TL;DR: The present work gives a list of the 43 French freshwater non-indigenous species, which represent 1.2% of the French freshwater macroinvertebrates, and provides their geographic origins, their distributions among zoological units by comparison with the native fauna and their functional characteristics according to a recent typology based on bio/ecological traits.
Abstract: Freshwater biodiversity is threatened by several mechanisms, of which the introduction of non-indigenous species and habitat alteration are the two most important. Exotic species act at various levels of organisation of macroinvertebrate communities, and are involved in different processes mediating their impacts on biodiversity, such as habitat modification or negative interactions with autochthonous fauna. The present work gives a list of the 43 French freshwater non-indigenous species, which represent 1.2% of the French freshwater macroinvertebrates. We provide their geographic origins, their distributions among zoological units by comparison with the native fauna and their functional characteristics according to a recent typology based on bio/ecological traits. An exponential trend of the cumulated number of non-indigenous species was evidenced, with a clumping of invaders within crustaceans and molluscs. Donor areas of non-indigenous species are in majority European, and the Ponto-Caspian basin is identified as the principal one. This pattern could be explained by a spread along waterways but its origin lies in a process of recolonisation of defaunated areas following several episodes of glaciation/deglaciation in Western Europe during the last 80,000 years. Finally, from a functional point of view, non-indigenous species exhibit a limited diversity, with two functional groups representing 80% of them.
Biodiversity is not a static dimension that could be defined once and for all, but is, on the contrary, permanently changing, influenced by natural and anthropic processes.
All these impacts are mediated by numerous processes that act at various levels of organisation, from the individual to the community as a whole (Simon & Townsend, 2003).
In many countries, biological invasions are heavily studied, with national databases on non-indigenous species present, their dynamics, distributions and impacts (Leppäkoski et al., 2002).
Several rivers (Rhone, Meuse, Rhine) flow across several countries.
The present study aims to make an inventory of non-indigenous species observed in French aquatic ecosystems and to analyse their geographic origin, their distribution among freshwater fauna and their functional position according to a typology based on bio/ecological traits (Usseglio-Polatera et al., 2001).
Material and methods
Based on a huge bibliographic analysis, the authors documented the non-indigenous species that could be found in French freshwater systems.
Data on nonindigenous species are quite difficult to collect based on the bibliography.
Moreover, very few articles deal with species introductions in French aquatic ecosystems, and when available, such information is often published in local society of natural history bulletins, which are difficult to obtain.
The functional classification recently developed for benthic macroinvertebrates based on both biological and ecological traits (Usseglio-Polatera et al., 2001) was used to assess the main characteristics of non-indigenous species.
Groups 1 and 2 shared many characteristics, such as living on organic substrates and being -mesosaprobic.
A major phenomenon
As a whole, 43 non-indigenous species have been recorded within French aquatic ecosystems.
Since these dates, new species in French freshwater fauna have been identified regularly.
The actual trend of invasion, if the authors consider the whole territory, could be described by a highly significant exponential function (Fig. 1), suggesting an acceleration of the phenomenon in the last few decades.
Among the three European donor areas identified, the authors notice that the Ponto-Caspian basin distinguishes itself (32.5% of whole non-indigenous species, 58% of those with a European origin), and confirms its status as a hot-spot donor area of non-indigenous species.
As signalled in the introduction, few data are available for each basin.
A strong dissymmetry between taxa
Those non-indigenous species could be found among almost all taxonomic groups.
Some of them are more implicated in biological invasions than others (Table 2).
Considering the species number, two groups distinguish themselves: molluscs and crustaceans, that represent respectively 26% and 49% of all nonindigenous species found in French hydrosystems.
The authors also notice that non-indigenous species are represented among all zoological units, except Porifera, a weakly diversified group.
Finally, for 36 species only the functional group is known.
Discussion
All freshwater fauna of France could be considered as non-indigenous, going back in time enough, to the last glaciations.
Thus, the dominant pattern of invasion could be assimilated to a colonisation process of defaunate areas as an inheritance of the last glaciation, with Eastern Europe being a provider of non-indigenous species and Western Europe as a recipient area.
The 43 non-indigenous species identified represent more than one percent of the total macroinvertebrate French freshwater fauna.
For intracontinental transfers, besides these two vectors, recreational shipping and natural migration along newly opened waterways could also occur.
Thus, it seems that a high majority of non-indigenous species exhibit similar functional characteristics and that, more than a taxonomical clumping, a functional clumping of non-indigenous species take place, which evidenced that particular bio/ecological profiles could enhance invasiveness.
TL;DR: The technical implementation of the BTI approach is illustrated and it is illustrated that anticipated problems with phylogenetic trait syndromes are seemingly less serious in reality and that presence–absence data of genera and few sample replicates are sufficient for accurate trait descriptions of invertebrate communities.
Abstract: Summary
1. Accurately assessing the effects of multiple human-caused stressors on freshwater (and other) ecosystems is an essential step in the development of efficient decision support tools for environmental managers. Our objective is to review potentials and limitations of the use of biological traits as indicators (BTIs) of multiple stressor effects on running water (i.e. lotic) ecosystems.
2. Pioneers in ecology provided mechanistic explanations for responses of alternative biological traits to a given stressor and for the action of habitat harshness as a trait filter. These ideas were subsequently integrated in theoretical ecological constructs (e.g. Habitat Templet Concept) that form the basis of the BTI approach.
3. To resolve the effects of multiple stressors on running waters requires multiple traits of a biologically diverse group of organisms such as lotic invertebrates. To meet this goal, however, recently created databases on the biological traits of lotic invertebrates must be expanded and unified.
4. Addressing the technical implementation of the BTI approach, we illustrate that anticipated problems with phylogenetic trait syndromes are seemingly less serious in reality and that presence–absence data of genera and few sample replicates are sufficient for accurate trait descriptions of invertebrate communities.
5. Current trends in politics demand that biomonitoring tools be effective at large scales, i.e. large-scale trait patterns of natural communities (i.e. at reference conditions) should be relatively stable. The trait composition of natural invertebrate communities is relatively stable at the scale of Europe and North America because trait filters of natural lotic habitats act similarly across large biogeographical units.
6. The mechanistic actions of stressors on the biological traits of invertebrates should facilitate a priori predictions, but the complexity of potential trait responses makes such predictions sometimes difficult.
7. To illustrate potentials and limitations of BTIs to identify a given stressor acting exclusively (or primarily), we examine the (i) use of functional feeding groups to indicate the action of various stressors and (ii) trait responses to an indirectly acting stressor (discharge variation) and to a more directly acting stressor (near-bottom flow). If the excessive use of specific traits for the indication of too many different stressors is avoided and a given stressor acts directly on traits as a priori predicted, reliable interpretations of trait responses can be achieved.
8. To illustrate how BTIs can identify individual stressors acting in combination, we examine three cases of multiple stressors: (i) heavy metal pollution in combination with cargo-ship traffic; (ii) eutrophication and fine sediment deposits associated with land use; and (iii) various stressors associated with climate change in combination with salinity. If the number of the assessed traits is sufficiently great and the action of each individual among the multiple stressors is not too weak, multiple traits can potentially resolve the effects of multiple stressors.
9. Thematic implications: if the expansion and unification of existing trait databases can be achieved, the rapidly growing knowledge about biological trait responses of lotic invertebrates to individual and multiple stressors should enable the identification of management priorities focused on: (i) individually acting stressors (manage stressor A at site X prior to stressor B at site Y); (ii) multiple stressors acting in different combinations at different sites (manage stressors A & B at site X prior to stressors C & D at site Y); and (iii) individual stressors acting in combination (manage stressor A prior to stressor B at site X). Thus, the BTI approach has the potential to inaugurate a new era in the biomonitoring of lotic (and other) ecosystems.
TL;DR: Individual environmental niche models, including genetic algorithm, have the highest likelihood of providing useful predictive information about invasion success and spread of alien Crustacea.
Abstract: The subphylum Crustacea includes the most successful species among aquatic alien invaders. The impacts of invasive alien crustaceans (IAC) are often substantial, due to the complex trophic role of most of these species leading to cascading effects throughout the invaded ecosystems. IAC also have the potential to cause a shift in the ‘keystone’ ecosystem functions, changing energy flux and nutrient cycles which together affect critical ecosystem services such as biodiversity, fisheries yield and water quality. Although no individual trait appears to be a good predictor of invasion success, a combination of some characteristics such as eurytolerance, omnivory and certain r-selected life-history traits results in a high probability of alien crustacean species becoming invasive. Both environmental factors, such as habitat heterogeneity in the invaded ecosystems, and evolutionary factors, such as adaptations to new environmental conditions, also play important roles during establishment. Therefore, individual environmental niche models, including genetic algorithm, have the highest likelihood of providing useful predictive information about invasion success and spread of alien Crustacea. Attempts to control IAC through biocides or mechanical removal have had mixed success in the past but a strategic combination of different methods may lead to some success in the future.
141 citations
Cites background from "Patterns of Biological Invasions in..."
...Analyses on continental and regional scales confirm that the subphylum Crustacea Brünnich is the most successful taxonomic group of aquatic alien invaders (as defined by Engelkes and Mills 2011) across the globe (Devin et al. 2005; Karatayev et al. 2009)....
[...]
...Analyses on continental and regional scales confirm that the subphylum Crustacea Brünnich is the most successful taxonomic group of aquatic alien invaders (as defined by Engelkes and Mills 2011) across the globe (Devin et al. 2005; Karatayev et al. 2009)....
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the literature on biological responses of freshwater biota to human disturbances over the last century and used bibliometric data to detail the contribution of J-NABS to developments in assessment of ecological integrity.
Abstract: Effective ecosystem management in the face of human alterations depends on our ability to quantify ecologically significant changes and to discriminate among impact levels and types. We reviewed the literature on biological responses of freshwater biota to human disturbances over the last century. Many of the main methods for assessing ecological integrity originated in Europe [e.g., Saprobien Index, Trent Biotic Index, Biological Monitoring Working Party, River InVertebrate Prediction And Classification System, multiple traits] or in North America [e.g., Index of Biotic Integrity, leaf-litter breakdown, functional feeding groups]. We used bibliometric data to detail the contribution of J-NABS to developments in assessment of ecological integrity. A total of 225 bioassessment articles were published in J-NABS from 1986 to 2007. This total was ∼½ of the number of bioassessment articles published over the same period in Freshwater Biology (FWB; another leading freshwater journal used for comparison)...
134 citations
Cites background from "Patterns of Biological Invasions in..."
...…species beyond their natural ranges (reviewed in Kolar and Lodge 2001) and caused rising economic and ecological costs, which revived interest in the topic in freshwater research (e.g., Ricciardi and Rasmussen 1998, Clarke et al. 2004, Devin et al. 2005, Leprieur et al. 2008, Statzner et al. 2008)....
[...]
...Devin et al. (2005) considered the diversity (Shannon) of functional groups as a measure of functional diversity and recorded changes in the values of a functional diversity index in response to changing abundances of several exotic species....
TL;DR: This work focused on gammarid amphipods from Western Europe and North America to discover biological and/or ecological traits that may explain successful invasion by these species, and revealed a particular ecological profile for invaders with a strong influence of salinity tolerance.
Abstract: Knowledge of characteristics helpful in screening potential invaders and in elaborating strategies to limit their success is highly desirable. We focused on gammarid amphipods from Western Europe and North America to discover biological and/or ecological traits that may explain successful invasion by these species. Two typologies were considered: an analytical one, with groups built on the basis of biological or ecological similarities, and an empirical one, with groups constituted a priori according to a species’ invasive status and its fresh or brackish water origin. The results obtained are discussed in the light of three hypotheses that may influence invasiveness: biotic potential, species size and euryoeciousness. The analysis revealed a particular ecological profile for invaders, with a strong influence of salinity tolerance, but no typology was found based on biological characteristics. Invasiveness cannot be predicted from a limited number of criteria, and is the result of a combination of several characteristics. Invasive species therefore exhibit a particular ecological profile rather than a biological one, contrary to most classical explanations.
116 citations
Cites background from "Patterns of Biological Invasions in..."
...Among 18 species considered, seven are known to be invasive (Dick and Elwood 1993; Devin et al. 2005; Table 2)....
TL;DR: This study identified a ranking of the importance of drivers of change, aranking of the biomes with respect to expected changes, and the major sources of uncertainties in projections of future biodiversity change.
Abstract: Scenarios of changes in biodiversity for the year 2100 can now be developed based on scenarios of changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, climate, vegetation, and land use and the known sensitivity of biodiversity to these changes. This study identified a ranking of the importance of drivers of change, a ranking of the biomes with respect to expected changes, and the major sources of uncertainties. For terrestrial ecosystems, land-use change probably will have the largest effect, followed by climate change, nitrogen deposition, biotic exchange, and elevated carbon dioxide concentration. For freshwater ecosystems, biotic exchange is much more important. Mediterranean climate and grassland ecosystems likely will experience the greatest proportional change in biodiversity because of the substantial influence of all drivers of biodiversity change. Northern temperate ecosystems are estimated to experience the least biodiversity change because major land-use change has already occurred. Plausible changes in biodiversity in other biomes depend on interactions among the causes of biodiversity change. These interactions represent one of the largest uncertainties in projections of future biodiversity change.
TL;DR: Given their current scale, biotic invasions have taken their place alongside human-driven atmospheric and oceanic alterations as major agents of global change and left unchecked, they will influence these other forces in profound but still unpredictable ways.
Abstract: Biotic invaders are species that establish a new range in which they proliferate, spread, and persist to the detriment of the environment. They are the most important ecological outcomes from the unprecedented alterations in the distribution of the earth's biota brought about largely through human transport and commerce. In a world without borders, few if any areas remain sheltered from these im- migrations. The fate of immigrants is decidedly mixed. Few survive the hazards of chronic and stochastic forces, and only a small fraction become naturalized. In turn, some naturalized species do become invasive. There are several potential reasons why some immigrant species prosper: some escape from the constraints of their native predators or parasites; others are aided by human-caused disturbance that disrupts native communities. Ironically, many biotic invasions are apparently facilitated by cultivation and husbandry, unintentional actions that foster immigrant populations until they are self-perpetuating and uncontrollable. Whatever the cause, biotic invaders can in many cases inflict enormous environmental damage: (1) Animal invaders can cause extinctions of vulnerable native species through predation, grazing, competition, and habitat alteration. (2) Plant invaders can completely alter the fire regime, nutrient cycling, hydrology, and energy budgets in a native ecosystem and can greatly diminish the abundance or survival of native species. (3) In agriculture, the principal pests of temperate crops are nonindigenous, and the combined expenses of pest control and crop losses constitute an onerous "tax" on food, fiber, and forage production. (4) The global cost of virulent plant and animal diseases caused by parasites transported to new ranges and presented with susceptible new hosts is currently incalculable. Identifying future invaders and taking effective steps to prevent their dispersal and establishment con- stitutes an enormous challenge to both conservation and international commerce. Detection and management when exclusion fails have proved daunting for varied reasons: (1) Efforts to identify general attributes of future invaders have often been inconclusive. (2) Predicting susceptible locales for future invasions seems even more problematic, given the enormous differences in the rates of arrival among potential invaders. (3) Eradication of an established invader is rare, and control efforts vary enormously in their efficacy. Successful control, however, depends more on commitment and continuing diligence than on the efficacy of specific tools themselves. (4) Control of biotic invasions is most effective when it employs a long-term, ecosystem- wide strategy rather than a tactical approach focused on battling individual invaders. (5) Prevention of invasions is much less costly than post-entry control. Revamping national and international quarantine laws by adopting a "guilty until proven innocent" approach would be a productive first step. Failure to address the issue of biotic invasions could effectively result in severe global consequences, including wholesale loss of agricultural, forestry, and fishery resources in some regions, disruption of the ecological processes that supply natural services on which human enterprise depends, and the creation of homogeneous, impoverished ecosystems composed of cosmopolitan species. Given their current scale, biotic invasions have taken their place alongside human-driven atmospheric and oceanic alterations as major agents of global change. Left unchecked, they will influence these other forces in profound but still unpredictable ways.
TL;DR: Although restricted to few taxa, these studies reveal clear relationships between the characteristics of releases and the species involved, and the successful establishment and spread of invaders.
Abstract: Predicting which species are probable invaders has been a long-standing goal of ecologists, but only recently have quantitative methods been used to achieve such a goal. Although restricted to few taxa, these studies reveal clear relationships between the characteristics of releases and the species involved, and the successful establishment and spread of invaders. For example, the probability of bird establishment increases with the number of individuals released and the number of release events. Also, the probability of plant invasiveness increases if the species has a history of invasion and reproduces vegetatively. These promising quantitative approaches should be more widely applied to allow us to predict patterns of invading species more successfully.
2,698 citations
"Patterns of Biological Invasions in..." refers background in this paper
...Invasions consist of the transfer, establishment and spread of a species within an ecosystem where it is not naturally present, also called the recipient ecosystem (Vermeij, 1996; Williamson,
1996; Kolar & Lodge, 2001)....
TL;DR: The first book on invasion biology, and still the most cited, Elton's masterpiece provides an accessible, engaging introduction to one of the most important environmental crises of the authors' time.
Abstract: Much as Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was a call to action against the pesticides that were devastating bird populations, Charles S. Elton's classic "The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants" sounded an early warning about an environmental catastrophe that has become all too familiar today-the invasion of nonnative species. From kudzu to zebra mussels to Asian long-horned beetles, nonnative species are colonizing new habitats around the world at an alarming rate thanks to accidental and intentional human intervention. One of the leading causes of extinctions of native animals and plants, invasive species also wreak severe economic havoc, causing $79 billion worth of damage in the United States alone. Elton explains the devastating effects that invasive species can have on local ecosystems in clear, concise language and with numerous examples. The first book on invasion biology, and still the most cited, Elton's masterpiece provides an accessible, engaging introduction to one of the most important environmental crises of our time. Charles S. Elton was one of the founders of ecology, who also established and led Oxford University's Bureau of Animal Population. His work has influenced generations of ecologists and zoologists, and his publications remain central to the literature in modern biology. "History has caught up with Charles Elton's foresight, and "The Ecology of Invasions" can now be seen as one of the central scientific books of our century."-David Quammen, from the Foreword to "Killer Algae: The True Tale of a Biological Invasion"
Q1. What contributions have the authors mentioned in the paper "Patterns of biological invasions in french freshwater systems by non-indigenous macroinvertebrates" ?
The authors provide their geographic origins, their distributions among zoological units by comparison with the native fauna and their functional characteristics according to a recent typology based on bio/ecological traits. This pattern could be explained by a spread along waterways but its origin lies in a process of recolonisation of defaunated areas following several episodes of glaciation / deglaciation in Western Europe during the last 80,000 years.