Invading herbivory: The golden apple snail alters ecosystem functioning in Asian wetlands
Carlsson, Nils LU ; Brönmark, Christer LU and Hansson, Lars-Anders LU
(2004)
In Ecology
85(6).
p.1575-1580
- Abstract
- We investigated the effects of an exotic snail, the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical wetland ecosystems. This large snail (up to 80-mm shell height) has invaded large parts of Southeast Asia during recent decades. A survey of natural wetlands in Thailand showed that high densities of the snail were associated with almost complete absence of aquatic plants, high nutrient concentrations, and high phytoplankton biomass, that is, a complete shift in both ecosystem state and function. A field experiment demonstrated that grazing by the snail can cause the loss of aquatic plants, a change toward dominance of planktonic algae, and thereby a shift toward turbid water. Estimates of... (More)
- We investigated the effects of an exotic snail, the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical wetland ecosystems. This large snail (up to 80-mm shell height) has invaded large parts of Southeast Asia during recent decades. A survey of natural wetlands in Thailand showed that high densities of the snail were associated with almost complete absence of aquatic plants, high nutrient concentrations, and high phytoplankton biomass, that is, a complete shift in both ecosystem state and function. A field experiment demonstrated that grazing by the snail can cause the loss of aquatic plants, a change toward dominance of planktonic algae, and thereby a shift toward turbid water. Estimates of biologically fixed nutrients released through snails grazing on aquatic plants revealed that phosphorus releases were sufficient to explain the recorded increase in phytoplankton biomass. Hence, our study demonstrates how an herbivore may trigger a shift from clear water and macrophyte dominance to a turbid state dominated by planktonic algae. This shift and the continuing aggressive invasion of this exotic species are detrimental to the integrity and functioning of wetland ecosystems, and to the services these provide in Southeast Asia. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/136660
- author
- Carlsson, Nils
LU
; Brönmark, Christer
LU
and Hansson, Lars-Anders
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2004
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Ecology
- volume
- 85
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 1575 - 1580
- publisher
- Ecological Society of America
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000222727500015
- scopus:4444320897
- ISSN
- 0012-9658
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 084d6a9c-0a0c-4c1f-9854-d059539faf22 (old id 136660)
- alternative location
- http://www.esajournals.org/esaonline/?request=get-abstract&issn=0012-9658&volume=085&issue=06&page=1575
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 15:22:15
- date last changed
- 2022-03-30 00:58:56
@article{084d6a9c-0a0c-4c1f-9854-d059539faf22,
abstract = {{We investigated the effects of an exotic snail, the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical wetland ecosystems. This large snail (up to 80-mm shell height) has invaded large parts of Southeast Asia during recent decades. A survey of natural wetlands in Thailand showed that high densities of the snail were associated with almost complete absence of aquatic plants, high nutrient concentrations, and high phytoplankton biomass, that is, a complete shift in both ecosystem state and function. A field experiment demonstrated that grazing by the snail can cause the loss of aquatic plants, a change toward dominance of planktonic algae, and thereby a shift toward turbid water. Estimates of biologically fixed nutrients released through snails grazing on aquatic plants revealed that phosphorus releases were sufficient to explain the recorded increase in phytoplankton biomass. Hence, our study demonstrates how an herbivore may trigger a shift from clear water and macrophyte dominance to a turbid state dominated by planktonic algae. This shift and the continuing aggressive invasion of this exotic species are detrimental to the integrity and functioning of wetland ecosystems, and to the services these provide in Southeast Asia.}},
author = {{Carlsson, Nils and Brönmark, Christer and Hansson, Lars-Anders}},
issn = {{0012-9658}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{1575--1580}},
publisher = {{Ecological Society of America}},
series = {{Ecology}},
title = {{Invading herbivory: The golden apple snail alters ecosystem functioning in Asian wetlands}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/4377615/624605.pdf}},
volume = {{85}},
year = {{2004}},
}