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Wang L, Liu J, Bao Z, Ma X, Shen H, Xie P, Chen J. Thermocline stratification favors phytoplankton spatial overlap and species diversity in a subtropical deep reservoir. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169712. [PMID: 38160822 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Spatial segregation of species along opposing resource gradients is a major research topic in ecology as it enables the coexistence and maintenance of high diversity. Thermocline stratification causes heterogeneous resource distribution, however, the effect of thermocline stratification on phytoplankton dynamic in-depth profiles is still unclear. To understand the underlying mechanism behind the effects of thermocline stratification on phytoplankton species diversity in stratified lakes, the monthly changes in thermocline parameters, deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) parameters, spatial overlap (SO) among major phytoplankton taxonomic groups, and phytoplankton species diversity were evaluated in Lake Qiandaohu in the Zhejiang Province of China from April 2017 to December 2018. Thermocline depth (TD) was significantly negatively related to thermocline strength (TS). The monthly air temperature was the main driver behind the thermocline and the seasonal thermal-stratification cycle was divided into two stratification stages. Significant linear relationships were observed between the DCM parameters (depth, concentration, and thickness) and TD during the strong stratification period. TD was significantly positively related to phytoplankton species diversity and the SO between Cryptophyta and Chlorophyta as well as between Cryptophyta and Bacillariophyta during weak stratification periods. Significant positive correlations were observed between SO and Shannon diversity during both periods. Structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that air temperature significantly decreased TD and increased species diversity by increasing SO during the strong stratification period. Strong stratification under warming favored the formation of shallower and thinner DCMs, leading to phytoplankton coexistence and maintenance of high species diversity through a preclusion of dominance. This study characterized the temporal dynamics of phytoplankton dynamic in-depth profiles in response to strong stratification from warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Wang
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Jiarui Liu
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Zhen Bao
- Hangzhou Ecological Environment Monitoring Center of Zhejiang, Hangzhou 31000, China
| | - Xufa Ma
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hong Shen
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ping Xie
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Donghu Experimental Station of Lake Ecosystems, State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
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2
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Cantwell-Jones A, Tylianakis JM, Larson K, Gill RJ. Using individual-based trait frequency distributions to forecast plant-pollinator network responses to environmental change. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14368. [PMID: 38247047 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Determining how and why organisms interact is fundamental to understanding ecosystem responses to future environmental change. To assess the impact on plant-pollinator interactions, recent studies have examined how the effects of environmental change on individual interactions accumulate to generate species-level responses. Here, we review recent developments in using plant-pollinator networks of interacting individuals along with their functional traits, where individuals are nested within species nodes. We highlight how these individual-level, trait-based networks connect intraspecific trait variation (as frequency distributions of multiple traits) with dynamic responses within plant-pollinator communities. This approach can better explain interaction plasticity, and changes to interaction probabilities and network structure over spatiotemporal or other environmental gradients. We argue that only through appreciating such trait-based interaction plasticity can we accurately forecast the potential vulnerability of interactions to future environmental change. We follow this with general guidance on how future studies can collect and analyse high-resolution interaction and trait data, with the hope of improving predictions of future plant-pollinator network responses for targeted and effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoife Cantwell-Jones
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, Private Bag 4800, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Keith Larson
- Climate Impacts Research Centre, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Richard J Gill
- Georgina Mace Centre for The Living Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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3
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Joos J, Pimiento C, Miles DB, Müller J. Quaternary megafauna extinctions altered body size distribution in tortoises. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221947. [PMID: 36382514 PMCID: PMC9667361 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The late Quaternary is characterized by the extinction of many terrestrial megafauna, which included tortoises (Family: Testudinidae). However, limited information is available on how extinction shaped the phenotype of surviving taxa. Here, based on a global dataset of straight carapace length, we investigate the temporal variation, spatial distribution and evolution of tortoise body size over the past 23 million years, thereby capturing the effects of Quaternary extinctions in this clade. We found a significant change in body size distribution characterized by a reduction of both mean body size and maximum body size of extant tortoises relative to fossil taxa. This reduction of body size occurred earlier in mainland (Early Pleistocene 2.588-0.781 Ma) than in island tortoises (Late Pleistocene/Holocene 0.126-0 Ma). Despite contrasting body size patterns between fossil and extant taxa on a spatial scale, tortoise body size showed limited variation over time until this decline. Body size is a fundamental functional trait determining many aspects of species ecologies, with large tortoises playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. As such, the transition from larger sized to smaller sized classes indicated by our findings likely resulted in the homogenization of tortoises' ecological functions and diminished the role of tortoises in structuring the vegetation community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Joos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43 Berlin D-10115, Germany
| | - Catalina Pimiento
- Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006, Switzerland
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Wallace Building, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 2072, Balboa, Panama
| | - Donald B. Miles
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
| | - Johannes Müller
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43 Berlin D-10115, Germany
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4
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Dynamic metabolic interactions and trophic roles of human gut microbes identified using a minimal microbiome exhibiting ecological properties. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:2144-2159. [PMID: 35717467 PMCID: PMC9381525 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01255-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMicrobe–microbe interactions in the human gut are influenced by host-derived glycans and diet. The high complexity of the gut microbiome poses a major challenge for unraveling the metabolic interactions and trophic roles of key microbes. Synthetic minimal microbiomes provide a pragmatic approach to investigate their ecology including metabolic interactions. Here, we rationally designed a synthetic microbiome termed Mucin and Diet based Minimal Microbiome (MDb-MM) by taking into account known physiological features of 16 key bacteria. We combined 16S rRNA gene-based composition analysis, metabolite measurements and metatranscriptomics to investigate community dynamics, stability, inter-species metabolic interactions and their trophic roles. The 16 species co-existed in the in vitro gut ecosystems containing a mixture of complex substrates representing dietary fibers and mucin. The triplicate MDb-MM’s followed the Taylor’s power law and exhibited strikingly similar ecological and metabolic patterns. The MDb-MM exhibited resistance and resilience to temporal perturbations as evidenced by the abundance and metabolic end products. Microbe-specific temporal dynamics in transcriptional niche overlap and trophic interaction network explained the observed co-existence in a competitive minimal microbiome. Overall, the present study provides crucial insights into the co-existence, metabolic niches and trophic roles of key intestinal microbes in a highly dynamic and competitive in vitro ecosystem.
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5
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Renault D, Hess MCM, Braschi J, Cuthbert RN, Sperandii MG, Bazzichetto M, Chabrerie O, Thiébaut G, Buisson E, Grandjean F, Bittebiere AK, Mouchet M, Massol F. Advancing biological invasion hypothesis testing using functional diversity indices. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 834:155102. [PMID: 35398434 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pioneering investigations on the effects of introduced populations on community structure, ecosystem functioning and services have focused on the effects of invaders on taxonomic diversity. However, taxonomic-based diversity metrics overlook the heterogeneity of species roles within and among communities. As the homogenizing effects of biological invasions on community and ecosystem processes can be subtle, they may require the use of functional diversity indices to be properly evidenced. Starting from the listing of major functional diversity indices, alongside the presentation of their strengths and limitations, we focus on studies pertaining to the effects of invasive species on native communities and recipient ecosystems using functional diversity indices. By doing so, we reveal that functional diversity of the recipient community may strongly vary at the onset of the invasion process, while it stabilizes at intermediate and high levels of invasion. As functional changes occurring during the lag phase of an invasion have been poorly investigated, we show that it is still unknown whether there are consistent changes in functional diversity metrics that could indicate the end of the lag phase. Thus, we recommend providing information on the invasion stage under consideration when computing functional diversity metrics. For the existing literature, it is also surprising that very few studies explored the functional difference between organisms from the recipient communities and invaders of the same trophic levels, or assessed the effects of non-native organism establishment into a non-analogue versus an analogue community. By providing valuable tools for obtaining in-depth diagnostics of community structure and functioning, functional diversity indices can be applied for timely implementation of restoration plans and improved conservation strategies. To conclude, our work provides a first synthetic guide for their use in hypothesis testing in invasion biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Renault
- University of Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] - UMR 6553, Rennes, France; Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
| | - Manon C M Hess
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), UMR Aix Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, France; Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes Tour du Valat, Le Sambuc, 13200 Arles, France; NGE-GUINTOLI, Saint-Etienne du Grès, Parc d'activités de Laurade - BP22, 13156 Tarascon Cedex, France
| | - Julie Braschi
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), UMR Aix Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, France; Naturalia-Environnement, Ingénierie en écologie, 20 Rue Lawrence Durrell, 84140 Avignon, France
| | - Ross N Cuthbert
- GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, BT9 5DL Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Marta G Sperandii
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italy
| | - Manuele Bazzichetto
- University of Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] - UMR 6553, Rennes, France
| | - Olivier Chabrerie
- Université de Picardie Jules Verne, UMR 7058 CNRS EDYSAN, 1 rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens Cedex 1, France
| | - Gabrielle Thiébaut
- University of Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution)] - UMR 6553, Rennes, France
| | - Elise Buisson
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), UMR Aix Marseille Université, Avignon Université, CNRS, IRD, France
| | - Frédéric Grandjean
- Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS 7267 EBI- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, équipe EES, 5 rue Albert Turpin, Bat B8-B35, TSA 51106, 86073 Poitiers Cedex 09, France
| | - Anne-Kristel Bittebiere
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Maud Mouchet
- UMR 7204 MNHN-SU-CNRS CESCO, CP135, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - François Massol
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR 8204 - CIIL - Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
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6
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Variations in Functional Richness and Assembly Mechanisms of the Subtropical Evergreen Broadleaved Forest Communities along Geographical and Environmental Gradients. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13081206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Linking functional trait space and environmental conditions can help to understand how species fill the functional trait space when species increase along environmental gradients. Here, we examined the variations in functional richness (FRic) and their correlations with key environmental variables in forest communities along latitudinal, longitudinal, and elevational gradients, by measuring seven functional traits of woody plants in 250 forest plots of 0.04 ha across five locations in the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests (SEBLF) of China. On this basis, we explored whether environmental filtering constrained the functional volume by using a null model approach. Results showed that FRic decreased with increasing elevation and latitude, while it increased with increasing longitude, mirroring the geographical gradients in species richness. FRic was significantly related to precipitation of driest quarter, soil pH, and total phosphorus. Negative SES.FRic was prevalent (83.2% of the communities) in most SEBLF communities and was negatively related to mean diurnal range. Our study suggested that the geographical variation in the functional space occupied by SEBLF communities was affected mainly by climate and soil conditions. The results of the null model revealed that niche packing was dominant in SEBLF communities, highlighting the importance of environmental filtering in defining functional volume within SEBLF communities.
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7
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Le Noac’h P, Ouellet Jobin V, Beisner BE. Effects of Vertical Spatial Overlap on Phytoplankton Diversity under Experimentally Altered Lake Stratification Regimes. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9122447. [PMID: 34946049 PMCID: PMC8708865 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122447] [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: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In phytoplankton communities, competitive exclusion might occur when functionally similar species are impeded from regulating their positions along light and nutrient gradients to reduce niche overlap. Greater spatial overlap (SO) between species due to water column mixing could thus promote competitive exclusion, reducing community taxonomic diversity. However, greater SO could also promote coexistence of functionally different taxa. Using data from a whole-lake experiment, we investigated the effects of SO and other relevant environmental factors on phytoplankton diversity across the water columns of lake basins with different thermocline manipulations. We estimated SO using an in situ fluorometer, and overall community diversity microscopically. Using structured equation models, we estimated directional relationships between phytoplankton diversity, SO, the lake physical structure and the zooplankton community. No significant effect of SO on phytoplankton taxonomic diversity was observed, but higher SO was associated with greater functional diversity. Change in lake physical structure and in the zooplankton community also affected diversity, with a negative response to increased top-down interactions. Overall, despite the fact that the alteration of water column stratification structure and top-down interactions were stronger drivers of phytoplankton diversity in our system, some effect of spatial overlap on the outcome of inferred competitive interactions were observable.
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8
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Carmona CP, Bueno CG, Toussaint A, Träger S, Díaz S, Moora M, Munson AD, Pärtel M, Zobel M, Tamme R. Fine-root traits in the global spectrum of plant form and function. Nature 2021; 597:683-687. [PMID: 34588667 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03871-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Plant traits determine how individual plants cope with heterogeneous environments. Despite large variability in individual traits, trait coordination and trade-offs1,2 result in some trait combinations being much more widespread than others, as revealed in the global spectrum of plant form and function (GSPFF3) and the root economics space (RES4) for aboveground and fine-root traits, respectively. Here we combine the traits that define both functional spaces. Our analysis confirms the major trends of the GSPFF and shows that the RES captures additional information. The four dimensions needed to explain the non-redundant information in the dataset can be summarized in an aboveground and a fine-root plane, corresponding to the GSPFF and the RES, respectively. Both planes display high levels of species aggregation, but the differentiation among growth forms, families and biomes is lower on the fine-root plane, which does not include any size-related trait, than on the aboveground plane. As a result, many species with similar fine-root syndromes display contrasting aboveground traits. This highlights the importance of including belowground organs to the GSPFF when exploring the interplay between different natural selection pressures and whole-plant trait integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - C Guillermo Bueno
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Aurele Toussaint
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Sabrina Träger
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Mari Moora
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alison D Munson
- Centre for Forest Research, Département des Sciences du bois et de la forêt, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Zobel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Riin Tamme
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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9
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Cox DTC, Gardner AS, Gaston KJ. Diel niche variation in mammals associated with expanded trait space. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1753. [PMID: 33741946 PMCID: PMC7979707 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22023-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian life shows huge diversity, but most groups remain nocturnal in their activity pattern. A key unresolved question is whether mammal species that have diversified into different diel niches occupy unique regions of functional trait space. For 5,104 extant mammals we show here that daytime-active species (cathemeral or diurnal) evolved trait combinations along different gradients from those of nocturnal and crepuscular species. Hypervolumes of five major functional traits (body mass, litter size, diet, foraging strata, habitat breadth) reveal that 30% of diurnal trait space is unique, compared to 55% of nocturnal trait space. Almost half of trait space (44%) of species with apparently obligate diel niches is shared with those that can switch, suggesting that more species than currently realised may be somewhat flexible in their activity patterns. Increasingly, conservation measures have focused on protecting functionally unique species; for mammals, protecting functional distinctiveness requires a focus across diel niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- D T C Cox
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - A S Gardner
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - K J Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
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10
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Mungee M, Athreya R. Intraspecific trait variability and community assembly in hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) across an elevational gradient in the eastern Himalayas, India. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2471-2487. [PMID: 33767815 PMCID: PMC7981230 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated some aspects of hawkmoth community assembly at 13 elevations along a 200- to 2770-m transect in the eastern Himalayas, a little studied biodiversity hot spot of global importance. We measured the morphological traits of body mass, wing loading, and wing aspect ratio of 3,301 free-ranging individuals of 76 species without having to collect or even constrain them. We used these trait measurements and T-statistic metrics to assess the strength of intracommunity ("internal") and extra-community ("external") filters which determine the composition of communities vis-a-vis the regional pool of species.The trait distribution of constituent species turned out to be nonrandom subsets of the community-trait distribution, providing strong evidence for internal filtering in all elevational communities. The external filter metric was more ambiguous. However, the elevational dependence of many metrics including that of the internal filter provided evidence for external (i.e., environmental) filtering. On average, a species occupied as much as 50%-75% of the total community-trait space, yet the T-statistic metric for internal filter was sufficiently sensitive to detect a strong nonrandom structure in the trait distribution.We suggest that the change in T-statistic metrics along the environmental gradient may provide more clues to the process of community assembly than previously envisaged. A large, smoothly varying and well-sampled environmental span would make it easier to discern them. Developing T-statistics for combined analysis of multiple traits will perhaps provide a more accurate picture of internal/filtering and niche complementarity. Moths are a hyperdiverse taxon and a very important component of many ecosystems. Our technique for accurately measuring body and wing dimensions of free-ranging moths can generate trait database for a large number of individuals in a time- and resource-efficient manner for a variety of community assembly studies using this important taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansi Mungee
- Indian Institute of Science Education and ResearchPuneIndia
- Wildlife Institute of IndiaDehradunIndia
| | - Ramana Athreya
- Indian Institute of Science Education and ResearchPuneIndia
- Wildlife Institute of IndiaDehradunIndia
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11
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Sardans J, Vallicrosa H, Zuccarini P, Farré-Armengol G, Fernández-Martínez M, Peguero G, Gargallo-Garriga A, Ciais P, Janssens IA, Obersteiner M, Richter A, Peñuelas J. Empirical support for the biogeochemical niche hypothesis in forest trees. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:184-194. [PMID: 33398105 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01348-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The possibility of using the elemental compositions of species as a tool to identify species/genotype niche remains to be tested at a global scale. We investigated relationships between the foliar elemental compositions (elementomes) of trees at a global scale with phylogeny, climate, N deposition and soil traits. We analysed foliar N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S concentrations in 23,962 trees of 227 species. Shared ancestry explained 60-94% of the total variance in foliar nutrient concentrations and ratios whereas current climate, atmospheric N deposition and soil type together explained 1-7%, consistent with the biogeochemical niche hypothesis which predicts that each species will have a specific need for and use of each bio-element. The remaining variance was explained by the avoidance of nutritional competition with other species and natural variability within species. The biogeochemical niche hypothesis is thus able to quantify species-specific tree niches and their shifts in response to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Sardans
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain. .,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | - Helena Vallicrosa
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Paolo Zuccarini
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Gerard Farré-Armengol
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | | | - Guille Peguero
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Albert Gargallo-Garriga
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Philippe Ciais
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Ivan A Janssens
- PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Michael Obersteiner
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Ecosystems Services and Management, Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Josep Peñuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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12
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Liu H, Zhou W, Li X, Chu Q, Tang N, Shu B, Liu G, Xing W. How many submerged macrophyte species are needed to improve water clarity and quality in Yangtze floodplain lakes? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 724:138267. [PMID: 32247982 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Successful re-establishment and maintenance of submerged macrophytes is a pivotal problem for the restoration of shallow eutrophic lakes, since submerged macrophytes can facilitate a shift of lake ecosystems from a turbid water state to a clear water state through their structuring roles. However, little is known about the optimal number of macrophyte species (species richness) needed for the recovery of shallow eutrophic lakes. Here, we investigated 19 shallow eutrophic lakes along the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River to reveal the underlying interrelations among water clarity, water quality and species richness. Our results showed positive correlations of water nutrients (TN and TP) with Kd and Red/Blue light ratio, suggesting that bad water quality can significantly lower water clarity. The results of path analysis indicated that the underwater light climate directly affects morphological and physiological traits and species richness of submerged macrophytes. Changes in functional traits also affected significantly the species richness of submerged macrophytes. Moreover, the presence of submerged macrophytes not only had positive effects on the underwater light climate (water clarity), but also on water quality. Most importantly, the assemblage of three or more submerged macrophyte species can significantly improve water clarity in these sampled eutrophic lakes, but not water quality. Additionally, the basic species assemblage of Myriophyllum spicatum and Vallisneria natans can be used for restoration of submerged macrophytes in shallow eutrophic Yangtze floodplain lakes. It is concluded that species richness and species assemblage are critical for recovery of submerged macrophytes in shallow eutrophic lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wen Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaowei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qingshuai Chu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China; College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, China
| | - Na Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Bizhi Shu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guihua Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Wei Xing
- CAS Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China; Center for Plant Ecology, Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
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13
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Kadye WT, Booth AJ. Environmental niche patterns of native and non-native fishes within an invaded African river system. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2020; 96:1269-1277. [PMID: 31006850 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To test ecological niche theory, this study investigated the spatial patterns and the environmental niches of native and non-native fishes within the invaded Great Fish River system, South Africa. For the native fishes, there were contrasting environmental niche breadths that varied from being small to being large and overlapped for most species, except minnows that were restricted to headwater tributaries. In addition, there was high niche overlap in habitat association among fishes with similar distribution. It was therefore inferred that habitat filtering-driven spatial organisation was important in explaining native species distribution patterns. In comparison, most non-native fishes were found to have broad environmental niches and these fishes showed high tolerance to environmental conditions, which generally supported the niche opportunity hypothesis. The proliferation of multiple non-native fishes in the mainstem section suggest that they form a functional assemblage that is probably facilitated by the anthropogenic modification of flow regimes through inter-basin water transfer. Based on the distribution patterns observed in the study, it was inferred that there was a likelihood of negative interactions between native and non-native fishes. Such effects are likely to be exacerbated by altered flow regime that was likely to have negative implications for native ichthyofauna.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilbert T Kadye
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Anthony J Booth
- Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
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14
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Different "metabolomic niches" of the highly diverse tree species of the French Guiana rainforests. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6937. [PMID: 32332903 PMCID: PMC7181821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63891-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical rainforests harbor a particularly high plant diversity. We hypothesize that potential causes underlying this high diversity should be linked to distinct overall functionality (defense and growth allocation, anti-stress mechanisms, reproduction) among the different sympatric taxa. In this study we tested the hypothesis of the existence of a metabolomic niche related to a species-specific differential use and allocation of metabolites. We tested this hypothesis by comparing leaf metabolomic profiles of 54 species in two rainforests of French Guiana. Species identity explained most of the variation in the metabolome, with a species-specific metabolomic profile across dry and wet seasons. In addition to this “homeostatic” species-specific metabolomic profile significantly linked to phylogenetic distances, also part of the variance (flexibility) of the metabolomic profile was explained by season within a single species. Our results support the hypothesis of the high diversity in tropical forest being related to a species-specific metabolomic niche and highlight ecometabolomics as a tool to identify this species functional diversity related and consistent with the ecological niche theory.
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15
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Helsen K, Van Cleemput E, Bassi L, Graae BJ, Somers B, Blonder B, Honnay O. Inter‐ and intraspecific trait variation shape multidimensional trait overlap between two plant invaders and the invaded communities. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenny Helsen
- Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Biology Dept, KU Leuven Kasteelpark Arenberg 31 BE‐3001 Leuven Belgium
| | | | - Leonardo Bassi
- Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Biology Dept, KU Leuven Kasteelpark Arenberg 31 BE‐3001 Leuven Belgium
| | - Bente J. Graae
- Dept of Biology, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
| | - Ben Somers
- Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven Leuven Belgium
| | - Benjamin Blonder
- Dept of Biology, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology Trondheim Norway
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State Univ. Tempe AZ USA
| | - Olivier Honnay
- Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Biology Dept, KU Leuven Kasteelpark Arenberg 31 BE‐3001 Leuven Belgium
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16
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Carmona CP, de Bello F, Mason NWH, Lepš J. Trait probability density (TPD): measuring functional diversity across scales based on TPD with R. Ecology 2019; 100:e02876. [PMID: 31471976 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Functional diversity (FD) has the potential to address many ecological questions, from impacts of global change on biodiversity to ecological restoration. There are several methods estimating the different components of FD. However, most of these methods can only be computed at limited spatial scales and cannot account for intraspecific trait variability (ITV), despite its significant contribution to FD. Trait probability density (TPD) functions (which explicitly account for ITV) reflect the probabilistic nature of niches. By doing so, the TPD approach reconciles existing methods for estimating FD within a unifying framework, allowing FD to be partitioned seamlessly across multiple scales (from individuals to species, and from local to global scales), and accounting for ITV. We present methods to estimate TPD functions at different spatial scales and probabilistic implementations of several FD concepts, including the primary components of FD (functional richness, evenness, and divergence), functional redundancy, functional rarity, and solutions to decompose beta FD into nested and unique components. The TPD framework has the potential to unify and expand analyses of functional ecology across scales, capturing the probabilistic and multidimensional nature of FD. The R package TPD (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=TPD) will allow users to achieve more comparative results across regions and case studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificacion (CSIC-UV-GV), Carretera Moncada-Náquera Km 4.5, Moncada, Valencia, 46113, Spain
| | - Norman W H Mason
- Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
| | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
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17
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Subedi SC, Ross MS, Sah JP, Redwine J, Baraloto C. Trait‐based community assembly pattern along a forest succession gradient in a seasonally dry tropical forest. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suresh C. Subedi
- Department of Earth and Environment Florida International University Miami Florida 33199 USA
| | - Michael S. Ross
- Department of Earth and Environment Florida International University Miami Florida 33199 USA
- Southeast Environmental Research Center Florida International University Miami Florida 33199 USA
| | - Jay P. Sah
- Southeast Environmental Research Center Florida International University Miami Florida 33199 USA
| | - Jed Redwine
- Everglades National Park National Park Service Homestead Florida 33034 USA
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida International University Miami Florida 33199 USA
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18
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Clewlow HL, Takahashi A, Watanabe S, Votier SC, Downie R, Ratcliffe N. Niche partitioning of sympatric penguins by leapfrog foraging appears to be resilient to climate change. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:223-235. [PMID: 30378103 PMCID: PMC7379715 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Interspecific competition can drive niche partitioning along multidimensional axes, including allochrony. Competitor matching will arise where the phenology of sympatric species with similar ecological requirements responds to climate change at different rates such that allochrony is reduced. Our study quantifies the degree of niche segregation in foraging areas and depths that arises from allochrony in sympatric Adélie and chinstrap penguins and explores its resilience to climate change. Three-dimensional tracking data were sampled during all stages of the breeding season and were used to parameterise a behaviour-based model that quantified spatial overlap of foraging areas under different scenarios of allochrony. The foraging ranges of the two species were similar within breeding stages, but differences in their foraging ranges between stages, combined with the observed allochrony of 28 days, resulted in them leapfrogging each other through the breeding season such that they were exploiting different foraging locations on the same calendar dates. Allochrony reduced spatial overlap in the peripheral utilisation distribution of the two species by 54.0% over the entire breeding season, compared to a scenario where the two species bred synchronously. Analysis of long-term phenology data revealed that both species advanced their laying dates in relation to October air temperatures at the same rate, preserving allochrony and niche partitioning. However, if allochrony is reduced by just a single day, the spatial overlap of the core utilisation distribution increased by an average of 2.1% over the entire breeding season. Niche partitioning between the two species by allochrony appears to be resilient to climate change and so competitor matching cannot be implicated in the observed population declines of the two penguin species across the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet L Clewlow
- British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | | | | | - Stephen C Votier
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Rod Downie
- WWF-UK, The Living Planet Centre, Woking, UK
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19
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Whitney JL, Donahue MJ, Karl SA. Niche divergence along a fine‐scale ecological gradient in sympatric color morphs of a coral reef fish. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L. Whitney
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawai'i at Mānoa P.O. Box 1346 Kāne'ohe Hawai'i 96744 USA
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research University of Hawai'i at Mānoa 1000 Pope Road Honolulu Hawai'i 96822 USA
| | - Megan J. Donahue
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawai'i at Mānoa P.O. Box 1346 Kāne'ohe Hawai'i 96744 USA
| | - Stephen A. Karl
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology University of Hawai'i at Mānoa P.O. Box 1346 Kāne'ohe Hawai'i 96744 USA
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20
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Carmona CP, de Bello F, Mason NWH, Lepš J. Traits Without Borders: Integrating Functional Diversity Across Scales. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 31:382-394. [PMID: 26924737 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Owing to the conceptual complexity of functional diversity (FD), a multitude of different methods are available for measuring it, with most being operational at only a small range of spatial scales. This causes uncertainty in ecological interpretations and limits the potential to generalize findings across studies or compare patterns across scales. We solve this problem by providing a unified framework expanding on and integrating existing approaches. The framework, based on trait probability density (TPD), is the first to fully implement the Hutchinsonian concept of the niche as a probabilistic hypervolume in estimating FD. This novel approach could revolutionize FD-based research by allowing quantification of the various FD components from organismal to macroecological scales, and allowing seamless transitions between scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos P Carmona
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Entomology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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21
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Outreman Y, Andrade TO, Louâpre P, Krespi L, Violle C, Baaren J. Multi‐scale and antagonist selection on life‐history traits in parasitoids: A community ecology perspective. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Outreman
- IGEPPAgrocampus OuestINRAUniversité de Rennes 1Université Bretagne‐Loire Rennes France
| | - Thiago Oliveira Andrade
- IGEPPAgrocampus OuestINRAUniversité de Rennes 1Université Bretagne‐Loire Rennes France
- ECOBIOCNRSUniversité de Rennes 1Université Bretagne‐Loire Rennes France
| | - Philippe Louâpre
- UMR CNRS 6282 BIOGEOSCIENCESUniversité Bourgogne Franche‐Comté Dijon France
| | - Liliane Krespi
- IGEPPAgrocampus OuestINRAUniversité de Rennes 1Université Bretagne‐Loire Rennes France
| | - Cyrille Violle
- CEFEUMR 5175CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier – EPHE – 1919 route de Mende Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Joan Baaren
- ECOBIOCNRSUniversité de Rennes 1Université Bretagne‐Loire Rennes France
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22
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Tarjuelo R, Morales MB, Arroyo B, Mañosa S, Bota G, Casas F, Traba J. Intraspecific and interspecific competition induces density-dependent habitat niche shifts in an endangered steppe bird. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9720-9730. [PMID: 29188003 PMCID: PMC5696386 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific competition is a dominant force in animal communities that induces niche shifts in ecological and evolutionary time. If competition occurs, niche expansion can be expected when the competitor disappears because resources previously inaccessible due to competitive constraints can then be exploited (i.e., ecological release). Here, we aimed to determine the potential effects of interspecific competition between the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) and the great bustard (Otis tarda) using a multidimensional niche approach with habitat distribution data. We explored whether the degree of niche overlap between the species was a density‐dependent function of interspecific competition. We then looked for evidences of ecological release by comparing measures of niche breadth and position of the little bustard between allopatric and sympatric situations. Furthermore, we evaluated whether niche shifts could depend not only on the presence of great bustard but also on the density of little and great bustards. The habitat niches of these bustard species partially overlapped when co‐occurring, but we found no relationship between degree of overlap and great bustard density. In the presence of the competitor, little bustard's niche was displaced toward increased use of the species' primary habitat. Little bustard's niche breadth decreased proportionally with great bustard density in sympatric sites, in consistence with theory. Overall, our results suggest that density‐dependent variation in little bustard's niche is the outcome of interspecific competition with the great bustard. The use of computational tools like kernel density estimators to obtain multidimensional niches should bring novel insights on how species' ecological niches behave under the effects of interspecific competition in ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Tarjuelo
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG) Department of Ecology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain.,Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Móstoles Spain
| | - Manuel B Morales
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG) Department of Ecology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
| | - Beatriz Arroyo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM) Ciudad Real Spain
| | - Santiago Mañosa
- Department de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) Facultat de Biologia Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| | - Gerard Bota
- Biodiversity and Animal Conservation Lab Forest Science Center of Catalonia (CTFC) Solsona Catalonia Spain
| | - Fabián Casas
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC) Almería Spain.,Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
| | - Juan Traba
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG) Department of Ecology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain
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23
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Traba J, Iranzo EC, Carmona CP, Malo JE. Realised niche changes in a native herbivore assemblage associated with the presence of livestock. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Traba
- Depto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. Autónoma de Madrid. C/. Darwin, 2; ES-28049 Madrid Spain
| | - Esperanza C. Iranzo
- Depto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. Autónoma de Madrid. C/. Darwin, 2; ES-28049 Madrid Spain
| | - Carlos P. Carmona
- Dept of Botany, Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Juan E. Malo
- Depto de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. Autónoma de Madrid. C/. Darwin, 2; ES-28049 Madrid Spain
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24
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Bastias CC, Fortunel C, Valladares F, Baraloto C, Benavides R, Cornwell W, Markesteijn L, de Oliveira AA, Sansevero JBB, Vaz MC, Kraft NJB. Intraspecific leaf trait variability along a boreal-to-tropical community diversity gradient. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0172495. [PMID: 28241033 PMCID: PMC5328268 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Disentangling the mechanisms that shape community assembly across diversity gradients is a central matter in ecology. While many studies have explored community assembly through species average trait values, there is a growing understanding that intraspecific trait variation (ITV) can also play a critical role in species coexistence. Classic biodiversity theory hypothesizes that higher diversity at species-rich sites can arise from narrower niches relative to species-poor sites, which would be reflected in reduced ITV as species richness increases. To explore how ITV in woody plant communities changes with species richness, we compiled leaf trait data (leaf size and specific leaf area) in a total of 521 woody plant species from 21 forest communities that differed dramatically in species richness, ranging from boreal to tropical rainforests. At each forest, we assessed ITV as an estimate of species niche breadth and we quantified the degree of trait overlap among co-occurring species as a measure of species functional similarity. We found ITV was relatively invariant across the species richness gradient. In addition, we found that species functional similarity increased with diversity. Contrary to the expectation from classic biodiversity theory, our results rather suggest that neutral processes or equalizing mechanisms can be acting as potential drivers shaping community assembly in hyperdiverse forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina C. Bastias
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales- CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Claire Fortunel
- Department of Biology. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales- CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Raquel Benavides
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales- CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Institut für Biologie, Geobotanik, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - William Cornwell
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Lars Markesteijn
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2DG, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jeronimo B. B. Sansevero
- Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro–UFRRJ. Departamento de Ciencias Ambientais–DCA. Instituto de Florestas–, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marcel C. Vaz
- Department of Biology. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Nathan J. B. Kraft
- Department of Biology. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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25
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Pinto HA, Mati VLT, Pujoni DGF, Melo AL. Platynosomum illiciens(Trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae) in Captive Black-Tufted MarmosetCallithrix penicillata(Primates: Cebidae) from Brazil: A Morphometric Analyses with Taxonomic Comments on Species ofPlatynosomumfrom Nonhuman Primates. J Parasitol 2017; 103:14-21. [DOI: 10.1645/16-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hudson A. Pinto
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. P.O. Box 486, 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Vitor L. T. Mati
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. P.O. Box 486, 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Diego G. F. Pujoni
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. P.O. Box 486, 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alan L. Melo
- Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. P.O. Box 486, 30123-970, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Luo Y, Liu J, Tan S, Cadotte MW, Xu K, Gao L, Li D. Trait variation and functional diversity maintenance of understory herbaceous species coexisting along an elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain, Southwest China. PLANT DIVERSITY 2016; 38:303-311. [PMID: 30159482 PMCID: PMC6112257 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2016.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing trait variation across different ecological scales in plant communities has been viewed as a way to gain insights into the mechanisms driving species coexistence. However, little is known about how changes in intraspecific and interspecific traits across sites influence species richness and community assembly, especially in understory herbaceous communities. Here we partitioned the variance of four functional traits (maximum height, leaf thickness, leaf area and specific leaf area) across four nested biological scales: individual, species, plot, and elevation to quantify the scale-dependent distributions of understory herbaceous trait variance. We also integrated the comparison of the trait variance ratios to null models to investigate the effects of different ecological processes on community assembly and functional diversity along a 1200-m elevational gradient in Yulong Mountain. We found interspecific trait variation was the main trait variation component for leaf traits, although intraspecific trait variation ranged from 10% to 28% of total variation. In particular, maximum height exhibited high plasticity, and intraspecific variation accounted for 44% of the total variation. Despite the fact that species composition varied across elevation and species richness decreased dramatically along the elevational gradient, there was little variance at our largest (elevation) scale in leaf traits and functional diversity remained constant along the elevational gradient, indicating that traits responded to smaller scale influences. External filtering was only observed at high elevations. However, strong internal filtering was detected along the entire elevational gradient in understory herbaceous communities, possibly due to competition. Our results provide evidence that species coexistence in understory herbaceous communities might be structured by differential niche-assembled processes. This approach -- integrating different biological scales of trait variation -- may provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the structure of communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahuang Luo
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species in Southwest China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Shaolin Tan
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C1A4, Canada
| | - Kun Xu
- Lijiang Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lijiang 674100, China
| | - Lianming Gao
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Corresponding author. Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China. Fax: +86 0871 68123227.
| | - Dezhu Li
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Germplasm Bank of Wild Species in Southwest China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- Corresponding author. Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China. Fax: +86 0871 65223503.
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Clark JS. Why species tell more about traits than traits about species: predictive analysis. Ecology 2016; 97:1979-1993. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James S. Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Durham North Carolina 27709 USA
- Department of Statistical Science Duke University Durham North Carolina 27709 USA
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Ricotta C, Bello F, Moretti M, Caccianiga M, Cerabolini BE, Pavoine S. Measuring the functional redundancy of biological communities: a quantitative guide. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Ricotta
- Department of Environmental Biology University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ Piazzale A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome Italy
| | - Francesco Bello
- Department of Botany Faculty of Sciences University of South Bohemia Na Zlate Stoce 1, CZ‐370 05 České Budĕjovice Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Dukelská 135, CZ‐379 82 Třeboň Czech Republic
| | - Marco Moretti
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Marco Caccianiga
- Department of Biosciences University of Milano Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Bruno E.L. Cerabolini
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences University of Insubria Via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese Italy
| | - Sandrine Pavoine
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO UMR7204) Sorbonne Universités MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP51, 55‐61 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris France
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29
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Lavender TM, Schamp BS, Lamb EG. The Influence of Matrix Size on Statistical Properties of Co-Occurrence and Limiting Similarity Null Models. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151146. [PMID: 26942941 PMCID: PMC4778770 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Null models exploring species co-occurrence and trait-based limiting similarity are increasingly used to explore the influence of competition on community assembly; however, assessments of common models have not thoroughly explored the influence of variation in matrix size on error rates, in spite of the fact that studies have explored community matrices that vary considerably in size. To determine how smaller matrices, which are of greatest concern, perform statistically, we generated biologically realistic presence-absence matrices ranging in size from 3–50 species and sites, as well as associated trait matrices. We examined co-occurrence tests using the C-Score statistic and independent swap algorithm. For trait-based limiting similarity null models, we used the mean nearest neighbour trait distance (NN) and the standard deviation of nearest neighbour distances (SDNN) as test statistics, and considered two common randomization algorithms: abundance independent trait shuffling (AITS), and abundance weighted trait shuffling (AWTS). Matrices as small as three × three resulted in acceptable type I error rates (p < 0.05) for both the co-occurrence and trait-based limiting similarity null models when exclusive p-values were used. The commonly used inclusive p-value (≤ or ≥, as opposed to exclusive p-values; < or >) was associated with increased type I error rates, particularly for matrices with fewer than eight species. Type I error rates increased for limiting similarity tests using the AWTS randomization scheme when community matrices contained more than 35 sites; a similar randomization used in null models of phylogenetic dispersion has previously been viewed as robust. Notwithstanding other potential deficiencies related to the use of small matrices to represent communities, the application of both classes of null model should be restricted to matrices with 10 or more species to avoid the possibility of type II errors. Additionally, researchers should restrict the use of the AWTS randomization to matrices with fewer than 35 sites to avoid type I errors when testing for trait-based limiting similarity. The AITS randomization scheme performed better in terms of type I error rates, and therefore may be more appropriate when considering systems for which traits are not clustered by abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Michael Lavender
- Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Brandon S. Schamp
- Dept. of Biology, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric G. Lamb
- Dept. of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Chai Y, Yue M, Wang M, Xu J, Liu X, Zhang R, Wan P. Plant functional traits suggest a change in novel ecological strategies for dominant species in the stages of forest succession. Oecologia 2015; 180:771-83. [PMID: 26563469 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3483-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In forest succession, the ecological strategies of the dominant species that are based on functional traits are important in the determination of both the mechanisms and the potential directions of succession. Thirty-one plots were established in the Loess Plateau region of northern Shaanxi in China. Fifteen leaf traits were measured for the 31 dominant species that represented the six stages of succession, and the traits included four that were related to morphology, seven to stoichiometry and four to physiological ecology. The species from the different successional stages had different patterns of distribution of the traits, and different key traits predicted the turnover of the species during succession. The ash and the cellulose contents were key regulatory factors of species turnover in the early successional communities, and the trait niche forces in sugar and leaf dry mass content might become more important with the progression of succession. When only the three herb stages were considered, a progressive replacement of the ruderal by the competitive-ruderal species occurred in the intermediate stages of succession, which was followed by the stress-tolerant-competitive or the competitive-stress tolerant-ruderal strategists late in the succession. Thus, the different species that occurred in the different stages of succession shared different trait-based ecological strategies. Additionally, these differences occurred concomitantly with a shift toward competitive-stress tolerant-ruderal strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongfu Chai
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Ming Yue
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Mao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Jinshi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Xiao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Ruichang Zhang
- Plant Ecology Department, University of Tuebingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 3, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Pengcheng Wan
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
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Laub BG, Budy P. Assessing the likely effectiveness of multispecies management for imperiled desert fishes with niche overlap analysis. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2015; 29:1153-1163. [PMID: 25627117 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 11/01/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
A critical decision in species conservation is whether to target individual species or a complex of ecologically similar species. Management of multispecies complexes is likely to be most effective when species share similar distributions, threats, and response to threats. We used niche overlap analysis to assess ecological similarity of 3 sensitive desert fish species currently managed as an ecological complex. We measured the amount of shared distribution of multiple habitat and life history parameters between each pair of species. Habitat use and multiple life history parameters, including maximum body length, spawning temperature, and longevity, differed significantly among the 3 species. The differences in habitat use and life history parameters among the species suggest they are likely to respond differently to similar threats and that most management actions will not benefit all 3 species equally. Habitat restoration, frequency of stream dewatering, non-native species control, and management efforts in tributaries versus main stem rivers are all likely to impact each of the species differently. Our results demonstrate that niche overlap analysis provides a powerful tool for assessing the likely effectiveness of multispecies versus single-species conservation plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian G Laub
- Department of Watershed Sciences, The Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, U.S.A
| | - Phaedra Budy
- Department of Watershed Sciences, The Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, U.S.A
- U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, 5290 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, U.S.A
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32
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Morelli F, Tryjanowski P. No species is an island: testing the effects of biotic interactions on models of avian niche occupation. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:759-68. [PMID: 25691996 PMCID: PMC4328777 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Revised: 11/16/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, the niche of a species is described as a hypothetical 3D space, constituted by well-known biotic interactions (e.g. predation, competition, trophic relationships, resource–consumer interactions, etc.) and various abiotic environmental factors. Species distribution models (SDMs), also called “niche models” and often used to predict wildlife distribution at landscape scale, are typically constructed using abiotic factors with biotic interactions generally been ignored. Here, we compared the goodness of fit of SDMs for red-backed shrike Lanius collurio in farmlands of Western Poland, using both the classical approach (modeled only on environmental variables) and the approach which included also other potentially associated bird species. The potential associations among species were derived from the relevant ecological literature and by a correlation matrix of occurrences. Our findings highlight the importance of including heterospecific interactions in improving our understanding of niche occupation for bird species. We suggest that suite of measures currently used to quantify realized species niches could be improved by also considering the occurrence of certain associated species. Then, an hypothetical “species 1” can use the occurrence of a successfully established individual of “species 2” as indicator or “trace” of the location of available suitable habitat to breed. We hypothesize this kind of biotic interaction as the “heterospecific trace effect” (HTE): an interaction based on the availability and use of “public information” provided by individuals from different species. Finally, we discuss about the incomes of biotic interactions for enhancing the predictive capacities on species distribution models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Gora Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, Zielona Gora, 65-516, Poland ; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Kamýcká 129, Prague 6, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Institute of Zoology, Poznan University of Life Sciences Wojska Polskiego 71 C, Poznań, 60-625, Poland
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33
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Lamanna C, Blonder B, Violle C, Kraft NJB, Sandel B, Šímová I, Donoghue JC, Svenning JC, McGill BJ, Boyle B, Buzzard V, Dolins S, Jørgensen PM, Marcuse-Kubitza A, Morueta-Holme N, Peet RK, Piel WH, Regetz J, Schildhauer M, Spencer N, Thiers B, Wiser SK, Enquist BJ. Functional trait space and the latitudinal diversity gradient. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:13745-50. [PMID: 25225365 PMCID: PMC4183280 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1317722111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The processes causing the latitudinal gradient in species richness remain elusive. Ecological theories for the origin of biodiversity gradients, such as competitive exclusion, neutral dynamics, and environmental filtering, make predictions for how functional diversity should vary at the alpha (within local assemblages), beta (among assemblages), and gamma (regional pool) scales. We test these predictions by quantifying hypervolumes constructed from functional traits representing major axes of plant strategy variation (specific leaf area, plant height, and seed mass) in tree assemblages spanning the temperate and tropical New World. Alpha-scale trait volume decreases with absolute latitude and is often lower than sampling expectation, consistent with environmental filtering theory. Beta-scale overlap decays with geographic distance fastest in the temperate zone, again consistent with environmental filtering theory. In contrast, gamma-scale trait space shows a hump-shaped relationship with absolute latitude, consistent with no theory. Furthermore, the overall temperate trait hypervolume was larger than the overall tropical hypervolume, indicating that the temperate zone permits a wider range of trait combinations or that niche packing is stronger in the tropical zone. Although there are limitations in the data, our analyses suggest that multiple processes have shaped trait diversity in trees, reflecting no consistent support for any one theory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Blonder
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Copenhagen University, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Cyrille Violle
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionelle et Evolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5175, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier-École Pratique des Hautes Études, 34293 Montpellier, France;
| | - Nathan J B Kraft
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Brody Sandel
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience and Center for Massive Data Algorithmics, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Irena Šímová
- Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University in Prague and Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 110 00 Praha, Czech Republic
| | - John C Donoghue
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; iPlant Collaborative, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | | | - Brian J McGill
- Sustainability Solutions Initiative and School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469
| | - Brad Boyle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; iPlant Collaborative, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Vanessa Buzzard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Steven Dolins
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Bradley University, Peoria, IL 61625
| | | | - Aaron Marcuse-Kubitza
- iPlant Collaborative, Tucson, AZ 85721; National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Naia Morueta-Holme
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience and
| | - Robert K Peet
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | | | - James Regetz
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | - Mark Schildhauer
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
| | | | | | | | - Brian J Enquist
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; iPlant Collaborative, Tucson, AZ 85721; Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501
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Abstract
Understanding, modeling, and predicting the impact of global change on ecosystem functioning across biogeographical gradients can benefit from enhanced capacity to represent biota as a continuous distribution of traits. However, this is a challenge for the field of biogeography historically grounded on the species concept. Here we focus on the newly emergent field of functional biogeography: the study of the geographic distribution of trait diversity across organizational levels. We show how functional biogeography bridges species-based biogeography and earth science to provide ideas and tools to help explain gradients in multifaceted diversity (including species, functional, and phylogenetic diversities), predict ecosystem functioning and services worldwide, and infuse regional and global conservation programs with a functional basis. Although much recent progress has been made possible because of the rising of multiple data streams, new developments in ecoinformatics, and new methodological advances, future directions should provide a theoretical and comprehensive framework for the scaling of biotic interactions across trophic levels and its ecological implications.
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35
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Benítez-López A, Viñuela J, Suárez F, Hervás I, García JT. Niche-habitat mechanisms and biotic interactions explain the coexistence and abundance of congeneric sandgrouse species. Oecologia 2014; 176:193-206. [PMID: 25024103 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3010-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Ascertaining which niche processes allow coexistence between closely related species is of special interest in ecology. We quantified variations in the environmental niches and densities of two congeneric species, the pin-tailed and the black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata and Pterocles orientalis) in allopatry and sympatry under similar abiotic, habitat and dispersal contexts to understand their coexistence. Using principal component analysis, we defined environmental gradients (niche dimensions) including abiotic, habitat and anthropogenic variables, and calculated niche breadth, position and overlap of both species in sympatry and allopatry. Additionally, sandgrouse density was modelled as a function of the niche dimensions and the density of the other species. We found evidence that each species occupies distinct environmental niches in sympatry and in allopatry. The black-bellied sandgrouse exploits a broader range of environmental conditions (wider niche breadth) while the pin-tailed sandgrouse reaches high densities where conditions seem to match its optimum. In sympatry, both species shift their niches to intermediate positions, indicating the importance of abiotic factors in setting coexistence areas. Environmental conditions determine regional densities of pin-tailed sandgrouse whereas biotic interactions explain the density of the black-bellied sandgrouse in areas with abiotic conditions similarly conducive for both species. Highly suitable areas for the pin-tailed sandgrouse fall beyond the upper thermal limit of the black-bellied sandgrouse, leading to niche segregation and low densities for the latter. Finally, local niche shift and expansion plus possible heterospecific aggregation allow the pin-tailed sandgrouse to thrive in a priori less favourable environments. This work provides insight into how different mechanisms allow species coexistence and how species densities vary in sympatry compared to allopatry as a result of environmental filtering and biotic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Benítez-López
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain,
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36
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Price JN, Gazol A, Tamme R, Hiiesalu I, Pärtel M. The functional assembly of experimental grasslands in relation to fertility and resource heterogeneity. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jodi N. Price
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Lai 40 Tartu Estonia 51005 Australia
- School of Plant Biology; University of Western Australia; Crawley Perth WA 6009 Australia
| | - Antonio Gazol
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Lai 40 Tartu Estonia 51005 Australia
| | - Riin Tamme
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Lai 40 Tartu Estonia 51005 Australia
| | - Inga Hiiesalu
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Lai 40 Tartu Estonia 51005 Australia
- Institute of Botany; Czech Academy of Sciences; Dukelská 135 37982 Třeboň Czech Republic
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Lai 40 Tartu Estonia 51005 Australia
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37
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Roy D, Seehausen O, Nosil P. Sexual dimorphism dominates divergent host plant use in stick insect trophic morphology. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:135. [PMID: 23819550 PMCID: PMC3707739 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clear examples of ecological speciation exist, often involving divergence in trophic morphology. However, substantial variation also exists in how far the ecological speciation process proceeds, potentially linked to the number of ecological axes, traits, or genes subject to divergent selection. In addition, recent studies highlight how differentiation might occur between the sexes, rather than between populations. We examine variation in trophic morphology in two host-plant ecotypes of walking-stick insects (Timema cristinae), known to have diverged in morphological traits related to crypsis and predator avoidance, and to have reached an intermediate point in the ecological speciation process. Here we test how host plant use, sex, and rearing environment affect variation in trophic morphology in this species using traditional multivariate, novel kernel density based and Bayesian morphometric analyses. RESULTS Contrary to expectations, we find limited host-associated divergence in mandible shape. Instead, the main predictor of shape variation is sex, with secondary roles of population of origin and rearing environment. CONCLUSION Our results show that trophic morphology does not strongly contribute to host-adapted ecotype divergence in T. cristinae and that traits can respond to complex selection regimes by diverging along different intraspecific lines, thereby impeding progress toward speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Roy
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada.
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38
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Violle C, Enquist BJ, McGill BJ, Jiang L, Albert CH, Hulshof C, Jung V, Messier J. The return of the variance: intraspecific variability in community ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:244-52. [PMID: 22244797 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 749] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2010] [Revised: 11/25/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Despite being recognized as a promoter of diversity and a condition for local coexistence decades ago, the importance of intraspecific variance has been neglected over time in community ecology. Recently, there has been a new emphasis on intraspecific variability. Indeed, recent developments in trait-based community ecology have underlined the need to integrate variation at both the intraspecific as well as interspecific level. We introduce new T-statistics ('T' for trait), based on the comparison of intraspecific and interspecific variances of functional traits across organizational levels, to operationally incorporate intraspecific variability into community ecology theory. We show that a focus on the distribution of traits at local and regional scales combined with original analytical tools can provide unique insights into the primary forces structuring communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyrille Violle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
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39
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Clark JS, Bell DM, Hersh MH, Kwit MC, Moran E, Salk C, Stine A, Valle D, Zhu K. Individual-scale variation, species-scale differences: inference needed to understand diversity. Ecol Lett 2011; 14:1273-87. [PMID: 21978194 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01685.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
As ecological data are usually analysed at a scale different from the one at which the process of interest operates, interpretations can be confusing and controversial. For example, hypothesised differences between species do not operate at the species level, but concern individuals responding to environmental variation, including competition with neighbours. Aggregated data from many individuals subject to spatio-temporal variation are used to produce species-level averages, which marginalise away the relevant (process-level) scale. Paradoxically, the higher the dimensionality, the more ways there are to differ, yet the more species appear the same. The aggregate becomes increasingly irrelevant and misleading. Standard analyses can make species look the same, reverse species rankings along niche axes, make the surprising prediction that a species decreases in abundance when a competitor is removed from a model, or simply preclude parameter estimation. Aggregation explains why niche differences hidden at the species level become apparent upon disaggregation to the individual level, why models suggest that individual-level variation has a minor impact on diversity when disaggregation shows it to be important, and why literature-based synthesis can be unfruitful. We show how to identify when aggregation is the problem, where it has caused controversy, and propose three ways to address it.
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Affiliation(s)
- James S Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Rocklin D, Tomasini JA, Culioli JM, Pelletier D, Mouillot D. Spearfishing regulation benefits artisanal fisheries: the ReGS indicator and its application to a multiple-use Mediterranean marine protected area. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23820. [PMID: 21966357 PMCID: PMC3179461 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of fishing efficiency coupled with an increase of fishing effort led to the overexploitation of numerous natural marine resources. In addition to this commercial pressure, the impact of recreational activities on fish assemblages remains barely known. Here we examined the impact of spearfishing limitation on resources in a marine protected area (MPA) and the benefit it provides for the local artisanal fishery through the use of a novel indicator. We analysed trends in the fish assemblage composition using artisanal fisheries data collected in the Bonifacio Strait Natural Reserve (BSNR), a Mediterranean MPA where the spearfishing activity has been forbidden over 15% of its area. Fish species were pooled into three response groups according to their target level by spearfishing. We developed the new flexible ReGS indicator reflecting shifts in species assemblages according to the relative abundance of each response group facing external pressure. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased by ca. 60% in the BSNR between 2000 and 2007, while the MPA was established in 1999. The gain of CPUE strongly depended on the considered response group: for the highly targeted group, the CPUE doubled while the CPUE of the untargeted group increased by only 15.5%. The ReGS value significantly increased from 0.31 to 0.45 (on a scale between 0 and 1) in the general perimeter of this MPA while it has reached a threshold of 0.43, considered as a reference point, in the area protected from spearfishing since 1982. Our results demonstrated that limiting recreational fishing by appropriate zoning in multiple-use MPAs represents a real benefit for artisanal fisheries. More generally we showed how our new indicator may reveal a wide range of impacts on coastal ecosystems such as global change or habitat degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delphine Rocklin
- Laboratoire Ecologie des Systèmes Marins Côtiers, UMR CNRS-UM2-IRD-IFREMER 5119, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France.
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Brym ZT, Lake JK, Allen D, Ostling A. Plant functional traits suggest novel ecological strategy for an invasive shrub in an understorey woody plant community. J Appl Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02049.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Geange SW, Pledger S, Burns KC, Shima JS. A unified analysis of niche overlap incorporating data of different types. Methods Ecol Evol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.2041-210x.2010.00070.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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de Bello F, Lavorel S, Albert CH, Thuiller W, Grigulis K, Dolezal J, Janeček Š, Lepš J. Quantifying the relevance of intraspecific trait variability for functional diversity. Methods Ecol Evol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.2041-210x.2010.00071.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Albert CH, Thuiller W, Yoccoz NG, Douzet R, Aubert S, Lavorel S. A multi-trait approach reveals the structure and the relative importance of intra- vs. interspecific variability in plant traits. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01727.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 359] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Silva RR, Brandão CRF. Morphological patterns and community organization in leaf-litter ant assemblages. ECOL MONOGR 2010. [DOI: 10.1890/08-1298.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Patterns and mechanisms responsible for the relationship between the diversity of litter macro-invertebrates and leaf degradation. Basic Appl Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2009.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Mason NWH, Lanoiselée C, Mouillot D, Wilson JB, Argillier C. Does niche overlap control relative abundance in French lacustrine fish communities? A new method incorporating functional traits. J Anim Ecol 2008; 77:661-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01379.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Mason NWH, Irz P, Lanoiselée C, Mouillot D, Argillier C. Evidence that niche specialization explains species–energy relationships in lake fish communities. J Anim Ecol 2008; 77:285-96. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01350.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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McNeil BE, Read JM, Sullivan TJ, McDonnell TC, Fernandez IJ, Driscoll CT. The spatial pattern of nitrogen cycling in the Adirondack Park, New York. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2008; 18:438-452. [PMID: 18488607 DOI: 10.1890/07-0276.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Maps of canopy nitrogen obtained through analysis of high-resolution, hyperspectral, remotely sensed images now offer a powerful means to make landscape-scale to regional-scale estimates of forest N cycling and net primary production (NPP). Moreover, recent research has suggested that the spatial variability within maps of canopy N may be driven by environmental gradients in such features as historic forest disturbance, temperature, species composition, moisture, geology, and atmospheric N deposition. Using the wide variation in these six features found within the diverse forest ecosystems of the 2.5 million ha Adirondack Park, New York, USA, we examined linkages among environmental gradients and three measures of N cycling collected during the 2003 growing season: (1) field survey of canopy N, (2) field survey of soil C:N, and (3) canopy N measured through analysis of two 185 x 7.5 km Hyperion hyperspectral images. These three measures of N cycling strongly related to forest type but related poorly to all other environmental gradients. Further analysis revealed that the spatial pattern in N cycling appears to have distinct inter- and intraspecific components of variability. The interspecific component, or the proportional contribution of species functional traits to canopy biomass, explained 93% of spatial variability within the field canopy N survey and 37% of variability within the soil C:N survey. Residual analysis revealed that N deposition accounted for an additional 2% of variability in soil C:N, and N deposition and historical forest disturbance accounted for an additional 2.8% of variability in canopy N. Given our finding that 95.8% of the variability in the field canopy N survey could be attributed to variation in the physical environment, our research suggests that remotely sensed maps of canopy N may be useful not only to assess the spatial variability in N cycling and NPP, but also to unravel the relative importance of their multiple controlling factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenden E McNeil
- Department of Geography, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA.
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Hérault B, Bornet A, Trémolières M. Redundancy and niche differentiation among the European invasive Elodea species. Biol Invasions 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-007-9187-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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