as functional components of stream ec...

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Section: Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles of Bryophytes in Stream Ecosystems

1999

Journal of the North American Benthological Society

123

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“…Within the genus, it is the most abundant species throughout much of Europe (Table 1), but several others are as, or more, important in N. America (F. dalecarlica, F. hypnoides, F. novaeangliae, F. neo-mexicana: Welch 1960;Glime 1968;Crum & Anderson 1981). F. antipyretica was unknown in the southern hemisphere until its introduction in South Africa (Welch 1960), where it spread so vigorously that it caused nuisance problems, including the local elimination of indigenous insect larvae (Richards 1947).…”

Section: Ecology Of Fontinalis Antipyretica Hedwmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accumulation of heavy metals by aquatic mosses. 1: Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw.

Say

Whitton

1983

Hydrobiologia

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An account is given of methods developed to monitor heavy metals in rivers by measuring the concentration of these metals in Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw. Key features of the standard method recommended include the harvesting of materials from microhabitats with fast current speeds wherever possible, thorough washing in field and laboratory, use of terminal 2-cm lengths of shoot, drying at 1050C and digestion in 2 M HNO 3 . In order to establish the extent to which this species is useful and to provide baseline data with which others can compare their own observations, samples of moss, water and sediments were harvested for analysis from 52 different sites in northern England and Belgium. Significant positive correlations were obtained between Cu and Zn in 2-cm tips and in both (total) water and sediment, but in the case of Cd and Pb only between 2-cm tips and sediment. Multiple stepwise regression was used to quantify the apparent influence of environmental variables. For instance, with Pb in the moss as the dependent variable, significant influences were found for Zn in the moss (+ve) aqueous Mn (+ve) and filtrable reactive phosphate (-ve). Variables which were significant were incorporated in each case into equations to predict the concentration of metal that would be expected if allowance was made for the concentrations of all these variables at each site. In the case of Pb, r 2 = 0.075 for metal in moss versus aqueous metal, whereas r 2 = 0.879 for metal in moss versus the predicted value for metal in moss. This suggests that the lack of correlation between Pb in moss and Pb in water was probably due largely to the influence of other variables. For Cd, the difference was less: r 2 = 0.013 and r 2 = 0.47, respectively. A principal components analysis was also carried out, with measurements of water and moss as the variables ordinated. An example is given of the use of the moss to monitor intermittent Zn pollution in R. Wear.

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“…Sprules (1947) compared insects emerging from areas with stones embedded in gravel to rocks piled upon one another. That the chambered Fontinalis plant can provide a different habitat from the stream in general is evidenced in a South African waterway where it was introduced (Richards 1946). Similar results were obtained by Wene and Wickliff (1940) when they introduced rubble into a sandy area.…”

Section: Species Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Diversity of Stream Insects of Fontinalis SPP. Compared to Diversity on Artificial Substrates

Glime¹,

Clemons²

1972

Ecology

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Two types of artificial mosses (string and plastic) were compared with Fontinalis spp. for their insect inhabitants. These communities were sampled on six dates at eight stream sites and compare by community coefficients, information theory analysis, and rank correlations. These results showed that those insects which were abundant on moss were also abundant on the artificial substrates. Fewer species and fewer individuals were present on the latter.

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The introduction ofFontinalis antipyreticaHedw. into South Africa and its biological effects

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Roles of Bryophytes in Stream Ecosystems

Roles of Bryophytes in Stream Ecosystems

Accumulation of heavy metals by aquatic mosses. 1: Fontinalis antipyretica Hedw.

Species Diversity of Stream Insects of Fontinalis SPP. Compared to Diversity on Artificial Substrates

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