Assessing the Impact of Biodiversity (Species Evenness) on the Trophic Position of an Invasive Species (Apple Snails) in Native and Non-Native Habitats Using Stable Isotopes

Invasive apple snails negatively impact non-native habitats and human well-being. Here, the trophic position of Pomacea canaliculata in native habitats (Maldonado, Uruguay) and non-native habitats (Hangzhou, China and Hawaii, USA) are compared. Detritus samples and tissue samples from apple snails w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 15; no. 11; p. 8560
Main Authors Scriber, Kevin E., France, Christine A. M., Jackson, Fatimah L. C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 25.05.2023
Subjects
Aquatic habitats
Arthropods
Bar codes
Biodiversity
Confidence intervals
Cytochrome
Detritus
Ecosystems
Food chains
Fractionation
Freshwater environments
Fruits
Gastropoda
Genetic testing
Habitats
Homogenization
Indigenous species
Invasive species
Isotopes
Mollusks
Native species
Nonnative species
Regression analysis
Snails
Stable isotopes
Statistical analysis
Sustainability
Taxonomy
Trophic levels
Hawaii
Uruguay
United States > US
China
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Summary:Invasive apple snails negatively impact non-native habitats and human well-being. Here, the trophic position of Pomacea canaliculata in native habitats (Maldonado, Uruguay) and non-native habitats (Hangzhou, China and Hawaii, USA) are compared. Detritus samples and tissue samples from apple snails were collected in all sites. Trophic levels were calculated as the difference between the mean δ15N values of detritus samples and corresponding apple snail tissue samples, divided by the mean δ15N fractionation for nitrogen per trophic level in freshwater habitats. The mean δ15N values of detritus in sites served as a baseline (i.e., zero trophic level), allowing direct comparisons. Linear regression analysis established a correlation between species evenness and apple snail trophic level (R2 = 0.8602) in line with a Pearson’s product-moment correlation value (−0.83) and 95% confidence interval (−0.87, −0.77). Normal quartile plots indicated two normally distributed subsets of apple snail trophic-level data: (1) a biodiverse subset containing the Uruguayan and Chinese lake sites and (2) the homogenized Hawaiian and Chinese creek sites. A precipice value for species evenness (separating biodiversity from homogenization), between (3.7) and (2.4), once descended to or surpassed separates statistically distinct, normal distributions of invasive apple snail trophic-level data from diverse versus homogenized habitats.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15118560