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Xie T, Wang Q, Ning Z, Chen C, Cui B, Bai J, Shi W, Pang B. Artificial modification on lateral hydrological connectivity promotes range expansion of invasive Spartina alterniflora in salt marshes of the Yellow River delta, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:144476. [PMID: 33460837 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
'Invasibility', or the extent to which a habitat is prone to being invaded by plants, is a measure of the resistance of that ecosystem to biological invasion: a limited extent represents abiotic conditions unsuitable for invasion by invasive species; however, human activity can change that and make a habitat prone to rapid invasion. Field surveys and greenhouse experiments were carried out to explore, using spatial analysis, how a strong invader, namely Spartina alterniflora, is assisted by such activities as constructing levees and digging trenches, ditches, and pits in a tidal salt marsh. These activities changed the lateral hydrological connectivity of a salt marsh. The invasibility was then estimated based on the probability of seed dispersal and retention using the classical probabilistic method, and the rate of seedling emergence using threshold analysis. Changes in lateral hydrological connectivity led to more seeds of the invading species being retained, especially in high marshes, and promoted the emergence of its seedlings by making the soil more moist and less saline. The results suggest that changes in the lateral hydrological connectivity in a salt marsh can make it more prone to being invaded. The results have important implications for the control of invasive plants by limiting human activity and thereby regulating lateral hydrological connectivity in coastal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Xie
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China
| | - Qing Wang
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China
| | - Zhonghua Ning
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China
| | - Cong Chen
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Research and Development Center for Watershed Environmental Eco-Engineering, Advanced Institute of Natural Science, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, Zhuhai 519087, China
| | - Baoshan Cui
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China.
| | - Junhong Bai
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China
| | - Wei Shi
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Bo Pang
- School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Beijing 100875, China; Yellow River Estuary Wetland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Shandong 257500, China
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