Impacts of detritus from the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia on a soft sediment community

Taylor, SL; Bishop, MJ; Kelaher, BP; Glasby, TM

Impacts of detritus from the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia on a soft sediment community

Taylor, SL Bishop, MJ Kelaher, BP Glasby, TM

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2010, 420 pp. 73 - 81
Issue Date:: 2010-12-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Taylor, SL	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bishop, MJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Kelaher, BP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Glasby, TM	en_US
dc.date.issued	2010-12-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2010, 420 pp. 73 - 81	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0171-8630	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/14728
dc.description.abstract	Invasive primary producers can dramatically reorganize food webs through detrital subsidies. This study assessed (1) contributions of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia to detrital resources of temperate Australian estuaries, and (2) effects of these contributions on sedimentdwelling invertebrates. In an invaded estuary, sampling of an intertidal shore indicated C. taxifolia fragments were consistently present in organic matter deposits and were particularly abundant following storms. Sampling of the alga across 6 invaded estuaries showed that the ratio of organic carbon to nitrogen (C:N) in fresh tissue varied between 7 and 16. To determine how C. taxifolia detritus influences benthic macrofaunal assemblages and whether this influence depends on the quantity and C:N ratio of C. taxifolia detritus, a manipulative field experiment was performed. On a sheltered intertidal mudflat, 0.25 m2 plots of sediment were experimentally enriched with either a high (90 g DW) or low (30 g) loading of high C:N (14) or low C:N (7) C. taxifolia detritus. Experimental enrichment negatively affected the total abundance and species richness of macroinvertebrates relative to controls, and these effects increased with detrital loading. For some macrofauna, reducing the C:N ratio tended to exacerbate negative effects on abundances, whereas it moderated these effects for other species. Given that organic matter derived from invasive species can be transported beyond the distribution of live invaders, greater consideration should be given to the potential broad-scale effects of invasive primary producers on detrital pathways. © Inter-Research 2010.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Marine Ecology Progress Series	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3354/meps08903	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Marine Biology & Hydrobiology	en_US
dc.title	Impacts of detritus from the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia on a soft sediment community	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	420	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	0405 Oceanography	en_US
utslib.for	0608 Zoology	en_US
dc.location.activity	ISI:000285419300006	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of the Environment
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	420	en_US

Abstract:

Invasive primary producers can dramatically reorganize food webs through detrital subsidies. This study assessed (1) contributions of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia to detrital resources of temperate Australian estuaries, and (2) effects of these contributions on sedimentdwelling invertebrates. In an invaded estuary, sampling of an intertidal shore indicated C. taxifolia fragments were consistently present in organic matter deposits and were particularly abundant following storms. Sampling of the alga across 6 invaded estuaries showed that the ratio of organic carbon to nitrogen (C:N) in fresh tissue varied between 7 and 16. To determine how C. taxifolia detritus influences benthic macrofaunal assemblages and whether this influence depends on the quantity and C:N ratio of C. taxifolia detritus, a manipulative field experiment was performed. On a sheltered intertidal mudflat, 0.25 m2 plots of sediment were experimentally enriched with either a high (90 g DW) or low (30 g) loading of high C:N (14) or low C:N (7) C. taxifolia detritus. Experimental enrichment negatively affected the total abundance and species richness of macroinvertebrates relative to controls, and these effects increased with detrital loading. For some macrofauna, reducing the C:N ratio tended to exacerbate negative effects on abundances, whereas it moderated these effects for other species. Given that organic matter derived from invasive species can be transported beyond the distribution of live invaders, greater consideration should be given to the potential broad-scale effects of invasive primary producers on detrital pathways. © Inter-Research 2010.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/14728