1
|
Yin H, Rudolf VHW. Time is of the essence: A general framework for uncovering temporal structures of communities. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14481. [PMID: 39022847 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Ecological communities are inherently dynamic: species constantly turn over within years, months, weeks or even days. These temporal shifts in community composition determine essential aspects of species interactions and how energy, nutrients, information, diseases and perturbations 'flow' through systems. Yet, our understanding of community structure has relied heavily on static analyses not designed to capture critical features of this dynamic temporal dimension of communities. Here, we propose a conceptual and methodological framework for quantifying and analysing this temporal dimension. Conceptually, we split the temporal structure into two definitive features, sequence and duration, and review how they are linked to key concepts in ecology. We then outline how we can capture these definitive features using perspectives and tools from temporal graph theory. We demonstrate how we can easily integrate ongoing research on phenology into this framework and highlight what new opportunities arise from this approach to answer fundamental questions in community ecology. As climate change reshuffles ecological communities worldwide, quantifying the temporal organization of communities is imperative to resolve the fundamental processes that shape natural ecosystems and predict how these systems may change in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Yin
- Program of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Volker H W Rudolf
- Program of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Becklin KM, Betancourt JL, Braasch J, Dézerald O, Díaz FP, González AL, Harbert R, Holmgren CA, Hornsby AD, Latorre C, Matocq MD, Smith FA. New uses for ancient middens: bridging ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:479-493. [PMID: 38553315 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.12.003] [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: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Rodent middens provide a fine-scale spatiotemporal record of plant and animal communities over the late Quaternary. In the Americas, middens have offered insight into biotic responses to past environmental changes and historical factors influencing the distribution and diversity of species. However, few studies have used middens to investigate genetic or ecosystem level responses. Integrating midden studies with neoecology and experimental evolution can help address these gaps and test mechanisms underlying eco-evolutionary patterns across biological and spatiotemporal scales. Fully realizing the potential of middens to answer cross-cutting ecological and evolutionary questions and inform conservation goals in the Anthropocene will require a collaborative research community to exploit existing midden archives and mount new campaigns to leverage midden records globally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katie M Becklin
- Biology Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA.
| | - Julio L Betancourt
- US Geological Survey, Science and Decisions Center, Reston, VA 20192, USA
| | - Joseph Braasch
- Department of Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- DECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, Institut Agro, IFREMER, Rennes, France
| | - Francisca P Díaz
- Instituto de Geografía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile; Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile; Millennium Nucleus of Applied Historical Ecology for Arid Forests (AFOREST), Santiago, Chile
| | - Angélica L González
- Department of Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | - Robert Harbert
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Camille A Holmgren
- Department of Geosciences, SUNY Buffalo State University, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA
| | - Angela D Hornsby
- Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Claudio Latorre
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile; Centro UC Desierto de Atacama, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Department of Ecology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Marjorie D Matocq
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Felisa A Smith
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fan B, Lu H, Li Y, Shen C, Xu Q, Zhang J, Huan X, Wang Y, Wang N, Xu D, Dong Y, Cui A, Wu N. A novel approach for quantitatively distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural effects on paleovegetation. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae135. [PMID: 38617585 PMCID: PMC11010655 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae135] [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: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
How to distinguish and quantify past human impacts on vegetation is a significant challenge in paleoecology. Here, we propose a novel method, the error inflection point-discriminant technique. It finds out the inflection points (IPs) of the regression errors of pollen-climate transfer functions using modern pollen spectra from vegetation with different values of the Human Influence Index (HII), which represent the HII threshold values of native/secondary and secondary/artificial vegetation systems. Our results show that the HII value at the native/secondary vegetation IPs is approximately 22 and globally uniform, whereas it varies regionally for the secondary/artificial vegetation IPs. In a case study of the Liangzhu archaeological site in the lower Yangtze River, discriminant functions for pollen spectra from three vegetation types and pollen-climate transfer functions of the native vegetation were established to reconstruct paleovegetation and paleoclimate over the past 6,600 years. Our study demonstrates this method's feasibility for quantitatively distinguishing human impacts on paleovegetation and assessing quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions using pollen data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Baoshuo Fan
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Houyuan Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
| | - Yuecong Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
| | - Caiming Shen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Geographical Processes and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, PR China
| | - Qinghai Xu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, College of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, PR China
| | - Jianping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Xiujia Huan
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Conservation and Environmental Protection, School of Resources and Environment, Linyi University, Linyi 276000, PR China
| | - Yonglei Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China
| | - Ningyuan Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China
| | - Deke Xu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Yajie Dong
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Anning Cui
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| | - Naiqin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Norwood AL, Wang B, Kingston JD. Linking African herbivore community enamel isotopes and environments: challenges, opportunities, and paleoecological implications. Oecologia 2024; 204:467-489. [PMID: 38517529 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05532-z] [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: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Paleoenvironmental reconstructions of fossil sites based on isotopic analyses of enamel typically rely on data from multiple herbivore taxa, with the assumption that this dietary spectrum represents the community's isotopic range and provides insights into local or regional vegetation patterns. However, it remains unclear how representative the sampled taxa are of the broader herbivore community and how well these data correspond to specific ecosystems. Verifying these underlying assumptions is essential to refining the utility of enamel isotopic values for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. This study explores potential links between modern herbivore community carbon isotopic enamel spectra, biome types, and climate in sub-Saharan Africa. This region is one of the most comprehensively isotopically sampled areas globally and is of particular relevance to hominin evolution. Our extensive data compilation reveals that published enamel isotopic data from sub-Saharan Africa typically sample only a small percentage of the taxa documented at most localities and that some biome types (e.g., subtropical savannas) are dramatically overrepresented relative to others (e.g., forests) in these modern data sets. Multiple statistical analyses, including linear models and cluster analyses, revealed weak relationships of associated mammalian herbivore enamel isotopic values, biome type, and climate parameters. These results confound any simple assumptions about how community isotopic profiles map onto specific environments, highlighting the need for more precise strategic approaches in extending isotopic frameworks into the past for paleoecological reconstructions. Developing more refined modern analogs will ultimately allow us to more accurately characterize the isotopic spectra of paleo-communities and link isotopic dietary signatures to specific ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Bian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - John D Kingston
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Clare JDJ, de Valpine P, Moanga DA, Tingley MW, Beissinger SR. A cloudy forecast for species distribution models: Predictive uncertainties abound for California birds after a century of climate and land-use change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17019. [PMID: 37987241 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Correlative species distribution models are widely used to quantify past shifts in ranges or communities, and to predict future outcomes under ongoing global change. Practitioners confront a wide range of potentially plausible models for ecological dynamics, but most specific applications only consider a narrow set. Here, we clarify that certain model structures can embed restrictive assumptions about key sources of forecast uncertainty into an analysis. To evaluate forecast uncertainties and our ability to explain community change, we fit and compared 39 candidate multi- or joint species occupancy models to avian incidence data collected at 320 sites across California during the early 20th century and resurveyed a century later. We found massive (>20,000 LOOIC) differences in within-time information criterion across models. Poorer fitting models omitting multivariate random effects predicted less variation in species richness changes and smaller contemporary communities, with considerable variation in predicted spatial patterns in richness changes across models. The top models suggested avian environmental associations changed across time, contemporary avian occupancy was influenced by previous site-specific occupancy states, and that both latent site variables and species associations with these variables also varied over time. Collectively, our results recapitulate that simplified model assumptions not only impact predictive fit but may mask important sources of forecast uncertainty and mischaracterize the current state of system understanding when seeking to describe or project community responses to global change. We recommend that researchers seeking to make long-term forecasts prioritize characterizing forecast uncertainty over seeking to present a single best guess. To do so reliably, we urge practitioners to employ models capable of characterizing the key sources of forecast uncertainty, where predictors, parameters and random effects may vary over time or further interact with previous occurrence states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John D J Clare
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Perry de Valpine
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Diana A Moanga
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Morgan W Tingley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Steven R Beissinger
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yinebeb M, Lulekal E, Bekele T. Ecological determinants in plant community structure across dry afromontane forest patches of Northwestern Ethiopia. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:68. [PMID: 38049737 PMCID: PMC10694892 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02176-0] [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: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethiopia is a mountainous country with great geographic diversity. The diversified topographic features in Ethiopia made the country have a rich biodiversity forest cover in tropical Africa. This made Ethiopia have the largest floral diversity in tropical Africa. This floral diversity is rich in endemic elements. About 6,027 vascular plant species (including subspecies) with about 10.7% endemism have been documented. Plant community types are primarily influenced by topographic factors, as well as disturbance and environmental factors. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that 1: The forest patches in the study area exhibit distinct plant community types. 2: The composition and structure of these plant communities are influenced by various environmental variables. To achieve this, a total of 76 plots were used to collect vegetation and environmental data. The collected data were then analyzed using the R software, employing agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) to identify plant communities and assess the relationship between these communities and environmental variables.R software was used to identify plant communities and analyze the relationship between plant community types and environmental variables using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA). Four plant community types were identified. The RDA results highlighted the significant impact (p < 0.005) of altitude, aspect, slope, grazing, and human interference on species distribution and the formation of plant communities. The RDA results highlighted the significant impact (p < 0.005) of altitude, aspect, slope, grazing, and human interference on species distribution and the formation of plant communities.The findings indicate that the variation in plant communities is closely associated with topographic factors such as altitude, slope, aspect, as well as disturbance factors like grazing, and human interference, with altitude being the most influential factor. Based on these findings, it is recommended that conservation plans take into consideration the effects of grazing and human interference in order to address the challenges faced in conserving forest patches in the future.Additionally, further research efforts should focus on mitigating disturbance factors and understanding the environmental variables that affect forest patches to enhance their conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Metsehet Yinebeb
- Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Biology Department, Kotebe University of Education, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Ermias Lulekal
- Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tamrat Bekele
- Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mohapatra SC, Kanuri VV, Vaddem KK, Saha S, Ali SY, Verma A, Biswas MK, Vidyarthi AK. Spatio-temporal variability in macroinvertebrate community structure and ecological health status of a tropical dynamic river-estuarine system, India: An integrated approach of multivariate analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117236. [PMID: 37783326 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
River-estuarine ecosystems are under severe anthropogenic threat due to resource exploitation, transportation, sewage/industrial discharges, and pollutants from surrounding areas. Monitoring the water quality and biological communities is essential for assessing ecosystem health and sustainability. Present study integrated the ecological community data along with water quality analysis to understand the impact of anthropogenic pressures on benthic macroinvertebrates. Samples were collected from 10 locations (comprising of both rural and urban areas) for Benthic macroinvertebrates, physico-chemical and microbiological parameters along the lower stretch of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river-estuarine (BHE) system during the post-monsoon seasons of 2020, 2021, and 2022. During the entire study period, a total of 5730 individuals from 54 families in 19 orders of 3 phylum of macroinvertebrate were recorded. Among them Thiaridae (27.1%) and Chironomidae (22.8%) were found to be the most abundant families. Based on the water quality data Cluster analysis and nMDS indicated two distinct groups of locations: Group-I with rural settings and Group-II with urban settings. Alpha diversity metrics showed higher diversity (2.817) and evenness (0.744) in rural locations (Group-I) compared to urban locations (Group-II). The overall saprobic score of the macroinvebrate data revealed Group-I (5.09) to be in good condition, while Group-II (4.95) showed moderately polluted conditions. Redundancy analysis (RDA) highlighted the correlation of pollution-tolerant species (Chironomidae, Culicidae) with high organic loads i.e., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) in Group-II. In contrast, Group-I locations exhibited positive correlations with Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and supported less pollution-tolerant organisms (Coenagrionidae, Dytiscidae). The study emphasizes the importance of integrated analysis of ecological community data and water quality parameters to assess the health status of river-estuarine ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kiran Kumar Vaddem
- Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF & CC, Regional Directorate, Kolkata, India
| | - Sarmistha Saha
- Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF & CC, Regional Directorate, Kolkata, India
| | - Syed Yakub Ali
- Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF & CC, Regional Directorate, Kolkata, India
| | - Ajeet Verma
- Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF & CC, Regional Directorate, Kolkata, India
| | - Mrinal Kanti Biswas
- Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF & CC, Regional Directorate, Kolkata, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Davis CL, Walls SC, Barichivich WJ, Brown ME, Miller DAW. Disentangling direct and indirect effects of extreme events on coastal wetland communities. J Anim Ecol 2022. [PMID: 36527172 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13874] [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: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
One of the primary ways in which climate change will impact coastal freshwater wetlands is through changes in the frequency, intensity, timing and distribution of extreme weather events. Disentangling the direct and indirect mechanisms of population- and community-level responses to extreme events is vital to predicting how species composition of coastal wetlands will change under future conditions. We extended static structural equation modelling approaches to incorporate system dynamics in a multi-year multispecies occupancy model to quantify the effects of extreme weather events on a coastal freshwater wetland system. We used data from an 8-year study (2009-2016) on St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, USA, to quantify species-specific and community-level changes in amphibian and fish occupancy associated with two flooding events in 2012 and 2013. We examine how physical changes to the landscape, including potential changes in salinity and increased wetland connectivity, may have contributed to or exacerbated the effects of these extreme weather events on the biota of isolated coastal wetlands. We provide evidence that the primary effects of flooding on the amphibian community were through indirect mechanisms via changes in the composition of the sympatric fish community that may have had lethal (i.e. through direct predation) or non-lethal (i.e. through direct or indirect competitive interactions) effects. In addition, we have shown that amphibian species differed in their sensitivity to direct flooding effects and indirect changes in the fish community and wetland-specific conductance, which led to variable responses across the community. These effects led to the overall decline in amphibian species richness from 2009 to 2016, suggesting that wetland-breeding amphibian communities on St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge may not be resilient to predicted changes in coastal disturbance regimes because of climate change. Understanding both direct and indirect effects, as well as species interactions, is important for predicting the effects of a changing climate on individual species, communities and ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L Davis
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.,Intercollege Graduate Ecology Program, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Susan C Walls
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - William J Barichivich
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Mary E Brown
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - David A W Miller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Cutmarked bone of drought-tolerant extinct megafauna deposited with traces of fire, human foraging, and introduced animals in SW Madagascar. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18504. [PMID: 36414654 PMCID: PMC9681754 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22980-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
People could have hunted Madagascar's megafauna to extinction, particularly when introduced taxa and drought exacerbated the effects of predation. However, such explanations are difficult to test due to the scarcity of individual sites with unambiguous traces of humans, introduced taxa, and endemic megaherbivores. We excavated three coastal ponds in arid SW Madagascar and present a unique combination of traces of human activity (modified pygmy hippo bone, processed estuarine shell and fish bone, and charcoal), along with bones of extinct megafauna (giant tortoises, pygmy hippos, and elephant birds), extirpated fauna (e.g., crocodiles), and introduced vertebrates (e.g., zebu cattle). The disappearance of megafauna from the study sites at ~ 1000 years ago followed a relatively arid interval and closely coincides with increasingly frequent traces of human foraging, fire, and pastoralism. Our analyses fail to document drought-associated extirpation or multiple millennia of megafauna hunting and suggest that a late combination of hunting, forest clearance, and pastoralism drove extirpations.
Collapse
|
10
|
Collins WP, Bellwood DR, Morais RA. The role of nocturnal fishes on coral reefs: A quantitative functional evaluation. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9249. [PMID: 36052298 PMCID: PMC9412246 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological functions of nocturnal coral reef fishes are poorly known. Yet, nocturnal resources for coral reef consumers are theoretically as abundant and productive, if not more so, than their diurnal counterparts. In this study, we quantify and contrast the energetic dynamics of nocturnal and diurnal fishes in a model coral reef ecosystem, evaluating whether they attain similar levels of biomass production. We integrated a detailed dataset of coral reef fish counts, comprising diurnal and nocturnal species, in sites sheltered and exposed to wave action. We combined somatic growth and mortality models to estimate rates of consumer biomass production, a key ecosystem function. We found that diurnal fish assemblages have a higher biomass than nocturnal fishes: 104% more in sheltered sites and 271% more in exposed sites. Differences in productivity were even more pronounced, with diurnal fishes contributing 163% more productivity in sheltered locations, and 558% more in exposed locations. Apogonidae dominated biomass production within the nocturnal fish assemblage, comprising 54% of total nocturnal fish productivity, which is proportionally more than any diurnal fish family. The substantially lower contributions of nocturnal fishes to biomass and biomass production likely indicate constraints on resource accessibility. Taxa that overcome these constraints may thrive, as evidenced by apogonids. This study highlights the importance of nocturnal fishes in underpinning the flow of energy and nutrients from nocturnal resources to reef communities; a process driven mainly by small, cryptic fishes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William P. Collins
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - David R. Bellwood
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
| | - Renato A. Morais
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
AbstractEvolvability is best addressed from a multi-level, macroevolutionary perspective through a comparative approach that tests for among-clade differences in phenotypic diversification in response to an opportunity, such as encountered after a mass extinction, entering a new adaptive zone, or entering a new geographic area. Analyzing the dynamics of clades under similar environmental conditions can (partially) factor out shared external drivers to recognize intrinsic differences in evolvability, aiming for a macroevolutionary analog of a common-garden experiment. Analyses will be most powerful when integrating neontological and paleontological data: determining differences among extant populations that can be hypothesized to generate large-scale, long-term contrasts in evolvability among clades; or observing large-scale differences among clade histories that can by hypothesized to reflect contrasts in genetics and development observed directly in extant populations. However, many comparative analyses can be informative on their own, as explored in this overview. Differences in clade-level evolvability can be visualized in diversity-disparity plots, which can quantify positive and negative departures of phenotypic productivity from stochastic expectations scaled to taxonomic diversification. Factors that evidently can promote evolvability include modularity—when selection aligns with modular structure or with morphological integration patterns; pronounced ontogenetic changes in morphology, as in allometry or multiphase life cycles; genome size; and a variety of evolutionary novelties, which can also be evaluated using macroevolutionary lags between the acquisition of a trait and phenotypic diversification, and dead-clade-walking patterns that may signal a loss of evolvability when extrinsic factors can be excluded. High speciation rates may indirectly foster phenotypic evolvability, and vice versa. Mechanisms are controversial, but clade evolvability may be higher in the Cambrian, and possibly early in the history of clades at other times; in the tropics; and, for marine organisms, in shallow-water disturbed habitats.
Collapse
|
12
|
Scarponi D, Nawrot R, Azzarone M, Pellegrini C, Gamberi F, Trincardi F, Kowalewski M. Resilient biotic response to long-term climate change in the Adriatic Sea. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4041-4053. [PMID: 35411661 PMCID: PMC9324144 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16168] [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: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Preserving adaptive capacities of coastal ecosystems, which are currently facing the ongoing climate warming and a multitude of other anthropogenic impacts, requires an understanding of long-term biotic dynamics in the context of major environmental shifts prior to human disturbances. We quantified responses of nearshore mollusk assemblages to long-term climate and sea-level changes using 223 samples (~71,300 specimens) retrieved from latest Quaternary sediment cores of the Adriatic coastal systems. These cores provide a rare chance to study coastal systems that existed during glacial lowstands. The fossil mollusk record indicates that nearshore assemblages of the penultimate interglacial (Late Pleistocene) shifted in their faunal composition during the subsequent ice age, and then reassembled again with the return of interglacial climate in the Holocene. These shifts point to a climate-driven habitat filtering modulated by dispersal processes. The resilient, rather than persistent or stochastic, response of the mollusk assemblages to long-term environmental changes over at least 125 thousand years highlights the historically unprecedented nature of the ongoing anthropogenic stressors (e.g., pollution, eutrophication, bottom trawling, and invasive species) that are currently shifting coastal regions into novel system states far outside the range of natural variability archived in the fossil record.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Scarponi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e AmbientaliUniversità di BolognaBolognaItaly
- Alma Mater Research Institute on Global Challenges and Climate ChangeUniversità di BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Rafał Nawrot
- Department of PalaeontologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Michele Azzarone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e AmbientaliUniversità di BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Claudio Pellegrini
- Istituto di Scienze Marinesezione di BolognaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheBolognaItaly
| | - Fabiano Gamberi
- Istituto di Scienze Marinesezione di BolognaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheBolognaItaly
| | - Fabio Trincardi
- Istituto di Scienze Marinesezione di BolognaConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheBolognaItaly
| | - Michał Kowalewski
- Florida Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Learning from the past: opportunities for advancing ecological research and practice using palaeoecological data. Oecologia 2022; 199:275-287. [PMID: 35633388 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05190-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Palaeoecology involves analysis of fossil and sub-fossil evidence preserved within sediments to understand past species distributions, habitats and ecosystems. However, while palaeoecological research is sometimes made relevant to contemporary ecology, especially to advance understanding of biogeographical theory or inform habitat-based conservation at specific sites, most ecologists do not routinely incorporate palaeoecological evidence into their work. Thus most cross-discipline links are palaeoecology → ecology rather than ecology → palaeoecology. This is likely due to lack of awareness and/or the misnomer that palaeoecology invariably relates to the "distant past" (thousands of years) rather than being applicable to the "recent past" (last ~ 100-200 years). Here, we highlight opportunities for greater integration of palaeoecology within contemporary ecological research, policy, and practice. We identify situations where palaeoecology has been, or could be, used to (1) quantify recent temporal change (e.g. population dynamics; predator-prey cycles); (2) "rewind" to a particular point in ecological time (e.g. setting restoration/rewilding targets; classifying cryptogenic species); (3) understand current ecological processes that are hard to study real-time (e.g. identifying keystone species; detecting ecological tipping points); (4) complement primary data and historical records to bridge knowledge gaps (e.g. informing reintroductions and bioindicator frameworks); (5) disentangle natural and anthropogenic processes (e.g. climate change); and (6) draw palaeoecological analogues (e.g. impacts of pests). We conclude that the possibilities for better uniting ecology and palaeoecology to form an emerging cross-boundary paradigm are as extensive as they are exciting: we urge ecologists to learn from the past and seek opportunities to extend, improve, and strengthen their work using palaeoecological data.
Collapse
|
14
|
Pinsky ML, Comte L, Sax DF. Unifying climate change biology across realms and taxa. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:672-682. [PMID: 35610063 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
A major challenge in modern biology is to understand extinction risk from climate change across all realms. Recent research has revealed that physiological tolerance, behavioral thermoregulation, and small elevation shifts are dominant coping strategies on land, whereas large-scale latitudinal shifts are more important in the ocean. Freshwater taxa may face the highest global extinction risks. Nevertheless, some species in each realm face similar risks because of shared adaptive, dispersal, or physiological tolerances and abilities. Taking a cross-realm perspective offers unique research opportunities because confounding physical factors in one realm are often disaggregated in another realm. Cross-realm, across taxa, and other forms of climate change biology synthesis are needed to advance our understanding of emergent patterns of risk across all life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Malin L Pinsky
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
| | - Lise Comte
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Dov F Sax
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Crausbay SD, Sofaer HR, Cravens AE, Chaffin BC, Clifford KR, Gross JE, Knapp CN, Lawrence DJ, Magness DR, Miller-Rushing AJ, Schuurman GW, Stevens-Rumann CS. A Science Agenda to Inform Natural Resource Management Decisions in an Era of Ecological Transformation. Bioscience 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Earth is experiencing widespread ecological transformation in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems that is attributable to directional environmental changes, especially intensifying climate change. To better steward ecosystems facing unprecedented and lasting change, a new management paradigm is forming, supported by a decision-oriented framework that presents three distinct management choices: resist, accept, or direct the ecological trajectory. To make these choices strategically, managers seek to understand the nature of the transformation that could occur if change is accepted while identifying opportunities to intervene to resist or direct change. In this article, we seek to inspire a research agenda for transformation science that is focused on ecological and social science and based on five central questions that align with the resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework. Development of transformation science is needed to apply the RAD framework and support natural resource management and conservation on our rapidly changing planet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shelley D Crausbay
- Conservation Science Partners, Fort Collins, Colorado, and is a consortium partner for the US Geological Survey's North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, Colorado, United States
| | - Helen R Sofaer
- US Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawai'i, United States
| | - Amanda E Cravens
- US Geological Survey's Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | | | - Katherine R Clifford
- US Geological Survey's Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - John E Gross
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | | | - David J Lawrence
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Dawn R Magness
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, Alaska, United States
| | | | - Gregor W Schuurman
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Camille S Stevens-Rumann
- Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department and assistant director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Schuurman GW, Cole DN, Cravens AE, Covington S, Crausbay SD, Hoffman CH, Lawrence DJ, Magness DR, Morton JM, Nelson EA, O'Malley R. Navigating Ecological Transformation: Resist–Accept–Direct as a Path to a New Resource Management Paradigm. Bioscience 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Natural resource managers worldwide face a growing challenge: Intensifying global change increasingly propels ecosystems toward irreversible ecological transformations. This nonstationarity challenges traditional conservation goals and human well-being. It also confounds a longstanding management paradigm that assumes a future that reflects the past. As once-familiar ecological conditions disappear, managers need a new approach to guide decision-making. The resist–accept–direct (RAD) framework, designed for and by managers, identifies the options managers have for responding and helps them make informed, purposeful, and strategic choices in this context. Moving beyond the diversity and complexity of myriad emerging frameworks, RAD is a simple, flexible, decision-making tool that encompasses the entire decision space for stewarding transforming ecosystems. Through shared application of a common approach, the RAD framework can help the wider natural resource management and research community build the robust, shared habits of mind necessary for a new, twenty-first-century natural resource management paradigm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregor W Schuurman
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - David N Cole
- US Forest Service, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, Montana, United States
| | - Amanda E Cravens
- US Geological Survey's Social and Economic Analysis Branch, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Scott Covington
- US Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System, Falls Church, Virginia, United States
| | - Shelley D Crausbay
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
- US Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, Colorado, United States
| | - Cat Hawkins Hoffman
- Supervisory natural resource specialist and program manager, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - David J Lawrence
- US National Park Service Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| | - Dawn R Magness
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Soldotna, Alaska, United States
| | - John M Morton
- Alaska Wildlife Alliance, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Nelson
- Science advisor on conservation and climate change at Parks Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robin O'Malley
- USGS North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, and is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Tsyganov AN, Zarov EA, Mazei YA, Kulkov MG, Babeshko KV, Yushkovets SY, Payne RJ, Ratcliffe JL, Fatyunina YA, Zazovskaya EP, Lapshina ED. Key periods of peatland development and environmental changes in the middle taiga zone of Western Siberia during the Holocene. AMBIO 2021; 50:1896-1909. [PMID: 33825155 PMCID: PMC8497661 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01545-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The response of peatlands to climate change can be highly variable. Through understanding past changes we can better predict the response of peatlands to future climate change. We use a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct the surface wetness and carbon accumulation of the Mukhrino mire (Western Siberia), describing the development of the mire since peat formation in the early Holocene, around 9360 cal. year BP. The mire started as a rich fen which initiated after paludification of a spruce forest (probably in response to a wetter climate), while the Mukhrino mire progressed to ombrotrophic bog conditions (8760 cal. year BP). This transition coincided with the intensive development of mires in Western Siberia and was associated with active carbon accumulation (31 g m-2 year-1). The ecosystem underwent a change to a tree-covered state around 5860 cal. year BP, likely in response to warming and possible droughts and this accompanied low carbon accumulation (12 g m2 year-1). If the future climate will be warmer and wetter, then regional mires are likely to remain a carbon sink, alternatively, a reversion to the wooded state with reduced carbon sink strength is possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrey N. Tsyganov
- Department of General Ecology and Hydrobiology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, building 12, Moscow, Russia 119234
- Laboratory of Soil Zoology and General Entomology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy prospekt 33, Moscow, Russia 119071
| | - Evgeny A. Zarov
- Research Education Center of Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change (UNESCO Chair), Yugra State University, Chekhova str. 16, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 628007
| | - Yuri A. Mazei
- Department of General Ecology and Hydrobiology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1, building 12, Moscow, Russia 119234
- Laboratory of Soil Zoology and General Entomology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy prospekt 33, Moscow, Russia 119071
- Faculty of Biology, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, 1 International University Park Road, Dayun New Town, Longgang District, Shenzhen, 517182 China
| | - Mikhail G. Kulkov
- Research Education Center of Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change (UNESCO Chair), Yugra State University, Chekhova str. 16, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 628007
- Research and Analytical Centre for the Rational Use of the Subsoil named after V.I.Shpilman, Studencheskaya str. 2, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 628007
| | - Kirill V. Babeshko
- Department of General Biology and Biochemistry, Penza State University, Lermontova str. 37, building 15, Penza, Russia 440026
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Lermontova str. 37, building 15, Penza, Russia 440026
| | - Svetlana Y. Yushkovets
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Lermontova str. 37, building 15, Penza, Russia 440026
| | | | - Joshua L. Ratcliffe
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Yulia A. Fatyunina
- Department of General Biology and Biochemistry, Penza State University, Lermontova str. 37, building 15, Penza, Russia 440026
| | - Elya P. Zazovskaya
- Laboratory of Radiocarbon Dating and Electron Microscopy, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science (IG RAS), Staromonetniy Lane 29, Moscow, Russia 119017
| | - Elena D. Lapshina
- Research Education Center of Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change (UNESCO Chair), Yugra State University, Chekhova str. 16, Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 628007
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bonatelli IAS, Gehara M, Carstens BC, Colli GR, Moraes EM. Comparative and predictive phylogeography in the South American diagonal of open formations: Unravelling the biological and environmental influences on multitaxon demography. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:331-342. [PMID: 34614269 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16210] [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: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Phylogeography investigates historical drivers of the geographical distribution of intraspecific lineages. Particular attention has been given to ecological, climatic and geological processes in the diversification of the Neotropical biota. Several species sampled across the South American diagonal of open formations (DOF), comprising the Caatinga, Cerrado and Chaco biomes, experienced range shifts coincident with Quaternary climatic changes. However, comparative studies across different spatial, temporal and biological scales on DOF species are still meagre. Here, we combine phylogeographical model selection and machine learning predictive frameworks to investigate the influence of Pleistocene climatic changes on several plant and animal species from the DOF. We assembled mitochondrial/chloroplastic DNA sequences in public repositories and inferred the demographic responses of 44 species, comprising 70 intraspecific lineages of plants, lizards, frogs, spiders and insects. We then built a random forest model using biotic and abiotic information to identify the best predictors of demographic responses in the Pleistocene. Finally, we assessed the temporal synchrony of species demographic responses with hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation. Biotic variables related to population connectivity, gene flow and habitat preferences largely predicted how species responded to Pleistocene climatic changes, and demographic changes were synchronous primarily during the Middle Pleistocene. Although 22 (~31%) lineages underwent demographic expansion, presumably associated with the spread of aridity during the glacial Pleistocene periods, our findings suggest that nine lineages (~13%) exhibited the opposite response due to taxon-specific attributes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel A S Bonatelli
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sorocaba, Brazil.,Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Gehara
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Bryan C Carstens
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Guarino R Colli
- Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Evandro M Moraes
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Sorocaba, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Cuenca‐Cambronero M, Pantel JH, Marshall H, Nguyen TTT, Tomero‐Sanz H, Orsini L. Evolutionary mechanisms underpinning fitness response to multiple stressors in Daphnia. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2457-2469. [PMID: 34745337 PMCID: PMC8549616 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple stressors linked to anthropogenic activities can influence how organisms adapt and evolve. So far, a consensus on how multiple stressors drive adaptive trajectories in natural populations has not been reached. Some meta-analysis reports show predominance of additive effects of stressors on ecological endpoints (e.g., fecundity, mortality), whereas others show synergistic effects more frequently. Moreover, it is unclear what mechanisms of adaptation underpin responses to complex environments. Here, we use populations of Daphnia magna resurrected from different times in the past to investigate mechanisms of adaptation to multiple stressors and to understand how historical exposure to environmental stress shapes adaptive responses of modern populations. Using common garden experiments on resurrected modern and historical populations, we investigate (1) whether exposure to one stress results in higher tolerance to a second stressor; (2) the mechanisms of adaptation underpinning long-term evolution to multistress (genetic evolution, plasticity, evolution of plasticity); and (3) the interaction effects of multiple stressors on fitness (synergism, antagonism, additivity). We measure the combined impact of different levels of resource availability (algae) and biocides on fitness-linked life-history traits and interpret these results in light of historical environmental exposures. We show that exposure to one stressor can alter tolerance to second stressors and that the interaction effect depends on the severity of either stressor. We also show that mechanisms of adaptation underpinning phenotypic evolution significantly differ in single-stress and multistress scenarios. These adaptive responses are driven largely by synergistic effects on fecundity and size at maturity, and additive effects on age at maturity. Exposure to multiple stressors shifts the trade-offs among fitness-linked life-history traits, with a stronger effect on Daphnia populations when low-resource availability and high biocide levels are experienced. Our study indicates that mitigation interventions based on single-stress analysis may not capture realistic threats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cuenca‐Cambronero
- Department of Fish Ecology and EvolutionEawagKastanienbaumSwitzerland
- Aquatic Ecology and EvolutionInstitute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Jelena H. Pantel
- Department of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Environmental ScienceThe American University of ParisParisFrance
| | - Hollie Marshall
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Institute of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Tien T. T. Nguyen
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Henar Tomero‐Sanz
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
- Department of Molecular Cancer Pathology of IRYCISHospital Ramon y CajalMadridSpain
| | - Luisa Orsini
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of BiosciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zhang Y, Cui Q, Huang Y, Wu D, Zhou A. Vegetation Response to Holocene Climate Change in the Qinling Mountains in the Temperate–Subtropical Transition Zone of Central–East China. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.734011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Global warming is having a profound influence on vegetation and biodiversity patterns, especially in alpine areas and high latitudes. The Qinling Mountain range is located in the transition zone between the temperate and subtropical ecosystems of central–east China and thus the vegetation of the area is diverse. Understanding the long-term interactions between plant diversity and climate change can potentially provide a reference for future landscape management and biodiversity conservation strategies in the Qinling Mountains region. Here, we use a pollen record from the Holocene sediments of Daye Lake, on Mount Taibai in the Qingling Mountains, to study regional vegetation changes based on biomes reconstruction and diversity analysis. Temperature and precipitation records from sites close to Daye Lake are used to provide environmental background to help determine the vegetation response to climate change. The results indicate that climate change was the main factor influencing vegetation and palynological diversity in the Qinling Mountains during the Holocene. The cold and dry climate at the beginning of the early Holocene (11,700–10,700 cal yr BP) resulted in a low abundance and uneven distribution of regional vegetation types, with the dominance of coniferous forest. During the early Holocene (10,700–7,000 cal yr BP), temperate deciduous broadleaf forest expanded, palynological diversity and evenness increased, indicating that the warm and humid climate promoted vegetation growth. In the middle Holocene (7,000–3,000 cal yr BP), the climate became slightly drier but a relatively warm environment supported the continued increase in palynological diversity. After ∼3,000 cal yr BP, palynological diversity and the evenness index commenced a decreasing trend, in agreement with the decreased temperature and precipitation in the Qinling Mountains. It’s noteworthy that human activity at this time had a potential influence on the vegetation. During the past few centuries, however, palynological diversity has increased along with the global temperature, and therefore it is possible that in the short-term ongoing climatic warming will promote vegetation development and palynological diversity in the area without human interference.
Collapse
|
21
|
Soorangkattan S, Nalluchamy KD, Arumugam S, Sivagnanam C, Thulasinathan B, Ramu SM, Alagarsamy A, Muthuramalingam JB. Studies on the influence of natural resource utilization by humans on foraging behavior of honey bees at rural ecosystems. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:33942-33956. [PMID: 33661494 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Human utilization of natural resources acts as a main driver in altering the ecosystem service and functions. Apart from indirect influence, these human activities also tempt for the behavioral shift in insects especially in honey bees. The foraging behavior of honey bees from the natural floral resources to the man-made food sources eventually degrade the ecosystem's services and cause declining of the honey bee population. Understanding this foraging behavior of bees could help in opting for viable conservation measures for honey bees. In order to understand the influence of human utilization of natural resources on the foraging behavior of bees and its negative impacts on the bee population, the study was carried out in the sites where humans collect palm sap. Palm sap collectors used different containers (mud pots and pet bottles) to collect the palm sap from Borassus flabellifer. The number of containers per tree, volume of palm sap per container/tree, bee visiting frequency, and bee mortality per container/tree were measured at different ecosystems. Palm saps were collected freshly and volatile compounds of samples were identified using FT-IR and GC-MS analysis. The identified volatile compounds were used to study the interaction between volatile compounds and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) of honey bees for understanding the foraging behavior of bees using in silico approach. Our results clearly showed that bee visitation frequency was directly correlated (0.94) with bee mortality in palm sap in different study sites. The average number of bee mortality was recorded as 491.2 ± 23.48 bees per container/tree/day. GC-MS analyses revealed the presence of 35 volatile compounds in collected palm sap from different study sites. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were performed for all 35 palm volatile compounds OBPs of honey bees to analyze their binding affinities. Docking studies showed that 1-methylbutylmandelate and 6-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4,4-trimethylbicyclo [3.1.0] hexan-2-ol have high binding affinity with OBP residues of bees. These volatile compounds might act as an attractant for bee populations for their foraging behavior. Based on this study, we conclude that human utilization of palm sap has created new ecological niches which highly alters the foraging behavior of bees and results in declining bee populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saravanan Soorangkattan
- Department of Botany, The Madura College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 625011, India.
- Department of Botany, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | | | - Sudha Arumugam
- Department of Biotechnology, Dr.Umayal Ramanathan College for Women, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Chandrasekaran Sivagnanam
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | | | - Arun Alagarsamy
- Department of Microbiology, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Lovegrove AT, Newton AC, Evans PM, Diaz A, Newton AC, Davy L, Newbould PJ. Changes in vegetation structure and composition of a lowland mire over a sixty-five-year interval. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13913-13925. [PMID: 33391690 PMCID: PMC7771134 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Mires are characterized by plant communities of high conservation and societal value, which have experienced a major decline in area in many parts of the world, particularly Europe. Evidence suggests that they may be particularly vulnerable to changes in climate and nutrient addition. Although they have been the focus of extensive paleoecological research, few attempts have been made to examine the dynamics of mire vegetation during the current era of anthropogenic environmental change.To assess long-term change in the spatial structure and composition of a lowland mire community, in 2016 we resurveyed plots first surveyed in 1951. Measures of species richness and composition were compared between the two surveys, and changes in community composition were related to plant traits.Overall, mean species richness declined by 26%. The area of occupancy declined in 37% of species, which were primarily oligotrophic species typical of nutrient-poor bog communities. Conversely, occupancy increased in 21% of species, especially those that were more tolerant of higher nutrient availability. These changes were associated with variation in plant functional traits, as indicated by an increase mean Ellenberg trait values for nitrogen and mean temperature, and a decline in values for precipitation. These results suggest that eutrophication and climate change have been key drivers of floristic change on this site. Synthesis. This investigation provides a rare assessment of the dynamics of a mire community over a multi-decadal interval. Results indicate that substantial change has occurred in the composition of the community, and the distribution of species within it. The investigation provides evidence of the impact of environmental change on the composition and structure of a lowland mire community, and highlights challenges for its future conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T. Lovegrove
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and SustainabilityFaculty of Science and EngineeringBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Adrian C. Newton
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and SustainabilityFaculty of Science and EngineeringBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Paul M. Evans
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and SustainabilityFaculty of Science and EngineeringBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Anita Diaz
- Centre for Ecology, Environment and SustainabilityFaculty of Science and EngineeringBournemouth UniversityPooleUK
| | - Arthur C. Newton
- College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bernhardt JR, O'Connor MI, Sunday JM, Gonzalez A. Life in fluctuating environments. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190454. [PMID: 33131443 PMCID: PMC7662201 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability in the environment defines the structure and dynamics of all living systems, from organisms to ecosystems. Species have evolved traits and strategies that allow them to detect, exploit and predict the changing environment. These traits allow organisms to maintain steady internal conditions required for physiological functioning through feedback mechanisms that allow internal conditions to remain at or near a set-point despite a fluctuating environment. In addition to feedback, many organisms have evolved feedforward processes, which allow them to adjust in anticipation of an expected future state of the environment. Here we provide a framework describing how feedback and feedforward mechanisms operating within organisms can generate effects across scales of organization, and how they allow living systems to persist in fluctuating environments. Daily, seasonal and multi-year cycles provide cues that organisms use to anticipate changes in physiologically relevant environmental conditions. Using feedforward mechanisms, organisms can exploit correlations in environmental variables to prepare for anticipated future changes. Strategies to obtain, store and act on information about the conditional nature of future events are advantageous and are evidenced in widespread phenotypes such as circadian clocks, social behaviour, diapause and migrations. Humans are altering the ways in which the environment fluctuates, causing correlations between environmental variables to become decoupled, decreasing the reliability of cues. Human-induced environmental change is also altering sensory environments and the ability of organisms to detect cues. Recognizing that living systems combine feedback and feedforward processes is essential to understanding their responses to current and future regimes of environmental fluctuations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Integrative research perspectives on marine conservation’.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joey R Bernhardt
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.,Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Mary I O'Connor
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Jennifer M Sunday
- Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, McGill University, Montreal, Canada H3A 1B1
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Wang Y, Shipley BR, Lauer DA, Pineau RM, McGuire JL. Plant biomes demonstrate that landscape resilience today is the lowest it has been since end-Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5914-5927. [PMID: 32741078 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Resilient landscapes have helped maintain terrestrial biodiversity during periods of climatic and environmental change. Identifying the tempo and mode of landscape transitions and the drivers of landscape resilience is critical to maintaining natural systems and preserving biodiversity given today's rapid climate and land use changes. However, resilient landscapes are difficult to recognize on short time scales, as perturbations are challenging to quantify and ecosystem transitions are rare. Here we analyze two components of North American landscape resilience over 20,000 years: residence time and recovery time. To evaluate landscape dynamics, we use plant biomes, preserved in the fossil pollen record, to examine how long a biome type persists at a given site (residence time) and how long it takes for the biome at that site to reestablish following a transition (recovery time). Biomes have a median residence time of only 230-460 years. Only 64% of biomes recover their original biome type, but recovery time is 140-290 years. Temperatures changing faster than 0.5°C per 500 years result in much reduced residence times. Following a transition, biodiverse biomes reestablish more quickly. Landscape resilience varies through time. Notably, short residence times and long recovery times directly preceded the end-Pleistocene megafauna extinction, resulting in regional destabilization, and combining with more proximal human impacts to deliver a one-two punch to megafauna species. Our work indicates that landscapes today are once again exhibiting low resilience, foreboding potential extinctions to come. Conservation strategies focused on improving both landscape and ecosystem resilience by increasing local connectivity and targeting regions with high richness and diverse landforms can mitigate these extinction risks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin R Shipley
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Daniel A Lauer
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rozenn M Pineau
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jenny L McGuire
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Fordham DA, Jackson ST, Brown SC, Huntley B, Brook BW, Dahl-Jensen D, Gilbert MTP, Otto-Bliesner BL, Svensson A, Theodoridis S, Wilmshurst JM, Buettel JC, Canteri E, McDowell M, Orlando L, Pilowsky J, Rahbek C, Nogues-Bravo D. Using paleo-archives to safeguard biodiversity under climate change. Science 2020; 369:369/6507/eabc5654. [PMID: 32855310 DOI: 10.1126/science.abc5654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Strategies for 21st-century environmental management and conservation under global change require a strong understanding of the biological mechanisms that mediate responses to climate- and human-driven change to successfully mitigate range contractions, extinctions, and the degradation of ecosystem services. Biodiversity responses to past rapid warming events can be followed in situ and over extended periods, using cross-disciplinary approaches that provide cost-effective and scalable information for species' conservation and the maintenance of resilient ecosystems in many bioregions. Beyond the intrinsic knowledge gain such integrative research will increasingly provide the context, tools, and relevant case studies to assist in mitigating climate-driven biodiversity losses in the 21st century and beyond.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien A Fordham
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia. .,Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Stephen T Jackson
- Southwest and South Central Climate Adaptation Science Centers, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.,Department of Geosciences and School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Stuart C Brown
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Brian Huntley
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Barry W Brook
- School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Dorthe Dahl-Jensen
- Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.,Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.,University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Bette L Otto-Bliesner
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA
| | - Anders Svensson
- Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Spyros Theodoridis
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Janet M Wilmshurst
- Long-Term Ecology Laboratory, Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.,School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Jessie C Buettel
- School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Elisabetta Canteri
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Matthew McDowell
- School of Natural Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, France.,Section for GeoGenetics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Julia Pilowsky
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK.,Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - David Nogues-Bravo
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Ø 2100, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Billaud O, Vermeersch R, Porcher E. Citizen science involving farmers as a means to document temporal trends in farmland biodiversity and relate them to agricultural practices. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Billaud
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Sorbonne UniversitéParis France
| | - Rose‐Line Vermeersch
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Sorbonne UniversitéParis France
| | - Emmanuelle Porcher
- Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Sorbonne UniversitéParis France
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Botham JL, Haddad CR, Gryzenhout M, Swart VR, Bredenhand E. High genetic diversity of spider species in a mosaic montane grassland landscape. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234437. [PMID: 32511281 PMCID: PMC7279597 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene flow and genetic variation were examined within and among populations of five of the most common spider species in shrublands of the mountainous Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP), South Africa. These species included three active hunters, Dendryphantes purcelli Peckham & Peckham, 1903 (Salticidae), Pherecydes tuberculatus O.P.-Cambridge, 1883 (Thomisidae) and Philodromus browningi Lawrence, 1952 (Philodromidae), and two web-builders, Neoscona subfusca (C.L. Koch, 1837) (Araneidae) and a Theridion Walckenaer, 1802 species (Theridiidae). A total of 249 spiders (57 D. purcelli, 69 N. subfusca, 34 P. browningi, 56 P. tuberculatus and 33 Theridion sp.) were collected and analysed from six shrubland localities in the park. Analyses of sequence variation of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene for each species revealed relatively low nucleotide diversity (π < 0.0420) but high genetic diversity (Hd > 0.6500) within populations for all species, except P. tuberculatus. Genetic differentiation was also noted to differ between species, with only P. tuberculatus indicating very large divergence (Fst > 0.2500). These results were reflected by gene flow, with D. purcelli, N. subfusca and the Theridion sp. estimated as experiencing more than one disperser per generation. Overall, highest gene flow was found in the two web-building species, indicating possible high dispersal ability of these spiders in the GGHNP. Additionally, constructed phylogenies indicated possible cryptic speciation occurring in the majority of the investigated species. Our current results indicate that the five investigated spider species were able to maintain gene flow between shrubland populations within the GGHNP to some degree, despite the mountainous landscape. However, further analyses incorporating additional molecular markers are needed to properly determine the extent of genetic diversity and gene flow of these species within the GGHNP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason L. Botham
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Charles R. Haddad
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
| | - Marieka Gryzenhout
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
| | - Vaughn R. Swart
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
| | - Emile Bredenhand
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State Qwaqwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba, Free State, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
Human influences are reshaping plant communities around the world through both extinctions and species gains. New work relating biodiversity shifts to rapid changes in climate and land use highlights the need for new biogeographic frameworks to understand evolutionary change in the Anthropocene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erle C Ellis
- Department of Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Basuri CK, Pazhaniyappan E, Munnooru K, Chandrasekaran M, Vinjamuri RR, Karri R, Mallavarapu RV. Composition and distribution of planktonic ciliates with indications to water quality in a shallow hypersaline lagoon (Pulicat Lake, India). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:18303-18316. [PMID: 32185733 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08177-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Planktonic ciliate composition and distribution together with physicochemical variables were investigated in a shallow hypersaline lagoon, Pulicat, India, during three seasons, i.e., pre-monsoon (PRM), monsoon (MON), and post-monsoon (POM). The low freshwater inflow, evaporation, and closure of the lake mouth were the main factors for the hypersaline conditions in Pulicat Lake. The average depth and salinity were 1.8 ± 0.12 m (0.8 to 2.8 m) and 35.3 ± 1.68 (12.5 to 61), respectively. A total of 29 ciliate taxa belonging to 18 genera and five classes were identified. Strombidium conicum (24%) was the dominant species followed by Euplotes sp. (10.7%) and Stenosomella sp. (7.02%). Spirotrichea (84%) was the dominant class followed by Oligohymenophorea (9.6%) and Heterotrichea (5.8%). Fabrea salina, a typical species in hypersaline systems, was abundant at locations where the salinity was more than 35. Multivariate analysis using the Bray-Curtis similarity, followed by SIMPROF (Similarity Percentage Analysis), on ciliate abundance data revealed three ciliate assemblages characterizing south, central, and north of the lake at 40% similarity (SIMPROF, cophenetic correlation = 0.622, P = 5%). Both ciliate abundance and chlorophyll-a were positively correlated with salinity. Species richness and evenness were higher in the south sector when compared with those in the other two sectors. Biotic-environmental interaction through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) inferred that the combined effects of salinity, chlorophyll-a, and nutrient levels are the key factors responsible for the distribution of the ciliate species, suggesting that ciliates can be considered to be potential bioindicators of water quality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charan Kumar Basuri
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India.
| | - Ezhilarasan Pazhaniyappan
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India
| | - Kumaraswami Munnooru
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India
| | - Muthukumar Chandrasekaran
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India
| | - Ranga Rao Vinjamuri
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India
| | - Ramu Karri
- National Centre for Coastal Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NIOT Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600100, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mitchell EG, Harris S, Kenchington CG, Vixseboxse P, Roberts L, Clark C, Dennis A, Liu AG, Wilby PR. The importance of neutral over niche processes in structuring Ediacaran early animal communities. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:2028-2038. [PMID: 31515929 PMCID: PMC6899650 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The relative influence of niche vs. neutral processes in ecosystem dynamics is an on-going debate, but the extent to which they structured the earliest animal communities is unknown. Some of the oldest known metazoan-dominated paleocommunities occur in Ediacaran age (~ 565 million years old) strata in Newfoundland, Canada and Charnwood Forest, UK. These comprise large and diverse populations of sessile organisms that are amenable to spatial point process analyses, enabling inference of the most likely underlying niche or neutral processes governing community structure. We mapped seven Ediacaran paleocommunities using LiDAR, photogrammetry and a laser line probe. We found that neutral processes dominate these paleocommunities, with niche processes exerting limited influence, in contrast with the niche-dominated dynamics of modern marine ecosystems. The dominance of neutral processes suggests that early metazoan diversification may not have been driven by systematic adaptations to the local environment, but instead may have resulted from stochastic demographic differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily G. Mitchell
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Simon Harris
- British Geological SurveyNicker HillKeyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGUK
| | | | - Philip Vixseboxse
- School of Earth SciencesUniversity of BristolWills Memorial Building, Queens RoadBristolBS8 1RJUK
| | - Lucy Roberts
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
| | - Catherine Clark
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Alexandra Dennis
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Alexander G. Liu
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EQUK
| | - Philip R. Wilby
- British Geological SurveyNicker HillKeyworth, NottinghamNG12 5GGUK
- School of Geography, Geology & the EnvironmentUniversity of LeicesterUniversity RoadLeicesterLE1 7RHUK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Chesson P, Yang PJ. Populations as Fluid on a Landscape Under Global Environmental Change. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
32
|
Suggitt AJ, Lister DG, Thomas CD. Widespread Effects of Climate Change on Local Plant Diversity. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2905-2911.e2. [PMID: 31422880 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human activity has sent many measures of biodiversity into long-term decline, and there are suggestions that the sheer scale of this impact is sufficient to consider the modern era as a geological epoch of its own, known as "The Anthropocene" [1]. However, recent meta-analyses show that local alpha diversity is often stable or slightly increasing [2-4]. Here, we show that the local alpha diversity (species richness) of plants found in quadrats and transects has increased the most in cooler regions of the world that have experienced the highest absolute changes (i.e., changes in either direction) in climate. The greatest statistical support is for the effects of precipitation change. On average, alpha diversity declined slightly (-4.2% per decade) in the third of sites that experienced the lowest precipitation change but increased (+10.8% per decade) in the third of sites with the highest precipitation change. These results suggest that the "perturbation" of local communities during climatic transitions increases the average number of species, at least temporarily, an effect likely to remain important as climate change continues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Suggitt
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK; Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
| | - Duncan G Lister
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Chris D Thomas
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK; Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Avolio ML, Forrestel EJ, Chang CC, La Pierre KJ, Burghardt KT, Smith MD. Demystifying dominant species. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 223:1106-1126. [PMID: 30868589 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of a few abundant species and many rarer species is a defining characteristic of communities worldwide. These abundant species are often referred to as dominant species. Yet, despite their importance, the term dominant species is poorly defined and often used to convey different information by different authors. Based on a review of historical and contemporary definitions we develop a synthetic definition of dominant species. This definition incorporates the relative local abundance of a species, its ubiquity across the landscape, and its impact on community and ecosystem properties. A meta-analysis of removal studies shows that the loss of species identified as dominant by authors can significantly impact ecosystem functioning and community structure. We recommend two metrics that can be used jointly to identify dominant species in a given community and provide a roadmap for future avenues of research on dominant species. In our review, we make the case that the identity and effects of dominant species on their environments are key to linking patterns of diversity to ecosystem function, including predicting impacts of species loss and other aspects of global change on ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA
| | - Elisabeth J Forrestel
- Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Cynthia C Chang
- Division of Biology, University of Washington Bothell, 18807 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell, WA, 98011, USA
| | - Kimberly J La Pierre
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
| | - Karin T Burghardt
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Melinda D Smith
- Department of Biology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Díaz FP, Latorre C, Carrasco-Puga G, Wood JR, Wilmshurst JM, Soto DC, Cole TL, Gutiérrez RA. Multiscale climate change impacts on plant diversity in the Atacama Desert. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:1733-1745. [PMID: 30706600 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Comprehending ecological dynamics requires not only knowledge of modern communities but also detailed reconstructions of ecosystem history. Ancient DNA (aDNA) metabarcoding allows biodiversity responses to major climatic change to be explored at different spatial and temporal scales. We extracted aDNA preserved in fossil rodent middens to reconstruct late Quaternary vegetation dynamics in the hyperarid Atacama Desert. By comparing our paleo-informed millennial record with contemporary observations of interannual variations in diversity, we show local plant communities behave differentially at different timescales. In the interannual (years to decades) time frame, only annual herbaceous expand and contract their distributional ranges (emerging from persistent seed banks) in response to precipitation, whereas perennials distribution appears to be extraordinarily resilient. In contrast, at longer timescales (thousands of years) many perennial species were displaced up to 1,000 m downslope during pluvial events. Given ongoing and future natural and anthropogenically induced climate change, our results not only provide baselines for vegetation in the Atacama Desert, but also help to inform how these and other high mountain plant communities may respond to fluctuations of climate in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisca P Díaz
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation & Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Latorre
- Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gabriela Carrasco-Puga
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation & Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| | - Jamie R Wood
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Janet M Wilmshurst
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
- School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Daniela C Soto
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation & Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| | - Theresa L Cole
- Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rodrigo A Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation & Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
A Critique of the Space-for-Time Substitution Practice in Community Ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:416-421. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
36
|
Merwe M, Yap JS, Bragg JG, Cristofolini C, Foster CSP, Ho SYW, Rossetto M. Assemblage accumulation curves: A framework for resolving species accumulation in biological communities using DNA sequences. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marlien Merwe
- National Herbarium of New South Wales Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Jia‐Yee S. Yap
- National Herbarium of New South Wales Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Jason G. Bragg
- National Herbarium of New South Wales Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Caroline Cristofolini
- National Herbarium of New South Wales Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Charles S. P. Foster
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Simon Y. W. Ho
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Maurizio Rossetto
- National Herbarium of New South Wales Royal Botanic Garden Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Queensland Alliance of Agriculture and Food Innovation University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Anderegg LDL, HilleRisLambers J. Local range boundaries vs. large-scale trade-offs: climatic and competitive constraints on tree growth. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:787-796. [PMID: 30793454 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Species often respond to human-caused climate change by shifting where they occur on the landscape. To anticipate these shifts, we need to understand the forces that determine where species currently occur. We tested whether a long-hypothesised trade-off between climate and competitive constraints explains where tree species grow on mountain slopes. Using tree rings, we reconstructed growth sensitivity to climate and competition in range centre and range margin tree populations in three climatically distinct regions. We found that climate often constrains growth at environmentally harsh elevational range boundaries, and that climatic and competitive constraints trade-off at large spatial scales. However, there was less evidence that competition consistently constrained growth at benign elevational range boundaries; thus, local-scale climate-competition trade-offs were infrequent. Our work underscores the difficulty of predicting local-scale range dynamics, but suggests that the constraints on tree performance at a large-scale (e.g. latitudinal) may be predicted from ecological theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leander D L Anderegg
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.,Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama Street, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, 4007 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Bálint M, Pfenninger M, Grossart HP, Taberlet P, Vellend M, Leibold MA, Englund G, Bowler D. Environmental DNA Time Series in Ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:945-957. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
39
|
Nogués-Bravo D, Rodríguez-Sánchez F, Orsini L, de Boer E, Jansson R, Morlon H, Fordham DA, Jackson ST. Cracking the Code of Biodiversity Responses to Past Climate Change. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:765-776. [PMID: 30173951 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
How individual species and entire ecosystems will respond to future climate change are among the most pressing questions facing ecologists. Past biodiversity dynamics recorded in the paleoecological archives show a broad array of responses, yet significant knowledge gaps remain. In particular, the relative roles of evolutionary adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and dispersal in promoting survival during times of climate change have yet to be clarified. Investigating the paleo-archives offers great opportunities to understand biodiversity responses to future climate change. In this review we discuss the mechanisms by which biodiversity responds to environmental change, and identify gaps of knowledge on the role of range shifts and tolerance. We also outline approaches at the intersection of paleoecology, genomics, experiments, and predictive models that will elucidate the processes by which species have survived past climatic changes and enhance predictions of future changes in biological diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Nogués-Bravo
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark.
| | - Francisco Rodríguez-Sánchez
- Departamento de Ecología Integrativa, Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, E-41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luisa Orsini
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Erik de Boer
- Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Lluís Solé i Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roland Jansson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Helene Morlon
- Institut de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8197 CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Damien A Fordham
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark; The Environment Institute, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Stephen T Jackson
- Southwest Climate Science Center, US Geological Survey, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Department of Geosciences and School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Fordham DA, Saltré F, Brown SC, Mellin C, Wigley TML. Why decadal to century timescale palaeoclimate data are needed to explain present-day patterns of biological diversity and change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:1371-1381. [PMID: 28994170 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The current distribution of species, environmental conditions and their interactions represent only one snapshot of a planet that is continuously changing, in part due to human influences. To distinguish human impacts from natural factors, the magnitude and pace of climate shifts, since the Last Glacial Maximum, are often used to determine whether patterns of diversity today are artefacts of past climate change. In the absence of high-temporal resolution palaeoclimate reconstructions, this is generally done by assuming that past climate change occurred at a linear pace between widely spaced (usually, ≥1,000 years) climate snapshots. We show here that this is a flawed assumption because regional climates have changed significantly across decades and centuries during glacial-interglacial cycles, likely causing rapid regional replacement of biota. We demonstrate how recent atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) simulations of the climate of the past 21,000 years can provide credible estimates of the details of climate change on decadal to centennial timescales, showing that these details differ radically from what might be inferred from longer timescale information. High-temporal resolution information can provide more meaningful estimates of the magnitude and pace of climate shifts, the location and timing of drivers of physiological stress, and the extent of novel climates. They also produce new opportunities to directly investigate whether short-term climate variability is more important in shaping biodiversity patterns rather than gradual changes in long-term climatic means. Together, these more accurate measures of past climate instability are likely to bring about a better understanding of the role of palaeoclimatic change and variability in shaping current macroecological patterns in many regions of the world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damien A Fordham
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Frédérik Saltré
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Stuart C Brown
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Camille Mellin
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Tom M L Wigley
- The Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Predicting Chronic Climate-Driven Disturbances and Their Mitigation. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:15-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
42
|
Potter S, Xue AT, Bragg JG, Rosauer DF, Roycroft EJ, Moritz C. Pleistocene climatic changes drive diversification across a tropical savanna. Mol Ecol 2017; 27:520-532. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sally Potter
- Research School of Biology The Australian National University Acton ACT Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity Analysis Acton ACT Australia
| | - Alexander T. Xue
- Department of Biology City University of New York New York NY USA
- Department of Genetics Rutgers University Piscataway NJ USA
| | - Jason G. Bragg
- Research School of Biology The Australian National University Acton ACT Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity Analysis Acton ACT Australia
| | - Dan F. Rosauer
- Research School of Biology The Australian National University Acton ACT Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity Analysis Acton ACT Australia
| | - Emily J. Roycroft
- School of Biosciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic. Australia
- Sciences Department Museums Victoria Melbourne Vic. Australia
| | - Craig Moritz
- Research School of Biology The Australian National University Acton ACT Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity Analysis Acton ACT Australia
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Hobbs RJ, Valentine LE, Standish RJ, Jackson ST. Movers and Stayers: Novel Assemblages in Changing Environments. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 33:116-128. [PMID: 29173900 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Increased attention to species movement in response to environmental change highlights the need to consider changes in species distributions and altered biological assemblages. Such changes are well known from paleoecological studies, but have accelerated with ongoing pervasive human influence. In addition to species that move, some species will stay put, leading to an array of novel interactions. Species show a variety of responses that can allow movement or persistence. Conservation and restoration actions have traditionally focused on maintaining or returning species in particular places, but increasingly also include interventions that facilitate movement. Approaches are required that incorporate the fluidity of biotic assemblages into the goals set and interventions deployed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Hobbs
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
| | - Leonie E Valentine
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Rachel J Standish
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
| | - Stephen T Jackson
- U.S. Geological Survey, DOI Southwest Climate Science Center, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Geosciences and School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Jablonski D. Approaches to Macroevolution: 2. Sorting of Variation, Some Overarching Issues, and General Conclusions. Evol Biol 2017; 44:451-475. [PMID: 29142334 PMCID: PMC5661022 DOI: 10.1007/s11692-017-9434-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Approaches to macroevolution require integration of its two fundamental components, within a hierarchical framework. Following a companion paper on the origin of variation, I here discuss sorting within an evolutionary hierarchy. Species sorting-sometimes termed species selection in the broad sense, meaning differential origination and extinction owing to intrinsic biological properties-can be split into strict-sense species selection, in which rate differentials are governed by emergent, species-level traits such as geographic range size, and effect macroevolution, in which rates are governed by organism-level traits such as body size; both processes can create hitchhiking effects, indirectly causing the proliferation or decline of other traits. Several methods can operationalize the concept of emergence, so that rigorous separation of these processes is increasingly feasible. A macroevolutionary tradeoff, underlain by the intrinsic traits that influence evolutionary dynamics, causes speciation and extinction rates to covary in many clades, resulting in evolutionary volatility of some clades and more subdued behavior of others; the few clades that break the tradeoff can achieve especially prolific diversification. In addition to intrinsic biological traits at multiple levels, extrinsic events can drive the waxing and waning of clades, and the interaction of traits and events are difficult but important to disentangle. Evolutionary trends can arise in many ways, and at any hierarchical level; descriptive models can be fitted to clade trajectories in phenotypic or functional spaces, but they may not be diagnostic regarding processes, and close attention must be paid to both leading and trailing edges of apparent trends. Biotic interactions can have negative or positive effects on taxonomic diversity within a clade, but cannot be readily extrapolated from the nature of such interactions at the organismic level. The relationships among macroevolutionary currencies through time (taxonomic richness, morphologic disparity, functional variety) are crucial for understanding the nature of evolutionary diversification. A novel approach to diversity-disparity analysis shows that taxonomic diversifications can lag behind, occur in concert with, or precede, increases in disparity. Some overarching issues relating to both the origin and sorting of clades and phenotypes include the macroevolutionary role of mass extinctions, the potential differences between plant and animal macroevolution, whether macroevolutionary processes have changed through geologic time, and the growing human impact on present-day macroevolution. Many challenges remain, but progress is being made on two of the key ones: (a) the integration of variation-generating mechanisms and the multilevel sorting processes that act on that variation, and (b) the integration of paleontological and neontological approaches to historical biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Jablonski
- Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Villalobos F, Carotenuto F, Raia P, Diniz-Filho JAF. Phylogenetic fields through time: temporal dynamics of geographical co-occurrence and phylogenetic structure within species ranges. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150220. [PMID: 26977061 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Species co-occur with different sets of other species across their geographical distribution, which can be either closely or distantly related. Such co-occurrence patterns and their phylogenetic structure within individual species ranges represent what we call the species phylogenetic fields (PFs). These PFs allow investigation of the role of historical processes--speciation, extinction and dispersal--in shaping species co-occurrence patterns, in both extinct and extant species. Here, we investigate PFs of large mammalian species during the last 3 Myr, and how these correlate with trends in diversification rates. Using the fossil record, we evaluate species' distributional and co-occurrence patterns along with their phylogenetic structure. We apply a novel Bayesian framework on fossil occurrences to estimate diversification rates through time. Our findings highlight the effect of evolutionary processes and past climatic changes on species' distributions and co-occurrences. From the Late Pliocene to the Recent, mammal species seem to have responded in an individualistic manner to climate changes and diversification dynamics, co-occurring with different sets of species from different lineages across their geographical ranges. These findings stress the difficulty of forecasting potential effects of future climate changes on biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabricio Villalobos
- Departamento de Ecologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II/UFG, CxP 131, 74001-970 Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Francesco Carotenuto
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo S. Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università di Napoli Federico II, Largo S. Marcellino 10, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - José Alexandre F Diniz-Filho
- Departamento de Ecologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II/UFG, CxP 131, 74001-970 Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Jablonski D, Huang S, Roy K, Valentine JW. Shaping the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient: New Perspectives from a Synthesis of Paleobiology and Biogeography. Am Nat 2016; 189:1-12. [PMID: 28035884 DOI: 10.1086/689739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
An impediment to understanding the origin and dynamics of the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)-the most pervasive large-scale biotic pattern on Earth-has been the tendency to focus narrowly on a single causal factor when a more synthetic, integrative approach is needed. Using marine bivalves as a model system and drawing on other systems where possible, we review paleobiologic and biogeographic support for two supposedly opposing views, that the LDG is shaped primarily by (a) local environmental factors that determine the number of species and higher taxa at a given latitude (in situ hypotheses) or (b) the entry of lineages arising elsewhere into a focal region (spatial dynamics hypotheses). Support for in situ hypotheses includes the fit of present-day diversity trends in many clades to such environmental factors as temperature and the correlation of extinction intensities in Pliocene bivalve faunas with net regional temperature changes. Support for spatial dynamics hypotheses includes the age-frequency distribution of bivalve genera across latitudes, which is consistent with an out-of-the-tropics dynamic, as are the higher species diversities in temperate southeastern Australia and southeastern Japan than in the tropical Caribbean. Thus, both in situ and spatial dynamics processes must shape the bivalve LDG and are likely to operate in other groups as well. The relative strengths of the two processes may differ among groups showing similar LDGs, but dissecting their effects will require improved methods of integrating fossil data with molecular phylogenies. We highlight several potential research directions and argue that many of the most dramatic biotic patterns, past and present, are likely to have been generated by diverse, mutually reinforcing drivers.
Collapse
|
47
|
Burbrink FT, Chan YL, Myers EA, Ruane S, Smith BT, Hickerson MJ. Asynchronous demographic responses to Pleistocene climate change in Eastern Nearctic vertebrates. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:1457-1467. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank T. Burbrink
- Department of Herpetology The American Museum of Natural History Central Park West and 79th Street New York NY10024 USA
| | - Yvonne L. Chan
- iDepartment ’Iolani School 563 Kamoku Street Honolulu HI96826 USA
| | - Edward A. Myers
- Department of Biology 6S‐143 College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Boulevard Staten Island NY10314 USA
- Department of Biology The Graduate School and University Center The City University of New York 365 Fifth Ave. NY10016 USA
| | - Sara Ruane
- Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University 119 Foster Hall Baton Rouge LA70803 USA
| | - Brian Tilston Smith
- Department of Ornithology The American Museum of Natural History Central Park West and 79th Street New York NY10024 USA
| | - Michael J. Hickerson
- Department of Biology The Graduate School and University Center The City University of New York 365 Fifth Ave. NY10016 USA
- Biology Department City College of New York New York NY10016 USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology The American Museum of Natural History Central Park West and 79th Street New York NY10024 USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Canham CD, Murphy L. The demography of tree species response to climate: sapling and canopy tree growth. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Charles D. Canham
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Box AB Millbrook New York 12545 USA
| | - Lora Murphy
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Box AB Millbrook New York 12545 USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Marcisz K, Colombaroli D, Jassey VEJ, Tinner W, Kołaczek P, Gałka M, Karpińska-Kołaczek M, Słowiński M, Lamentowicz M. A novel testate amoebae trait-based approach to infer environmental disturbance in Sphagnum peatlands. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33907. [PMID: 27658521 PMCID: PMC5034269 DOI: 10.1038/srep33907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Species' functional traits are closely related to ecosystem processes through evolutionary adaptation, and are thus directly connected to environmental changes. Species' traits are not commonly used in palaeoecology, even though they offer powerful advantages in understanding the impact of environmental disturbances in a mechanistic way over time. Here we show that functional traits of testate amoebae (TA), a common group of palaeoecological indicators, can serve as an early warning signal of ecosystem disturbance and help determine thresholds of ecosystem resilience to disturbances in peatlands. We analysed TA traits from two Sphagnum-dominated mires, which had experienced different kinds of disturbances in the past 2000 years - fire and peat extraction, respectively. We tested the effect of disturbances on the linkages between TA community structure, functional trait composition and functional diversity using structural equation modelling. We found that traits such as mixotrophy and small hidden apertures (plagiostomic apertures) are strongly connected with disturbance, suggesting that these two traits can be used as palaeoecological proxies of peatland disturbance. We show that TA functional traits may serve as a good proxy of past environmental changes, and further analysis of trait-ecosystem relationships could make them valuable indicators of the contemporary ecosystem state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Marcisz
- Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Monitoring, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.,Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.,Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Colombaroli
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vincent E J Jassey
- Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecological Systems Laboratory, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.,WSL - Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Site Lausanne, Station 2, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Willy Tinner
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Piotr Kołaczek
- Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
| | - Mariusz Gałka
- Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
| | - Monika Karpińska-Kołaczek
- Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Monitoring, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.,Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Słowiński
- Department of Environmental Resources and Geohazards, Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Mariusz Lamentowicz
- Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Monitoring, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland.,Department of Biogeography and Palaeoecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Dimassi N, Khadra YB, Othmen AB, Ezzine IK, Said K. High genetic diversity vs. low genetic and morphological differentiation of Argiope trifasciata (Araneae, Araneidae) in Tunisia. SYST BIODIVERS 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2016.1203040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Najet Dimassi
- Laboratoire de Recherche, Génétique, Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bioressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir (LR11ES41), Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisie
| | - Yousra Ben Khadra
- Laboratoire de Recherche, Génétique, Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bioressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir (LR11ES41), Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisie
| | - Abdelwaheb Ben Othmen
- Laboratoire de Recherche, Génétique, Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bioressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir (LR11ES41), Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisie
| | - Issaad Kawther Ezzine
- Laboratoire de Recherche, Génétique, Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bioressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir (LR11ES41), Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisie
| | - Khaled Said
- Laboratoire de Recherche, Génétique, Biodiversité et Valorisation des Bioressources, Institut Supérieur de Biotechnologie de Monastir (LR11ES41), Université de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisie
| |
Collapse
|