See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314208034 The Management of Typha domingensis(Typhaceae) Affects Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Palo Verde Wetland... Article in Ecological Restoration · January 2017 DOI: 10.3368/er.35.2.175 CITATIONS READS 0 33 5 authors, including: Florencia Trama Anjali Kumar cneh-peru American Association for the Advancement of S… 9 PUBLICATIONS 35 CITATIONS 19 PUBLICATIONS 155 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Monika Springer University of Costa Rica 52 PUBLICATIONS 223 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean View project Chironomidae (Diptera) of Costa Rica View project All content following this page was uploaded by Monika Springer on 24 May 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. The Management of Typha domingensis (Typhaceae) affects Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Palo Verde Wetland, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Florencia A. Trama, Federico L.S. Rizo Patron Viale, Anjali S. Kumar, Jennifer L. Stynoski, Michael B. McCoy Colton, Monika C Springer Ecological Restoration, Volume 35, Number 2, June 2017, pp. 175-189 (Article) Published by University of Wisconsin Press For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/658558 Access provided by Cornell University (22 May 2017 16:26 GMT) RESEARCH ARTICLE The Management of Typha domingensis (Typhaceae) affects Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in the Palo Verde Wetland, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Florencia A. Trama, Federico L.S. Rizo Patron Viale, Anjali S. Kumar, Jennifer L. Stynoski, Michael B. McCoy Colton and Monika C. Springer ABSTRACT The Palo Verde wetland, one of the most important places for aquatic organisms in Costa Rica, is currently recovering from an invasive expansion of Typha domingensis (cattail). A monitoring program was designed to understand the potential impacts of different management plans on aquatic fauna and flora. Macroinvertebrates were sampled monthly for one year (Aug 2003–Aug 2004) using an artificial substrate method in three plots: Plot A,T. domingensis has been managed since 1987 by manual and mechanical underwater cutting and posterior grazing; Plot B, T. domingensis has been mechanically crushed since 2002; and Plot C, a homogeneous T. domingensis stand without active management. We identified 112 macroinvertebrate taxa from 53 families and 18 orders. Typha domingensis removal in plots under active management did not increase family or taxa richness. Instead, a greater number of rare taxa persisted in the unmanaged plot, and macroinvertebrate communities differed among plots with less than 60% of taxa shared among them. Furthermore, mean taxa richness was higher in T. domingensis cover (X̅ = 8.56) than in the other vegetation covers (X̅ = 4.6 to 5.54). Macroinvertebrate richness was affected by vegetation cover, sampling date, and depth while abundance was affected by depth and dissolved oxygen. Typha domingensis management is necessary to open areas that allow the development of other vegetation types, a variety of communities of macroinvertebrates, and habitat for birds. However, in order to promote a high macroinvertebrates biodiversity and ensure food sources for waterfowl, the Palo Verde wetland should retain some patches of T. domingensis distributed throughout. Keywords: aquatic diversity, cattail, seasonal wetland, tropical, wetland restoration Restoration Recap • • Seasonally variable habitat conditions influence macroin- management activities to reduce invasive species stands, vertebrate communities. In this study, water depth was the importance of the invasive species as a habitat source one of the most important habitat factors aside from should be investigated. management activity. It is important to evaluate a range • Remnant cattail stands should be at least 15 m in diameter of both temporal and physical conditions in a system in to ensure a low electric conductivity needed to sustain a order to achieve restoration goals. diverse macroinvertebrate community. • Macroinvertebrates can adapt to live on invasive plants that have been established for a long time. Before starting reshwater wetlands are the most threatened ecosystems (Bufford and Gonzalez 2012). These threats are mainly Fin the world and provide critical habitat for a variety of due to direct activities (drainage, dredging, and dam- organisms, including birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles ming) that modify the land for agriculture, ranching and aquaculture among others. Additionally, water pollutants, Ecological Restoration Vol. 35, No. 2, 2017 excess of nutrients, and the introduction of non-native ISSN 1522-4740 E-ISSN 1543-4079 species by natural dispersal mechanisms or human trans- ©2017 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. portation have changed community structure and wetland June 2017 ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION 35:2 • 175 functionality (Roggeri 1995, Cronk and Fennessy 2001, was developed by the Ministry of Environment, Energy Ramsar 2014). and Telecommunications (MINAET; Castillo and Guzmán Non-native invasive plants can be successful due to 2004) and the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). their ability to rapidly adapt and spread with both sexual The project included a component for monitoring the reproduction and vegetative regeneration. Invasive plants responses of wetland fauna and flora to various methods often have wide ecological tolerances to fire, flooding and of controlling T. domingensis (Organization for Tropical drought conditions, and often do not have pests or herbi- Studies 2002, Trama and Rizo-Patron 2007, Trama et al. vores in the new, invaded habitats (Cronk and Fennessy 2009a, Trama et al. 2009b). 2001). These invasions not only affect the associated bio- Macroinvertebrates play an important role in the food diversity but also the functionality of the ecosystems and web and recycling of organic matter. These organisms human interests (Zedler and Kercher 2004). Some of the are an important source of protein for many aquatic changes that can be observed when an invasive plant arrives species, including birds that forage and nest in wetland to a new wetland are: 1) changes in community structure areas (Fredrickson and Reed 1988). Generally, there are a by competition and habitat disturbance; 2) changes in greater number of macroinvertebrates found in wetlands aquatic plant composition by shading the water column; with aquatic vegetation than in those without vegetation 3) producing more invasive hybrids that change the genetic (Kostecke et al. 2005). Moreover, areas with a greater makeup of the community; and 4) changes in animal com- diversity of wetland vegetation structures support a more munities by modifying the physicochemical factors or diverse assemblage of macroinvertebrates than areas with biotic conditions (Cronk and Fennessy 2001). one or few plant species (De Szalay and Resch 2000, Kratzer Palo Verde National Park (PVNP; Guanacaste, Costa and Batzer 2007). Rica) includes a 1247-hectare (ha) seasonal, freshwater Traditionally, wetland managers have manipulated wetland (Palo Verde wetland, PVW), considered one of the hydrology and vegetation to benefit waterfowl populations, most important wetlands in the Pacific region of Central especially migratory birds. However, some management America (Vaughan et al. 1996). This wetland provides vital activities have shifted to also benefit macroinvertebrates habitat for over 60 species of migratory and resident water because they act as a food source for waterfowl (De Szalay birds (Boza 1981, Boza and Mendoza 1981, McCoy and et al. 1996, De Szalay and Resh 1997, Kostecke 2005). Cur- Rodríguez 1994), including endangered species and those rently, no information is available regarding the impacts with small population sizes (Vaughan et al. 1996). Since of T. domingensis management on macroinvertebrates in the 1980s, when PVNP was created and grazing cattle were the PVW. Here, we investigated the responses of mac- removed, the aggressive advance of Typha domingensis roinvertebrate communities to T. domingensis manage- (cattail) and other grasses have made the maintenance ment methods to determine how richness and abundance of aquatic habitat for organisms difficult (McCoy and of food for resident and migratory birds may be altered Rodriguez 1994). (Gray et al. 1999, Camburn et al. 2001, Kostecke et al. Typha domingensis is a cosmopolitan plant distributed 2005). Our objectives were to compare throughout the in the Americas, Africa, and Australia (Sojda and Solberg year: 1) diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates in differ- 1993). In Costa Rica, this species has shown very aggres- ent T. domingensis management treatments; 2) variation sive growth in many wetlands, including those found in of physicochemical measures between treatments; and the lower reaches of the Tempisque River (Organization 3) the relationship between biodiversity (biotic) variables for Tropical Studies 2002, Jiménez et al. 2003, Organiza- and physicochemical (abiotic) variables. tion for Tropical Studies 2003, Castillo and Guzmán 2004, Pucci 2012). Several methods have been employed and Methods tested in an effort to control the growth of this plant and restore natural wetlands (McCoy 1994, McCoy and Rodrí- Study Area guez 1994, McCoy 1996, Vaughan et al. 1996). However, The Palo Verde wetland is situated within the Palo