Aquatic insects are important to the transfer of energy in freshwater wetlands. They link primary producers and organic matter to higher trophic levels, and pass energy from the aquatic environment to the terrestrial ecosystem via predation of adults. Introduction of the invasive free-floating aquatic fern giant salvinia, Salvinia molesta Mitchell, threatens aquatic insect communities and life cycle completion, specifically colonization, through mat formation and habitat changes. We examined how aerial colonization and assemblage structure of aquatic insects were affected by giant salvinia coverage. Mesocosms were established with three giant salvinia coverages, 25%, 50%, and 100%, and a native submerged macrophyte, 0% coverage; and environmental conditions and community structure were sampled monthly, over four months. After four weeks, all giant salvinia coverages reduced dissolved oxygen, pH, and light availability in the aquatic environment. In the 100% cover treatment, aquatic insect colonization was impeded, resulting in communities with lower abundance and richness, which were dominated by a coleopteran. The 25% and 50% giant salvinia coverages changed habitat complexity, which yielded different aquatic insect communities from the 0% and from 100% coverages. Regardless of the coverage, giant salvinia changed environmental conditions and putatively the 100% coverage disrupted the aquatic insect life cycle by limiting aerial colonization. This inability to complete their life cycle means aquatic insects cannot replenish themselves, leading to a diminished species pool and reduced energy potential. Our results highlight new, previously unreported, negative impacts from giant salvinia on ecosystem structure and function.

水生昆虫对淡水湿地中的能量转移很重要。它们将初级生产者和有机物与更高的营养水平联系起来，并通过成年捕食将能量从水生环境传递到陆地生态系统。入侵性自由漂浮水生蕨类大沙律沙丁鱼的介绍米切尔（Mitchell）通过垫子的形成和栖息地的变化来威胁水生昆虫群落和生命周期的完成，特别是定居。我们检查了空中昆虫定居和水生昆虫的组装结构如何受到巨大的丹参覆盖率的影响。建立了中观宇宙，覆盖了3个巨大的丹参，分别为25％，50％和100％，而原生的沉没大型植物的覆盖率为0％。在四个月的时间内每月对环境条件和社区结构进行采样。四周后，所有巨大的沙柳覆盖物都降低了水生环境中的溶解氧，pH和光的利用率。在100％的掩盖处理中，水生昆虫的定居受到了阻碍，导致群落的丰度和丰富度较低，而鞘翅目则占主导地位。25％和50％的巨大沙律覆盖率改变了栖息地的复杂性，从0％和100％的覆盖率中产生了不同的水生昆虫群落。无论覆盖率如何，巨大的沙律都改变了环境条件，并且假定100％的覆盖率通过限制空中定居而破坏了水生昆虫的生命周期。这种无法完成其生命周期的方式意味着水生昆虫无法自我补充，从而导致物种库减少和能源潜力降低。我们的结果强调了巨大的丹参对生态系统结构和功能的新的，以前未曾报道的负面影响。这种无法完成其生命周期的方式意味着水生昆虫无法自我补充，从而导致物种库减少和能源潜力降低。我们的结果强调了巨大的丹参对生态系统结构和功能的新的，以前未曾报道的负面影响。这种无法完成其生命周期的方式意味着水生昆虫无法自我补充，从而导致物种库减少和能源潜力降低。我们的结果强调了巨大的丹参对生态系统结构和功能的新的，以前未曾报道的负面影响。