Biological Invasions (2015) 17, 63-71

Akiko Hara, Kenji Hamasaki, Kazuhiro Yoshida and Yoichi Yusa (2015)
Canal type affects invasiveness of the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata through its effects on animal species richness and waterweed invasion
Biological Invasions 17 (1), 63-71
Abstract: Loss of complex natural microhabitats due to human activity is a major cause of decreased biodiversity but its effects on biological invasion are not well understood. The effects of physical environmental factors, especially the type of agricultural canals, on the invasive freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata were studied at 33 sites in the Chikugogawa River basin, Kyushu, Japan. Differences among sites in the local fauna and vegetation were also monitored. Structural equation modeling with a model selection procedure revealed that canals with a concrete lining had more snails. The effect was indirect in that the concrete lining reduced animal species richness and increased the invasive waterweed Egeria densa, which may serve as a refuge, protecting the snails from predation. A tethering experiment conducted simultaneously indicated high predation pressure on the snails: over 20 % of the tethered snails were lost within a day. Thus, human impacts may increase biological invasion by reducing biotic resistance and increasing the risk of invasional meltdown.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Yoichi Yusa

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pomacea canaliculata		Japan