Assessing the consequences of biological invasions on species with complex life cycles: Impact of the alien crayfish Procambarus clarkii on Odonata

Siesa, M.E.; Padoa‐Schioppa, Emilio; Ott, Jürgen; Bernardi, Fiorenza De; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.05.036

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In any case, maintaining microhabitat heterogeneity and vegetation at different stages of succession probably promotes Odonata biodiversity (Harabiš, 2016; Johansson et al., 2019; Simaika et al., 2016). Lastly, crayfish abundances and algae cover did not influence Odonata assemblages in this study, something that is congruent with results found elsewhere for crayfish (e.g., Siesa et al., 2014) but not for algae (e.g., Johansson et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…and ( 5) aquatic vegetation (macrophyte) cover were assessed in the ditches occurring along the transects as described in Mauchamp et al (2021). ( 6) As invasive crayfish may have a deleterious effect on Odonata (Mccarthy et al, 2006;Siesa et al, 2014), we assessed the abundance of the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) which is widely distributed in the study area. Complementary information on these six habitat indices is given in Table S2A.…”

Section: Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How hydrology and landscape shape Odonata assemblages in marshlands crossed by ditches

et al. 2022

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One of the major current ecological challenges is to understand how to reconcile human activities with biodiversity conservation concerns. This issue is particularly relevant in freshwater ecosystems where biodiversity is globally under severe threat. Artificial waterbodies, such as ditch networks, are part of the few remaining wetlands in agricultural landscapes and hence play a crucial role in maintaining aquatic biodiversity in these landscapes. We investigated the responses of adult Odonata assemblages at different spatial scales in a marshland crossed by ditches to two factors expected to be pivotal influences on assemblages. At the local scale, this was mainly the water regime in ditches and, at a broader scale, the composition of the landscape. Both taxonomic alpha and beta diversity, and functional trait composition were considered as response variables. Significant differences were found between the responses of the two Odonata suborders. We showed that Zygoptera species richness decreased and species turnover increased with the duration of drying episodes in ditches. Geographical distances between local assemblages as well as landscape characteristics, notably woodland cover, meadow cover and ditch network length, also significantly shaped the distribution of Zygoptera. For Anisoptera, species richness was not explained by environmental variables and beta diversity was associated only with local conditions; it increased with increasing dissimilarity in water quality and riparian vegetation. We also found evidence of functional trait syndromes (combinations of correlated traits) in Odonata assemblages, but without clear relationships to environmental gradients. This study reveals the structuring role of water regime for Odonata in ditch networks and demonstrates the need to jointly consider environmental variables at different spatial scales to properly understand the distribution of Odonata. Our findings have important conservation implications as the water regime is heavily managed in such ecosystems. Even though the relationship between functional composition and environmental gradients was found to be of limited extent in this study, we discuss how it might provide new insights for Odonata assemblage structure and be useful, locally, for stakeholders and managers. Lastly, we call for further multiscale investigations considering both the taxonomic and functional responses of Odonata assemblages (functional analyses with multiple traits and several species being scarce in this taxonomic group) in other anthropogenic freshwater ecosystems to gather more lessons for their conservation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How hydrology and landscape shape Odonata assemblages in marshlands crossed by ditches

et al. 2022

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“…The change in agricultural practices over the last decades has contributed to the disappearance of the threatened Sympetrum depressiusculum [48,49], which was very abundant in the rice fields of the Camargue a few decades ago [50]. Finally, the colonization of the Camargue by the exotic red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii has had an impact on odonates [51], and probably on some amphibian species such as the palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus , although no impact could be demonstrated on the Mediterranean tree frog Hyla meridionalis [52]. Although orthopterans were identified as the group showing the starkest declines, so far no study has investigated the drivers of these trends either in the Camargue or in other Mediterranean wetlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating biodiversity changes in the Camargue wetlands: An expert knowledge approach

et al. 2019

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Mediterranean wetlands are critical strongholds for biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem functions and services; yet, they are being severely degraded by a number of socio-economic drivers and pressures, including climate change. Moreover, we still lack comprehensive understanding of the extent to which biodiversity loss in Mediterranean wetlands will accelerate change in ecosystem processes. Here, we evaluate how changes in biodiversity can alter the ecosystem of the Camargue (southern France). We collected data on species presence/absence, trends and abundance over a 40-year period by combining observations from the scholarly literature with insights derived from expert knowledge. In total, we gathered more than 1500 estimates of presence/absence, over 1400 estimates of species abundance, and about 1400 estimates of species trends for eight taxonomic groups, i.e. amphibians, reptiles, breeding birds, fish, mammals, dragonflies (odonates), orthopterans and vascular plants. Furthermore, we used information on recently arrived species and invasive species to identify compositional changes across multiple taxa. Complementing targeted literature searches with expert knowledge allowed filling important gaps regarding the status and trends of biodiversity in the Camargue. Species trend data revealed sharp population declines in amphibians, odonates and orthopterans, while birds and plants experienced an average increase in abundance between the 1970s and the 2010s. The general increasing trends of novel and invasive species is suggested as an explanation for the changing abundance of birds and plants. While the observed declines in certain taxa reflect the relative failure of the protection measures established in the Camargue, the increasing exposure to novel and invasive species reveal major changes in the community structure of the different taxonomic groups. This study is the first attempt to assess changes in biodiversity in the Camargue using an expert knowledge approach, and can help manage the uncertainties and complexities associated with rapid social-ecological change in other Mediterranean wetlands.

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“…Non‐native crayfish negatively affect odonates across all aquatic life stages (Siesa et al. ) and our laboratory results suggest that these impacts may also have indirect consequences to dragonfly behavior that in turn leads to increases of mosquitoes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing effects of non‐native crayfish on mosquito survival

Bucciarelli

Suh

Lamb

et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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Introductions of nonnative predators often reduce biodiversity and affect natural predator-prey relationships and may increase the abundance of potential disease vectors (e.g., mosquitoes) indirectly through competition or predation cascades. The Santa Monica Mountains (California, U.S.A.), situated in a global biodiversity hotspot, is an area of conservation concern due to climate change, urbanization, and the introduction of nonnative species. We examined the effect of nonnative crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) on an existing native predator, dragonfly nymphs (Aeshna sp.), and their mosquito larvae (Anopheles sp.) prey. We used laboratory experiments to compare the predation efficiency of both predators, separately and together, and field data on counts of dragonfly nymphs and mosquito larvae sampled from 13 local streams. We predicted a lower predation efficiency of crayfish compared with native dragonfly nymphs and a reduced predation efficiency of dragonfly nymphs in the presence of crayfish. Dragonfly nymphs were an order of magnitude more efficient predators than crayfish, and dragonfly nymph predation efficiency was reduced in the presence of crayfish. Field count data showed that populations of dragonfly nymphs and mosquito larvae were strongly correlated with crayfish presence in streams, such that sites with crayfish tended to have fewer dragonfly nymphs and more mosquito larvae. Under natural conditions, it is likely that crayfish reduce the abundance of dragonfly nymphs and their predation efficiency and thereby, directly and indirectly, lead to higher mosquito populations and a loss of ecosystem services related to disease vector control.

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Assessing the consequences of biological invasions on species with complex life cycles: Impact of the alien crayfish Procambarus clarkii on Odonata

Cited by 23 publications

References 53 publications

How hydrology and landscape shape Odonata assemblages in marshlands crossed by ditches

How hydrology and landscape shape Odonata assemblages in marshlands crossed by ditches

Estimating biodiversity changes in the Camargue wetlands: An expert knowledge approach

Assessing effects of non‐native crayfish on mosquito survival

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