2017
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700353114
|View full text |Cite|
|
Sign up to set email alerts
|

An invasive foundation species enhances multifunctionality in a coastal ecosystem

Abstract: While invasive species often threaten biodiversity and human well-being, their potential to enhance functioning by offsetting the loss of native habitat has rarely been considered. We manipulated the abundance of the nonnative, habitat-forming seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla in large plots (25 m2) on southeastern US intertidal landscapes to assess impacts on multiple ecosystem functions underlying coastal ecosystem services. We document that in the absence of native habitat formers, this invasion has an ove… Show more

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...
3
1
1

Citation Types

4
78
0

Year Published

2018
2018
2023
2023

Publication Types

Select...
8
1

Relationship

0
9

Authors

Journals

citations
Cited by 102 publications
(82 citation statements)
references
References 73 publications
4
78
0
Order By: Relevance
“…The more food web connections that are broken or altered by human‐induced disturbances, the larger the impact of invaders may be, as higher food web connectance correlates with invasion resistance (Smith‐Ramesh, Moore, & Schmitz, ). Evidence is currently building that invaders can have positive effects on disturbed ecosystems, with invaders replacing the function of lost or declining species, or providing new functions useful in the altered habitat (Carroll, ; Ramus, Silliman, Thomsen, & Long, ; Ricciardi et al., ; Schlaepfer, Sax, & Olden, ; Thomsen et al., ; Wallach et al., ). However, it is still poorly known under which conditions invaders stabilize rather than disrupt human‐altered environments and how common such positive effects are.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The more food web connections that are broken or altered by human‐induced disturbances, the larger the impact of invaders may be, as higher food web connectance correlates with invasion resistance (Smith‐Ramesh, Moore, & Schmitz, ). Evidence is currently building that invaders can have positive effects on disturbed ecosystems, with invaders replacing the function of lost or declining species, or providing new functions useful in the altered habitat (Carroll, ; Ramus, Silliman, Thomsen, & Long, ; Ricciardi et al., ; Schlaepfer, Sax, & Olden, ; Thomsen et al., ; Wallach et al., ). However, it is still poorly known under which conditions invaders stabilize rather than disrupt human‐altered environments and how common such positive effects are.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Where present, hypotheses of abiotic mechanisms were most clearly stated in the case of invasive or domestic species that have physical effects on biogeochemical cycling (Constán‐Nava et al, ; Zhang et al, ). For example, in addition to altering local diversity, invasive plants may alter soil or sediment properties, such as water retention, stability, and biogeochemical cycling (Constán‐Nava et al, ; Quero, Maestre, Ochoa, García‐Gómez, & Delgado‐Baquerizo, ; Ramus et al, ). The activities of grazers may also impact soil properties and processes through trampling and dung and urine deposition (Allan et al, ; Peco, Navarro, Carmona, Medina, & Marques, ; Sircely & Naeem, ; Vandandorj et al, ; Zhang et al, ), resulting in altered EMF (Figure b).…”
Section: Toward a Mechanistic Understanding Of Global Change Impacts mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Bold face denotes statistical significance at a = 0.05. native taxa and increases in local biodiversity (Crooks 2002, Castilla et al 2004, Byers et al 2012, Wright et al 2014, Ramus et al 2017. The present study highlights the potential benefits of a weakly competitive nonnative habitat-forming species in mitigating the impacts of habitat degradation on native biodiversity.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 64%
“…Nonnative control should not be a goal in itself and should only be undertaken when it aids the aforementioned outcomes, for example, where a nonnative species is highly invasive and likely to exacerbate declines in biodiversity. We are not the first to suggest such an approach to nonnative species management (Zavaleta et al 2001, Schlaepfer et al 2011, Ramus et al 2017, but this study is among the first to demonstrate the ecological trap concept as an assessment framework that can provide evidence needed to guide an outcomes-focused and evidence-based management approach.…”
Section: Management Implicationsmentioning
confidence: 98%