Doherty-Bone, T orcid.org/0000-0002-8074-5955, Dunn, AM orcid.org/0000-0002-4855-1077, Brittain, J et al. (1 more author) (2018) Invasive alien shredders clear up invasive alien leaf litter. Ecology and Evolution, 8 (20). pp. 10049-10056. ISSN 2045-7758
Abstract
Biological invasions have the potential to alter ecosystem processes profoundly, but invaders are rarely found alone. Interactions between different invasive alien species, and their cumulative impact on ecosystem functioning, have led to hypotheses of invasion meltdown whereby effects become additive leading to further ecosystem stress. Invasive riparian plants (e.g., Rhododendron ponticum) deposit leaf litter in freshwaters, which may be unconsumed by indigenous species, potentially affecting habitat heterogeneity and flow of energy to the food web. However, invasive alien decapod crustaceans are effective consumers of leaf litter, and it was hypothesized that they would also consume inputs of invasive riparian leaf litter. This study shows that invasive alien signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) effectively break down different types of leaf litter, including invasive alien R. ponticum, at higher rates than indigenous white‐clawed crayfish. Secondary products were more varied, with more fine particulate organic matter generated for the less palatable alien leaf litter species. Leaf species caused different changes in body mass of decapods but effects were heterogeneous by leaf and decapod: P. leniusculus showed lower mass loss when consuming R. ponticum while E. sinensis lost mass when consuming A. pseudoplatanus. Impacts of riparian invasions on detritus accumulation in freshwaters are thus potentially buffered by invasive alien decapods, illustrating a need for a more detailed consideration of both positive and negative interspecific feedbacks during biological invasions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | ecosystem functioning; Eriocheir sinensis; Pacifastacus leniusculus; Rhododendron ponticum |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > River Basin Processes & Management (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Aug 2018 10:11 |
Last Modified: | 17 Dec 2024 11:10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/ece3.4430 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:134557 |
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