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Peller T, Altermatt F. Invasive species drive cross-ecosystem effects worldwide. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1087-1097. [PMID: 38503866 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02380-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Invasive species are pervasive around the world and have profound impacts on the ecosystem they invade. Invasive species, however, can also have impacts beyond the ecosystem they invade by altering the flow of non-living materials (for example, nutrients or chemicals) or movement of organisms across the boundaries of the invaded ecosystem. Cross-ecosystem interactions via spatial flows are ubiquitous in nature, for example, connecting forests and lakes, grasslands and rivers, and coral reefs and the deep ocean. Yet, we have a limited understanding of the cross-ecosystem impacts invasive species have relative to their local effects. By synthesizing emerging evidence, here we demonstrate the cross-ecosystem impacts of invasive species as a ubiquitous phenomenon that influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning around the world. We identify three primary ways by which invasive species have cross-ecosystem effects: first, by altering the magnitude of spatial flows across ecosystem boundaries; second, by altering the quality of spatial flows; and third, by introducing novel spatial flows. Ultimately, the strong impacts invasive species can drive across ecosystem boundaries suggests the need for a paradigm shift in how we study and manage invasive species around the world, expanding from a local to a cross-ecosystem perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianna Peller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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Zhang K, Yan J, He Q, Xu C, van de Koppel J, Wang B, Cui B, Liu QX. Self-organized mud cracking amplifies the resilience of an iconic "Red Beach" salt marsh. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq3520. [PMID: 37134167 PMCID: PMC11324031 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Self-organized patterning, resulting from the interplay of biological and physical processes, is widespread in nature. Studies have suggested that biologically triggered self-organization can amplify ecosystem resilience. However, if purely physical forms of self-organization play a similar role remains unknown. Desiccation soil cracking is a typical physical form of self-organization in coastal salt marshes and other ecosystems. Here, we show that physically self-organized mud cracking was an important facilitating process for the establishment of seepweeds in a "Red Beach" salt marsh in China. Transient mud cracks can promote plant survivorship by trapping seeds, and enhance germination and growth by increasing water infiltration in the soil, thus facilitating the formation of a persistent salt marsh landscape. Cracks can help the salt marsh withstand more intense droughts, leading to postponed collapse and faster recovery. These are indications of enhanced resilience. Our work highlights that self-organized landscapes sculpted by physical agents can play a critical role in ecosystem dynamics and resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Zhang
- Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, Yerseke 4401 NT, The Netherlands
| | - Jiaguo Yan
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, Yerseke 4401 NT, The Netherlands
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Applied Technologies, Tsinghua University, Wuxi 214072, China
- Division of Oilfield Chemicals, China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL), Beijing, China
| | - Qiang He
- Coastal Ecology Lab, National Observation and Research Station for Shanghai Yangtze Estuarine Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Chi Xu
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Breeding Base for State Key Laboratory of Land Degradation and Ecological Restoration in northwestern China; Key Laboratory of Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystems in northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Johan van de Koppel
- Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, Yerseke 4401 NT, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Conservation Ecology Group, University of Groningen, Groningen 9700 CC, The Netherlands
| | - Bo Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Baoshan Cui
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Quan-Xing Liu
- Center for Global Change and Complex Ecosystems, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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Liu X, Sun D, Qin J, Zhang J, Yang Y, Yang J, Wang Z, Zhou D, Li Y, Wang X, Ning K, Yu J. Spatial distribution of soil iron across different plant communities along a hydrological gradient in the Yellow River Estuary wetland. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.979194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron is an important element and its biogeochemical processes are vital to the matter and energy cycles of wetland ecosystems. Hydrology greatly controls characteristics of soil property and plant community in wetlands, which can regulate the behavior of iron and its oxides. However, it remains unclear how the spatial distribution of iron and its forms in estuarine wetlands responses to hydrological conditions. Five typical plant communities along a naturally hydrological gradient in the Yellow River Estuary wetland, including Phragmites australis in freshwater marsh (FPA), Phragmites australis in salt marsh (SPA), Tamarix chinensis in salt marsh (TC), Suaeda salsa in salt marsh (SS) and Spartina alterniflora in salt marsh (SA), as sites to collect soil samples. The total iron (FeT) and three iron oxides (complexed iron, Fep; amorphous iron, Feo; free iron, Fed) in samples were determined to clarify the spatial distribution of iron and explore its impact factors. The mean contents of FeT, Fep, Feo and Fed were 28079.4, 152.0, 617.2 and 8285.3 mg⋅kg–1 of soil at 0–40 cm depth in the different sites, respectively. The means were significantly different across communities along the hydrological gradient, with the higher values for SA on the upper intertidal zone and for SPA on the lower intertidal zone, respectively. Iron and its forms were positively correlated with the total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN) and clay, and negatively correlated with electrical conductivity (EC). The indexes of iron oxides (Fep/Fed, Feo/Fed and Fed/FeT) were also different across communities, with a higher value for SA, which were positively correlated with soil water content (WC) and TOC. The results indicate that a variety of plant community and soil property derived from the difference of hydrology might result in a spatial heterogeneity of iron in estuarine wetlands.
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