Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared

M. Celeste Franceschini; Kevin J Murphy; Isabel Moore; Michael Kennedy; Fedra Martinez; Frank Willems; M. Laura De Wysiecki; Henry Sichingabula

doi:10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5

Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared

M. Celeste Franceschini, Kevin J Murphy, Isabel Moore, Michael Kennedy, Fedra Martinez, Frank Willems, M. Laura De Wysiecki , Henry Sichingabula

School of Energy, Construction and Environment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

We compare invertebrate herbivory upon 13 macrophyte species in freshwater wetland systems located in two global ecozones, the Afrotropics and Neotropics, in the context of biotic and environmental factors influencing these wetlands. The two ecozones are climatically similar regions, with similar water chemistry, but experience contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large mammalian herbivores. Our results for macrophytes show that small invertebrates removed significantly more lamina biomass per leaf in Neotropical macrophytes (6.55%) than Afrotropical ones (4.99%). Overall, the results indicate that underestimation of up to 15.6% of leaf biomass may occur if plant tissue removal by invertebrate herbivores is not included in estimates of plant biomass. Regarding the contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large herbivores influencing these wetlands, seven mammal species (especially the Black Lechwe antelope, Kobus leche) were observed impacting macrophytes in the Afrotropical wetlands, while in the Neotropics, only much smaller rodents, capybara, (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) were sporadically observed. We discuss the relevance of results for invertebrate herbivory in the context of both the methodological approach and the importance of large mammalian herbivores as biotic factors additionally impacting macrophyte populations in these subtropical to tropical wetlands.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3931-3950
Number of pages	20
Journal	Hydrobiologia
Volume	847
Issue number	19
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5
Publication status	Published - 29 Jul 2020

Bibliographical note

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5

Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

Funder

PICT 2160-2011, PICT 1910-2015 of the Agencia Nacional de Promoci?n Cient?fica y Tecnol?gica and PI 17Q003 of the Secretar?a General de Ciencia T?cnica de la Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (Argentina), the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, and the Commission of the European Community/ACP Science and Technology Programme (Grant Number AFS/2009/219013).

Keywords

Herbivorous mammals
Freshwater ecosystems
Grazing Damage
Tropics

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5

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title = "Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared",

abstract = "We compare invertebrate herbivory upon 13 macrophyte species in freshwater wetland systems located in two global ecozones, the Afrotropics and Neotropics, in the context of biotic and environmental factors influencing these wetlands. The two ecozones are climatically similar regions, with similar water chemistry, but experience contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large mammalian herbivores. Our results for macrophytes show that small invertebrates removed significantly more lamina biomass per leaf in Neotropical macrophytes (6.55%) than Afrotropical ones (4.99%). Overall, the results indicate that underestimation of up to 15.6% of leaf biomass may occur if plant tissue removal by invertebrate herbivores is not included in estimates of plant biomass. Regarding the contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large herbivores influencing these wetlands, seven mammal species (especially the Black Lechwe antelope, Kobus leche) were observed impacting macrophytes in the Afrotropical wetlands, while in the Neotropics, only much smaller rodents, capybara, (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) were sporadically observed. We discuss the relevance of results for invertebrate herbivory in the context of both the methodological approach and the importance of large mammalian herbivores as biotic factors additionally impacting macrophyte populations in these subtropical to tropical wetlands.",

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author = "Franceschini, {M. Celeste} and Murphy, {Kevin J} and Isabel Moore and Michael Kennedy and Fedra Martinez and Frank Willems and {De Wysiecki}, {M. Laura} and Henry Sichingabula",

note = "The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5 Copyright {\textcopyright} and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. ",

year = "2020",

month = jul,

day = "29",

doi = "10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5",

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AU - Franceschini, M. Celeste

AU - Murphy, Kevin J

AU - Moore, Isabel

AU - Kennedy, Michael

AU - Martinez, Fedra

AU - Willems, Frank

AU - De Wysiecki , M. Laura

AU - Sichingabula, Henry

N1 - The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5 Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

PY - 2020/7/29

Y1 - 2020/7/29

N2 - We compare invertebrate herbivory upon 13 macrophyte species in freshwater wetland systems located in two global ecozones, the Afrotropics and Neotropics, in the context of biotic and environmental factors influencing these wetlands. The two ecozones are climatically similar regions, with similar water chemistry, but experience contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large mammalian herbivores. Our results for macrophytes show that small invertebrates removed significantly more lamina biomass per leaf in Neotropical macrophytes (6.55%) than Afrotropical ones (4.99%). Overall, the results indicate that underestimation of up to 15.6% of leaf biomass may occur if plant tissue removal by invertebrate herbivores is not included in estimates of plant biomass. Regarding the contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large herbivores influencing these wetlands, seven mammal species (especially the Black Lechwe antelope, Kobus leche) were observed impacting macrophytes in the Afrotropical wetlands, while in the Neotropics, only much smaller rodents, capybara, (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) were sporadically observed. We discuss the relevance of results for invertebrate herbivory in the context of both the methodological approach and the importance of large mammalian herbivores as biotic factors additionally impacting macrophyte populations in these subtropical to tropical wetlands.

AB - We compare invertebrate herbivory upon 13 macrophyte species in freshwater wetland systems located in two global ecozones, the Afrotropics and Neotropics, in the context of biotic and environmental factors influencing these wetlands. The two ecozones are climatically similar regions, with similar water chemistry, but experience contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large mammalian herbivores. Our results for macrophytes show that small invertebrates removed significantly more lamina biomass per leaf in Neotropical macrophytes (6.55%) than Afrotropical ones (4.99%). Overall, the results indicate that underestimation of up to 15.6% of leaf biomass may occur if plant tissue removal by invertebrate herbivores is not included in estimates of plant biomass. Regarding the contrasting grazing and disturbance pressures from large herbivores influencing these wetlands, seven mammal species (especially the Black Lechwe antelope, Kobus leche) were observed impacting macrophytes in the Afrotropical wetlands, while in the Neotropics, only much smaller rodents, capybara, (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) were sporadically observed. We discuss the relevance of results for invertebrate herbivory in the context of both the methodological approach and the importance of large mammalian herbivores as biotic factors additionally impacting macrophyte populations in these subtropical to tropical wetlands.

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KW - Freshwater ecosystems

KW - Grazing Damage

KW - Tropics

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U2 - 10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5

DO - 10.1007/s10750-020-04360-5

M3 - Article

SN - 0018-8158

VL - 847

SP - 3931

EP - 3950

JO - Hydrobiologia

JF - Hydrobiologia

IS - 19

ER -

Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funder

Keywords

UN SDGs

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