Invasive Apple Snail Diets in Native vs. Non-Native Habitats Defined by SIAR (Stable Isotope Analysis in R)

Abstract

Invasive apple snails adversely impact the ecological function of non-native habitats, resulting in eutrophication as well as reduced biodiversity, which diminishes ecosystem goods and services, thereby [negatively] impacting human well-being. The onus here is to define the diet of an invasive apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) in native (Maldonado, Uruguay) versus non-native habitats (Hangzhou, China, and Oahu, HI, USA). Diets for apple snails, in five sites, within both native and non-native habitats were defined via SIAR (Stable Isotope Analysis in R) with γ13C and γ15N stable isotope data collected therein. SIAR models indicate P. canaliculata shift diet from generalist (where myriad plant species comprise relatively small proportions of overall diet) to a specialist diet (where plants species constitute much larger proportions of said diet). What may be more telling is that in (anthropogenically disturbed) portions of the native habitat, and progressively more so in non-native habitats, invasive apple snail diets are increasingly composed of aquatic plants. The inherent and pronounced dietary differences amongst pristine and anthropogenically disturbed native habitats, as well as non-native habitats, provide a mechanism that may elucidate the variable ecological impacts of invasive apple snails within native and non-native habitats.