@misc{10481/93407,
year = {2024},
month = {5},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/93407},
abstract = {The negative interaction between multiple
invasive species, when an invasive predator
benefits from a previously introduced and abundant
prey, poses unanticipated challenges for the joint
management of invaders. To illustrate this question,
we describe the surge and collapse of the invasive
apple snail Pomacea maculata population before
and after the arrival of the invasive blue crab, Callinectes
sapidus, in the Ebro River (NE Spain). These
two invaders have coincided for the first time beyond
their respective native and prior invasive ranges, and
thus lack any previous shared eco-evolutionary history
facilitating coexistence. We leverage data from a 9-year apple snail removal programme (2014–2022)
conducted by authorities to evaluate the effectiveness
of the management programme and describe
the apple snail temporal dynamics in the Ebro River.
Since its arrival in 2013, the apple snail population
increased exponentially along the river and adjacent
rice-fields despite labour-intensive eradication efforts.
Unexpectedly, riverine populations of the apple snail
declined by 90% in 2018 relative to the prior year
without apparent association with previous management
efforts. Simultaneously, the blue crab was first
recorded in the Ebro River in 2018, and its distribution
rapidly overlapped the whole area invaded by
apple snails. We suggest that over-predation by the
blue crab is the main cause of the decline observed
in the apple snail, and discuss the implications of
this new invader-invader interaction for management.
This study underscores the unforeseen consequences
of subsequent waves of invasion, and the importance
of supporting management with a deeper understanding
of ecological interactions among invasive predator
and prey species.},
organization = {Spanish Ministry
of Science and Innovation (PCI2018-092939, PCI2018-
092986, MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE)},
organization = {InvasiBES through the 2017–2018 Belmont Forum and BIODIVERSA
joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivScen
ERANet COFUND programme},
organization = {Spanish Programme
of R + D + I (RyC2018-025160-I)},
organization = {MICINN through the European Regional Development Fund
(SUMHAL, LIFEWATCH-2019-09-CSIC-13, POPE 2014–
2020)},
organization = {Ebro River Water
Authority and Regional Government of Catalonia},
organization = {Open Access funding provided thanks to the
CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature},
organization = {Research fellowship Margarita Salas funded by the European Union—NextGeneration EU) through the Spanish Ministry of Universities},
publisher = {Springer Nature},
keywords = {Callinectes sapidus},
keywords = {Ebro River},
keywords = {Overpredation},
title = {Massive decline of invasive apple snail populations after blue crab invasion in the Ebro River, Spain},
doi = {10.1007/s10530-024-03334-1},
author = {Céspedes, Vanessa and Bernardo‑Madrid, Rubén and Picazo Mota, Félix and Vilá, Montserrat and Rubio, Cristóbal and García, María and Sanz, Ismael and Gallardo, Belinda},
}