Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of alien riparian vegetation and its removal on a highly endemic river macroinvertebrate community

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biological Invasions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Invasive alien trees along river banks can reduce indigenous biodiversity, while their removal can restore it. We assessed here family- and species-level responses of river benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages to three riparian vegetation types (natural, alien trees, cleared of alien trees) in the Cape Floristic Region biodiversity hotspot. High species beta diversity of this highly endemic fauna meant that between-river, as well as seasonal effects, dominated assemblage patterns. SASS5, a qualitative, rapid bioassessment technique, based on the sensitivity of the families present, was used as a measure of river health and, indirectly, of water quality. SASS indicated a decline in water quality conditions after alien clearing, a likely response to the greater insolation and apparent erosion of cleared banks, resulting in elevated temperatures and suspended solids and lowered oxygen levels. Overall, cleared and natural sites were more similar to each other than to alien sites, suggesting some post-clearing recovery. However, many sensitive, endemic taxa survived in alien-invaded sites, and more than in the natural sites. These endemic species made use of shady, cool, high-oxygen levels under the alien tree canopy. However, endemics declined in overall abundance in sites cleared of aliens, being replaced by more tolerant, widespread taxa. Clearance of the alien trees opened up the rivers to sunny conditions, which had a major impact on community composition. Vegetation types, oxygen levels and river width were important environmental variables affecting these macroinvertebrate responses. Re-establishment of invertebrate biodiversity matched that of indigenous vegetation, with the most sensitive endemic taxa only recovering after establishment of bushy indigenous and shade-producing fynbos. Therefore, for biodiversity conservation objectives to be achieved, it is essential that indigenous plants are maintained and encouraged during and after clearing to ensure the recovery of endemic and sensitive taxa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allan JD, Flecker AS (1993) Biodiversity conservation in running waters. BioScience 43:32–43

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber-James HM, Lugo-Oritz CR (2003) Ephemeroptera. In: de Moor IJ, Day, de Moor FC (eds) Freshwater invertebrates of Southern Africa, vol 7: Insecta I; Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Plecoptera. WRC report no. TT 207/03. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, pp 16–142

  • Bunn SE, Boon PI (1993) What sources of organic carbon drive food webs in billabongs? A study based on stable isotope analysis. Oecologia 96:85–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bunn SE, Davies PM, Mosisch TD (1999) Ecosystem measures of river health and their response to riparian and catchment degradation. Freshw Biol 41:333–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell IC, Doeg TJ (1989) Impact of timber harvesting and production on streams. Aust J Mar Fresh Res 40:519–539

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chessman BC (1995) Rapid assessment of rivers using macroinvertebrates: a procedure based on habitat-specific sampling, family level identification and a biotic index. Aust J Ecol 20:122–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chutter FM (1972) An empirical biotic index of the quality of water in South African streams and rivers. Water Res 6:19–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Warwick RM (2001) Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 2nd edn. PRIMER-E Ltd, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins KW, Wilzbach MW, Gates DM, Perry JB, Taliaferro WB (1989) Shredders and riparian vegetations. BioScience 39:24–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dallas HF, Day DE (1993) The effect of water quality variables on riverine ecosystems: a review. WRC report no. TT 61/93. Water Research Commission, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Dallas HF, Day JA (2007) Natural variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages and the development of a biological banding system for interpreting bioassessment data—a preliminary evaluation using data from upland sites in the south-western Cape, South Africa. Hydrobiol 575:231–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davies B, Day J (1998) Vanishing waters. University of Cape Town Press, Cape Town

    Google Scholar 

  • Day JA, King JM (1995) Geographical patterns, and their origins, in the dominance of major ions in South African rivers. S Afr J Sci 91:299–306

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dickens CWS, Graham PM (2002) The South African Scoring System (SASS) version 5 rapid bioassessment system for rivers. Afr J Aquat Sci 27:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer DG, Hart SC, Schweitzer JC, Selmants PC, Whitham TG (2010) Soil nitrogen availability varies with plant genetics across diverse river drainages. Plant Soil. doi:10.1007/s11104-009-0260-2

  • King JM (1981) The distribution of invertebrate communities in a small South African river. Hydrobiol 83:43–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King JM (1983) Abundance, biomass and diversity of benthic macro-invertebrates in a Western Cape river, South Africa. Trans R Soc S Afr 45:11–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King JM, Schael DM (2001) Assessing the ecological relevance of a spatially-nested geomorphological hierarchy for river management. WRC report no. 754/1/01. Water Research Commission, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • King JM, Scheepers ACT, Fisher RC, Reinecke MK, Smith LB (2003) River rehabilitation: literature review, case studies and emerging principles. WRC report no. 1161/1/03. Water Research Commission, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinvig RG, Samways MJ (2000) Conserving dragonflies (Odonata) along streams running through commercial forestry. Odonatologica 29:195–208

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowe SR, Woodford DJ, Impson ND, Day JA (2008) The impact of invasive fish and invasive riparian plants on the invertebrate fauna of the Rondegat River, Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Afr J Aquat Sci 33:51–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maridet L, Philippe M, Wasson JG, Mathieu J (1996) Spatial and temporal distribution of macroinvertebrates and trophic variables within the bed sediment of three streams differing by their morphology and riparian vegetation. Arch Hydrobiol 136:41–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Maridet L, Wasson JG, Philippe M, Amoros C, Naiman RJ (1998) Trophic structure of three streams with contrasting riparian vegetation and geomorphology. Arch Hydrobiol 144:61–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Moss D, Furse MT, Wright JF, Armitage PD (1987) The prediction of the macroinvertebrate fauna of unpolluted running-water sites in Great Britain using environmental data. Freshw Biol 17:41–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muotka T, Laasonen P (2002) Ecosystem recovery in restored headwater streams: the role of enhanced leaf retention. J Appl Ecol 39:145–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ormerod SJ, Wade KR, Gee AS (1987) Macrofloral assemblages in upland Welsh streams in relation to acidity, and their importance to invertebrates. Freshw Biol 18:545–557

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborn R, Samways MJ (1996) Determinants of adult dragonfly assemblage patterns at new ponds in South Africa. Odonatologica 25:49–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn JM, Cooper AB, Davies-Colley RJ, Rutherford JC, Williamson RB (1997) Land use effects on habitat, water quality, periphyton and benthic invertebrates in Waikato, New Zealand, hill-country streams. New Zeal J Mar Fresh Res 31:579–597

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson DM, van Wilgen BW (2004) Invasive alien plants in South Africa: how well do we understand the ecological impacts? S Afr J Sci 100:45–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg DM, Resh VH (eds) (1993) Freshwater biomonitoring and freshwater macroinvertebrates. Chapman & Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutherfurd ID, Jerie K, Marsh N (2000) A rehabilitation manual for Australian streams, volumes 1 and 2. Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, and Land and Water Resources Research and development Corporation. Canberra, Australia. Accessible at www.rivers.gov.au

  • Rutt GP, Weatherley NS, Ormerod SJ (1989) Microhabitat availability in Welsh moorland and forest streams as a determinant of macroinvertebrate distribution. Freshw Biol 22:247–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samways MJ (2003) Threats to the tropical island dragonfly fauna (Odonata) of Mayotte, Comoro archipelago. Biodivers Conserv 12:1785–1792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samways MJ, Sharratt NJ (2010) Recovery of endemic dragonflies after removal of invasive alien trees. Conserv Biol 24:267–277

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Samways MJ, Wilmot B (2003) Odonata. In: de Moor IJ, Day JA, de Moor FC (eds) Freshwater invertebrates of Southern Africa volume 7: Insecta I; Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Plecoptera. WRC report no. TT 207/03. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, pp 16–142

  • Simaika JP, Samways MJ (2009) An easy-to-use index of ecological integrity for prioritizing freshwater sites and assessing habitat quality. Biodivers Conserv 18:1171–1185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simaika JP, Samways MJ (2010) Comparative assessment of indices of freshwater habitat conditions. Ecol Indic. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2010.06.005

  • Smith J, Samways MJ, Taylor S (2007) Assessing riparian quality using two complementary sets of bioindicators. Biodivers Conserv 16:2695–2713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steytler NS, Samways MJ (1995) Biotope selection by adult male dragonflies (Odonata) at an artificial lake created for insect conservation in South Africa. Biol Conserv 72:381–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suhling F, Sahlén G, Martens A, Marais E, Schutte C (2006) Dragonfly assemblages in arid tropical environments: a case study from western Namibia. Biodivers Conserv 15:311–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ter Braak CJF, Ŝmilauer P (2002) CANOCO reference manual and user’s guide to Canoco for windows: software for canonical community ordination (version 4.5). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca

    Google Scholar 

  • Uys AC (2003) Development of river rehabilitation in Australia: lessons for South Africa. WRC report no. KV 144/03. Water Research Commission, Pretoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Vuori K, Joensuu I (1996) Impact of forest drainage on the macroinvertebrates of a small boreal headwater stream: do buffer zones protect lotic biodiversity? Biol Conserv 77:87–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weatherley NS, Rutt GP, Ormerod SJ (1989) Densities of macroinvertebrates in upland Welsh streams of different acidity and land use. Arch Hydrobiol 115:417–431

    Google Scholar 

  • Wishart MJ, Day JA (2001) Endemism in the freshwater fauna of the South-Western Cape, South Africa. Verh Internat Verein Theor Angew Limnol 28:1762–1766

    Google Scholar 

  • Wishart MJ, Davies BR, Stewart BA, Hughes JM (2003) Examining catchments as functional units for the conservation of Riverine Biota and maintenance of biodiversity. WRC report no. 975/1/02. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright JF, Moss D, Armitage PD, Furse MT (1984) A preliminary classification of running-water sites in Great Britain based on macro-invertebrate species and the prediction of community type using environmental data. Freshw Biol 14:221–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zavaleta ES, Hobbs RJ, Mooney HA (2001) Viewing invasive species removal in a whole-ecosystem context. Trends Ecol Evol 16:454–459

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the South African Working for Water Programme and the RUBICODE Coordination Action Project (Rationalising Biodiversity Conservation in Dynamic Ecosystems) funded under the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission (contract no. 036890), and by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) PGS-D3 scholarship to John Simaika. We thank the anonymous referees for helpful and constructive comment which improved the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, and Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

    Michael J. Samways, Norma J. Sharratt & John P. Simaika

Authors
  1. Michael J. Samways
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Norma J. Sharratt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John P. Simaika
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Samways.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Samways, M.J., Sharratt, N.J. & Simaika, J.P. Effect of alien riparian vegetation and its removal on a highly endemic river macroinvertebrate community. Biol Invasions 13, 1305–1324 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9891-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9891-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation