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Potential Impacts of the Invasive Grass Megathyrsus maximus (Poaceae) on Ground-dwelling Arthropods in a Caribbean Dry Forest
Lorna M. Moreno1, Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman1,*, Christopher Cheleuitte2, Lourdes Lastra1, Ricardo Rodriguez3, and Julissa Rojas-Sandoval4,5
1Department of Environmental Sciences and Institute for Tropical Ecosystems Studies, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, PO Box 21910, San Juan, PR 00931-1910, USA. 2College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. 3Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Call Box 860, Humacao, PR 00792, USA. 4Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, PO Box 23341, San Juan, PR 00931-3341 USA. 5Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, MRC-166 Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013, USA. *Corresponding author.
Caribbean Naturalist, No. 7 (2014)
Abstract
Invasive species are important drivers of biodiversity loss and community changes worldwide. The African grass Megathyrsus maximus (Guinea Grass), introduced on Mona Island in the last century, has established extensive stands, but information about its effect on natural ground-dwelling communities is lacking. Ground-dwelling organisms play an important role in ecosystem function, and their diversity and distribution may be influenced by plant community composition. In this study, we tested if the presence of Guinea Grass on Mona Island was related to differences in species richness, composition, and abundance of ground-dwelling arthropods. To that effect, we established pitfall traps in two invaded sites and two non-invaded sites for five continuous days. Areas invaded by Guinea Grass had less-diverse ground-dwelling arthropods communities than areas where this exotic grass was absent. Abundances of Collembola and Acari (mites) were particularly lower at invaded sites relative to non-invaded ones, suggesting that invasion by M. maximus has the potential to alter ground-dwelling arthropods communities in somewhat predictable ways.
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