Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds

Impacts on biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems are often overlooked in small waterbodies as they are not regularly monitored as part of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These small systems are, however, often essential for freshwater biodiversity and are frequently characterized by hi...

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Autores principales:	Ian Thornhill, Nikolai Friberg, Lesley Batty, Victoria Thamia, Mark E. Ledger
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Elsevier 2021
Materias:	Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) Shredders Ecosystem functioning Freshwater Functional replacement Functional indicators Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/8c4aa9b6c96640b485353fd34d817412
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:8c4aa9b6c96640b485353fd34d8174122021-12-01T04:44:00ZLeaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds1470-160X10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107360https://doaj.org/article/8c4aa9b6c96640b485353fd34d8174122021-05-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2100025Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/1470-160XImpacts on biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems are often overlooked in small waterbodies as they are not regularly monitored as part of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These small systems are, however, often essential for freshwater biodiversity and are frequently characterized by high beta-diversity. In this study we examined shredder diversity and ecosystem functioning (leaf litter breakdown) as indicators of environmental stress along a gradient of urbanisation. The native isopod Asellus aquaticus and the non-native shrimp Crangonyx pseudogracilis (Amphipoda) were dominant species of the shredder communities in 26 study ponds. Variation in shredder community composition among ponds was explained by pond surface area (P < 0.05) and the coverage of impermeable surface within 500 m (P < 0.05), indicative of urban impact, which was strongly, and negatively correlated with shredder richness. Site mean total leaf breakdown was 0.0020 k d−1 (range 0.0003 – 0.0053), whilst breakdown rates owing to microbial and fungal activity were lower and averaged 0.0010 k d−1 (range 6.72−5 − 0.0036). Both total and microbial activity driven breakdown rates showed relatively weak relationships with the environmental gradient reflecting degrees of urbanization. A model-averaging procedure suggested that total litter breakdown rates could be attributed to activity of shredders with A. aquaticus and C. pseudogracilis contributing most, explaining 65% of the variance (R2 = 0.65, F = 13.7, P < 0.001), which both significantly and similarly predicted total leaf breakdown rates (P < 0.05). Total leaf breakdown rates were significantly correlated with the densities of both C. pseudogracilis (P < 0.001) and A. aquaticus (P < 0.001), however partial correlations indicated that the former showed the strongest association.The process of urbanisation can have significant, and negative impacts upon freshwater ecosystems, including small water bodies such as ponds both regarding biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The findings of the current study suggest that ecosystem functioning indicators such as leaf litter decomposition should be paired with structural measures. This is because function sustained by tolerant invading species would not otherwise be detected, and their presence is increasingly likely due to climate change and urbanization.Ian ThornhillNikolai FribergLesley BattyVictoria ThamiaMark E. LedgerElsevierarticleBiodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF)ShreddersEcosystem functioningFreshwaterFunctional replacementFunctional indicatorsEcologyQH540-549.5ENEcological Indicators, Vol 124, Iss , Pp 107360- (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) Shredders Ecosystem functioning Freshwater Functional replacement Functional indicators Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) Shredders Ecosystem functioning Freshwater Functional replacement Functional indicators Ecology QH540-549.5 Ian Thornhill Nikolai Friberg Lesley Batty Victoria Thamia Mark E. Ledger Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
description	Impacts on biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems are often overlooked in small waterbodies as they are not regularly monitored as part of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). These small systems are, however, often essential for freshwater biodiversity and are frequently characterized by high beta-diversity. In this study we examined shredder diversity and ecosystem functioning (leaf litter breakdown) as indicators of environmental stress along a gradient of urbanisation. The native isopod Asellus aquaticus and the non-native shrimp Crangonyx pseudogracilis (Amphipoda) were dominant species of the shredder communities in 26 study ponds. Variation in shredder community composition among ponds was explained by pond surface area (P < 0.05) and the coverage of impermeable surface within 500 m (P < 0.05), indicative of urban impact, which was strongly, and negatively correlated with shredder richness. Site mean total leaf breakdown was 0.0020 k d−1 (range 0.0003 – 0.0053), whilst breakdown rates owing to microbial and fungal activity were lower and averaged 0.0010 k d−1 (range 6.72−5 − 0.0036). Both total and microbial activity driven breakdown rates showed relatively weak relationships with the environmental gradient reflecting degrees of urbanization. A model-averaging procedure suggested that total litter breakdown rates could be attributed to activity of shredders with A. aquaticus and C. pseudogracilis contributing most, explaining 65% of the variance (R2 = 0.65, F = 13.7, P < 0.001), which both significantly and similarly predicted total leaf breakdown rates (P < 0.05). Total leaf breakdown rates were significantly correlated with the densities of both C. pseudogracilis (P < 0.001) and A. aquaticus (P < 0.001), however partial correlations indicated that the former showed the strongest association.The process of urbanisation can have significant, and negative impacts upon freshwater ecosystems, including small water bodies such as ponds both regarding biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The findings of the current study suggest that ecosystem functioning indicators such as leaf litter decomposition should be paired with structural measures. This is because function sustained by tolerant invading species would not otherwise be detected, and their presence is increasingly likely due to climate change and urbanization.
format	article
author	Ian Thornhill Nikolai Friberg Lesley Batty Victoria Thamia Mark E. Ledger
author_facet	Ian Thornhill Nikolai Friberg Lesley Batty Victoria Thamia Mark E. Ledger
author_sort	Ian Thornhill
title	Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
title_short	Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
title_full	Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
title_fullStr	Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
title_full_unstemmed	Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
title_sort	leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/8c4aa9b6c96640b485353fd34d817412
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Leaf breakdown rates as a functional indicator were influenced by an invasive non-native invertebrate in urban ponds

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