Herbivory can mitigate, but not counteract, the positive effects of warming on the establishment of the invasive macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata

Hydrilla verticillata is a submerged, rooted macrophyte native to Asia and Australia, but currently attains broad distribution across all continents. Its success as an invasive species depends on the simultaneous influence of abiotic and biotic factors on different components of its performance. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological invasions 2019-01, Vol.21 (1), p.59-66
Main Authors: Calvo, Clementina, Mormul, Roger P., Figueiredo, Bruno R. S., Cunha, Eduardo R., Thomaz, Sidinei M., Meerhoff, Mariana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic plants
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotic factors
Climate change
Current distribution
Developmental Biology
Ecological effects
Ecology
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Global warming
Herbivores
Herbivory
High temperature
Hydrilla
Hydrilla verticillata
Introduced species
Invasive species
Invasiveness
Life Sciences
Original Paper
Plant growth
Plant Sciences
Rivers
Temperature effects
Water temperature
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Summary:Hydrilla verticillata is a submerged, rooted macrophyte native to Asia and Australia, but currently attains broad distribution across all continents. Its success as an invasive species depends on the simultaneous influence of abiotic and biotic factors on different components of its performance. We conducted a factorial experiment to test the short-term responses of Hydrilla , present since 2005 in the upper Parana River (Brazil), to a native herbivore (apple snail Pomacea canaliculata ) and increased water temperature, using two different spatial arrangements of macrophyte fragments (one simulating early establishment phase and other simulating late establishment phase). Temperature, herbivory and plant spatial arrangement individually, and in some cases through their interactions, caused changes in the growth likely indicating impacts for the ecological responses of Hydrilla ´s establishment. Snail herbivory decreased plant growth thus exerting biotic resistance, while higher temperature increased Hydrilla ´s invasiveness. According to our results and other pieces of evidence, invasions of Hydrilla might worsen under the future climate warming scenario, but herbivores might locally mitigate invasion speed or magnitude.
ISSN:1387-3547
1573-1464
DOI:10.1007/s10530-018-1803-3