- Title
- Evidence for a new regime shift between floating and submerged invasive plant dominance in South Africa
- Creator
- Strange, Emily F, Hill, Martin P, Coetzee, Julie A
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423993
- Identifier
- vital:72114
- Identifier
- xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3506-2"
- Description
- Classical biological control for the management of floating invasive plants has been highly successful in South Africa. However, restoring ecosystem services has been compromised by a new suite of submerged invasive plants. This study proposes that biological control of floating invasive macrophytes acts as a catalyst in a regime shift between floating and submerged invasive plant dominance. Regime shifts are large and sudden changes in the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The proposed shift is driven by the rapid decomposition of floating plants and subsequent increase in availability of nutrients and light. A mesocosm experiment explored the effect of biological control on floating Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) upon the growth of invasive submerged Egeria densa Planch. (Hydrocharitaceae), and native submerged plant species of the same family; Lagarosiphon major (Ridl.) Moss (Hydrocharitaceae). The results revealed a cascade effect of biological control of P. stratiotes on the availability of nitrogen, resulting in increased relative growth rates and invasive capacity for E. densa. In contrast, the native L. major could not compete with healthy or damaged P. stratiotes. These findings highlight the vulnerability of South African freshwater systems to submerged plant invasions and demonstrate the importance of a more holistic approach to invasive plant management.
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (14 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- SpringerLink
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Hydrobiologia, Strange, E.F., Hill, J.M. and Coetzee, J.A., 2018. Evidence for a new regime shift between floating and submerged invasive plant dominance in South Africa. Hydrobiologia, 817, pp.349-362, Hydrobiologia volume 817 p. 349 2018 1573-5117
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the SpringerLink Terms of Use Statement ( https://link.springer.com/termsandconditions)
- Rights
- Closed Access
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Collections
Coetzee, Julie A (Prof)
RU DST/NRF SARChI for Insects in Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems
Hill, Martin Patrick (Distinguished Professor)
RU Department of Botany
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
SDG 15. Life On Land
SDG 14. Life Below Water
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details | SOURCE1 | Evidence for a new regime shift between floating and submerged invasive plant dominance in South Africa.pdf | 744 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details |