1
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Haraldsson M, Thébault E. Emerging niche clustering results from both competition and predation. Ecol Lett 2023. [PMID: 37157944 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14230] [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: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding species coexistence has been a central question in ecology for decades, and the notion that competing species need to differ in their ecological niche for stable coexistence has dominated. Recent theoretical and empirical work suggests differently. Species can also escape competitive exclusion by being similar, leading to clusters of species with similar traits. This theory has so far only been explored under competition. By combining mathematical and numerical analyses, we reveal that competition and predation are equally capable to promote clusters of similar species in prey-predator communities, their relative importance being modulated by resource availability. We further show that predation has a stabilizing effect on clustering patterns, making the clusters more diverse. Our results merge different ecological theories and bring new light to the emergent neutrality theory by adding the perspective of trophic interactions. These results open new perspectives to the study of trait distributions in ecological interaction networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilda Haraldsson
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (iEES-Paris), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Department of Marine Sciences, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elisa Thébault
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (iEES-Paris), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Université Paris Est Créteil, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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2
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Skouroliakou DI, Breton E, Irion S, Artigas LF, Christaki U. Stochastic and Deterministic Processes Regulate Phytoplankton Assemblages in a Temperate Coastal Ecosystem. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0242722. [PMID: 36222680 PMCID: PMC9769578 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02427-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Assessing the relative contributions of the interacting deterministic and stochastic ecological processes for phytoplankton community assembly is crucial in understanding and predicting community organization and succession at different temporal and spatial scales. In this study, we hypothesized that deterministic and stochastic ecological processes regulating phytoplankton, present seasonal and repeating patterns. This hypothesis was explored during a 5-year survey (287 samples) conducted at a small spatial scale (~15km) in a temperate coastal ecosystem (eastern English Channel). Microscopy and flow cytometry quantified phytoplankton abundance and biomass, while metabarcoding data allowed an extended evaluation of diversity and the exploration of the ecological processes regulating phytoplankton using null model analysis. Alpha diversity of phytoplankton was governed by the effect of environmental conditions (environmental filtering). Temporal community turnover (beta diversity) evidenced a consistent interannual pattern that determined the phytoplankton seasonal structure. In winter and early spring (from January to March), determinism (homogeneous selection) was the major process in the phytoplankton community assembly. The overall mean in the year was 38%. Stochastic processes (ecological drift) prevailed during the rest of the year from April to December, where the overall mean for the year was 55%. The maximum values were recorded in late spring and summer, which often presented recurrent and transient monospecific phytoplankton peaks. Overall, the prevalence of stochastic processes rendered less predictable seasonal dynamics of phytoplankton communities to future environmental change. IMPORTANCE While ecological deterministic processes are conducive to modeling, stochastic ones are far less predictable. Understanding the overall assembly processes of phytoplankton is critical in tracking and predicting future changes. The novelty of this study was that it addressed a long-posed question, on a pluriannual scale. Was seasonal phytoplankton succession influenced by deterministic processes (e.g., abiotic environment) or by stochastic ones (e.g., dispersal, or ecological drift)? Our results provided strong support for a seasonal and repeating pattern with stochastic processes (drift) prevailing during most of the year and periods with monospecific phytoplankton peaks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elsa Breton
- University Littoral Côte d’Opale, CNRS, Wimereux, France
| | - Solène Irion
- University Littoral Côte d’Opale, CNRS, Wimereux, France
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3
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Martínez-Blancas A, Beláustegui IX, Martorell C. Species alliances and hidden niche dimensions drive species clustering along a hydric gradient in a semiarid grassland. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2651-2662. [PMID: 36217951 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14122] [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: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Clustering of species with similar niches or traits occurs in communities, but the mechanisms behind this pattern are still unclear. In the emergent neutrality model, species with similar niches and competitive ability self-organise into clusters. In the hidden-niche model, unaccounted-for niche differences stabilise coexistence within clusters. Finally, clustering may occur through alliances of species that facilitate each other. We tested these hypotheses using population-growth models that consider interspecific interactions parameterised for 35 species using field data. We simulated the expected community dynamics under different species-interaction scenarios. Interspecific competition was weaker within rather than between clusters, suggesting that differences in unmeasured niche axes stabilise coexistence within clusters. Direct facilitation did not drive clustering. In contrast, indirect facilitation seemingly promoted species alliances in clusters whose members suppressed common competitors in other clusters. Such alliances have been overlooked in the literature on clustering, but may arise easily when within cluster competition is weak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Martínez-Blancas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ian Xul Beláustegui
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Carlos Martorell
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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4
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Real R, Báez JC, Fa JE, Olivero J, Acevedo P. Making the competitive exclusion principle operational at the biogeographical scale using fuzzy logic. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.991344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In biogeography the competitive exclusion principle (CEP) has been confirmed in some cases but not in others. This has fueled an unresolved debate between those advocating niche theory or the neutral theory in biodiversity and biogeography. We suggest that this situation mainly arises from the use of crisp logic, where the CEP is defined as either completely true or false. We propose the application of the fuzzy concepts of favorability (the degree to which environmental conditions are propitious for the occurrence of individual species) and favorableness (the degree to which environmental conditions are simultaneously favorable for competing species) to operationalize a fuzzy version of the CEP. Favorability was obtained by performing species distribution models applying favorability functions, while favorableness was derived from the application of the fuzzy intersection between the favorability for competing species. Then we plotted individual favorability values along the gradient of favorableness. Two potentially competing species would coexist in high-favorableness locations, as the demands of both species would be well fulfilled. In locations of low favorableness, the result would be either autecological exclusion of both species or autecological segregation, as abiotic conditions are unfavorable for at least one of the species. Competitive exclusion would occur at the intermediate stretch of the favorableness gradient, as the conditions would be good enough for persistence of each species separately but not enough for permanent coexistence. According to this theoretical framework, the observed probability that a location belongs to the intermediate favorableness area given that the two species co-occur in this location should be lower than expected according to the environmental probability models for the two species. We tested this prediction on published data about the distribution of pairs of native and introduced deer species in Great Britain, using a Bayesian approach. In two thirds of comparisons between a native and an introduced deer species the predictions of the fuzzy CEP were corroborated, which suggests that these are the pairs of species and the specific geographical areas affected by competitive exclusion. This is important both theoretically and for biodiversity conservation planning.
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5
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Islam S, Mondal A, Mobilia M, Bhattacharyya S, Hens C. Effect of mobility in the rock-paper-scissor dynamics with high mortality. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:014215. [PMID: 35193192 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.014215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the evolutionary dynamics of a rock-paper-scissor model, the effect of natural death plays a major role in determining the fate of the system. Coexistence, being an unstable fixed point of the model, becomes very sensitive toward this parameter. In order to study the effect of mobility in such a system which has explicit dependence on mortality, we perform Monte Carlo simulation on a two-dimensional lattice having three cyclically competing species. The spatiotemporal dynamics has been studied along with the two-site correlation function. Spatial distribution exhibits emergence of spiral patterns in the presence of mobility. It reveals that the joint effect of death rate and mobility (diffusion) leads to new coexistence and extinction scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Islam
- Department of Physics, Jadavpur University, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Argha Mondal
- Department of Mathematics, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia 723104, WB, India
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Mauro Mobilia
- Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Mathematics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Chittaranjan Hens
- Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata 700108, India
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6
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Capitán JA, Cuenda S, Ordóñez A, Alonso D. A signal of competitive dominance in mid-latitude herbaceous plant communities. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201361. [PMID: 34567583 PMCID: PMC8456147 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the main determinants of species coexistence across space and time is a central question in ecology. However, ecologists still know little about the scales and conditions at which biotic interactions matter and how these interact with the environment to structure species assemblages. Here we use recent theoretical developments to analyse plant distribution and trait data across Europe and find that plant height clustering is related to both evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary productivity. This clustering is a signal of interspecies competition between plants, which is most evident in mid-latitude ecoregions, where conditions for growth (reflected in actual ET rates and gross primary productivities) are optimal. Away from this optimum, climate severity probably overrides the effect of competition, or other interactions become increasingly important. Our approach bridges the gap between species-rich competition theories and large-scale species distribution data analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A. Capitán
- Complex Systems Group, Department of Applied Mathematics, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Juan de Herrera, 6, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Center for Advanced Studies (CEAB-CSIC), C. Accés Cala St. Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sara Cuenda
- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Depto. Análisis Económico: Economía Cuantitativa, C. Francisco Tomás y Valiente 5, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Ordóñez
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - David Alonso
- Theoretical and Computational Ecology, Center for Advanced Studies (CEAB-CSIC), C. Accés Cala St. Francesc 14, 17300 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
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7
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Graco‐Roza C, Segura AM, Kruk C, Domingos P, Soininen J, Marinho MM. Clumpy coexistence in phytoplankton: the role of functional similarity in community assembly. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caio Graco‐Roza
- Laboratory of Phytoplankton of Ecology and Physiology, Dept of Plant Biology, Univ. of Rio de Janeiro State Rio de Janeiro Brazil
- Univ. of Helsinki, Dept of Geosciences and Geography Helsinki Finland
| | - Angel M. Segura
- Modelización Estadística de Datos e Inteligencia Artificial (MEDIA) CURE-Rocha, Univ. de la República Uruguay
| | - Carla Kruk
- Sección Limnología, IECA, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. de la República Uruguay
| | - Patrícia Domingos
- Laboratory of Phytoplankton of Ecology and Physiology, Dept of Plant Biology, Univ. of Rio de Janeiro State Rio de Janeiro Brazil
| | - Janne Soininen
- Univ. of Helsinki, Dept of Geosciences and Geography Helsinki Finland
| | - Marcelo Manzi Marinho
- Laboratory of Phytoplankton of Ecology and Physiology, Dept of Plant Biology, Univ. of Rio de Janeiro State Rio de Janeiro Brazil
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8
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Rodríguez-Sánchez P, van Nes EH, Scheffer M. Neutral competition boosts cycles and chaos in simulated food webs. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191532. [PMID: 32742676 PMCID: PMC7353966 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Similarity of competitors has been proposed to facilitate coexistence of species because it slows down competitive exclusion, thus making it easier for equalizing mechanisms to maintain diverse communities. On the other hand, previous studies suggest that chaotic ecosystems can have a higher biodiversity. Here, we link these two previously unrelated findings, by analysing the dynamics of food web models. We show that near-neutrality of competition of prey, in the presence of predators, increases the chance of developing chaotic dynamics. Moreover, we confirm that chaotic dynamics correlate with a higher biodiversity.
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9
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Burson A, Stomp M, Mekkes L, Huisman J. Stable coexistence of equivalent nutrient competitors through niche differentiation in the light spectrum. Ecology 2019; 100:e02873. [PMID: 31463935 PMCID: PMC6916172 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Niche-based theories and the neutral theory of biodiversity differ in their predictions of how the species composition of natural communities will respond to changes in nutrient availability. This is an issue of major environmental relevance, as many ecosystems have experienced changes in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) due to anthropogenic manipulation of nutrient loading. To understand how changes in N and P limitation may impact community structure, we conducted laboratory competition experiments using a multispecies phytoplankton community sampled from the North Sea. Results showed that picocyanobacteria (Cyanobium sp.) won the competition under N limitation, while picocyanobacteria and nonmotile nanophytoplankton (Nannochloropsis sp.) coexisted at equal abundances under P limitation. Additional experiments using isolated monocultures confirmed that Cyanobium sp. depleted N to lower levels than Nannochloropsis sp., but that both species had nearly identical P requirements, suggesting a potential for neutral coexistence under P-limited conditions. Pairwise competition experiments with the two isolates seemed to support the consistency of these results, but P limitation resulted in stable species coexistence irrespective of the initial conditions rather than the random drift of species abundances predicted by neutral theory. Comparison of the light absorption spectra indicates that coexistence of the two species was stabilized through differential use of the underwater light spectrum. Our results provide an interesting experimental example of modern coexistence theory, where species were equal competitors in one niche dimension but their competitive traits differed in other niche dimensions, thus enabling stable species coexistence on a single limiting nutrient through niche differentiation in the light spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Burson
- Department of Freshwater and Marine EcologyInstitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Present address:
School of GeographyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Maayke Stomp
- Department of Freshwater and Marine EcologyInstitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Lisette Mekkes
- Department of Freshwater and Marine EcologyInstitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Marine Biodiversity GroupNaturalis Biodiversity CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Jef Huisman
- Department of Freshwater and Marine EcologyInstitute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem DynamicsUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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10
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Angeler DG, Allen CR, Twidwell D, Winder M. Discontinuity Analysis Reveals Alternative Community Regimes During Phytoplankton Succession. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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11
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How self-regulation, the storage effect, and their interaction contribute to coexistence in stochastic and seasonal environments. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-019-0420-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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12
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D’Andrea R, Riolo M, Ostling AM. Generalizing clusters of similar species as a signature of coexistence under competition. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006688. [PMID: 30668562 PMCID: PMC6358094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of trait distribution among competing species can potentially reveal the processes that allow them to coexist. It has been recently proposed that competition may drive the spontaneous emergence of niches comprising clusters of similar species, in contrast with the dominant paradigm of greater-than-chance species differences. However, current clustering theory relies largely on heuristic rather than mechanistic models. Furthermore, studies of models incorporating demographic stochasticity and immigration, two key players in community assembly, did not observe clusters. Here we demonstrate clustering under partitioning of resources, partitioning of environmental gradients, and a competition-colonization tradeoff. We show that clusters are robust to demographic stochasticity, and can persist under immigration. While immigration may sustain clusters that are otherwise transient, too much dilutes the pattern. In order to detect and quantify clusters in nature, we introduce and validate metrics which have no free parameters nor require arbitrary trait binning, and weigh species by their abundances rather than relying on a presence-absence count. By generalizing beyond the circumstances where clusters have been observed, our study contributes to establishing them as an update to classical trait patterning theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael D’Andrea
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Maria Riolo
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Annette M. Ostling
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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13
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Rael RC, D'Andrea R, Barabás G, Ostling A. Emergent niche structuring leads to increased differences from neutrality in species abundance distributions. Ecology 2018; 99:1633-1643. [PMID: 29655259 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Species abundance distributions must reflect the dynamic processes involved in community assembly, but whether and when specific processes lead to distinguishable signals is not well understood. Biodiversity and species abundances may be shaped by a variety of influences, but particular attention has been paid to competition, which can involve neutral dynamics, where competitor abundances are governed only by demographic stochasticity and immigration, and dynamics driven by trait differences that enable stable coexistence through the formation of niches. Key recent studies of the species abundance patterns of communities with niches employ simple models with pre-imposed niche structure. These studies suggest that species abundance distributions are insensitive to the relative contributions of niche and neutral processes, especially when diversity is much higher than the number of niches. Here we analyze results from a stochastic population model with competition driven by trait differences. With this model, niche structure emerges as clumps of species that persist along the trait axis, and leads to more substantial differences from neutral species abundance distributions than have been previously shown. We show that heterogeneity in "between-niche" interaction strength (i.e., in the strength of competition between species in different niches) plays the dominant role in shaping the species abundances along the trait axis, acting as a biotic filter favoring species at the centers of niches. Furthermore, we show that heterogeneity in "within-niche" interactions (i.e., in the competition between species in the same niche) counteracts the influence of heterogeneity in "between-niche" interactions on the SAD to some degree. Our results suggest that competitive interactions that produce niches can also influence the shapes of SADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalyn C Rael
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1048, USA
| | - Rafael D'Andrea
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1048, USA
| | - György Barabás
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1048, USA
| | - Annette Ostling
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 830 North University, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1048, USA
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14
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D'Andrea R, Ostling A, O'Dwyer JP. Translucent windows: how uncertainty in competitive interactions impacts detection of community pattern. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:826-835. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafael D'Andrea
- Department Plant Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Champaign IL USA
| | - Annette Ostling
- Department Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - James P. O'Dwyer
- Department Plant Biology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Champaign IL USA
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15
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Scheffer M, van Nes EH, Vergnon R. Toward a unifying theory of biodiversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:639-641. [PMID: 29326234 PMCID: PMC5789964 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1721114115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marten Scheffer
- Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Egbert H van Nes
- Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Remi Vergnon
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
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16
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Sakavara A, Tsirtsis G, Roelke DL, Mancy R, Spatharis S. Lumpy species coexistence arises robustly in fluctuating resource environments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:738-743. [PMID: 29263095 PMCID: PMC5789903 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1705944115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of life-history traits on resource competition outcomes is well understood in the context of a constant resource supply. However, almost all natural systems are subject to fluctuations of resources driven by cyclical processes such as seasonality and tidal hydrology. To understand community composition, it is therefore imperative to study the impact of resource fluctuations on interspecies competition. We adapted a well-established resource-competition model to show that fluctuations in inflow concentrations of two limiting resources lead to the survival of species in clumps along the trait axis, consistent with observations of "lumpy coexistence" [Scheffer M, van Nes EH (2006) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 103:6230-6235]. A complex dynamic pattern in the available ambient resources arose very early in the self-organization process and dictated the locations of clumps along the trait axis by creating niches that promoted the growth of species with specific traits. This dynamic pattern emerged as the combined result of fluctuations in the inflow of resources and their consumption by the most competitive species that accumulated the bulk of biomass early in assemblage organization. Clumps emerged robustly across a range of periodicities, phase differences, and amplitudes. Given the ubiquity in the real world of asynchronous fluctuations of limiting resources, our findings imply that assemblage organization in clumps should be a common feature in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasia Sakavara
- Department of the Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene 81100, Greece
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - George Tsirtsis
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - Daniel L Roelke
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2258
- Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2258
| | - Rebecca Mancy
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Sofie Spatharis
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom;
- School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
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17
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Bode A, Varela M, Prego R, Rozada F, Santos MD. The relative effects of upwelling and river flow on the phytoplankton diversity patterns in the ria of A Coruña (NW Spain). MARINE BIOLOGY 2017; 164:93. [PMID: 28413230 PMCID: PMC5374173 DOI: 10.1007/s00227-017-3126-9] [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: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Phytoplankton species assemblages in estuaries are connected to those in rivers and marine environments by local hydrodynamics leading to a continuous flow of taxa. This study revealed differential effects of upwelling and river flow on phytoplankton communities observed in 2011 along a salinity gradient from a river reservoir connected to the sea through a ria-marine bay system in A Coruña (NW Spain, 43° 16-21' N, 8° 16-22' W). With 130 phytoplankton taxa identified, the assemblages were dominated in general by diatoms, particularly abundant in the bay and in the estuary, but also by chlorophycea and cyanobacteria in the reservoir. Considering the entire seasonal cycle, the local assemblages were mainly characterized by changes in cryptophytes and diatoms, small dinoflagellates and some freshwater chlorophycea. Salinity, nitrate, and organic matter variables, were the main environmental factors related to the changes in the phytoplankton communities through the system, while phosphate and nitrite were also important for local communities in the estuary and the bay, respectively. The corresponding local phytoplankton assemblages showed moderate levels of connectivity. The estuarine community shared a variable number of taxa with the adjacent zones, depending on the relative strength of upwelling (major influence from the bay) and river flow (major influence of the reservoir) but had on average 35% of unique taxa. Consequently, local and zonal diversity patterns varied seasonally and were not simply related to the salinity gradient driven by the river flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Bode
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo, 130, 15080 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Manuel Varela
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo, 130, 15080 A Coruña, Spain
| | - Ricardo Prego
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, CSIC, Eduardo Cabello, 6, 36208 Vigo, Spain
| | - Fernando Rozada
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo, 130, 15080 A Coruña, Spain
- Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña, CSIC-Universidad de León, Finca Marzanas, Ctra. Grulleros, 24346 León, Spain
| | - Martin D. Santos
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo, 130, 15080 A Coruña, Spain
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Pu Z, Cortez MH, Jiang L. Predator-Prey Coevolution Drives Productivity-Richness Relationships in Planktonic Systems. Am Nat 2016; 189:28-42. [PMID: 28035895 DOI: 10.1086/689550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between environmental productivity and species richness often varies among empirical studies, and despite much research, simple explanations for this phenomenon remain elusive. We investigated how phytoplankton and zooplankton coevolution shapes productivity-richness relationships in both phytoplankton and zooplankton, using a simple nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton model that incorporates size-dependent metabolic rates summarized from empirical studies. The model allowed comparisons of evolved species richness across productivity levels and at different evolutionary times. Our results show that disruptive selection leads to evolutionary branching of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Both the time required for evolutionary branching and the number of evolved species in phytoplankton and zooplankton tend to increase with productivity, producing a transient unimodal or positive productivity-richness relationship but followed by a positive productivity-richness relationship for both groups over long enough evolutionary time. Our findings suggest that coevolution between phytoplankton and zooplankton can drive the two common forms (unimodal and positive) of productivity-richness relationships in nature.
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Coutinho RM, Klauschies T, Gaedke U. Bimodal trait distributions with large variances question the reliability of trait-based aggregate models. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-016-0297-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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20
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Scheffer M, Vergnon R, van Nes EH, Cuppen JGM, Peeters ETHM, Leijs R, Nilsson AN. The Evolution of Functionally Redundant Species; Evidence from Beetles. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137974. [PMID: 26447476 PMCID: PMC4598105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While species fulfill many different roles in ecosystems, it has been suggested that numerous species might actually share the same function in a near neutral way. So-far, however, it is unclear whether such functional redundancy really exists. We scrutinize this question using extensive data on the world's 4168 species of diving beetles. We show that across the globe these animals have evolved towards a small number of regularly-spaced body sizes, and that locally co-existing species are either very similar in size or differ by at least 35%. Surprisingly, intermediate size differences (10-20%) are rare. As body-size strongly reflects functional aspects such as the food that these generalist predators can eat, these beetles thus form relatively distinct groups of functional look-a-likes. The striking global regularity of these patterns support the idea that a self-organizing process drives such species-rich groups to self-organize evolutionary into clusters where functional redundancy ensures resilience through an insurance effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marten Scheffer
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, NL–6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Remi Vergnon
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, NL–6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Egbert H. van Nes
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, NL–6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan G. M. Cuppen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, NL–6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin T. H. M. Peeters
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, NL–6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Remko Leijs
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anders N. Nilsson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Umeå, S–901 87, Umeå, Sweden
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Roselli L, Basset A. Decoding size distribution patterns in marine and transitional water phytoplankton: from community to species level. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127193. [PMID: 25974052 PMCID: PMC4431714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms of phytoplankton community assembly is a fundamental issue of aquatic ecology. Here, we use field data from transitional (e.g. coastal lagoons) and coastal water environments to decode patterns of phytoplankton size distribution into organization and adaptive mechanisms. Transitional waters are characterized by higher resource availability and shallower well-mixed water column than coastal marine environments. Differences in physico-chemical regime between the two environments have been hypothesized to exert contrasting selective pressures on phytoplankton cell morphology (size and shape). We tested the hypothesis focusing on resource availability (nutrients and light) and mixed layer depth as ecological axes that define ecological niches of phytoplankton. We report fundamental differences in size distributions of marine and freshwater diatoms, with transitional water phytoplankton significantly smaller and with higher surface to volume ratio than marine species. Here, we hypothesize that mixing condition affecting size-dependent sinking may drive phytoplankton size and shape distributions. The interplay between shallow mixed layer depth and frequent and complete mixing of transitional waters may likely increase the competitive advantage of small phytoplankton limiting large cell fitness. The nutrient regime appears to explain the size distribution within both marine and transitional water environments, while it seem does not explain the pattern observed across the two environments. In addition, difference in light availability across the two environments appear do not explain the occurrence of asymmetric size distribution at each hierarchical level. We hypothesize that such competitive equilibria and adaptive strategies in resource exploitation may drive by organism’s behavior which exploring patch resources in transitional and marine phytoplankton communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonilde Roselli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences & Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Alberto Basset
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences & Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
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Hernández-García E, Heinsalu E, López C. Spatial patterns of competing random walkers. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2014.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Downing AS, Hajdu S, Hjerne O, Otto SA, Blenckner T, Larsson U, Winder M. Zooming in on size distribution patterns underlying species coexistence in Baltic Sea phytoplankton. Ecol Lett 2014; 17:1219-27. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. S. Downing
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Frescati Backe 10691 Stockholm Sweden
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Kräftriket 2B 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - S. Hajdu
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Frescati Backe 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - O. Hjerne
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Frescati Backe 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - S. A. Otto
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Kräftriket 2B 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - T. Blenckner
- Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm University Kräftriket 2B 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - U. Larsson
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Frescati Backe 10691 Stockholm Sweden
| | - M. Winder
- Department of Ecology Environment and Plant Sciences Stockholm University Frescati Backe 10691 Stockholm Sweden
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Fort H. Quantitative predictions of pollinators’ abundances from qualitative data on their interactions with plants and evidences of emergent neutrality. OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.01539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Fort
- Complex Systems Group, Inst. of Physics, Facultad de Ciencias, Univ. de la República; UY-11400 Montevideo Uruguay
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Mandal S, Locke C, Tanaka M, Yamazaki H. Observations and models of highly intermittent phytoplankton distributions. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94797. [PMID: 24787740 PMCID: PMC4008380 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The measurement of phytoplankton distributions in ocean ecosystems provides the basis for elucidating the influences of physical processes on plankton dynamics. Technological advances allow for measurement of phytoplankton data to greater resolution, displaying high spatial variability. In conventional mathematical models, the mean value of the measured variable is approximated to compare with the model output, which may misinterpret the reality of planktonic ecosystems, especially at the microscale level. To consider intermittency of variables, in this work, a new modelling approach to the planktonic ecosystem is applied, called the closure approach. Using this approach for a simple nutrient-phytoplankton model, we have shown how consideration of the fluctuating parts of model variables can affect system dynamics. Also, we have found a critical value of variance of overall fluctuating terms below which the conventional non-closure model and the mean value from the closure model exhibit the same result. This analysis gives an idea about the importance of the fluctuating parts of model variables and about when to use the closure approach. Comparisons of plot of mean versus standard deviation of phytoplankton at different depths, obtained using this new approach with real observations, give this approach good conformity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandip Mandal
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christopher Locke
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mamoru Tanaka
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidekatsu Yamazaki
- Department of Ocean Sciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Statistical Mechanics Ideas and Techniques Applied to Selected Problems in Ecology. ENTROPY 2013. [DOI: 10.3390/e15125237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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27
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Vergnon R, van Nes EH, Scheffer M. Interpretation and predictions of the Emergent neutrality model: a reply to Barabás et al. OIKOS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00790.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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