Escobar Luis E, Qiao Huijie, Phelps Nicholas B D, Wagner Carli K, Larkin Daniel J
Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA.
Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA.
Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 1;6:29037. doi: 10.1038/srep29037.
Nitellopsis obtusa (starry stonewort) is a dioecious green alga native to Europe and Asia that has emerged as an aquatic invasive species in North America. Nitellopsis obtusa is rare across large portions of its native range, but has spread rapidly in northern-tier lakes in the United States, where it can interfere with recreation and may displace native species. Little is known about the invasion ecology of N. obtusa, making it difficult to forecast future expansion. Using ecological niche modeling we investigated environmental variables associated with invasion risk. We used species records, climate data, and remotely sensed environmental variables to characterize the species' multidimensional distribution. We found that N. obtusa is exploiting novel ecological niche space in its introduced range, which may help explain its invasiveness. While the fundamental niche of N. obtusa may be stable, there appears to have been a shift in its realized niche associated with invasion in North America. Large portions of the United States are predicted to constitute highly suitable habitat for N. obtusa. Our results can inform early detection and rapid response efforts targeting N. obtusa and provide testable estimates of the physiological tolerances of this species as a baseline for future empirical research.
钝节拟丽藻（星状轮藻）是一种雌雄异株的绿藻，原产于欧洲和亚洲，现已成为北美洲的一种水生入侵物种。钝节拟丽藻在其原生分布的大部分地区都很罕见，但在美国北部的湖泊中迅速蔓延，在那里它会干扰娱乐活动，并可能取代本地物种。人们对钝节拟丽藻的入侵生态学知之甚少，因此很难预测其未来的扩张。我们使用生态位建模来研究与入侵风险相关的环境变量。我们利用物种记录、气候数据和遥感环境变量来描述该物种的多维分布。我们发现钝节拟丽藻在其引入范围内正在开拓新的生态位空间，这可能有助于解释其入侵性。虽然钝节拟丽藻的基础生态位可能是稳定的，但与其在北美洲的入侵相关的实际生态位似乎发生了变化。预计美国的大部分地区将成为钝节拟丽藻非常适宜的栖息地。我们的研究结果可为针对钝节拟丽藻的早期检测和快速反应工作提供参考，并为该物种的生理耐受性提供可检验的估计值，作为未来实证研究的基线。
