Multiple invasions: invader interactions and multiple anthropogenic factors in wetland communities

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dc.contributor.advisorSiemann, Evanen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRudolf, Volkeren_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberLi, Qilinen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberArmitage, Annaen_US
dc.creatorMeza-Lopez, Maria Magdalenaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-27T22:43:26Zen_US
dc.date.available2016-01-27T22:43:26Zen_US
dc.date.created2015-12en_US
dc.date.issued2015-10-22en_US
dc.date.submittedDecember 2015en_US
dc.date.updated2016-01-27T22:43:26Zen_US
dc.description.abstractEcosystems invaded by one invader often contain abundant populations of other invaders. This may reflect facilitative invader interactions, common response to anthropogenic factors (nutrient enrichment and/or climate warming), or result from common paths of introduction. My dissertation asked 1) do multitrophic invaders reciprocally facilitate each other’s invasion, 2) does nutrient enrichment or climate warming contribute to plant invasions in native plant wetland communities and/or in exotic herbivore invaded communities, and 3) do nutrient enrichment, warming, and plant invasions individually or interactively affect exotic herbivore invasions in native plant communities. Results from a factorial field mesocosm experiment manipulating the order of exotic plant and herbivore invasions showed no evidence of reciprocal invader facilitation that would lead to an invasional meltdown in wetlands invaded by Pomacea maculata and Alternanthera philoxeroides. Pomacea maculata facilitated A. philoxeroides by preferentially consuming native plants. Alternanthera philoxeroides did not facilitate P. maculata invasions, suggesting that P. maculata invasions are independent of A. philoxeroides invasions. A factorial greenhouse mesocosm experiments showed that increasing nutrients directly increase P. maculata size, that exotic plants are not an ideal food source for P. maculata. Another greenhouse study showed that P. maculata size increased with increasing nutrients independent of plant origin (native vs. exotic). I conducted a field mesocosm experiments that showed that nutrient enrichment contributed to plant invasions independent of warming and that warming tended to reduce exotic plant performance. In another field factorial mesocosm experiment, I found that increasing nutrients increased plant growth, but favored exotic plants and that warming increased P. maculata’s reproductive performance four-fold. Together these results suggest that exotic herbivores with great impacts on native plants will facilitate plant invasions, that nutrient enrichment and warming will increase herbivore invasions, and that nutrient enrichment will increase plant invasions. Furthermore, it is critical to assess species interactions and interactive anthropogenic factor effects on native and exotic species because they cannot be predicted based on single anthropogenic factors.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationMeza-Lopez, Maria Magdalena. "Multiple invasions: invader interactions and multiple anthropogenic factors in wetland communities." (2015) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88208">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88208</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/88208en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectinvasional meltdownen_US
dc.subjectreciprocal facilitationen_US
dc.subjectnutrient enrichmenten_US
dc.subjectclimate warmingen_US
dc.subjectPomacea maculataen_US
dc.subjectAlternanthera philoxeroidesen_US
dc.subjectEichhornia crassipesen_US
dc.subjectPistia stratiotesen_US
dc.subjectmultitrophic levelsen_US
dc.subjectplant-herbivore interactionsen_US
dc.subjectnative aquatic plantsen_US
dc.subjectmesocosmsen_US
dc.subjectfreshwater wetlandsen_US
dc.titleMultiple invasions: invader interactions and multiple anthropogenic factors in wetland communitiesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentEcology and Evolutionary Biologyen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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