Factors Regulating South to North Bivalve Colonization of Novel Habitats
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University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2019 Quantifying early risks of species invasions: factors regulating south to north bivalve colonization of novel habitats Zhiqiang Xia University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Xia, Zhiqiang, "Quantifying early risks of species invasions: factors regulating south to north bivalve colonization of novel habitats" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7745. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7745 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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Quantifying early risks of species invasions: factors regulating south to north bivalve colonization of novel habitats By Zhiqiang Xia A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2019 © 2019 Zhiqiang Xia Quantifying early risks of species invasions: factors regulating south to north bivalve colonization of novel habitats by Zhiqiang Xia APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ J. Bossenbroek, External Examiner University of Toledo ______________________________________________ S.J. Loeb Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry ______________________________________________ A. Zhan Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research ______________________________________________ K. Drouillard Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research ______________________________________________ H.J. MacIsaac, Co-Advisor Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research ______________________________________________ G.D. Haffner, Co-Advisor Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research May 31, 2019 DECLARATION OF CO-AUTHORSHIP / PREVIOUS PUBLICATION I. Co-Authorship I hereby declare that this dissertation incorporates materials that the result of joint research. G.D. Haffner and H.J. MacIsaac contributed to all chapters by providing opportunities and facilities necessary to complete the research along with intellectual guidance. In Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6, A. Zhan contributed by providing facilities for laboratory analysis. In Chapters 5 and 6, X. Cao contributed by providing samples and laboratory test. In Chapters 2 and 4, M.L. Johansson contributed to data analysis. In Chapter 2, E. DeRoy contributed to data analysis. In Chapter 3, L. Zhang and Y. Gao contributed to sample collection and laboratory analysis, respectively. In Chapter 6, T. Hoxha contributed to data analysis. In all cases, the key ideas, data collection and interpretation, and writing of all chapters were performed by the author, Zhiqiang Xia. I am aware of the University of Windsor Senate Policy on Authorship and I certify that I have properly acknowledged the contribution of other researchers to my dissertation, and have obtained written permission from each of the co-author(s) to include the above material(s) in my dissertation. I certify that, with the above qualification, this dissertation, and the research which it refers, is the product of my own work. II. Previous Publication This dissertation includes four original papers that have been previously published/submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, as follows: Dissertation Publication title/full citation Publication chapter status Chapter 2 Xia, Z., Zhan, A., Johansson, M.L., De Roy, E., Revision Haffner, G.D. & MacIsaac, H.J. (2019). Optimizing submitted assay sensitivity improves environmental DNA-based detection for low abundance species. Molecular Ecology Resources. Chapter 3 Xia, Z., Zhan, A., Gao, Y., Zhang, L., Haffner, G.D. & Published MacIsaac, H.J. (2018). Early detection of a highly iii invasive bivalve based on environmental DNA (eDNA). Biological Invasions, 20, 437-447. Chapter 4 Xia, Z., Johansson, M.L., Gao, Y., Zhang, L., Haffner, Published G.D. & MacIsaac, H.J. (2018). Conventional versus real‐time quantitative PCR for rare species detection. Ecology and Evolution, 8, 11799-11807. Chapter 6 Xia, Z., Cao, X., Hoxha, T., Zhan, A., Haffner, G.D. & Revision MacIsaac, H.J. (2019). Functional response and size- submitted selective clearance of suspended matter by an invasive mussel, and implications in a large water diversion project. Science of the Total Environment. I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner to include the above published material in my dissertation. Chapters published, or accepted for publication, in the above journals have been modified slightly for consistency. I certify that the above material describes work completed during my registration as graduate student at the University of Windsor. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my dissertation does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my dissertation. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my dissertation committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv ABSTRACT Management of species invasions ideally requires early detection of species at low abundance, which is often challenging for traditional methods. Environmental DNA (eDNA) provides a promising tool with enhanced sensitivity relative to traditional methods. As an emerging method, however, detection of species at low abundance based on eDNA needs to be optimized to improve detection rate and reduce false negatives. I conducted a meta-analysis, the results of which suggested the significance of using the highly sensitive PCR method and extensive sampling (i.e., replicates sampling and large water volume) to improve detection rate in eDNA-based, low-abundance species detection programs. Needs for improved assay sensitivity screening, testing and reporting were also identified to reduce false negatives and to inform future uses. I developed and optimized an eDNA-based early detection method for the invasive bivalve Limnoperna fortunei (golden mussel) and applied it to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution of golden mussel DNA in the central route of South to North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) in China. I found that improved detection could be achieved by optimizing sensitivity of the method used either through screening primer pairs or PCR methods. A primer pair with a lower limit of detection (LoD) achieved earlier and lower abundance detection of the target species relative to those with higher LoD. Water samples containing re-suspended matter from the bottom layer were better for detection than those exclusively collected from the surface layer, and only sampling the latter caused false negatives. Quantitative PCR yielded higher detection rates than conventional PCR, while the quantification efficiency was reduced in field water samples as compared to total v genomic DNA. Replicate sampling was critical to reduce false negative detections. The majority of positive detections of golden mussel DNA in the main canal of SNWDP were concentrated in warm months, and the occurrence of positive detections was significantly related to minimum daily air temperature, consistent with the expected spawning season of the species. Golden mussel DNA was detected as far as ~1150 km from the putative source of the individuals, indicating long-distance transport of veligers during spawning season. Finally, I tested the functional response and size-selective clearance of the golden mussel to project their potential impacts. Results indicated that golden mussels have a type I functional response, with clearance rate inversely related to food concentration. Presence of golden mussels suppressed suspended matter concentration, the extent of which was dependent on animal abundance, particle size, and their interactions. Golden mussels packaged fine suspended particles into coarser ones, and capture efficiency was inversely related to particle size. Given the suitable habitat and continuous water flow in the main canal of the SNWDP, it seems inevitable that it will be colonized by golden mussels. Abundance mitigation should be considered