Relationships between water chemistry and herbicide efficacy of Eurasian watermilfoil management in Wisconsin lakes

Frater, Paul N.; Mikulyuk, Alison; Barton, Martha; Nault, Michelle; Wagner, Kelly I.; Hauxwell, Jennifer; Kujawa, Ellen Ruth

doi:10.1080/10402381.2016.1235634

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Previous research on the ecological effects of herbicide treatments is variable: some studies report minimal effects on native aquatic plants, whereas other studies observe species declines that can be long-lasting (Kovalenko et al 2010;Wersal et al 2010;Nault et al 2014). Contradictory findings may be explained by the spatial scale of treatment, water chemistry, and differences in herbicide products, rates, and exposure time (Frater et al 2016;Nault et al 2012Nault et al , 2018. Our study uses data from many aquatic plant communities to reveal evidence that lake-wide herbicide treatments may be associated with ecological effects on nontarget species and aquatic plant communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the cure worse than the disease? Comparing the ecological effects of an invasive aquatic plant and the herbicide treatments used to control it

Mikulyuk

Kujawa

Nault

et al. 2020

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Invasive species are known to have negative ecological effects. However, few studies have evaluated the impacts of invasive species relative to the effects of invasive species control, thereby limiting our ability to make informed decisions considering the benefits and drawbacks of a given management approach. To address this gap, we compared the ecological effects of the invasive aquatic plant Eurasian watermilfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum L.) with the effects of lake-wide herbicide treatments used for M. spicatum control using aquatic plant data collected from 173 lakes in Wisconsin, USA. First, a pre–post analysis of aquatic plant communities found significant declines in native plant species in response to lake-wide herbicide treatment. Second, multi-level modeling using a large data set revealed a negative association between lake-wide herbicide treatments and native aquatic plants, but no significant negative effect of invasive M. spicatum. Taken together, our results indicate that lake-wide herbicide treatments aimed at controlling M. spicatum had larger effects on native aquatic plants than did the target of control—invasive M. spicatum. Our comparison reveals an important management tradeoff and encourages careful consideration of how we balance the real and perceived impacts of invasive species and the methods used for their control.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the cure worse than the disease? Comparing the ecological effects of an invasive aquatic plant and the herbicide treatments used to control it

Mikulyuk

Kujawa

Nault

et al. 2020

FACETS

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“…These surveys are used for a wide variety of purposes, including baseline monitoring [56], long-term ecological trend monitoring (SLICE: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fisheries/slice/ index.html), university research projects [57,58], and monitoring of management outcomes [59]. Recent work has illustrated the research opportunities these datasets provide, as they are cohesive surveys conducted using a common method over long time scales and wide geographic ranges [59][60][61][62]. We compiled plant occurrence and depth data from point-intercept surveys performed by agencies, researchers, and lake managers in the period 2000-2018.…”

Section: Macrophyte Occurrence Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche Models Differentiate Potential Impacts of Two Aquatic Invasive Plant Species on Native Macrophytes

2020

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Potamogeton crispus (curlyleaf pondweed) and Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil) are widely thought to competitively displace native macrophytes in North America. However, their perceived competitive superiority has not been comprehensively evaluated. Coexistence theory suggests that invader displacement of native species through competitive exclusion is most likely where high niche overlap results in competition for limiting resources. Thus, evaluation of niche similarity can serve as a starting point for predicting the likelihood of invaders having direct competitive impacts on resident species. Across two environmental gradients structuring macrophyte communities—water depth and light availability—both P. crispus and M. spicatum are thought to occupy broad niches. For a third dimension, phenology, the annual growth cycle of M. spicatum is typical of other species, whereas the winter-ephemeral phenology of P. crispus may impart greater niche differentiation and thus lower risk of native species being competitively excluded. Using an unprecedented dataset comprising 3404 plant surveys from Minnesota collected using a common protocol, we modeled niches of 34 species using a probabilistic niche framework. Across each niche dimension, P. crispus had lower overlap with native species than did M. spicatum; this was driven in particular by its distinct phenology. These results suggest that patterns of dominance seen in P. crispus and M. spicatum have likely arisen through different mechanisms, and that direct competition with native species is less likely for P. crispus than M. spicatum. This research highlights the utility of fine-scale, abundance-based niche models for predicting invader impacts.

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“…how to best design a control plan for multi‐year reductions, or how winter conditions will mediate control effectiveness), arise at least partly due to research on CLP biology and management having mainly comprised small‐scale and case studies. Integration and analysis of larger datasets across greater spatial and temporal scales would allow more robust inferences and generalisations to be made (Frater et al, ; Kujawa et al, ; Nault et al, ). Even if implementing treatments based on existing science, managers face challenges such as variable outcomes (Kujawa et al, ), uncertainty regarding best practices (Hussner et al, ), and a lack of coordination and sharing of accumulated data and knowledge (c.f.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Retrospective analysis of monitoring data collected during management of aquatic invasive plants offers a means to address these gaps (Heger et al, ). Such data can be collated and analysed to evaluate management practices at broader scales to advance understanding and practices (Fleming & Dibble, ; Frater et al, ; Heiskary & Valley, ; Hussner et al, ; Kujawa et al, ; Valley & Heiskary, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By integrating across projects, synthetic analyses can capitalise on large‐scale variation in factors that influence CLP distribution, density, and control efforts in established populations, enabling more general understanding of factors influencing treatment outcomes. For example, landscape‐level analyses can identify and quantify interactions between management and variation in water chemistry (Frater et al, ). Because of variation in management strategies used, broadscale analyses also enable the efficacy of alternative management approaches to be compared (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Constraining invader dominance: Effects of repeated herbicidal management and environmental factors on curlyleaf pondweed dynamics in 50 Minnesota lakes

2020

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Curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) is one of the most widespread and widely managed aquatic invasive plants in North America. Despite decades of management, the efficacy of long‐term management strategies and the effects of environmental drivers on curlyleaf pondweed populations remain uncertain. To evaluate the effects of management and environmental factors on within‐lake distribution and local density of curlyleaf pondweed, we collated monitoring data from point–intercept surveys collected by a variety of lake managers across Minnesota, U.S.A. Using this dataset, comprising 177 lake‐years of plant data, we examined the influence of herbicide treatment, water clarity, snow depth, and ice cover duration on curlyleaf pondweed distribution and density between 2006 and 2015. We evaluated the effects of herbicides on curlyleaf pondweed at three time points relative to treatment: within year, carryover effects the following year, and cumulative effects over multiple years of treatment. All three temporal measures were associated with significant reductions of curlyleaf pondweed. Additionally, herbicidal management reduced both the density and distribution of curlyleaf pondweed. Given that herbicide management led to reductions that carried over into future years, managers may be able to design multi‐year treatments to reduce total management effort over time. We also found strong effects of environmental conditions on curlyleaf pondweed. Elevated lake productivity and decreased winter snow cover were associated with increased springtime distributions of curlyleaf pondweed, whereas duration of winter ice cover had no influence. The influence of productivity suggests that reductions of this invasive species may be an ancillary benefit of water‐quality improvements that lower lakes’ trophic status. Our results also show that decreased winter snow cover, as predicted under climate change, could exacerbate problematic growth of curlyleaf pondweed. Harnessing monitoring data from multiple projects, as this study does, allows for robust inference about environmental and management constraints on macrophytes. Because of environmental and management variability, we suggest that treatment regimens follow an adaptive management cycle, with outcomes of management monitored and evaluated, and strategies updated accordingly. It is also vital to continue monitoring both managed and unmanaged lakes to enable stronger inferences about treatment effectiveness.

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Relationships between water chemistry and herbicide efficacy of Eurasian watermilfoil management in Wisconsin lakes

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Is the cure worse than the disease? Comparing the ecological effects of an invasive aquatic plant and the herbicide treatments used to control it

Is the cure worse than the disease? Comparing the ecological effects of an invasive aquatic plant and the herbicide treatments used to control it

Niche Models Differentiate Potential Impacts of Two Aquatic Invasive Plant Species on Native Macrophytes

Constraining invader dominance: Effects of repeated herbicidal management and environmental factors on curlyleaf pondweed dynamics in 50 Minnesota lakes

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