Abstract
Seagrass meadows are critical ecosystems, and they are among the most threatened habitats on the planet. As an anthropogenic biotic invader, Spartina alterniflora Loisel. competes with native plants, threatens native ecosystems and coastal aquaculture, and may cause local biodiversity to decline. The distribution area of the exotic species S. alterniflora in the Yellow River Delta had been expanding to ca.4,000 ha from 1990 to 2018. In this study, we reported, for the first time, the competitive effects of the exotic plant (S. alterniflora) on seagrass (Zostera japonica Asch. & Graebn.) by field investigation and a transplant experiment in the Yellow River Delta. Within the first 3 months of the field experiment, S. alterniflora had pushed forward 14 m into the Z. japonica distribution region. In the study region, the area of S. alterniflora in 2019 increased by 516 times compared with its initial area in 2015. Inhibition of Z. japonica growth increased with the invasion of S. alterniflora. Z. japonica had been degrading significantly under the pressure of S. alterniflora invasion. S. alterniflora propagates sexually via seeds for long distance invasion and asexually by tillers and rhizomes for short distance invasion. Our results describe the invasion pattern of S. alterniflora and can be used to develop strategies for prevention and control of S. alterniflora invasion.
Highlights
Biological invasion is a significant component of human-caused global environmental change
In May 2015, we found an initial invasion of S. alterniflora at Z. japonica meadows in our study region, and S. alterniflora had been occurring in small patches surrounded by Z. japonica meadows
We investigated the competitive effects of S. alterniflora on Z. japonica in the study region to assess the possible consequences of the introduced S. alterniflora on the native Z. japonica communities in the Yellow River Delta
Summary
Biological invasion is a significant component of human-caused global environmental change. Biotic invaders can establish a new range in which they proliferate, spread, and persist to damage the environment (Mack et al, 2000). Animal invaders can cause extinctions of vulnerable native species. The Nile perch (Lates niloticus) has contributed to the extinction of more than 200. Spartina alterniflora Is Invading Seagrass endemic fish species through predation and competition for food (Lowe et al, 2000). Plant invaders can completely alter the energy budgets and nutrient cycling in a native ecosystem and can greatly diminish the diversity of native species. The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) dramatically reduces biological diversity in aquatic ecosystems through shading and crowding of native aquatic plants (Lowe et al, 2000)
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