Abstract
Propagule pressure has consistently been identified as a primary factor in invader success, and reducing it can be one of the most effective methods for preventing the establishment of non-native species. However, when policy is implemented to reduce propagule pressure it almost exclusively focuses on the size of individual introduction events (‘propagule size’), with little confirmation that controlling this single aspect of propagule pressure is the most effective strategy. The number of introduction events (‘propagule number’) can play as much, or more, of a role in invader success, yet only a small portion of propagule pressure research has studied the relative importance of size and number. We investigated the relative roles of propagule size and number in the establishment of a sexually reproducing species using a field mesocosm experiment that introduced Hemimysis anomala (a non-native mysid) across a range of propagule sizes and numbers. We found that single, large introductions had higher abundances and probabilities of survival than smaller, more frequent additions. This experiment illustrated that, for sexual reproducers, focusing on lowering propagule size can be the most effective method for reducing non-native establishment.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank Amelia Cox for field assistance, QUBS and their staff for logistical support, the BOTA BOTA spa for allowing access to their private property, and Liudmila Aleaga, Sarah Hasnain, Mike Lavender, Michele Nicholson, and Alexander Ross for editorial comments that improved this manuscript. Funding was provided by a J. Allen Keast Research Fellowship to Amelia Cox and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
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Sinclair, J.S., Arnott, S.E. Strength in size not numbers: propagule size more important than number in sexually reproducing populations. Biol Invasions 18, 497–505 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-1022-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-1022-0