scholarly journals Documenting the occurrence through space & time of aquatic non-indigenous fish, mollusks, algae, & plants threatening North America's Great Lakes utilizing herbaria & zoological museum specimens

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e24930
Author(s):  
Mark Wetter
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
North America ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Zoological Museum ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Non Indigenous Species ◽  
National Resource

North America’s Great Lakes contain 21% of the planet’s fresh water, and their protection is a matter of national security to both the USA & Canada. One of the greatest threats to the health of this unparalleled natural resource is invasion by non-indigenous species, several of which already have had catastrophic impacts on property values, the fisheries, shipping, and tourism industries, and continue to threaten the survival of native species and wetland ecosystems. The Great Lakes Invasives Network is a consortium (20 institutions) of herbaria and zoology museums from among the Great Lakes states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and New York created to better document the occurrence of selected non-indigenous species and their congeners in space and time by imaging and providing online access to the information on the specimens of the critical organisms. The list of non-indigenous species (1 alga, 42 vascular plants, 22 fish, and 13 mollusks) to be digitized was generated by conducting a query of all fish, plants, algae, and mollusks present in the database of GLANSIS – the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System – maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The network consists of collections at 20 institutions, including 4 of the 10 largest herbaria in North America, each of which curates 1-7 million specimens (NY, F, MICH, and WIS). Eight of the nation’s largest zoology museums are also represented, several of which (e.g., Ohio State and U of Minnesota) are internationally recognized for their fish and mollusk collections. Each genus includes at least one species that is considered a Great Lakes non-indigenous taxon – several have many, whereas others have congeners on “watchlists”, meaning that they have not arrived in the Great Lakes Basin yet, but have the potential to do so, especially in light of human activity and climate change. Because the introduction and spread of these species, their close relatives, and hybrids into the region is known to have occurred almost entirely from areas in North America outside of the Basin, our effort will include non-indigenous specimens collected from throughout North America. Digitized specimens of Great Lakes non-indigenous species and their congeners will allow for more accurate identification of invasive species and hybrids from their non-invasive relatives by a wider audience of end users. The metadata derived from digitized specimens of Great Lakes non-indigenous species and their congeners will help biologists to track, monitor, and predict the spread of invasive species through space and time, especially in the face of a more rapidly changing climate in the upper Midwest. All together consortium members will digitize >2 million individual specimens from >860,000 sheets/lots of non-indigenous species and their congeneric taxa. Data and metadata are uploaded to the Great Lakes Invasives Network, a Symbiota portal (GreatLakesInvasvies.org), and ingested by the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) (iDigBio.org) national resource. Several initiatives are already in place to alert citizens to the dangers of spreading aquatic invasive species among our nation's waterways, but this project is developing complementary scientific and educational tools for scientists, students, wildlife officers, teachers, and the public who have had little access to images or data derived directly from preserved specimens of invasive species collected over the past three centuries.

Large freshwater lakes: present state, trends, and future

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred M. Beeton
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Liquid Surface ◽  
Aral Sea ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Large Lakes ◽  
African Great Lakes ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

The large freshwater lakes of the world are an extremely valuable resource, not only because 68% of the global liquid surface fresh water is contained in them, but because of their importance to the economies, social structure, and viability of the riparian countries. This review provides decision makers with the knowledge of large lakes (≥ 500 km2) essential to establishing policies and implementing strategies compatible with sustainable development. This is achieved by considering the present state of the lakes, the extent of changes and factors causing them, long-term consequences of these changes, major threats and possible states of the lakes into the year 2025. Case studies of lakes are presented, namely the St Lawrence Great Lakes of North America as representatives of glacial scour lakes of North America, northern Europe and Asia, and the African Great Lakes as representatives of tropical tectonic lakes. Lake Baikal is also included because it is unique for its species, great age, and largest single volume of liquid surface fresh water. The Aral Sea is further included because of the ecological disaster following diversion of water away from its basin. The major impacts on large lakes are diversions, eutrophication, invasive species, land-use change, overexploitation of resources, and pollution. These impacts can or do affect all the representative lakes, but to varying degree. The St Lawrence Great Lakes have been severely impacted by eutrophication, land-use change, overfishing, invasive species and pollution. Eutrophication has been reversed for these lakes and constraints are now in place on land use change, such as shoreline alteration and destruction of wetlands. With the demise of most commercial fishing, overfishing is no longer as important. Invasive species have become a major problem as increasingly non-indigenous species gain access to the lakes. Pollution continues as a major impact. These problems are likely to continue and seriously impact use of the resources as well as bring about changes in the biota. Among the African Great Lakes, invasive species are a major problem in Lake Victoria, and eutrophication associated with land-use change and overexploitation of resources is a growing problem. Many endemic species have been lost and many are threatened, so that species associations will have changed by 2025. The Aral Sea continues to disappear and in the future, the remaining largest part of it will continue to become increasingly saline and eventually disappear. A small body of water will remain as a freshwater lake with a productive, although small, fishery. Lake Baikal shows evidence of pollution in the southern basin and is likely to be impacted by land-use changes, primarily logging. Some non-indigenous species are present, but so far, they are not a major problem. Overexploitation of resources in the watershed could lead to adverse impacts on inshore waters. Overfishing has been recognized and appears under control. The major threat to Baikal is continued and growing pollution. Climate change and pollution are global problems that will affect all lakes, large and small. At present, while some warming has occurred, climate change appears not to have impacted large lakes. Present studies on the Laurentian Great Lakes predict possible major impacts. Pollution, especially from persistent toxic substances such as PCBs, is a global problem. Diversion of water out or away from large lakes will become more of a threat as global human population growth continues and water supplies from rivers and ground water become depleted.

scholarly journals Ecoengineering Solutions for the Impairment of Spreading and Growth of Invasive Spartina patens in Mediterranean Salt Marshes

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Cruz de Carvalho ◽  
Eduardo Feijão ◽  
Irina Duarte ◽  
Vanessa Pinto ◽  
Marisa Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Native Species ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Spartina Patens ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Lower Efficiency ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

The invasion of natural communities by non-indigenous species represents one of the most serious threats to biodiversity. Understanding the ecophysiology of invasive species can provide insights into potential physiological handicaps relative to native species. By doing so, we can leverage the development of ecoengineering solutions for the removal of non-indigenous species, preferably using non-chemical methods. Spartina patens is a known invasive species of cordgrass aggressively proliferating in Mediterranean salt marshes, producing impenetrable monospecific stands. As its occurrence is delimited by the upper high tide water level, we hypothesized that S. patens is intolerant to waterlogging. Therefore, we developed a field experiment where strands of S. patens were kept waterlogged over the entire tidal cycle for 30 days. At the end of the experimental period, plants in the trial plots exhibited severe stress symptoms at different physiological levels compared with control plots (no intervention). At the photobiological level, intervened plants exhibited lower efficiency in producing chemical energy from light, whilst at the biochemical level waterlogging impaired the antioxidant system and increased lipid peroxidation products. Furthermore, the application of chlorophyll a pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry, a non-invasive technique, allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented measures, being the tool that provided the best separation between the control and intervened population. Considering the physiological traits observed here, ecoengineering solutions based on increased waterlogging of S. patens stands, can be a low-cost and efficient measure to reduce the spreading and growth of this invasive species in the Mediterranean and other salt marshes worldwide with little disturbance.

Seawater warming at the northern reach for southern species: Gulf of Genoa, NW Mediterranean

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Nike Bianchi ◽  
Francesco Caroli ◽  
Paolo Guidetti ◽  
Carla Morri
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
The North ◽  
Nw Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Non Indigenous Species ◽  
Southern Species ◽  
North Western

Global warming is facilitating the poleward range expansion of plant and animal species. In the Mediterranean Sea, the concurrent temperature increase and abundance of (sub)tropical non-indigenous species (NIS) is leading to the so-called ‘tropicalization’ of the Mediterranean Sea, which is dramatically evident in the south-eastern sectors of the basin. At the same time, the colder north-western sectors of the basin have been said to undergo a process of ‘meridionalization’, that is the establishment of warm-water native species (WWN) previously restricted to the southern sectors. The Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) is the north-western reach for southern species of whatever origin in the Mediterranean. Recent (up to 2015) observations of NIS and WWN by diving have been collated to update previous similar inventories. In addition, the relative occurrences of both groups of southern species have been monitored by snorkelling between 2009 and 2015 in shallow rocky reefs at Genoa, and compared with the trend in air and sea surface temperatures. A total of 20 southern species (11 NIS and 9 WWN) was found. Two WWN (the zebra seabream Diplodus cervinus and the parrotfish Sparisoma cretense) and three NIS (the SW Atlantic sponge Paraleucilla magna, the Red Sea polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum, and the amphi-American and amphi-Atlantic crab Percnon gibbesi) are new records for the Ligurian Sea, whereas juveniles of the Indo-Pacific bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii have been found for the first time. While temperature has kept on increasing for the whole period, with 2014 and 2015 being the warmest years since at least 1950, the number of WWN increased linearly, that of NIS increased exponentially, contradicting the idea of meridionalization and supporting that of tropicalization even in the northern sectors of the Mediterranean basin.

Climate change driven massive extirpation of native species from the Israeli Mediterranean shelf

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo G. Albano ◽  
Jan Steger ◽  
Marija Bošnjak ◽  
Beata Dunne ◽  
Zara Guifarro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Extreme Environment ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Shallow Subtidal ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

<p>We quantify a large-scale extirpation of native species from the Israeli Mediterranean shelf, a region strongly affected by rapidly changing environmental conditions and the introduction of non-indigenous species, based on an extensive sampling programme of mollusks on intertidal to subtidal soft and hard substrata. We reconstruct historical species richness from shelly death assemblages, quantify the time range they cover with radiocarbon dating, and compare their richness with today’s living assemblage diversity. The median native richness is 50% of the historical richness for the intertidal, but only 8% for the subtidal down to 40 m. Samples from the mesophotic zone show a much higher median of 42%, which is likely an underestimation due to sampling constraints. In contrast, non-indigenous species show assemblages matching the historical richness. Seasonality is very strong: autumn samples, after the summer heat peak, are highly impoverished in native species but enriched in non-indigenous ones. Additionally, a comparison between today’s and historical native species maximum size shows that shallow subtidal native populations are mostly non-reproductive. In contrast, non-indigenous species reach reproductive size. These results suggest that a recent large-scale change in environmental conditions is strongly favoring non-indigenous species and is the main cause behind the shallow subtidal native species decline. Such an environmental factor is likely seawater temperature that plays a greater role in the shallow subtidal than in the cooler mesophotic zone, and affects subtidal species more than intertidal ones, pre-adapted to a climatically extreme environment.</p>

scholarly journals Biological invasions: winning the science battles but losing the conservation war?

Oryx ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip E. Hulme
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Invasion Process ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

Biological invasions by non-indigenous species (NIS) are widely recognized as a significant component of human-caused global environmental change. However, the standard programme of mapping distributions, predicting future ranges, modelling species spread, assessing impacts, developing management guidelines and screening species suffers from a number of serious limitations. NIS distribution maps can often be as misleading as they are instructive. Perceptions of the intensity, scale and rate of invasion are a function of mapping resolution, and the lack of common mapping standards prevents accurate comparative assessments. Coarse resolution data may overestimate the role of climate in the invasion process relative to other variables such as land use or human population density. Climate envelopes have therefore been widely used to predict species future ranges, but often overestimate potential distributions. Without an appropriate mechanistic understanding of the invasion process, correlative approaches may misinterpret the relative risks posed by different NIS. In addition, statistical models of invasion fail to encapsulate the complexity of human-mediated dispersal, which includes such diverse processes as transatlantic timber trade, horticultural fashion and the continuing expansion of road networks. Screening tools based on species traits, taxonomy and/or invasion history can sometimes result in high discrimination rates. Yet where the cost of false positives outweighs the risks from false negatives, a higher discriminatory power is required. Certain research outputs have perhaps been counterproductive in the war against invasive species. Studies have highlighted that only a tiny proportion of NIS are invasive, that most invasions occur in human dominated rather than pristine ecosystems, that indigenous and non-indigenous species are sufficiently similar that their impacts may not necessarily be different, and that there is evidence that introduced species augment rather than reduce species diversity. It is crucial to address these wider perceptions of the problem in order to mobilize the resources necessary for a global invasive species management programme.

BRACHYSTELES PARVICORNUS (COSTA), AN ANTHOCORIDAE NEW TO CANADA (HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA)

1993 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. 965-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Lattin
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
New Records ◽  
Oribatid Mite ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
Pinus Rigida ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

New records for non-indigenous species of Hemiptera: Heteroptera continue to be reported from Canada. Schwartz et al. (1991) reported the microphysid Loricula bipunctata (Perris) from Saanichton, British Columbia, and Larivière (1992) reported the occurrence of the nabid Himacerus apterous (Fabricius) from the vicinity of Halifax, Nova Scotia.Asquith and Lattin (1990) recorded the European anthocorid Brachysteles parvicornis (Costa) from New York, and Noodline, New Jersey. Lattin and Asquith (1991) reported additional material of the species from Maine on Picea glauca (Moench) and from Massachusetts on Pinus rigida Mill. With the latter specimens, the oribatid mite Humerobates rostrolamellatus Grandjean was beaten from the trees along with the bug. This is a cosmopolitan mite that occurs on trees and is found in Europe. Pericart (1972), citing Carayon, stated that Brachysteles parvicornis fed upon oribatid mites found on trees. Pericart provided a detailed account of this species of anthocorid in Europe. Little is known of its habits in North America except that it appears to be found on conifers and seems to be associated with the oribatid mite mentioned above. Pericart (1972) reported other hosts in Europe so the bug may be found on non-conifer hosts as well. There is a brachypterous form but, thus far, only fully winged adults have been collected in North America.

scholarly journals Terrestrial ecosystems of the Antarctic Peninsula and their responses to climate change and anthropogenic impacts

2020 ◽  
pp. 84-97
Author(s):  
R. Bargagli ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Extreme Temperature ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Non Indigenous Species ◽  
Food Web Complexity ◽  
The Antarctic

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are unique natural laboratories where organisms adapted to extreme environmental conditions have evolved in isolation for millions of years. These unique biotic communities on Earth are facing complex climatic and environmental changes. Terrestrial ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula Region (APR) have experienced the highest rate of climate warming and, being the most impacted by human activities, are facing the greatest risk of detrimental changes. This review provides an overview of the most recent findings on how biotic communities in terrestrial ecosystems of the Antarctic Peninsula Region (APR) are responding and will likely respond to further environmental changes and direct anthropogenic impacts. Knowledge gained from studies on relatively simple terrestrial ecosystems could be very useful in predicting what may happen in much more complex ecosystems in regions with less extreme temperature changes. The rapid warming of the APR has led to the retreat of glaciers, the loss of snow and permafrost and the increase of ice-free areas, with a consequent enhancement of soil-forming processes, biotic communities, and food web complexity. However, most human activity is concentrated in APR coastal ice-free areas and poses many threats to terrestrial ecosystems such as environmental pollution or disturbances to soilcommunities and wildlife. People who work or visit APR may inadvertently introduce alien organisms and/or spread native species to spatially isolated ice-free areas. The number of introduced non-indigenous species and xenobiotic compounds in the APR is likely to be greater than currently documented, and several biosecurity and monitoring activities are therefore suggested to Antarctic national scientific programs and tourism operators to minimize the risk of irreversible loss of integrity by the unique terrestrial ecosystems of APR.

scholarly journals Comparative feeding behaviour of native and introduced terrestrial snails tracks their ecological impacts

NeoBiota ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 81-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tedi Hoxha ◽  
Steve Crookes ◽  
Ian MacIsaac ◽  
Xuexiu Chang ◽  
Mattias Johansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Response ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Food Type ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Competitive Abilities ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

A developing body of theory and empirical evidence suggest that feeding behaviour as measured by the functional response (FR) can assist researchers in assessing the relative potential, ecological impacts and competitive abilities of native and introduced species. Here, we explored the FRs of two land snails that occur in south-western Ontario, one native (Mesodonthyroidus) and one non-indigenous (Cepaeanemoralis) to Canada. The non-indigenous species appears to have low ecological impact and inferior competitive abilities. Consistent with theory, while both species conformed to Type II functional responses, the native species had a significantly higher attack rate (5.30 vs 0.41, respectively) and slightly lower handling time (0.020 vs 0.023), and hence a higher maximum feeding rate (50.0 vs 43.5). The non-indigenous species exhibited a significantly longer time to contact for a variety of food types, and appeared less discriminating of paper that was offered as a non-food type. The non-indigenous species also ate significantly less food when in mixed species trials with the native snail. These feeding patterns match the known low ecological impact of the introduced snail and are consistent with the view that it is an inferior competitor relative to the native species. However, field experimentation is required to clarify whether the largely microallopatric distributions of the two species in south-western Ontario reflect competitive dominance by the native species or other factors such as habitat preference, feeding preferences or predator avoidance. The relative patterns of feeding behaviour and ecological impact are, however, fully in line with recent functional response theory and application.

Non-indigenous marine macroalgae in native communities: a case study in the British Isles

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederic Mineur ◽  
Mark P. Johnson ◽  
Christine A. Maggs
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Marine Macroalgae ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Species Introduction ◽  
Southern England ◽  
Non Indigenous Species

It has traditionally been considered that areas with high natural species richness are likely to be more resistant to non-indigenous species than those with lower numbers of species. However, this theory has been the subject of a debate over the last decade, since some studies have shown the opposite trend. In the present study, a macroalgal survey was carried out at 24 localities in Northern Ireland and southern England, using a quadrat approach in the lower littoral. The two opposing hypotheses were tested (negative versus positive relationship between native and non-indigenous species richness) in this marine environment. The effect of the presence of ‘impacts’, potential sources of disturbance and species introduction (e.g. marina, harbour or aquaculture), was also tested. A positive relationship was found between the number of non-indigenous species and the native species richness at the three different scales tested (quadrats, sites and localities). At no scale did a richer native assemblage appear to restrict the establishment of introduced species. The analyses revealed greater species richness and different community composition, as well as more non-indigenous species, in southern England relative to Northern Ireland. The presence of the considered impacts had an effect on the community composition and species richness in southern England but not in Northern Ireland. Such impacts had no effect on the non-indigenous species richness in either area.

21. Invasion of Asian Carp in the Great Lakes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kassandra Smrekar ◽  
Shingo Tanaka ◽  
Lavie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
North American ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Asian Carp ◽  
Freshwater Species

A recent threat posed to the Great Lakes and adjoining waterways is the Asian Carp.  This large bodied fish originated from Asia and was first imported to the North American between 1960 to 1970. Their migration northward through the Mississippi River eliminated native freshwater species through competition of habitat and food resources. It is imperative to focus on the potential invasion of the Asian Carp because the risk assessment is high that the carp would eliminate all native species.  Currently the carp are at the border of entering Lake Michigan, which would then provide access to the rest of the freshwater regions in the surrounding area. Ultimately, the loss of lake biodiversity is the fundamental problem and is coupled with economic issues.  Bowfin Environmental Consulting INC and various invasive species awareness programs have been utilized to provide guidance on undertaking a project that involves an aggressive invasive species.  The challenge faced will be to determine a method in which to prevent the invasion of Asian Carp.  Examining their migration patterns, importation laws of live fish, and the policies of invasive species, will provide insight on the approach that should be taken to eliminate the threat of Asian Carp.  It is also important to analyze which native species are most susceptible to becoming extinct.  Overall, the intention is not only to increase government, scientific, and public awareness of this issue, but also to provide methods that can be implemented to prevent and eradicate the spread of Asian Carp in North American waterways.

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