A boat hitchhiker’s guide to survival: Cabomba caroliniana desiccation resistance and survival ability

Abstract

Cabomba caroliniana is a submersed macrophyte that has become a serious invader. Cabomba predominantly spreads by stem fragments, in particular through unintentional transport on boat trailers ('hitch hiking'). Desiccation resistance affects the potential dispersal radius. Therefore, knowledge of maximum survival times allows predicting future dispersal. Experiments were conducted to assess desiccation resistance and survival ability of cabomba fragments under various environmental scenarios. Cabomba fragments were highly tolerant of desiccation. However, even relatively low wind speeds resulted in rapid mass loss, indicating a low survival rate of fragments exposed to air currents, such as fragments transported on a boat trailer. The experiments indicated that cabomba could survive at least 3 h of overland transport if exposed to wind. However, even small clumps of cabomba could potentially survive up to 42 h. Thus, targeting the transport of clumps of macrophytes should receive high priority in management. The high resilience of cabomba to desiccation demonstrates the risk of continuing spread. Because of the high probability of fragment viability on arrival, preventing fragment uptake on boat trailers is paramount to reduce the risk of further spread. These findings will assist improving models that predict the spread of aquatic invasive macrophytes.

Effect of water quality and season on the population dynamics of Cabomba caroliniana in subtropical Queensland, Australia

“…As C. caroliniana does not tolerate pH > 7.5 (Bickel, 2012Bickel, 2012Mackey and Swarbrick, 1997Ørgaard, 1991), establishment will be primarily determined by the pH of the recipient water. Apart from abiotic factors, human transport of fragments will largely determine the future spread of this species in Australia (Bickel, 2015). C. caroliniana rarely produces viable seeds in its introduced range and therefore depends primarily on humans to disperse vegetative propagules to new watersheds.…”

Aquatic invasive species: general trends in the literature and introduction to the special issue

“…Furthermore, vegetative buds of P. crispus successfully sprout after 28 days of drying, suggesting that these abundant propagules (produced in midsummer) are particularly potent as dispersal stages (Bruckerhoff et al, 2015). In another experimental manipulation, conducted in Australia, Bickel (2015) assessed the effects of air exposure on Cabomba caroliniana regeneration and the influence of temperature, shade, clumping, and humidity on this response. He showed that cabomba is resistant to short periods of drying, and that survivorship of propagules decreases mainly with increased wind speed, higher temperature, and low humidity, and survivorship increases when fragments are transported in clumps, when they survive up to 42 h. Increasing fragment mass loss decreased the potential to regenerate healthy plants and thus, it reduces the potential of new invasions.…”

Chlorophyll fluorometry sheds light on the role of desiccation resistance for vegetative overland dispersal of aquatic plants

“…Gray (2.3% estimated hydration WC;Bickel, 2015). 94% water loss of M. spicatum (2.7% estimated hydration WC; this study) or c. 97% water loss of Cabomba caroliniana A.…”

“…We document regeneration of e.g. This is probably a consequence of differences in the experimental setup, as the rate of evaporative water loss and viability of plant fragments will differ due to various factors, such as VPD , wind speed (Bickel, 2015), precipitation (Bruckerhoff et al, 2015), and clumping of plants (Bickel, 2015;Jerde et al, 2012). This is probably a consequence of differences in the experimental setup, as the rate of evaporative water loss and viability of plant fragments will differ due to various factors, such as VPD , wind speed (Bickel, 2015), precipitation (Bruckerhoff et al, 2015), and clumping of plants (Bickel, 2015;Jerde et al, 2012).…”

“…Currently, the European Union has listed 10 IAAPs, for which strategies and measures are required to stop their further introduction into the EU and limit their spread within the European countries (EU regulation No. In previous studies, the resistance of aquatic plant fragments to desiccation has so far been examined by determining the regeneration potential of plant fragments following designated periods of desiccation and by using water or mass loss as the only indicators for the viability of fragments (Barnes et al, 2013;Bickel, 2015;Bruckerhoff et al, 2015;Coughlan et al, 2018;Evans, Kelting, Forrest, & Steblen, 2011;Jerde et al, 2012;Johnstone et al, 1985;McAlarnen, Barnes, Jerde, & Lodge, 2012;Silveira, Thomaz, Mormul, & Camacho, 2009). While the dispersal into isolated water bodies is largely based on the overland transport of plant fragments, information about the species-and fragment type-specific resistance to desiccation is substantive (Hussner et al, 2017).…”