Impacts of an abundant introduced ecosystem engineer within mudflats of the southeastern US coast

Byers, JE; Gribben, PE; Yeager, C; Sotka, EE

Impacts of an abundant introduced ecosystem engineer within mudflats of the southeastern US coast

Byers, JE Gribben, PE Yeager, C Sotka, EE

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Publisher:: Springer
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Biological Invasions, 2012, 14 (2), pp. 2587 - 2600
Issue Date:: 2012-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Byers, JE	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Gribben, PE	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Yeager, C	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sotka, EE	en_US
dc.date.issued	2012-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Biological Invasions, 2012, 14 (2), pp. 2587 - 2600	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1387-3547	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/22161
dc.description.abstract	Invasive ecosystem engineers can have far-reaching effects on systems, especially if they provide structure where none was before. The nonnative seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla has proliferated on estuarine mudflats throughout the southeastern US, including areas (South Carolina and Georgia) that historically were extremely low in seaweed biomass. Quantitative field surveys across 150 km of high salinity estuaries revealed that the density of the native onuphid polychaete Diopatra cuprea and the aboveground height of its biogenic tubes, which Diopatra decorates with drifting debris and seaweed, positively influenced Gracilaria biomass. The abundance of Gracilaria epifauna, composed primarily of amphipods and small snails, increased with Gracilaria biomass at many locations in our field surveys. To examine whether epifauna were facilitated by Gracilaria we experimentally manipulated Gracilaria biomass in two locations. Consistent with the field surveys, we found that increasing Gracilaria biomass facilitated epifauna, particularly amphipods and snails. Epifaunal densities on Gracilaria were higher than on a biologically-inert structural mimic of Gracilaria (plastic aquarium alga), indicating that epifauna colonize Gracilaria because Gracilaria provisions both physical structure and a biological resource. We also quantified the seaweedâs net rate of productivity and decomposition. Primary production of Gracilaria was variable, but massive in some areas (up to 200 % net biomass increase in 8 weeks). The seaweed rapidly degraded upon burial in silty sediments (79 % loss in mass within 10 days) and thus may represent an important new addition to detrital foodwebs. As a copious, novel source of primary production, detritus, and desirable habitat for epifauna, Gracilaria has the potential to transform southeastern US estuaries.	en_US
dc.publisher	Springer	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Biological Invasions	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10530-012-0254-5	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Ecology	en_US
dc.title	Impacts of an abundant introduced ecosystem engineer within mudflats of the southeastern US coast	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	14	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	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
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.volume	14	en_US

Abstract:

Invasive ecosystem engineers can have far-reaching effects on systems, especially if they provide structure where none was before. The nonnative seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla has proliferated on estuarine mudflats throughout the southeastern US, including areas (South Carolina and Georgia) that historically were extremely low in seaweed biomass. Quantitative field surveys across 150 km of high salinity estuaries revealed that the density of the native onuphid polychaete Diopatra cuprea and the aboveground height of its biogenic tubes, which Diopatra decorates with drifting debris and seaweed, positively influenced Gracilaria biomass. The abundance of Gracilaria epifauna, composed primarily of amphipods and small snails, increased with Gracilaria biomass at many locations in our field surveys. To examine whether epifauna were facilitated by Gracilaria we experimentally manipulated Gracilaria biomass in two locations. Consistent with the field surveys, we found that increasing Gracilaria biomass facilitated epifauna, particularly amphipods and snails. Epifaunal densities on Gracilaria were higher than on a biologically-inert structural mimic of Gracilaria (plastic aquarium alga), indicating that epifauna colonize Gracilaria because Gracilaria provisions both physical structure and a biological resource. We also quantified the seaweedâs net rate of productivity and decomposition. Primary production of Gracilaria was variable, but massive in some areas (up to 200 % net biomass increase in 8 weeks). The seaweed rapidly degraded upon burial in silty sediments (79 % loss in mass within 10 days) and thus may represent an important new addition to detrital foodwebs. As a copious, novel source of primary production, detritus, and desirable habitat for epifauna, Gracilaria has the potential to transform southeastern US estuaries.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/22161