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Landscape Connectivity Shapes the Spread Pattern of the Rice Water Weevil: A Case Study from Zhejiang, China

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Abstract

The spread of invasive species is a complex ecological process that is affected by both the biology of the species and the spatial structure of a landscape. The rice water weevil (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel), a notorious crop pest found in many parts of the world, is one of the most devastating invasive species in China, and has caused enormous economic losses and ecological damage. Little is known, however, as to how habitat and landscape features affect the spatial spread of this pest. Thus, the main goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the observed spread pattern of L. oryzophilus and landscape structural factors in Zhejiang Province, China between 1993 and 2001. We quantified the invasive spread of the weevil in terms of both the proportion of infected area and spread distance each year as well as landscape structure and connectivity of rice paddies with landscape metrics. Our results showed that the spread of L. oryzophilus took place primarily in the southwest-northeast direction along coastal areas at a speed of about 36 km per year. The composition and spatial arrangement of landscape elements were key determinants of this unique spread pattern. In particular, the connectivity of early rice paddies was crucial for the invasive spread while other factors such as meteorological and geographical conditions may also have been relevant. To control the spread of the pest, we propose four management measures: (1) to implement a landscape-level planning scheme of cropping systems to minimize habitat area and connectivity for the pest, (2) to reduce the source populations at a local scale using integrated control methods, (3) to monitor and report invasive spread in a timely manner, and (4) to strengthen the quarantine system. To be most effective, all four management measures need to be implemented together through an integrated, multi-scaled approach.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the local monitoring stations of Zhejiang Province for sharing their historical data on the invasion of L. oryzophilus, to Z. Shi and J.F. Huang for help with the maps of rice paddies, and to Tracy Shoumaker and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript. This research was supported by grants from Beijing Educational Committee (Grant No. KM200810028014) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30571241).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Zhengjun Wang

  2. School of Life Sciences and Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Jianguo Wu

  3. Sino-US Center for Conservation, Energy and Sustainability Science (SUCCESS), Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010021, China

    Jianguo Wu

  4. College of Life Science, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    Hanwu Shang

  5. Institute of Applied Entomology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Jiaan Cheng

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  1. Zhengjun Wang
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  2. Jianguo Wu
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  3. Hanwu Shang
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  4. Jiaan Cheng
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Correspondence to Hanwu Shang.

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Wang, Z., Wu, J., Shang, H. et al. Landscape Connectivity Shapes the Spread Pattern of the Rice Water Weevil: A Case Study from Zhejiang, China. Environmental Management 47, 254–262 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9595-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9595-y

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