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Talluto L, del Campo R, Estévez E, Altermatt F, Datry T, Singer G. Towards (better) fluvial meta-ecosystem ecology: a research perspective. NPJ BIODIVERSITY 2024; 3:3. [PMID: 39050515 PMCID: PMC11263126 DOI: 10.1038/s44185-023-00036-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Rivers are an important component of the global carbon cycle and contribute to atmospheric carbon exchange disproportionately to their total surface area. Largely, this is because rivers efficiently mobilize, transport and metabolize terrigenous organic matter (OM). Notably, our knowledge about the magnitude of globally relevant carbon fluxes strongly contrasts with our lack of understanding of the underlying processes that transform OM. Ultimately, OM processing en route to the oceans results from a diverse assemblage of consumers interacting with an equally diverse pool of resources in a spatially complex network of heterogeneous riverine habitats. To understand this interaction between consumers and OM, we must therefore account for spatial configuration, connectivity, and landscape context at scales ranging from local ecosystems to entire networks. Building such a spatially explicit framework of fluvial OM processing across scales may also help us to better predict poorly understood anthropogenic impacts on fluvial carbon cycling, for instance human-induced fragmentation and changes to flow regimes, including intermittence. Moreover, this framework must also account for the current unprecedented human-driven loss of biodiversity. This loss is at least partly due to mechanisms operating across spatial scales, such as interference with migration and habitat homogenization, and comes with largely unknown functional consequences. We advocate here for a comprehensive framework for fluvial networks connecting two spatially aware but disparate lines of research on (i) riverine metacommunities and biodiversity, and (ii) the biogeochemistry of rivers and their contribution to the global carbon cycle. We argue for a research agenda focusing on the regional scale-that is, of the entire river network-to enable a deeper mechanistic understanding of naturally arising biodiversity-ecosystem functioning coupling as a major driver of biogeochemically relevant riverine carbon fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Talluto
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Rubén del Campo
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Edurne Estévez
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thibault Datry
- National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), 5 Rue de la Doua, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Gabriel Singer
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Alther R, Fronhofer EA, Altermatt F. Dispersal behaviour and riverine network connectivity shape the genetic diversity of freshwater amphipod metapopulations. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6551-6565. [PMID: 34597440 PMCID: PMC9293088 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Theory predicts that the distribution of genetic diversity in a landscape is strongly dependent on the connectivity of the metapopulation and the dispersal of individuals between patches. However, the influence of explicit spatial configurations such as dendritic landscapes on the genetic diversity of metapopulations is still understudied, and theoretical corroborations of empirical patterns are largely lacking. Here, we used microsatellite data and stochastic simulations of two metapopulations of freshwater amphipods in a 28,000 km2 riverine network to study the influence of spatial connectivity and dispersal strategies on the spatial distribution of their genetic diversity. We found a significant imprint of the effects of riverine network connectivity on the local and global genetic diversity of both amphipod species. Data from 95 sites showed that allelic richness significantly increased towards more central nodes of the network. This was also seen for observed heterozygosity, yet not for expected heterozygosity. Genetic differentiation increased with instream distance. In simulation models, depending on the mutational model assumed, upstream movement probability and dispersal rate, respectively, emerged as key factors explaining the empirically observed distribution of local genetic diversity and genetic differentiation. Surprisingly, the role of site‐specific carrying capacities, for example by assuming a direct dependency of population size on local river size, was less clear cut: while our best fitting model scenario included this feature, over all simulations, scaling of carrying capacities did not increase data‐model fit. This highlights the importance of dispersal behaviour along spatial networks in shaping population genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Alther
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Emanuel A Fronhofer
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.,ISEM, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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He P, Montiglio PO, Somveille M, Cantor M, Farine DR. The role of habitat configuration in shaping animal population processes: a framework to generate quantitative predictions. Oecologia 2021; 196:649-665. [PMID: 34159423 PMCID: PMC8292241 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04967-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
By shaping where individuals move, habitat configuration can fundamentally structure animal populations. Yet, we currently lack a framework for generating quantitative predictions about the role of habitat configuration in modulating population outcomes. To address this gap, we propose a modelling framework inspired by studies using networks to characterize habitat connectivity. We first define animal habitat networks, explain how they can integrate information about the different configurational features of animal habitats, and highlight the need for a bottom–up generative model that can depict realistic variations in habitat potential connectivity. Second, we describe a model for simulating animal habitat networks (available in the R package AnimalHabitatNetwork), and demonstrate its ability to generate alternative habitat configurations based on empirical data, which forms the basis for exploring the consequences of alternative habitat structures. Finally, we lay out three key research questions and demonstrate how our framework can address them. By simulating the spread of a pathogen within a population, we show how transmission properties can be impacted by both local potential connectivity and landscape-level characteristics of habitats. Our study highlights the importance of considering the underlying habitat configuration in studies linking social structure with population-level outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng He
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany. .,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. .,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany. .,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | | | - Marius Somveille
- Birdlife International, The David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Mauricio Cantor
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.,Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Morel-Journel T, Assa CR, Mailleret L, Vercken E. Its all about connections: hubs and invasion in habitat networks. Ecol Lett 2018; 22:313-321. [PMID: 30537096 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
During the early stages of invasion, the interaction between the features of the invaded landscape, notably its spatial structure, and the internal dynamics of an introduced population has a crucial impact on establishment and spread. By approximating introduction areas as networks of patches linked by dispersal, we characterised their spatial structure with specific metrics and tested their impact on two essential steps of the invasion process: establishment and spread. By combining simulations with experimental introductions of Trichogramma chilonis (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in artificial laboratory microcosms, we demonstrated that spread was hindered by clusters and accelerated by hubs but was also affected by small-population mechanisms prevalent for invasions, such as Allee effects. Establishment was also affected by demographic mechanisms, in interaction with network metrics. These results highlight the importance of considering the demography of invaders as well as the structure of the invaded area to predict the outcome of invasions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaut Morel-Journel
- Earth and Life Institute, Biodiversity Research Centre, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Claire Rais Assa
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Ludovic Mailleret
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France.,Université Côte d'Azur, Inria, INRA, CNRS, UPMC University, Paris 06, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Elodie Vercken
- Université Côte d'Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, 06900, Sophia Antipolis, France
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Copilaș‐Ciocianu D, Zimța A, Petrusek A. Integrative taxonomy reveals a newGammarusspecies (Crustacea, Amphipoda) surviving in a previously unknown southeast European glacial refugium. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Denis Copilaș‐Ciocianu
- Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czechia
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Hydrobionts Nature Research Centre Vilnius Lithuania
| | - Alina‐Andreea Zimța
- Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czechia
- Department of Biology–Chemistry Faculty of Chemistry, Biology, Geography West University of Timişoara Timişoara Romania
| | - Adam Petrusek
- Department of Ecology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czechia
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