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Wu N, Liu G, Qi X, Lin Z, Wang Y, Wang Y, Li Y, Oduro C, Khan S, Zhou S, Chu T. Different facets of alpha and beta diversity of benthic diatoms along stream watercourse in a large near-natural catchment. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11577. [PMID: 38873020 PMCID: PMC11169757 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the processes and mechanisms that shape the distribution patterns and variations of biodiversity along spatial gradients continues to be a priority for ecological research. We focused on the biodiversity of benthic diatom communities within a large near-natural watershed. The objectives are: (1) to explore the overall spatial patterns of benthic diatom biodiversity; (2) to investigate the effects associated with watercourse position and environmental variables, as well as both common and rare species on two facets (i.e., taxonomic and functional) of alpha and beta diversity; and (3) to unveil the mechanisms underlying their spatial variations. Alpha diversity indices along the stream watercourse showed a clear increasing trend from upstream to downstream sites. Results of random forest regression identified conductivity as the primary factor influencing functional alpha diversity, while elevation emerged as the predominant factor for taxonomic alpha diversity. Beta diversity partitioning revealed that taxonomic beta diversity generally exceeded functional beta diversity. These diversity measures exhibited different patterns along the watercourse position: taxonomic beta diversity remained relatively consistent along the watercourse, whereas functional total beta diversity and its two components of middle stream sites were lower than those of upstream and downstream sites. Functional beta diversity was sustained by dominant and common species, while rare species made significant contributions to taxonomic beta diversity. Both taxonomic and functional beta diversity and its components displayed a stronger influence from spatial factors than from local environmental, geo-climatic, and nutrient variables. Collectively, taxonomic and functional alpha and beta diversity demonstrated distinct responses to the main environmental gradients and spatial factors within our catchment, highlighting their different insights into diatom diversity. Furthermore, research is required to assess the generalizability of our findings to similar ecosystems. In addition, this study presents opportunities for expansion to include other taxa (e.g., macroinvertebrates and fish) to gain a comprehensive understanding of the driving mechanisms behind stream biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naicheng Wu
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Guohao Liu
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Xinxin Qi
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Zongwei Lin
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Yixia Wang
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Yaochun Wang
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Yuying Li
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Watershed Ecological Security in the Water Source Area of the Middle Route of South‐to‐North Water Diversion Project, College of Water Resource and Modern AgricultureNanyang Normal UniversityNanyangChina
| | - Collins Oduro
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
- Ningbo University Donghai InstituteNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Sangar Khan
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information TechniquesNingbo UniversityNingboChina
- Ningbo University Donghai InstituteNingbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Shuchan Zhou
- Ningbo University Library (Journal Editorial Department)Ningbo UniversityNingboChina
| | - Tianjiang Chu
- Hangzhou Academy of Agricultural SciencesHangzhouChina
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Deng J, Zhu Y, Luo Y, Zhong Y, Tu J, Yu J, He J. Urbanization drives biotic homogenization of the avian community in China. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38379130 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Urbanization-driven biotic homogenization has been recorded in various ecosystems on local and global scales; however, it is largely unexplored in developing countries. Empirical studies on different taxa and bioregions show conflicting results (i.e. biotic homogenization vs. biotic differentiation); the extent to which the community composition changes in response to anthropogenic disturbances and the factors governing this process, therefore, require elucidation. Here, we used a compiled database of 760 bird species in China to quantify the multiple-site β-diversity and fitted distance decay in pairwise β-diversities between natural and urban assemblages to assess whether urbanization had driven biotic homogenization. We used generalized dissimilarity models (GDM) to elucidate the roles of spatial and environmental factors in avian community dissimilarities before and after urbanization. The multiple-site β-diversities among urban assemblages were markedly lower than those among natural assemblages, and the distance decays in pairwise similarities in natural assemblages were more rapid. These results were consistent among taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional aspects, supporting a general biotic homogenization driven by urbanization. The GDM results indicated that geographical distance and temperature were the dominant predictors of avian community dissimilarity. However, the contribution of geographical distance and climatic factors decreased in explaining compositional dissimilarities in urban assemblages. Geographical and environmental distances accounted for much lower variations in compositional dissimilarities in urban than in natural assemblages, implying a potential risk of uncertainty in model predictions under further climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. Our study concludes that taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions elucidate urbanization-driven biotic homogenization in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiewen Deng
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Younan Zhu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuelong Luo
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongjing Zhong
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiahao Tu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiehua Yu
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiekun He
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Qin S, Li F, Zou Y, Xue J, Zhang Y, Yang Z. eDNA-based diversity and multitrophic network reveal the effects of land use and pollutants on the subtropical Dongjiang River systems. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 334:122157. [PMID: 37454713 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity and its constituted multitrophic network in rivers are accelerating change under human land use and pollutants. However, due to the lack of complete datasets across taxa limited by traditional morphological biomonitoring, the change patterns of biodiversity and multitrophic networks are still unclear. Here, we used the eDNA approach to capture multitrophic communities (including fish, aquatic insects, protozoa, diatom and bacteria) in the Dongjiang River, a typical subtropical river in southeast China, and analyzed the changing patterns of biodiversity and multitrophic networks in relation to land use and water pollution. First, our data showed that the eDNA approach provided a snapshot of the multitrophic communities in the Dongjiang River, and the monitored 5833 OTUs were annotated to 55 phyla, 144 classes, 329 orders, 521 families, 945 genera and 406 species. Second, the multitrophic diversity index had similar patterns on the longitudinal scale of rivers, with significant decreases from the upstream to the downstream, while individual taxonomic groups exhibited variable spatial patterns. While there were similar spatial patterns between network metrics and diversity index, the former had stronger relationships with the spatial distance. Third, the multitrophic diversity and networks were significantly negatively correlated with land use and water pollution (e.g., CODMn), and network structures often had stronger and non-linear responses. Overall, this study highlights that eDNA biomonitoring of multitrophic communities and networks can provide deeper insights into ecosystem changes and help develop more targeted management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Qin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Feilong Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yanting Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jingchuan Xue
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Zhifeng Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China
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Ma Y, Yu Z, Jia S, Wu N, Yin K, Wang Y, Giesy JP, Jin X. Multiple anthropogenic stressors influence the taxonomic and functional homogenization of macroinvertebrate communities on the mainstream of an urban-agricultural river in China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 341:118017. [PMID: 37150169 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is caused by intensive human activities and threatens human well-being. However, less is known about how the combined effects of multiple stressors on the diversity of internal (alpha diversity) and multidimensional (beta diversity) communities. Here, we conducted a long-term experiment to quantify the contribution of environmental stressors (including water quality, land use, climate factors, and hydrological regimes) to macroinvertebrate communities alpha and beta diversity in the mainstream of the Songhua River, the third largest river in China, from 2012 to 2019. Our results demonstrated that the alpha and beta diversity indices showed a decline during the study period, with the dissimilarity in community composition between sites decreasing significantly, especially in the impacted river sections (upper and midstream). Despite overall improvement in water quality after management intervention, multiple human-caused stressors still have led to biotic homogenization of macroinvertebrate communities in terms of both taxonomic and functional diversities in the past decade. Our study revealed the increased human land use explained an important portion of the variation of diversities, further indirectly promoting biotic homogenization by changing the physical and chemical factors of water quality, ultimately altering assemblage ecological processes. Furthermore, the facets of diversity have distinct response mechanisms to stressors, providing complementary information from the perspective of taxonomy and function to better reflect the ecological changes of communities. Environmental filtering determined taxonomic beta diversity, and functional beta diversity was driven by the joint efforts of stressors and spatial processes. Finally, we proposed that traditional water quality monitoring alone cannot fully reveal the status of river ecological environment protection, and more importantly, we should explore the continuous changes in biodiversity over the long term. Meanwhile, our results also highlight timely control of nutrient input and unreasonable expansion of land use can better curb the ecological degradation of rivers and promote the healthy and sustainable development of floodplain ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ma
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Zongling Yu
- Ecological Environmental Monitoring Central Station of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150056, China
| | - Shiqi Jia
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Naicheng Wu
- Department of Geography and Spatial Information Techniques, NingboUniversity, Ningbo, 315211, China
| | - Kun Yin
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Yeyao Wang
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - John P Giesy
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48895, USA; Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B3, Canada; Department of Environmental Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798-7266, USA
| | - Xiaowei Jin
- China National Environmental Monitoring Centre, Beijing, 100012, China.
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Liu Y, Jiang X, Li D, Shen J, An S, Leng X. Intensive human land uses cause the biotic homogenization of algae and change their assembly process in a major watershed of China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 871:162115. [PMID: 36764544 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Human land uses are a crucial driver of biodiversity loss in freshwater ecosystems, and most studies have focused on how cities or croplands influence alpha diversity while neglecting the changes in community composition (beta diversity), especially in algae. Here, we examined the taxonomic and functional composition of algae communities and their underlying drivers along the human land-use intensity gradient in the Huai River basin, the third largest basin in China. Our results indicated that the increased intensity of human land use caused biotic homogenization (decreasing compositional dissimilarity between sites) of algae communities in terms of both taxonomic and functional traits. Functional beta diversity was more sensitive to human land uses than taxonomic beta diversity. Furthermore, we found that the increased intensity of human land use altered algae assemblage processes. As opposed to the low- or moderate-intensity human land uses, in high-intensity groups, species sorting rather than dispersal limitations dominated algae community assembly. NO2-N, HCO3, and Fe were the major factors explaining the variance in the taxonomic and functional beta diversities of algae. Human land use reshaped the taxonomic and functional structures of algae, raising concerns about the ecological processes altered by human activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Xufei Jiang
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Dianpeng Li
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Jiachen Shen
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Shuqing An
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China
| | - Xin Leng
- School of Life Science and Institute of Wetland Ecology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210000, China.
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Zhang J, Ma J, Zhang Z, He B, Zhang Y, Su L, Wang B, Shao J, Tai Y, Zhang X, Huang H, Yang Y, Dai Y. Initial ecological restoration assessment of an urban river in the subtropical region in China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156156. [PMID: 35609701 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156156] [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: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Rivers in urbanised cities are often polluted, black, and odorous, with poor water quality and deteriorated ecology. Despite many river restoration studies, assessments of ecological responses to river restoration practices remain scant. Benthic animals are useful biological indicators showing the change and succession of river ecosystems; however, previous studies have mainly focussed on a few target species without considering overall ecosystem integrity. Here, we used a multi-index biological assessment method, benthic index of biological integrity (B-IBI) to assess ecological responses to river restoration of the Shahe River in subtropical region of China. Spatiotemporal changes in the macrobenthos community structure after restoration were monitored to explore species succession. We found that the number of macrobenthos species increased from 16 to 42, with the emergence of some pollution-sensitive species during the restoration period. Molluscs showed widespread recovery, and their relative proportions almost doubled from 12.5% to 24.4%. Oligochaetes and chironomids were the pioneer species in the recovering communities, while gastropod molluscs and pollution-sensitive aquatic insects were transitional species that first settled during the initial recovery period. Based on our survey data, 25 candidate metrics were selected, and five core metrics (total taxa, Simpson diversity index, percentage of crustaceans and molluscs, percentage of predators, and percentage of collector-gatherers) were identified after screening to establish the B-IBI. Our analysis revealed a distinct improvement in the overall health of the river, with the proportions of "excellent" and "good" sites increasing from zero to 28.6% and from 14.3% to 42.9%, respectively. A correlation analysis indicated that water flow, molluscs, and total phosphorus content were the three drivers of ecological recovery in the Shahe River. Overall, our study demonstrates the importance of governance and restoration of rivers in tropical and subtropical cities, and provides valuable evidence that can guide the design and evaluation of river restoration works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhua Zhang
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Jiajia Ma
- Guangzhou Water Planning Survey and Design Co. Ltd, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Zehong Zhang
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Baidong He
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Linhui Su
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Baohua Wang
- Guangzhou Water Planning Survey and Design Co. Ltd, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Jinzhuo Shao
- Guangzhou Water Planning Survey and Design Co. Ltd, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yiping Tai
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Xiaomeng Zhang
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
| | - Hong Huang
- Guangzhou Water Association, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Yunv Dai
- Research Center of Hydrobiology, Department of Ecology, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Research Center of Tropical and Subtropical Aquatic Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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