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Cuff JP, Evans DM, Vaughan IP, Wilder SM, Tercel MPTG, Windsor FM. Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38946110 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14124] [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] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Nutrients can shape ecological interactions but remain poorly integrated into ecological networks. Concepts such as nutrient-specific foraging nevertheless have the potential to expose the mechanisms structuring complex ecological systems. Nutrients also present an opportunity to predict dynamic processes, such as interaction rewiring and extinction cascades, and increase the accuracy of network analyses. Here, we propose the concept of nutritional networks. By integrating nutritional data into ecological networks, we envisage significant advances to our understanding of ecological processes from individual to ecosystem scales. We show that networks can be constructed with nutritional data to illuminate how nutrients structure ecological interactions in natural systems through an empirical example. Throughout, we identify fundamental ecological hypotheses that can be explored in a nutritional network context, alongside methods for resolving those networks. Nutrients influence the structure and complexity of ecological networks through mechanistic processes and concepts including nutritional niche differentiation, functional responses, landscape diversity, ecological invasions and ecosystem robustness. Future research on ecological networks should consider nutrients when investigating the drivers of network structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Cuff
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Darren M Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian P Vaughan
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Shawn M Wilder
- Department of Integrative Biology, 501 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Maximillian P T G Tercel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey
| | - Fredric M Windsor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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2
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Mateos DM, Bhatnagar JM. Restoring ecological complexity in a changing environment. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R365-R371. [PMID: 38714167 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
As land use leaves massive tracts of land vacant for recovery, restoration must undergo a substantial shift to incorporate a complexity perspective beyond the traditional community, biodiversity or functional views. With an interaction-function perspective, we may be able to achieve ecosystems with better chances to adapt to current environmental changes and, especially, to climate change. We explore combined approaches that include still unused and underexplored techniques that will soon go mainstream and produce massive amounts of information to address the complexity gap. As we understand how complexity reassembles after the end of agriculture, we will be able to design actions to restore or enhance it at unprecedented spatial scales while increasing its adaptability to environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Moreno Mateos
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK; Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa 48940, Spain; Ikerbasque Foundation, Bilbao 48009, Spain.
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3
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Peralta G, CaraDonna PJ, Rakosy D, Fründ J, Pascual Tudanca MP, Dormann CF, Burkle LA, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Knight TM, Resasco J, Winfree R, Blüthgen N, Castillo WJ, Vázquez DP. Predicting plant-pollinator interactions: concepts, methods, and challenges. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:494-505. [PMID: 38262775 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Plant-pollinator interactions are ecologically and economically important, and, as a result, their prediction is a crucial theoretical and applied goal for ecologists. Although various analytical methods are available, we still have a limited ability to predict plant-pollinator interactions. The predictive ability of different plant-pollinator interaction models depends on the specific definitions used to conceptualize and quantify species attributes (e.g., morphological traits), sampling effects (e.g., detection probabilities), and data resolution and availability. Progress in the study of plant-pollinator interactions requires conceptual and methodological advances concerning the mechanisms and species attributes governing interactions as well as improved modeling approaches to predict interactions. Current methods to predict plant-pollinator interactions present ample opportunities for improvement and spark new horizons for basic and applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Peralta
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Córdoba, Córdoba, X5016GCN, Argentina.
| | - Paul J CaraDonna
- Chicago Botanic Garden, Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA; Plant Biology and Conservation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Demetra Rakosy
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Jochen Fründ
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany; Animal Network Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 20148, Germany
| | - María P Pascual Tudanca
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Laura A Burkle
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Christopher N Kaiser-Bunbury
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- Department for Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig 04318, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Julian Resasco
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks Lab, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany
| | - William J Castillo
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Freiburg 79098, Germany
| | - Diego P Vázquez
- Argentine Institute for Dryland Research, National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET)-National University of Cuyo, Mendoza 5500, Argentina; Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza M5502, Argentina.
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4
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Toju H, Suzuki SS, Baba YG. Interaction network rewiring and species' contributions to community-scale flexibility. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae047. [PMID: 38444600 PMCID: PMC10914369 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The architecture of species interaction networks is a key factor determining the stability of ecological communities. However, the fact that ecological network architecture can change through time is often overlooked in discussions on community-level processes, despite its theoretical importance. By compiling a time-series community dataset involving 50 spider species and 974 Hexapoda prey species/strains, we quantified the extent to which the architecture of predator-prey interaction networks could shift across time points. We then developed a framework for finding species that could increase the flexibility of the interaction network architecture. Those "network coordinator" species are expected to promote the persistence of species-rich ecological communities by buffering perturbations in communities. Although spiders are often considered as generalist predators, their contributions to network flexibility vary greatly among species. We also found that detritivorous prey species can be cores of interaction rewiring, dynamically interlinking below-ground and above-ground community dynamics. We further found that the predator-prey interactions between those network coordinators differed from those highlighted in the standard network-analytical framework assuming static topology. Analyses of network coordinators will add a new dimension to our understanding of species coexistence mechanisms and provide platforms for systematically prioritizing species in terms of their potential contributions in ecosystem conservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Toju
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga 520-2133, Japan
- Laboratory of Ecosystems and Coevolution, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Center for Living Systems Information Science (CeLiSIS), Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Sayaka S Suzuki
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga 520-2133, Japan
| | - Yuki G Baba
- Biodiversity Division, Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8604, Japan
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5
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Li C, Gillings MR, Zhang C, Chen Q, Zhu D, Wang J, Zhao K, Xu Q, Leung PH, Li X, Liu J, Jin L. Ecology and risks of the global plastisphere as a newly expanding microbial habitat. Innovation (N Y) 2024; 5:100543. [PMID: 38111463 PMCID: PMC10726253 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic offers a new niche for microorganisms, the plastisphere. The ever-increasing emission of plastic waste makes it critical to understand the microbial ecology of the plastisphere and associated effects. Here, we present a global fingerprint of the plastisphere, analyzing samples collected from freshwater, seawater, and terrestrial ecosystems. The plastisphere assembles a distinct microbial community that has a clearly higher heterogeneity and a more deterministically dominated assembly compared to natural habitats. New coexistence patterns-loose and fragile networks with mostly specialist linkages among microorganisms that are rarely found in natural habitats-are seen in the plastisphere. Plastisphere microbiomes generally have a great potential to metabolize organic compounds, which could accelerate carbon turnover. Microorganisms involved in the nitrogen cycle are also altered in the plastisphere, especially in freshwater plastispheres, where a high abundance of denitrifiers may increase the release of nitrite (aquatic toxicant) and nitrous oxide (greenhouse gas). Enrichment of animal, plant, and human pathogens means that the plastisphere could become an increasingly mobile reservoir of harmful microorganisms. Our findings highlight that if the trajectory of plastic emissions is not reversed, the expanding plastisphere could pose critical planetary health challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changchao Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Michael R. Gillings
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Chao Zhang
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Qinglin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Dong Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Kankan Zhao
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Qicheng Xu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Polly Hangmei Leung
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiangdong Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Ling Jin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
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6
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Evans DM. Mitigating the impacts of street lighting on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220355. [PMID: 37899015 PMCID: PMC10613540 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Street lights are not only a major source of direct light pollution emissions, but stock has been transitioning to light-emitting diode (LED) technology in many parts of the world, resulting in increases in the blue part of the visible spectrum that is more harmful to biodiversity and human health. But LEDs can be modified more easily than conventional sodium lamps by adjusting their intensity, spectral output and other features of street light systems. In this Opinion piece, I provide an updated overview of street light mitigation strategies and contend that research in this area has been slow. I show how experimental lighting rigs that mimic real street lights can be used for mitigation testing, since invertebrate behaviour, abundances and interactions can respond quickly and measurably. I demonstrate how advances in network ecology that use species interaction data can provide much-needed assessments of the impacts of street lights on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and ultimately provide new tools and metrics for biomonitoring. I acknowledge the limitations of measuring local, short-term responses of biodiversity and identify promising avenues for collaborating with industry and government agencies in new or existing road lighting schemes, to minimize the negative long-term impacts at marginal cost. This article is part of the theme issue 'Light pollution in complex ecological systems'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, King's Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
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Wu B, Ding M, Zhang H, Devlin AT, Wang P, Chen L, Zhang Y, Xia Y, Wen J, Liu L, Zhang Y, Wang M. Reduced soil multifunctionality and microbial network complexity in degraded and revegetated alpine meadows. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 343:118182. [PMID: 37224687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how microbial processes develop and change in alpine meadow soils is key to global initiatives toward environmental sustainability and local land management. Yet, how microbial interactions mediate soil multifunctionality in disturbed and managed alpine meadows remains understudied. Here, we investigated multiple community metrics, particularly microbial network properties and assembly processes, of soil bacterial and fungal communities and their links to certain soil functions along a degradation-restoration sequence of alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Meadow degradation caused significant declines in soil hydraulic conductivity (e.g., higher bulk density, reduced soil porosity and water content) and nitrogen availability, leading to lowered soil multifunctionality. Meadow degradation only caused weak changes in microbial abundance, alpha diversity, and community composition, but remarkably reduced bacterial network complexity, to a less extent for fungal network properties. Short-term artificial restoration with productive grass monocultures did not restore soil multifunctionality, in turn even destabilized bacterial network and favored pathogenic over mutualistic fungi. Soil fungi community are more stable than bacteria in disturbed alpine meadows, and they evolved with distinct assembly strategies (stochastic-dominant versus deterministic-driven processes, respectively). Further, microbial network complexity, positively and better predicts soil multifunctionality than alpha diversity. Our work shows how microbial interaction complexity may enhance soil multifunctionality in degraded alpine meadow ecosystems, noting that meadow restoration with low plant species diversity may failed in restoring multiple ecosystem functions. These findings would help predict the outcomes of global environmental changes and inform management strategies in regional grassland conservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bobo Wu
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Mingjun Ding
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China.
| | - Adam Thomas Devlin
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Lu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Yueju Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Yang Xia
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Jiawei Wen
- Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, School of Geography and Environment, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330022, China
| | - Linshan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yili Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Minhuang Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
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8
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González C. Evolution of the concept of ecological integrity and its study through networks. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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9
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Sánchez‐Martín R, Verdú M, Montesinos‐Navarro A. Phylogenetic and functional constraints of plant facilitation rewiring. Ecology 2023; 104:e3961. [PMID: 36545892 PMCID: PMC10078402 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Facilitative interactions bind community species in intricate ecological networks, preserving species that would otherwise be lost. The traditional understanding of ecological networks as static components of biological communities overlooks the fact that species interactions in a network can fluctuate. Analyzing the patterns that cause those shifts can reveal the principles that govern the identity of pairwise interactions and whether they are predictable based on the traits of the interacting species and the local environmental contexts in which they occur. Here we explore how abiotic stress and phylogenetic and functional affinities constrain those shifts. Specifically, we hypothesize that rewiring the facilitative interactions is more limited in stressful than in mild environments. We present evidence of a distinct pattern in the rewiring of facilitation-driven communities at different stress levels. In highly stressful environments with a firm reliance on facilitation, rewiring is limited to growing beneath nurse species with traits to overcome harsh stressful conditions. However, when environments are milder, rewiring is more flexible, although it is still constrained to nurses that are close relatives. Understanding the ability of species to rewire their interactions is crucial for predicting how communities may respond to the unprecedented rate of perturbations on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Miguel Verdú
- Centro de Investigaciones Sobre Desertificación (CIDE, CSIC‐UV‐GV)MoncadaSpain
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10
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Body mass determines the role of mammal species in a frugivore-large fruit interaction network in a Neotropical savanna. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Frugivorous mammals play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and are considered one of the main dispersers of large seeds. In this study, we describe the structure of the interaction network between non-flying mammals and seven plant species with large fruits in a megadiverse savanna-forest mosaic in the Brazilian Cerrado. We also evaluated the individual contribution of each species to the organization of the interaction network and tested whether body mass determined the mammals’ role in the network. To record frugivory events of mammals with arboreal and terrestrial habits, camera traps were installed at ground and canopy levels. We identified 18 mammal species interacting with seven plant species in 515 frugivory events. Our observations highlight an interaction network with a modular and non-nested topology and the important role of large mammals in the network structure, which reflects the importance of the group in potential seed dispersal. The extinction of large frugivorous mammals can cause several damages to ecosystem services in the Brazilian Cerrado through changes in network structure, especially threatening the survival of plant species with large fruits.
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Raimundo RLG. How cougars and feral donkeys change desert wetlands: Novel interactions between native predators and non-native megaherbivores shape trophic cascades in the Anthropocene. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2342-2347. [PMID: 36479678 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Lundgren, E. J., Ramp, D., Middleton, O. S., Wooster, E. I. F., Kusch, E., Balisi, M., Ripple, W. J., Hasselerharm, C. D., Sanchez, J. N., Mills, M. & Wallach, A. D. (2022) A novel trophic cascade between cougars and feral donkeys shapes desert wetlands. Journal of Animal Ecology, (91, 2010-2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13766. Despite being absent from most regions of the contemporary world, megafauna species dominated the dynamics of ecological communities until the late Pleistocene. Trophic rewilding is a promising approach to restoring megafauna interactions, their functional roles and the consequent trophic cascades. Unintentional rewilding with large non-native herbivores, such as equids, offers outstanding opportunities for ecologists to understand the outcomes of using replacement species to restore the ecological functions of extinct native megafauna. In this context, it is relevant to understand the extent to which extant native predators can impose top-down control on non-native megaherbivores and how trophic cascades arising from novel predator-prey interactions influences biodiversity and ecosystem functions. In Death Valley National Park (United States), Lundgren et al. depict a natural experiment showing compelling evidence of native cougars overcoming ecological naïveté-that is, the mismatches between predator and prey species that do not share a common evolutionary history-and are now successfully preying on younger individuals of feral donkeys. These non-native donkeys, whose growing wild populations threaten the native biota, became cougars' most frequent dietary item in that region. In areas with cougars, donkeys changed their spatiotemporal foraging patterns, becoming diurnal and less active. On the other hand, donkeys remain more active and forage throughout the day and night in areas without cougars. The cougar-donkey interaction triggered a behaviourally mediated trophic cascade emerging from a 'landscape of fear', that is, from the perception of spatial heterogeneity in predation risk by donkeys. Areas with cougars have less trampled ground, fewer donkey trails, and much more canopy cover and vegetation around water. Donkeys concentrate their activity mostly in topologically plain terrains lacking proper sites for the ambush behaviour of cougars and with more intense human presence, likely acting as a shield against the predators. Lundgren et al. present a promising model system for studying the effects of fearful grazers on community structure in the context of novel ecological interactions being established in the Anthropocene. Whether the emerging cascade is transient or persistent, the relative roles of consumptive and non-consumptive effects as underlying mechanisms, and their consequences for food web structure, functioning and stability, are questions of general interest. Addressing them can help us to elucidate the costs and benefits of using non-native megaherbivores in the functional restoration of permanently invaded ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael L G Raimundo
- Department of Engineering and Environment and Graduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring, Centre for Applied Sciences and Education, Federal University of Paraíba - Campus IV, Rio Tinto, PB, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Biological Sciences, Centre for Exact and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba - Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
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12
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Blanchard G, Munoz F. Revisiting extinction debt through the lens of multitrophic networks and meta‐ecosystems. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Blanchard
- AMAP, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD Montpellier France
- AMAP, IRD, Herbier de Nouvelle Calédonie Nouméa Nouvelle Calédonie
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13
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van der Heyde M, Bunce M, Nevill P. Key factors to consider in the use of environmental DNA metabarcoding to monitor terrestrial ecological restoration. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 848:157617. [PMID: 35901901 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Ecological restoration of terrestrial environments is a globally important process to combat the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Holistic monitoring of restored biota and active management of restoration is necessary to improve restoration processes and outcomes, and provide evidence to stakeholders that targets are being achieved. Increasingly, environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is used as a restoration monitoring tool because it is able to generate biodiversity data rapidly, accurately, non-destructively, and reliably, on a wide breadth of organisms from soil microbes to mammals. The overall objective of this review is to discuss the key factors to consider in the use of environmental DNA for monitoring of restored terrestrial ecosystems, hopefully improving monitoring, and ultimately, restoration outcomes. We identified that the majority of eDNA based studies of ecosystem restoration are currently conducted in Europe, North America, and Australia, and that almost half of total studies were published in 2021-22. Soil was the most popular sample substrate, soil microbial communities the most targeted taxa, and forests the most studied ecosystem. We suggest there is no 'one size fits all' approach to restoration monitoring using eDNA, and discuss survey design. Factors to consider include substrate selection, sample collection and storage, assay selection, and data interpretation, all of which require careful planning to obtain reliable, and accurate information that can be used for restoration monitoring and decision making. We explore future directions for research and argue that eDNA metabarcoding can be a useful tool in the restoration monitoring 'toolkit', but requires informed application and greater accessibility to data by a wide spectrum of stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke van der Heyde
- ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, GPP Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia; Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, School of Life and Molecular Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
| | - Michael Bunce
- Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, School of Life and Molecular Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia; Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), Kenepuru, Porirua 5022, New Zealand
| | - Paul Nevill
- ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, GPP Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia; Trace and Environmental DNA Laboratory, School of Life and Molecular Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
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14
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Vizentin-Bugoni J, Sperry JH, Kelley JP, Foster JT, Drake DR, Case SB, Gleditsch JM, Hruska AM, Wilcox RC, Tarwater CE. Mechanisms underlying interaction frequencies and robustness in a novel seed dispersal network: lessons for restoration. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221490. [PMID: 36100025 PMCID: PMC9470274 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1490] [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: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
As human-caused extinctions and invasions accumulate across the planet, understanding the processes governing ecological functions mediated by species interactions, and anticipating the effect of species loss on such functions become increasingly urgent. In seed dispersal networks, the mechanisms that influence interaction frequencies may also influence the capacity of a species to switch to alternative partners (rewiring), influencing network robustness. Studying seed dispersal interactions in novel ecosystems on O'ahu island, Hawai'i, we test whether the same mechanisms defining interaction frequencies can regulate rewiring and increase network robustness to simulated species extinctions. We found that spatial and temporal overlaps were the primary mechanisms underlying interaction frequencies, and the loss of the more connected species affected networks to a greater extent. Further, rewiring increased network robustness, and morphological matching and spatial and temporal overlaps between partners were more influential on network robustness than species abundances. We argue that to achieve self-sustaining ecosystems, restoration initiatives can consider optimal morphological matching and spatial and temporal overlaps between consumers and resources to maximize chances of native plant dispersal. Specifically, restoration initiatives may benefit from replacing invasive species with native species possessing characteristics that promote frequent interactions and increase the probability of rewiring (such as long fruiting periods, small seeds and broad distributions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenue Bento Gonçalves 9500, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul 91501-970, Brazil
- US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research Development Center, 2902 Newmark Dr, Champaign, IL 61826, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Jinelle H. Sperry
- US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research Development Center, 2902 Newmark Dr, Champaign, IL 61826, USA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - J. Patrick Kelley
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Jeffrey T. Foster
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Donald R. Drake
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Samuel B. Case
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Jason M. Gleditsch
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1102 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Integrative Ecology Laboratory, Center for Biodiversity, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Amy M. Hruska
- Department of Botany, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Rebecca C. Wilcox
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Corey E. Tarwater
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 1000 East University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
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15
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Allen WJ, Bufford JL, Barnes AD, Barratt BIP, Deslippe JR, Dickie IA, Goldson SL, Howlett BG, Hulme PE, Lavorel S, O'Brien SA, Waller LP, Tylianakis JM. A network perspective for sustainable agroecosystems. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 27:769-780. [PMID: 35501260 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nature-based management aims to improve sustainable agroecosystem production, but its efficacy has been variable. We argue that nature-based agroecosystem management could be significantly improved by explicitly considering and manipulating the underlying networks of species interactions. A network perspective can link species interactions to ecosystem functioning and stability, identify influential species and interactions, and suggest optimal management approaches. Recent advances in predicting the network roles of species from their functional traits could allow direct manipulation of network architecture through additions or removals of species with targeted traits. Combined with improved understanding of the structure and dynamics of networks across spatial and temporal scales and interaction types, including social-ecological, applying these tools to nature-based management can contribute to sustainable agroecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warwick J Allen
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand.
| | - Jennifer L Bufford
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- Te Aka Mātuatua - School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3204, New Zealand
| | - Barbara I P Barratt
- AgResearch, Invermay Research Centre, Mosgiel 9053, New Zealand; Department of Botany, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Julie R Deslippe
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology and School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
| | - Ian A Dickie
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Stephen L Goldson
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand; AgResearch, Private Bag 4749, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Brad G Howlett
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Philip E Hulme
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
| | - Sandra Lavorel
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand; Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, Université Grenoble Alpes CNRS, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Sophie A O'Brien
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Lauren P Waller
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, PO Box 85084, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, New Zealand
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Bio-Protection Research Centre/Bioprotection Aotearoa, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
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16
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Windsor FM, Armenteras D, Assis APA, Astegiano J, Santana PC, Cagnolo L, Carvalheiro LG, Emary C, Fort H, Gonzalez XI, Kitson JJ, Lacerda AC, Lois M, Márquez-Velásquez V, Miller KE, Monasterolo M, Omacini M, Maia KP, Palacios TP, Pocock MJ, Poggio SL, Varassin IG, Vázquez DP, Tavella J, Rother DC, Devoto M, Guimarães PR, Evans DM. Network science: Applications for sustainable agroecosystems and food security. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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17
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Rother DC, Sousa ILF, Gressler E, Liboni AP, Souza VC, Rodrigues RR, Morellato LP. Comparing the potential reproductive phenology between restored areas and native tropical forest fragments in Southeastern Brazil. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Débora C. Rother
- Departamento de Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo – USP, Instituto de Biociências São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” – ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - Igor L. F. Sousa
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Fenologia Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Instituto de Biociências Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
| | - Eliana Gressler
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Fenologia Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Instituto de Biociências Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
| | - Ana P. Liboni
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” – ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
- Departamento de Botânica Universidade Estadual de Campinas – UNICAMP Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Vinícius C. Souza
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” – ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - Ricardo R. Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal Universidade de São Paulo, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz” – ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo Piracicaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - L. Patrícia Morellato
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Laboratório de Fenologia Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Instituto de Biociências Rio Claro São Paulo Brazil
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18
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O'Connell DP, Fusi M, Djamaluddin R, Rajagukguk BB, Bachmid F, Kitson JJN, Dunnett Z, Trianto A, Tjoa AB, Diele K, Evans DM. Assessing mangrove restoration practices using species‐interaction networks. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Darren P. O'Connell
- School of Biology and Environmental Science University College Dublin Dublin D04 N2E5 Ireland
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Marco Fusi
- School of Applied Sciences Edinburgh Napier University Edinburg EH11 4BN U.K
| | - Rignolda Djamaluddin
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - Bulfrit B. Rajagukguk
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - Fihri Bachmid
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science Sam Ratulangi University Manado North Sulawesi 95115 Indonesia
| | - James J. N. Kitson
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Zoe Dunnett
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
| | - Agus Trianto
- Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Diponegoro University Semarang Central Java 50275 Indonesia
| | - Aiyen B. Tjoa
- Faculty of Agriculture Tadulako University Palu Central Sulawesi 94148 Indonesia
| | - Karen Diele
- School of Applied Sciences Edinburgh Napier University Edinburg EH11 4BN U.K
| | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 7RU UK
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19
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Deprá MS, Evans DM, Gaglianone MC. Pioneer herbaceous plants contribute to the restoration of pollination interactions in restinga habitats in tropical Atlantic Forest. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Scaramussa Deprá
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000 Campos dos Goytacazes Rio de Janeiro CEP 28013‐602 Brazil
| | - Darren Mark Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Agriculture Building, King's Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU U.K
| | - Maria Cristina Gaglianone
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000 Campos dos Goytacazes Rio de Janeiro CEP 28013‐602 Brazil
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20
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Windsor FM, Tavella J, Rother DC, Raimundo RLG, Devoto M, Guimarães PR, Evans DM. Identifying plant mixes for multiple ecosystem service provision in agricultural systems using ecological networks. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fredric M. Windsor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK
| | - Julia Tavella
- Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Débora C. Rother
- Departamento de Ecologia Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Rafael L. G. Raimundo
- Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente Universidade Federal da Paraíba Joao Pessoa Brazil
| | - Mariano Devoto
- Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Argentina
| | | | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK
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21
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Kumar V, Sarma VV, Thambugala KM, Huang JJ, Li XY, Hao GF. Ecology and Evolution of Marine Fungi With Their Adaptation to Climate Change. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:719000. [PMID: 34512597 PMCID: PMC8430337 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.719000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change agitates interactions between organisms and the environment and forces them to adapt, migrate, get replaced by others, or extinct. Marine environments are extremely sensitive to climate change that influences their ecological functions and microbial community including fungi. Fungi from marine habitats are engaged and adapted to perform diverse ecological functions in marine environments. Several studies focus on how complex interactions with the surrounding environment affect fungal evolution and their adaptation. However, a review addressing the adaptation of marine fungi to climate change is still lacking. Here we have discussed the adaptations of fungi in the marine environment with an example of Hortaea werneckii and Aspergillus terreus which may help to reduce the risk of climate change impacts on marine environments and organisms. We address the ecology and evolution of marine fungi and the effects of climate change on them to explain the adaptation mechanism. A review of marine fungal adaptations will show widespread effects on evolutionary biology and the mechanism responsible for it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinit Kumar
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | | | - Kasun M. Thambugala
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
| | - Jun-Jie Huang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xiang-Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ge-Fei Hao
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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22
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Wang SC, Liu X, Liu Y, Wang H. Disentangling effects of multiple stressors on matter flow in a lake food web. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9652-9664. [PMID: 34306651 PMCID: PMC8293722 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the relative importance of multiple stressors is valuable to prioritize conservation and restoration measures. Yet, the effects of multiple stressors on ecosystem functioning remain largely unknown in many fresh waters. Here, we provided a methodology combining ecosystem modeling with linear regression to disentangle the effects of multiple stressors on matter flow, an important ecosystem function. Treating a shallow lake as the model ecosystem, we simulated matter flow dynamics during 1950s-2010s with different combinations of stressors by Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modeling and determined the relative importance of each stressor by generalized linear mixed models. We found that matter flow of the lake food web was highly dynamic, attributing to effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors. Biological invasion played the strongest role in driving the matter flow dynamics, followed by eutrophication, while biomanipulation (i.e., phytoplankton control by planktivorous fish stocking) was of little importance. Eutrophication had a stronger role on primary producers, pelagic food chain, and top predators, while biological invasion on consumers in the middle of food chains. The former was more important in driving the quantity of matter flow, while the latter on trophic transfer efficiencies. Scenario forecasting showed that reducing nutrients contents could largely shape the matter flow pattern, while biomanipulation had little effect. Our findings provided new insights into understanding the mechanistic links between anthropogenic stressors and ecosystem functioning by combining ecosystem modeling with linear regression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuran Cindy Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and BiotechnologyInstitute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Xueqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and BiotechnologyInstitute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Yong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Water and Substrate Sciences (Ministry of Education)College of Environmental Sciences and EngineeringPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hongzhu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and BiotechnologyInstitute of HydrobiologyChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
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23
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Maia KP, Marquitti FMD, Vaughan IP, Memmott J, Raimundo RLG. Interaction generalisation and demographic feedbacks drive the resilience of plant-insect networks to extinctions. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2109-2121. [PMID: 34048028 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the processes driving ecological resilience, that is the extent to which systems retain their structure while absorbing perturbations, is a central challenge for theoretical and applied ecologists. Plant-insect assemblages are well-suited for the study of ecological resilience as they are species-rich and encompass a variety of ecological interactions that correspond to essential ecosystem functions. Mechanisms affecting community response to perturbations depend on both the natural history and structure of ecological interactions. Natural history attributes of the interspecific interactions, for example whether they are mutualistic or antagonistic, may affect the ecological resilience by controlling the demographic feedbacks driving ecological dynamics at the community level. Interaction generalisation may also affect resilience, by defining opportunities for interaction rewiring, the extent to which species are able to switch interactions in fluctuating environments. These natural history attributes may also interact with network structure to affect ecological resilience. Using adaptive network models, we investigated the resilience of plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore networks to species loss. We specifically investigated how fundamental natural history differences between these systems, namely the demographic consequences of the interaction and their level of generalisation-mediating rewiring opportunities-affect the resilience of dynamic ecological networks to extinctions. We also create a general benchmark for the effect of network structure on resilience simulating extinctions on theoretical networks with controlled structures. When network structure was static, pollination networks were less resilient than herbivory networks; this is related to their high levels of nestedness and the reciprocally positive feedbacks that define mutualisms, which made co-extinction cascades more likely and longer in plant-pollinator assemblages. When considering interaction rewiring, the high generalisation and the structure of pollination networks boosted their resilience to extinctions, which approached those of herbivory networks. Simulation results using theoretical networks suggested that the empirical structure of herbivory networks may protect them from collapse. Elucidating the ecological and evolutionary processes driving interaction rewiring is key to understanding the resilience of plant-insect assemblages. Accounting for rewiring requires ecologists to combine natural history with network models that incorporate feedbacks between species abundances, traits and interactions. This combination will elucidate how perturbations propagate at community level, reshaping biodiversity structure and ecosystem functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate P Maia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Biosciences Institute, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Ian P Vaughan
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jane Memmott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Rafael L G Raimundo
- Department of Engineering and Environment and Postgraduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring (PPGEMA), Centre for Applied Sciences and Education, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus IV, Rio Tinto, Brazil.,IRIS Research Group, Innovation for Resilience, Inclusion and Sustainability, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus IV, Rio Tinto, Brazil
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24
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Barbour MA, Gibert JP. Genetic and plastic rewiring of food webs under climate change. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1814-1830. [PMID: 34028791 PMCID: PMC8453762 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is altering ecological and evolutionary processes across biological scales. These simultaneous effects of climate change pose a major challenge for predicting the future state of populations, communities and ecosystems. This challenge is further exacerbated by the current lack of integration of research focused on these different scales. We propose that integrating the fields of quantitative genetics and food web ecology will reveal new insights on how climate change may reorganize biodiversity across levels of organization. This is because quantitative genetics links the genotypes of individuals to population‐level phenotypic variation due to genetic (G), environmental (E) and gene‐by‐environment (G × E) factors. Food web ecology, on the other hand, links population‐level phenotypes to the structure and dynamics of communities and ecosystems. We synthesize data and theory across these fields and find evidence that genetic (G) and plastic (E and G × E) phenotypic variation within populations will change in magnitude under new climates in predictable ways. We then show how changes in these sources of phenotypic variation can rewire food webs by altering the number and strength of species interactions, with consequences for ecosystem resilience. We also find evidence suggesting there are predictable asymmetries in genetic and plastic trait variation across trophic levels, which set the pace for phenotypic change and food web responses to climate change. Advances in genomics now make it possible to partition G, E and G × E phenotypic variation in natural populations, allowing tests of the hypotheses we propose. By synthesizing advances in quantitative genetics and food web ecology, we provide testable predictions for how the structure and dynamics of biodiversity will respond to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Barbour
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jean P Gibert
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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25
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Gao E, Wang Y, Bi C, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Zhao Z. Restoration of Degraded Alpine Meadows Improves Pollination Network Robustness and Function in the Tibetan Plateau. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.632961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological restoration is widely used to mitigate the negative impacts of anthropogenic activities. There is an increasing demand to identify suitable restoration management strategies for specific habitat and disturbance types to restore interactions between organisms of degraded habitats, such as pollination. In the Tibetan Plateau, alpine meadows have suffered severe degradation due to overgrazing and climate change. Protecting vegetation by fencing during the growing season is a widely applied management regime for restoration of degraded grasslands in this region. Here, we investigated the effect of this restoration strategy on plant–pollinator communities and plant reproduction in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We collected interaction and seed set data monthly across three grazed (grazed all year) and three ungrazed (fenced during growing season) alpine meadows in growing seasons of two consecutive years. We found ungrazed meadows produced more flowers and attracted more pollinator visits. Many common network metrics, such as nestedness, connectance, network specialization, and modularity, did not differ between grazing treatments. However, plants in ungrazed meadows were more robust to secondary species extinction than those in grazed meadows. The observed changes in the networks corresponded with higher seed set of plants that rely on pollinators for reproduction. Our results indicate that protection from grazing in growing seasons improves pollination network stability and function and thus is a viable restoration approach for degraded meadows.
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26
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Hinton CR, Peters VE. Plant species with the trait of continuous flowering do not hold core roles in a Neotropical lowland plant-pollinating insect network. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2346-2359. [PMID: 33717460 PMCID: PMC7920781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-animal interaction science repeatedly finds that plant species differ by orders of magnitude in the number of interactions they support. The identification of plant species that play key structural roles in plant-animal networks is a global conservation priority; however, in hyperdiverse systems such as tropical forests, empirical datasets are scarce. Plant species with longer reproductive seasons are posited to support more interactions compared to plant species with shorter reproductive seasons but this hypothesis has not been evaluated for plant species with the longest reproductive season possible at the individual plant level, the continuous reproductive phenology. Resource predictability is also associated with promoting specialization, and therefore, continuous reproduction may instead favor specialist interactions. Here, we use quantitative pollinating insect-plant networks constructed from countryside habitat of the Tropical Wet forest Life Zone and modularity analysis to test whether plant species that share the trait of continuous flowering hold core roles in mutualistic networks. With a few exceptions, most plant species sampled within our network were assigned to the role of peripheral. All but one network had significantly high modularity scores and each continuous flowering plant species was in a different module. Our work reveals that the continuous flowering plant species differed in some networks in their topological role, and that more evidence was found for the phenology to support specialized subsets of interactions. Our findings suggest that the conservation of Neotropical pollinating insect communities may require planting species from each module rather than identifying and conserving network hubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea R. Hinton
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
| | - Valerie E. Peters
- Department of Biological SciencesEastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondKYUSA
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27
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Barroso-Bergadà D, Pauvert C, Vallance J, Delière L, Bohan DA, Buée M, Vacher C. Microbial networks inferred from environmental DNA data for biomonitoring ecosystem change: Strengths and pitfalls. Mol Ecol Resour 2020; 21:762-780. [PMID: 33245839 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Environmental DNA contains information on the species interaction networks that support ecosystem functions and services. Next-generation biomonitoring proposes the use of this data to reconstruct ecological networks in real time and then compute network-level properties to assess ecosystem change. We investigated the relevance of this proposal by assessing: (i) the replicability of DNA-based networks in the absence of ecosystem change, and (ii) the benefits and shortcomings of community- and network-level properties for monitoring change. We selected crop-associated microbial networks as a case study because they support disease regulation services in agroecosystems and analysed their response to change in agricultural practice between organic and conventional systems. Using two statistical methods of network inference, we showed that network-level properties, especially β-properties, could detect change. Moreover, consensus networks revealed robust signals of interactions between the most abundant species, which differed between agricultural systems. These findings complemented those obtained with community-level data that showed, in particular, a greater microbial diversity in the organic system. The limitations of network-level data included (i) the very high variability of network replicates within each system; (ii) the low number of network replicates per system, due to the large number of samples needed to build each network; and (iii) the difficulty in interpreting links of inferred networks. Tools and frameworks developed over the last decade to infer and compare microbial networks are therefore relevant to biomonitoring, provided that the DNA metabarcoding data sets are large enough to build many network replicates and progress is made to increase network replicability and interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didac Barroso-Bergadà
- INRAE, Université Bourgogne, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | | | - Jessica Vallance
- INRAE, ISVV, SAVE, Villenave d'Ornon, France.,Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Univ. Bordeaux, SAVE, Gradignan, France
| | - Laurent Delière
- INRAE, ISVV, SAVE, Villenave d'Ornon, France.,INRAE, Vigne Bordeaux, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - David A Bohan
- INRAE, Université Bourgogne, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Agroécologie, Dijon, France
| | - Marc Buée
- INRAE, Université de Lorraine, IAM, Champenoux, France
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Carreira DC, Dáttilo W, Bruno DL, Percequillo AR, Ferraz KMPMB, Galetti M. Small vertebrates are key elements in the frugivory networks of a hyperdiverse tropical forest. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10594. [PMID: 32601315 PMCID: PMC7324603 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The local, global or functional extinction of species or populations of animals, known as defaunation, can erode important ecological services in tropical forests. Many mutualistic interactions, such as seed dispersal of large seeded plants, can be lost in large continuous forests due to the rarity of large-bodied mammalian frugivores. Most of studies that try to elucidate the effects of defaunation on seed dispersal focused on primates or birds, and we lack a detailed understanding on the interactions between ground-dwelling fauna and fleshy fruits. Using camera traps in forest areas with different degrees of defaunation, we described the organization of frugivory networks involving birds, mammals and plants. We recorded 375 frugivory interactions between 21 frugivores and 150 fruiting trees of 30 species of fleshy fruit plants in six sites in continuous Atlantic forest of Brazil. We found that small frugivores-particularly small rodents and birds-were responsible for 72% of the events of frugivory. Large frugivores, such as tapirs and peccaries, were responsible for less than 21% of frugivory events. Our results indicate that the interactions between flesh fruiting plants and frugivores are dominated by small frugivores, an indication of a functional loss of large frugivores in this endangered biome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiane C Carreira
- Programa Interunidades de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz"- Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil.
- Fundação Hermínio Ometto - FHO|Uniararas, Araras, São Paulo, CP 13607-339, Brazil.
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., CP 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Dáfini L Bruno
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais - Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos, São Paulo, CP 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Reis Percequillo
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" - Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Katia M P M B Ferraz
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" - Universidade de São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, CP 13418-900, Brazil
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, CP 33146, USA
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, São Paulo, CP 13506-900, Brazil
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29
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Li T, Dong Y, Liu Z. A review of social-ecological system resilience: Mechanism, assessment and management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 723:138113. [PMID: 32224405 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Social-ecological system (SES) resilience involves the large information and complex relationships of nature, society and economy. To promote multi-disciplinary integration to jointly balance current well-being and long-term sustainability, it is necessary to sort resilience studies on different perspectives into a comprehensive framework to establish interdisciplinary consensus. Based on literature analysis and review, this paper presents an analytical framework for resilience in regional management, and gives a review of SES resilience studies in terms of mechanism, assessment, and management. We outline the current state of resilience research, identify the remaining challenges, and make key recommendations for future research. Our recommendations include promoting interdisciplinary consensus, emphasising dynamic adaptation processes, synthesizing multiple systems and scales, building comprehensive databases, and using mixed methods approach. The paper offers a framework for researchers, practitioners and policy makers to have a more comprehensive understanding of resilience as a whole, and thus helps navigate more fully the challenge of adapting complex resource and environmental problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yuxiang Dong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Department of Resources and Urban Planning, Xinhua College of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510520, China.
| | - Zhenhuan Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
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30
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The long-term restoration of ecosystem complexity. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:676-685. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1154-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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31
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Montoya-Pfeiffer PM, Rodrigues RR, Alves Dos Santos I. Bee pollinator functional responses and functional effects in restored tropical forests. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02054. [PMID: 31828842 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wild pollinators are necessary for ensuring plant reproduction, not only among crop fields but also remnant and restored ecosystems. Restoration activities should, therefore, lead to wild pollinator recovery, and thus be monitored to evaluate effects on pollinator diversity and functionality. We assessed bee pollinator functional responses in restoration plantings by creating functional groups (traits: body size, nesting location, sociality, and foraging strategy), comparing their abundance and diversity to that of other habitats (i.e., conserved and degraded primary forest fragments, anthropogenic wetlands, and sugarcane fields), and testing for an effect of source habitat (i.e., primary forest fragments) isolation. We analyzed functional effects on pollen transportation by identifying the pollen grains attached on the bodies of bees; creating plant functional groups with the identified species (traits: habit, successional class, geographic origin, and pollination mode); comparing their frequency, diversity, and interaction network structure among habitats; and searching for key interactions in network modules. In general, the abundance and diversity of bee communities and the frequency and diversity of the interacting plant species in restoration plantings were lower than those in primary forest fragments but higher than those in anthropogenic wetlands and sugarcane fields, suggesting that restoration plantings better enhance bee community recovery and functionality than other disturbed habitats. The interacting bees and plants were also negatively affected by habitat isolation, demonstrating the importance of primary forest fragments to supply bee populations to restored sites. The structure of interaction networks was little affected by habitat change and isolation, but the composition and diversity of functional groups varied significantly. There were more effects on larger bee species with more restricted nesting and floral requirements, and the woody species with which they interact most frequently. We identified key functional groups of bee pollinators that deserve priority for conservation because they play an important role in the pollen transportation of some the most relevant species in remnant forests and restoration plantings and also respond more negatively to habitat disturbances. Restoration efforts should include provisioning of nesting resources and management and conservation of primary forest remnant fragments that represent source habitats for them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula María Montoya-Pfeiffer
- Laboratório de Abelhas, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo R Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal (LERF), Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Isabel Alves Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Abelhas, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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32
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Evans DM, Kitson JJ. Molecular ecology as a tool for understanding pollination and other plant-insect interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:26-33. [PMID: 32087411 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Advances in molecular ecology offer unprecedented opportunities to understand the ecology and evolution of insects, the complex ways in which they interact and their role in ecosystem functioning. Rapidly developing DNA sequencing technologies are resolving previously intractable questions in taxonomic and functional biodiversity and provide significant potential to determine formerly difficult to observe plant-insect interactions. We provide an overview of the state-of-the-art and critically appraise the range of molecular approaches currently available for the study of insect pollination, host-parasitoid interactions and/or wider food-web studies. Species-interaction data are increasingly being incorporated into ecological network analyses. DNA metabarcoding offers opportunities to scale-up efforts to create large, highly resolved, phylogenetically structured networks within an exciting framework to study pressing questions in ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren M Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom.
| | - James Jn Kitson
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
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33
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Affiliation(s)
- Takefumi Nakazawa
- Dept of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung Univ. No.1, University Road Tainan City 701 Taiwan
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34
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Segar ST, Fayle TM, Srivastava DS, Lewinsohn TM, Lewis OT, Novotny V, Kitching RL, Maunsell SC. The Role of Evolution in Shaping Ecological Networks. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:454-466. [PMID: 32294426 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The structure of ecological networks reflects the evolutionary history of their biotic components, and their dynamics are strongly driven by ecoevolutionary processes. Here, we present an appraisal of recent relevant research, in which the pervasive role of evolution within ecological networks is manifest. Although evolutionary processes are most evident at macroevolutionary scales, they are also important drivers of local network structure and dynamics. We propose components of a blueprint for further research, emphasising process-based models, experimental evolution, and phenotypic variation, across a range of distinct spatial and temporal scales. Evolutionary dimensions are required to advance our understanding of foundational properties of community assembly and to enhance our capability of predicting how networks will respond to impending changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon T Segar
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Science, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Department of Crop and Environment Sciences, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 8NB, UK.
| | - Tom M Fayle
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Science, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation,Universiti Malaysia Sabah,Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia6270 University Blvd Vancouver BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Thomas M Lewinsohn
- Departamento Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-870, São Paulo, Brazil; Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin 14193, Germany
| | - Owen T Lewis
- Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Science, Branisovska 1760, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Roger L Kitching
- Environmental Futures Research Institute,Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Sarah C Maunsell
- Department of Organismic and EvolutionaryBiology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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35
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Montesinos-Navarro A, Díaz G, Torres P, Caravaca F, Roldán A. Phylogenetic rewiring in mycorrhizal-plant interaction networks increases community stability in naturally fragmented landscapes. Commun Biol 2019; 2:452. [PMID: 31840098 PMCID: PMC6895200 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0700-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although ecological networks are usually considered a static representation of species' interactions, the interactions can change when the preferred partners are absent (rewiring). In mutualistic networks, rewiring with non-preferred partners can palliate extinction cascades, contributing to communities' stability. In spite of its significance, whether general patterns can shape the rewiring of ecological interactions remains poorly understood. Here, we show a phylogenetic constraint in the rewiring of mycorrhizal networks, so that rewired interactions (i.e., with non-preferred hosts) tend to involve close relatives of preferred hosts. Despite this constraint, rewiring increases the robustness of the fungal community to the simulated loss of their host species. We identify preferred and non-preferred hosts based on the probability that, when the two partners co-occur, they actually interact. Understanding general patterns in the rewiring of interactions can improve our predictions of community responses to interactions' loss, which influences how global changes will affect ecosystem stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Montesinos-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones Sobre Desertificación (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GV), Carretera de Moncada-Náquera Km 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia Spain
| | - Gisela Díaz
- Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Área de Botánica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Alicante Spain
| | - Pilar Torres
- Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Área de Botánica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Alicante Spain
| | - Fuensanta Caravaca
- CSIC—Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Antonio Roldán
- CSIC—Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
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36
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Pollinator restoration in Brazilian ecosystems relies on a small but phylogenetically-diverse set of plant families. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17383. [PMID: 31758041 PMCID: PMC6874649 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53829-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The alarming rate of global pollinator decline has made habitat restoration for pollinators a conservation priority. At the same time, empirical and theoretical studies on plant-pollinator networks have demonstrated that plant species are not equally important for pollinator community persistence and restoration. However, the scarcity of comprehensive datasets on plant-pollinator networks in tropical ecosystems constrains their practical value for pollinator restoration. As closely-related species often share traits that determine ecological interactions, phylogenetic relationships could inform restoration programs in data-scarce regions. Here, we use quantitative bee-plant networks from Brazilian ecosystems to test if priority plant species for different restoration criteria (bee species richness and visitation rates) can be identified using interaction networks; if phylogenetic relationships alone can guide plant species selection; and how restoration criteria influence restored network properties and function. We found plant species that maximised the benefits of habitat restoration for bees (i.e., generalists and those with distinct flower-visitor species) were clustered in a small number of phylogenetically-diverse plant families, and that prioritising the recovery of bee visitation rates improved both stability and function of restored plant-pollinator networks. Our approach can help guide restoration of pollinator communities, even where information on local ecosystems is limited.
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37
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de Andreazzi CS, Astegiano J, Guimarães PR. Coevolution by different functional mechanisms modulates the structure and dynamics of antagonistic and mutualistic networks. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Siliansky de Andreazzi
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | - Julia Astegiano
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
- Grupo de Interacciones Ecológicas y Conservación, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Univ. Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Córdoba Argentina
| | - Paulo R. Guimarães
- Depto de Ecologia, Univ. de São Paulo (USP), Rua do Matão, 321 – Trav. 14 Cid. Universitária São Paulo CEP 05508‐090 Brazil
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38
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Jørgensen PS, Folke C, Carroll SP. Evolution in the Anthropocene: Informing Governance and Policy. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-024621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The Anthropocene biosphere constitutes an unprecedented phase in the evolution of life on Earth with one species, humans, exerting extensive control. The increasing intensity of anthropogenic forces in the twenty-first century has widespread implications for attempts to govern both human-dominated ecosystems and the last remaining wild ecosystems. Here, we review how evolutionary biology can inform governance and policies in the Anthropocene, focusing on five governance challenges that span biodiversity, environmental management, food and other biomass production, and human health. The five challenges are: ( a) evolutionary feedbacks, ( b) maintaining resilience, ( c) alleviating constraints, ( d) coevolutionary disruption, and ( e) biotechnology. Strategies for governing these dynamics will themselves have to be coevolutionary, as eco-evolutionary and social dynamics change in response to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Søgaard Jørgensen
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE104-05 Stockholm, Sweden;,
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE106-91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carl Folke
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE104-05 Stockholm, Sweden;,
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, SE106-91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, SE104-05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Scott P. Carroll
- Institute for Contemporary Evolution, Davis, California 95616, USA
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
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39
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Nnakenyi CA, Traveset A, Heleno R, Minoarivelo HO, Hui C. Fine‐tuning the nested structure of pollination networks by adaptive interaction switching, biogeography and sampling effect in the Galápagos Islands. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chinenye A. Nnakenyi
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Dept of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch Univ Matieland 7602 South Africa
| | - Anna Traveset
- Mediterranean Inst. of Advanced Studies (CSIC‐UIB), Global Change Research Group, Esporles, Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
| | - Ruben Heleno
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Dept of Life Sciences, Univ. of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | - Henintsoa O. Minoarivelo
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Dept of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch Univ Matieland 7602 South Africa
| | - Cang Hui
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Dept of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch Univ Matieland 7602 South Africa
- Mathematical Biosciences Group, African Inst. for Mathematical Sciences Cape Town South Africa
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40
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Banza P, Macgregor CJ, Belo ADF, Fox R, Pocock MJO, Evans DM. Wildfire alters the structure and seasonal dynamics of nocturnal pollen‐transport networks. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Banza
- Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada Universidade de Évora Évora Portugal
- A Rocha Portugal Mexilhoeira Grande Portugal
| | - Callum J. Macgregor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Wallingford UK
- Butterfly Conservation Wareham UK
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
| | - Anabela D. F. Belo
- Departamento de Biologia, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas Universidade de Évora Évora Portugal
| | | | | | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne UK
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41
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The Active Reef Restoration Toolbox is a Vehicle for Coral Resilience and Adaptation in a Changing World. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse7070201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The accelerating marks of climate change on coral-reef ecosystems, combined with the recognition that traditional management measures are not efficient enough to cope with climate change tempo and human footprints, have raised a need for new approaches to reef restoration. The most widely used approach is the “coral gardening” tenet; an active reef restoration tactic based on principles, concepts, and theories used in silviculture. During the relatively short period since its inception, the gardening approach has been tested globally in a wide range of reef sites, and on about 100 coral species, utilizing hundreds of thousands of nursery-raised coral colonies. While still lacking credibility for simulating restoration scenarios under forecasted climate change impacts, and with a limited adaptation toolkit used in the gardening approach, it is still deficient. Therefore, novel restoration avenues have recently been suggested and devised, and some have already been tested, primarily in the laboratory. Here, I describe seven classes of such novel avenues and tools, which include the improved gardening methodologies, ecological engineering approaches, assisted migration/colonization, assisted genetics/evolution, assisted microbiome, coral epigenetics, and coral chimerism. These are further classified into three operation levels, each dependent on the success of the former level. Altogether, the seven approaches and the three operation levels represent a unified active reef restoration toolbox, under the umbrella of the gardening tenet, focusing on the enhancement of coral resilience and adaptation in a changing world.
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42
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Valdovinos FS. Mutualistic networks: moving closer to a predictive theory. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:1517-1534. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda S. Valdovinos
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Center for the Study of Complex Systems University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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43
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Derocles SAP, Lunt DH, Berthe SCF, Nichols PC, Moss ED, Evans DM. Climate warming alters the structure of farmland tritrophic ecological networks and reduces crop yield. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:4931-4946. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephane A. P. Derocles
- INRA; UMR 1347 Agroécologie; Dijon France
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull; Hull UK
| | - David H. Lunt
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull; Hull UK
| | | | - Paul C. Nichols
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull; Hull UK
| | - Ellen D. Moss
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull; Hull UK
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne UK
| | - Darren M. Evans
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull; Hull UK
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne UK
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