Abstract
Invasive plants can impact ecosystem services, such as by reducing availability of nutritional resources for detritivorous arthropods that are valued for juvenile fish production. We compared invasive reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and native Lyngbye's sedge (Carex lyngbyei) stands along the lower Columbia River, focusing on their contributions to juvenile salmon prey resources. Controlling for environmental factors such as river reach, elevation, and hydrology, we sampled invertebrates from fallout traps, emergence traps, benthic cores, and litter bags in emergent wetland habitats dominated by either P. arundinacea or C. lyngbyei. In litter bags macrodetritus quantity, quality, and decay rates were also quantified. Detritus quality measured by the carbon to nitrogen ratio, was higher from C. lyngbyei suggesting that it produces more and higher quality detritus during the time when juvenile salmonids occupy the area. The abundance and biomass of combined invertebrates in fallout and emergence traps were similar between the vegetation types, but in benthic cores overall invertebrate abundance was greater in C. lyngbyei. Densities of the salmon prey groups total dipteran insects and Chironomidae from fallout traps and benthic cores, and the biomass from fallout traps were greater in C. lyngbyei. Emergent Diptera and Chironomidae abundance and biomass were similar between the vegetation types. Overall macroinvertebrate assemblage and diversity was not affected by P. arundinacea, but the salmon prey taxa Diptera and Chironomidae were reduced in P. arundinacea. It is unknown whether the difference between the two vegetation types is of a magnitude that affects juvenile Chinook salmon trophic function. Additional studies including a comparison to juvenile salmon insect consumption would contribute to reducing uncertainty.
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Data availability
All basic data analysis used in this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. Raw data files (e.g., invertebrate counts and weights) are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
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Acknowledgements
Amanda Hanson helped to coordinate research and conduct field work for the project. Erin Morgan conducted sampling and laboratory analysis of invertebrates. Mary Ramirez provided input on methods and assisted in field sampling.
Funding
This study was funded by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council/Bonneville Power Administration (NPCC/BPA) to support data collected by the Ecosystem Monitoring Program (implemented by the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership) and inform regional habitat restoration efforts and action effectiveness monitoring.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by ABB, VC, JS, and JT. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JRC with extensive revisions provided by SK. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Cordell, J.R., Kidd, S.A., Toft, J.D. et al. Ecological effects of reed canarygrass in the lower Columbia River. Biol Invasions 25, 3485–3502 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03119-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03119-y