Using niche conservatism information to prioritize hotspots of invasion by non‐native freshwater invertebrates in New Zealand

Abstract

Aim: Identifying suitable areas for invasive species establishment is of critical importance for their early detection and rapid eradication. However, our ability to detect suitable areas is impeded by the tendency of species to shift their niche postinvasion.In this study, we (a) investigate the frequency of niche shift within invasive freshwater invertebrates and (b) use niche conservatism information to prioritize potential hotspots of invasion for non-native freshwater invertebrates in New Zealand.Location: Global occurrence data and predictions over New Zealand. Methods:We characterized the native and invasive realized niche using occurrence data for 22 invasive freshwater invertebrates in relation to 27 derived climate variables. Using principal component analysis and species distribution models, we measured the degree of niche shift for each species and identified hotspots of invasion and niche conservatism described within biogeographic units in New Zealand.Results: Niche shift was detected frequently among the invasive freshwater invertebrates studied here, where 90% showed a significant niche change. The characterization of the species niche enabled the identification of species whose management might be hampered because of their ability to colonize novel environments. Locations covering more than half of the land area of New Zealand were found to be climatically suitable for at least four and up to 11 species. Areas that were found to be climatically suitable for several species but were not identified as hotspots of niche conservatism could be considered less critical for surveillance and monitoring.Main conclusions: Aquatic invertebrates show a high degree of niche shift. By combining climate suitability predictions and niche conservatism, we were able to prioritize invasion areas.

To invade or not to invade? Exploring the niche-based processes underlying the failure of a biological invasion using the invasive Chinese mitten crab

“…The results of the n-dimensional hypervolume analysis suggested that a bioclimatic niche shift had occurred during the invasion process of E. sinensis in western US populations and only partly in eastern US and European ones. This was not an unexpected result, because niche shifts during biological invasions have been previously demonstrated for a variety of invasive species from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats (e.g., Broennimann et al, 2007;Li et al, 2014;Parravicini et al, 2015;Petitpierre et al, 2012;Tingley et al, 2014;Torres et al, 2018). The niche shift in western US population leads this population to occupy a niche space of comparable size to that of native populations, although within a different range of environmental conditions.…”

“…However, this picture is complicated by the range of suitable environments that are available to the species in its native regionwhich may not express the full suite of suitable conditionsand by rapid evolutionary changes that can occur during an invasion (Blossey and Notzold, 1995). Both situations may lead to a shift in the niche of invading population toward the colonisation of novel environmental conditions (Broennimann et al, 2007(Broennimann et al, , 2012Petitpierre et al, 2012;Tingley et al, 2014;Torres et al, 2018).…”

“…Despite the fact that SDM is based on the assumption of niche conservatism and niche shift during biological invasions would pose great challenges in predicting invasive potential, previous studies highlight the usefulness and necessity of prioritizing invasion hotspots using niche conservatism (e.g. Broennimann and Guisan, 2008;Ørsted and Ørsted, 2019;Torres et al, 2018). In this study, we (1) tested whether a niche shift between the native and invasive ranges of E. sinensis in freshwater habitats had occurred, (2) developed three different SDMs for this species (i.e., native, invasive, and worldwide) and projected its habitat suitability to the Japanese freshwater environment, especially around the Ariake Sea, and (3) discussed the possible reasons for its failure to date to establish in Japan and evaluated its future invasion risk.…”

Niches and radiations: a case study on the Andean sapphire‐vented puffleg Eriocnemis luciani and coppery‐naped puffleg E. sapphiropygia (Aves, Trochilidae)

“…For example, niches can be modeled based on species occupying environmental niches that are similar ('niche similarity' sensu Peterson et al 1999), which is instrumental for testing biogeographic and evolutionary hypotheses, or identical ('niche equivalency' sensu Graham et al 2004), which is useful for testing the transferability of niche models in space and over a relatively short period of time (Hu et al 2016). The interplay between the conservatism and divergence of niches in shaping lineage differentiation is far from completely understood (Pyron and Burbrink 2009, Peterson 2011, Hu et al 2015, despite its relevance for forecasting changes in biodiversity under changing environmental conditions or invasion risks (Hadly et al 2009, Hortal et al 2011, Lavergne et al 2013, Torres et al 2018. The interplay between the conservatism and divergence of niches in shaping lineage differentiation is far from completely understood (Pyron and Burbrink 2009, Peterson 2011, Hu et al 2015, despite its relevance for forecasting changes in biodiversity under changing environmental conditions or invasion risks (Hadly et al 2009, Hortal et al 2011, Lavergne et al 2013, Torres et al 2018.…”

“…Measuring niche divergence among taxa that share ancestry and occur in similar habitats is paramount for macroecologists and evolutionists. The interplay between the conservatism and divergence of niches in shaping lineage differentiation is far from completely understood (Pyron and Burbrink 2009, Peterson 2011, Hu et al 2015, despite its relevance for forecasting changes in biodiversity under changing environmental conditions or invasion risks (Hadly et al 2009, Hortal et al 2011, Lavergne et al 2013, Torres et al 2018. Environmental niche models (hereafter ENMs) are predictions of species distributions in geographic space (hereafter G-space) that use computer algorithms and mathematical representations of the species' known distribution in environmental space (hereafter E-space; Leathwick 2009, Peterson 2011).…”