ALBERT

Description: Lake and reservoir ecosystems are regarded as heterotrophic detritus-based habitats which are dependent on both autochthonous and allochthonous organic matter for the majority of energy inputs. In particular, allochthonous detritus is in particular important for the trophic dynamics of microbial organisms, macroinvertebrates and benthic plants in freshwaters. Here, we assess macroinvertebrate colonisation, and quantify decomposition rates, of leaf litter from species of native and invasive plants in a small agricultural reservoir. Native fig Ficus sycomorus and silver cluster–leaf Terminalia sericea were compared to invasive tickberry Lantana camara and guava Psidium guajava, whereby macroinvertebrate colonisation was assessed over time. Leaf treatments had a significant, group-specific effect on abundances and composition among focal macroinvertebrates. Invasive leaves reduced Physidae and Oligochaeta abundances, yet Ostracoda were significantly more abundant in the presence of invasive P. guajava. Chironomidae relative abundances increased under invasive L. camara treatments, whilst differences among leaf treatment effects on Coenogrionidae abundances were not statistically clear. In turn, macroinvertebrate diversity did not differ significantly among plant treatment groups. The decomposition rate of the leaf litter demonstrated differences among the species, following a decreasing order of L. camara 〉 F. sycomorus 〉 T. sericea 〉 P. guajava. The study results highlight that leaf litter species identity among invasive and native plants plays an important role in the colonisation of macroinvertebrates in small reservoirs, thereby differentially supporting aquatic environments and food webs. However, differences were not uniform across invader-native groupings. Nonetheless, certain invasive leaf litter decomposes faster than native litter, with possible implications for broader nutrient dynamics and subsequent community composition.

Description: The present study quantified prey preferences by adult males and females of the mysid Mesopodopsis wooldridgei fed the calanoid copepods Pseudodiaptomus hessei and Paracartia longipatella at varying proportions. Both sexes of M. wooldridgei showed a lack of prey switching and a strong preference for the smaller, less active P. longipatella irrespective of density. Given a lack of low-density prey refuge, this finding may have important implications for the distribution of P. longipatella in estuaries along the eastern seaboard of South Africa. Results of the present study contribute to a growing body of literature that suggests that selective predation may play an important role in structuring plankton prey populations in shallow water ecosystems.

Description: The present study quantified prey preferences by adult males and females of the mysid Mesopodopsis wooldridgei fed the calanoid copepods Pseudodiaptomus hessei and Paracartia longipatella at varying proportions. Both sexes of M. wooldridgei showed a lack of prey switching and a strong preference for the smaller, less active P. longipatella irrespective of density. Given a lack of low-density prey refuge, this finding may have important implications for the distribution of P. longipatella in estuaries along the eastern seaboard of South Africa. Results of the present study contribute to a growing body of literature that suggests that selective predation may play an important role in structuring plankton prey populations in shallow water ecosystems.

Description: Lake and reservoir ecosystems are regarded as heterotrophic detritus-based habitats which are dependent on both autochthonous and allochthonous organic matter for the majority of energy inputs. In particular, allochthonous detritus is in particular important for the trophic dynamics of microbial organisms, macroinvertebrates and benthic plants in freshwaters. Here, we assess macroinvertebrate colonisation, and quantify decomposition rates, of leaf litter from species of native and invasive plants in a small agricultural reservoir. Native fig Ficus sycomorus and silver cluster–leaf Terminalia sericea were compared to invasive tickberry Lantana camara and guava Psidium guajava, whereby macroinvertebrate colonisation was assessed over time. Leaf treatments had a significant, group-specific effect on abundances and composition among focal macroinvertebrates. Invasive leaves reduced Physidae and Oligochaeta abundances, yet Ostracoda were significantly more abundant in the presence of invasive P. guajava. Chironomidae relative abundances increased under invasive L. camara treatments, whilst differences among leaf treatment effects on Coenogrionidae abundances were not statistically clear. In turn, macroinvertebrate diversity did not differ significantly among plant treatment groups. The decomposition rate of the leaf litter demonstrated differences among the species, following a decreasing order of L. camara 〉 F. sycomorus 〉 T. sericea 〉 P. guajava. The study results highlight that leaf litter species identity among invasive and native plants plays an important role in the colonisation of macroinvertebrates in small reservoirs, thereby differentially supporting aquatic environments and food webs. However, differences were not uniform across invader-native groupings. Nonetheless, certain invasive leaf litter decomposes faster than native litter, with possible implications for broader nutrient dynamics and subsequent community composition.

Description: Biological invasions are a global challenge that has received insufficient attention. Recently available cost syntheses have provided policy- and decision makers with reliable and up-to-date information on the economic impacts of biological invasions, aiming to motivate effective management. The resultant InvaCost database is now publicly and freely accessible and enables rapid extraction of monetary cost information. This has facilitated knowledge sharing, developed a more integrated and multidisciplinary network of researchers, and forged multidisciplinary collaborations among diverse organizations and stakeholders. Over 50 scientific publications so far have used the database and have provided detailed assessments of invasion costs across geographic, taxonomic, and spatiotemporal scales. These studies have provided important information that can guide future policy and legislative decisions on the management of biological invasions while simultaneously attracting public and media attention. We provide an overview of the improved availability, reliability, standardization, and defragmentation of monetary costs; discuss how this has enhanced invasion science as a discipline; and outline directions for future development.