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Bloxham B, Lee H, Gore J. Biodiversity is enhanced by sequential resource utilization and environmental fluctuations via emergent temporal niches. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012049. [PMID: 38739654 PMCID: PMC11135710 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
How natural communities maintain their remarkable biodiversity and which species survive in complex communities are central questions in ecology. Resource competition models successfully explain many phenomena but typically predict only as many species as resources can coexist. Here, we demonstrate that sequential resource utilization, or diauxie, with periodic growth cycles can support many more species than resources. We explore how communities modify their own environments by sequentially depleting resources to form sequences of temporal niches, or intermediately depleted environments. Biodiversity is enhanced when community-driven or environmental fluctuations modulate the resource depletion order and produce different temporal niches on each growth cycle. Community-driven fluctuations under constant environmental conditions are rare, but exploring them illuminates the temporal niche structure that emerges from sequential resource utilization. With environmental fluctuations, we find most communities have more stably coexisting species than resources with survivors accurately predicted by the same temporal niche structure and each following a distinct optimal strategy. Our results thus present a new niche-based approach to understanding highly diverse fluctuating communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blox Bloxham
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hyunseok Lee
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jeff Gore
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
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2
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Martínez-Blancas A, Beláustegui IX, Martorell C. Species alliances and hidden niche dimensions drive species clustering along a hydric gradient in a semiarid grassland. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2651-2662. [PMID: 36217951 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Clustering of species with similar niches or traits occurs in communities, but the mechanisms behind this pattern are still unclear. In the emergent neutrality model, species with similar niches and competitive ability self-organise into clusters. In the hidden-niche model, unaccounted-for niche differences stabilise coexistence within clusters. Finally, clustering may occur through alliances of species that facilitate each other. We tested these hypotheses using population-growth models that consider interspecific interactions parameterised for 35 species using field data. We simulated the expected community dynamics under different species-interaction scenarios. Interspecific competition was weaker within rather than between clusters, suggesting that differences in unmeasured niche axes stabilise coexistence within clusters. Direct facilitation did not drive clustering. In contrast, indirect facilitation seemingly promoted species alliances in clusters whose members suppressed common competitors in other clusters. Such alliances have been overlooked in the literature on clustering, but may arise easily when within cluster competition is weak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Martínez-Blancas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ian Xul Beláustegui
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Carlos Martorell
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
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3
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Borics G, Abonyi A, Salmaso N, Ptacnik R. Freshwater phytoplankton diversity: models, drivers and implications for ecosystem properties. HYDROBIOLOGIA 2020; 848:53-75. [PMID: 32836348 PMCID: PMC7334633 DOI: 10.1007/s10750-020-04332-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Our understanding on phytoplankton diversity has largely been progressing since the publication of Hutchinson on the paradox of the plankton. In this paper, we summarise some major steps in phytoplankton ecology in the context of mechanisms underlying phytoplankton diversity. Here, we provide a framework for phytoplankton community assembly and an overview of measures on taxonomic and functional diversity. We show how ecological theories on species competition together with modelling approaches and laboratory experiments helped understand species coexistence and maintenance of diversity in phytoplankton. The non-equilibrium nature of phytoplankton and the role of disturbances in shaping diversity are also discussed. Furthermore, we discuss the role of water body size, productivity of habitats and temperature on phytoplankton species richness, and how diversity may affect the functioning of lake ecosystems. At last, we give an insight into molecular tools that have emerged in the last decades and argue how it has broadened our perspective on microbial diversity. Besides historical backgrounds, some critical comments have also been made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Borics
- Department of Tisza Research, Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute, Bem tér 18/c, 4026 Debrecen, Hungary
- GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Klebelsberg Kuno u. 3, 8237 Tihany, Hungary
| | - András Abonyi
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163 Vácrátót, Hungary
- WasserCluster Lunz – Biologische Station GmbH, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser-Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Nico Salmaso
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Robert Ptacnik
- WasserCluster Lunz – Biologische Station GmbH, Dr. Carl Kupelwieser-Promenade 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
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4
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Antonucci Di Carvalho J, Wickham SA. Simulating eutrophication in a metacommunity landscape: an aquatic model ecosystem. Oecologia 2019; 189:461-474. [PMID: 30523402 PMCID: PMC6394664 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4319-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Aquatic habitats are often characterized by both high diversity and the threat of multiple anthropogenic stressors. Our research deals with temporal and spatial aspects of two of the main threats for biodiversity, namely eutrophication and fragmentation. It is known that pulsed nutrient addition creates temporal differences in environmental conditions, promoting higher diversity by preventing the best competitor from dominating. Furthermore, a metacommunity landscape with intermediate connectivity increases autotrophs' diversity and stability. However, it is yet unclear if these two factors are additive in increasing diversity and if the effects extend to the consumer level. With the goal of understanding how eutrophication impacts biodiversity in a metacommunity landscape, we hypothesized that pulsed nutrient addition will increase diversity among both autotrophs and heterotrophs, and this effect will be even greater in a metacommunity landscape. We simulated eutrophication and fragmentation in a microcosm experiment using phytoplankton as primary producers and microzooplankton as grazers. Four treatment combinations were tested including two different landscapes (metacommunity and isolated community) and two forms of nutrient supply (pulsed and continuous): metacommunity/continuous nutrient addition (MC); metacommunity/pulsed nutrient addition (MP); isolated community/continuous nutrient addition (IC); isolated community/pulsed nutrient addition (IP). As expected, pulsed nutrient addition had a persistent positive effect on phytoplankton diversity, with a weaker influence of landscape type. In contrast, the grazer community strongly benefited from a metacommunity landscape, with less significance of pulsed or continuous nutrient addition. Overall, the metacommunity landscape with pulsed nutrient supply supported higher diversity of primary producers and grazers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josie Antonucci Di Carvalho
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Stephen A Wickham
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
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5
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D’Andrea R, Riolo M, Ostling AM. Generalizing clusters of similar species as a signature of coexistence under competition. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006688. [PMID: 30668562 PMCID: PMC6358094 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of trait distribution among competing species can potentially reveal the processes that allow them to coexist. It has been recently proposed that competition may drive the spontaneous emergence of niches comprising clusters of similar species, in contrast with the dominant paradigm of greater-than-chance species differences. However, current clustering theory relies largely on heuristic rather than mechanistic models. Furthermore, studies of models incorporating demographic stochasticity and immigration, two key players in community assembly, did not observe clusters. Here we demonstrate clustering under partitioning of resources, partitioning of environmental gradients, and a competition-colonization tradeoff. We show that clusters are robust to demographic stochasticity, and can persist under immigration. While immigration may sustain clusters that are otherwise transient, too much dilutes the pattern. In order to detect and quantify clusters in nature, we introduce and validate metrics which have no free parameters nor require arbitrary trait binning, and weigh species by their abundances rather than relying on a presence-absence count. By generalizing beyond the circumstances where clusters have been observed, our study contributes to establishing them as an update to classical trait patterning theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael D’Andrea
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Maria Riolo
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Annette M. Ostling
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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6
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To share or not to share? Phytoplankton species coexistence puzzle in a competition model incorporating multiple resource-limitation and synthesizing unit concepts. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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7
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Smeti E, Roelke DL, Tsirtsis G, Spatharis S. Species extinctions strengthen the relationship between biodiversity and resource use efficiency. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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8
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Muhl RMW, Roelke DL, Zohary T, Moustaka-Gouni M, Sommer U, Borics G, Gaedke U, Withrow FG, Bhattacharyya J. Resisting annihilation: relationships between functional trait dissimilarity, assemblage competitive power and allelopathy. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1390-1400. [PMID: 29992677 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Allelopathic species can alter biodiversity. Using simulated assemblages that are characterised by neutrality, lumpy coexistence and intransitivity, we explore relationships between within-assemblage competitive dissimilarities and resistance to allelopathic species. An emergent behaviour from our models is that assemblages are more resistant to allelopathy when members strongly compete exploitatively (high competitive power). We found that neutral assemblages were the most vulnerable to allelopathic species, followed by lumpy and then by intransitive assemblages. We find support for our modeling in real-world time-series data from eight lakes of varied morphometry and trophic state. Our analysis of this data shows that a lake's history of allelopathic phytoplankton species biovolume density and dominance is related to the number of species clusters occurring in the plankton assemblages of those lakes, an emergent trend similar to that of our modeling. We suggest that an assemblage's competitive power determines its allelopathy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rika M W Muhl
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA
| | - Daniel L Roelke
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA.,Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Tamar Zohary
- Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, P.O.B. 447, Migdal, 14950, Israel
| | - Maria Moustaka-Gouni
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ulrich Sommer
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel, Experimentelle Ökologie I (Nahrungsnetze), Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Gábor Borics
- Department of Tisza Research, MTA Centre for Ecological Research, 18/c, Bem square, Debrecen, 4026, Hungary.,MTA Centre for Ecological Research, GINOP Sustainable Ecosystems Group, 3. Klebelsberg Kuno str., H-8237, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Ursula Gaedke
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 2, D-14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Frances G Withrow
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA
| | - Joydeb Bhattacharyya
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2258, USA
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9
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Bhattacharyya J, Roelke DL, Muhl RM, Withrow FG. Exploitative competition of invaders differentially influences the diversity of neutral, lumpy and intransitive phytoplankton assemblages in spatially heterogeneous environments. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Withrow FG, Roelke DL, Muhl RM, Bhattacharyya J. Water column processes differentially influence richness and diversity of neutral, lumpy and intransitive phytoplankton assemblages. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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11
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Roelke DL. Applying principles of resource competition theory to microalgae biomass production: A more refined relationship between species richness and productivity. ALGAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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12
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Klauschies T, Vasseur DA, Gaedke U. Trait adaptation promotes species coexistence in diverse predator and prey communities. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:4141-59. [PMID: 27516870 PMCID: PMC4972238 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Species can adjust their traits in response to selection which may strongly influence species coexistence. Nevertheless, current theory mainly assumes distinct and time-invariant trait values. We examined the combined effects of the range and the speed of trait adaptation on species coexistence using an innovative multispecies predator-prey model. It allows for temporal trait changes of all predator and prey species and thus simultaneous coadaptation within and among trophic levels. We show that very small or slow trait adaptation did not facilitate coexistence because the stabilizing niche differences were not sufficient to offset the fitness differences. In contrast, sufficiently large and fast trait adaptation jointly promoted stable or neutrally stable species coexistence. Continuous trait adjustments in response to selection enabled a temporally variable convergence and divergence of species traits; that is, species became temporally more similar (neutral theory) or dissimilar (niche theory) depending on the selection pressure, resulting over time in a balance between niche differences stabilizing coexistence and fitness differences promoting competitive exclusion. Furthermore, coadaptation allowed prey and predator species to cluster into different functional groups. This equalized the fitness of similar species while maintaining sufficient niche differences among functionally different species delaying or preventing competitive exclusion. In contrast to previous studies, the emergent feedback between biomass and trait dynamics enabled supersaturated coexistence for a broad range of potential trait adaptation and parameters. We conclude that accounting for trait adaptation may explain stable and supersaturated species coexistence for a broad range of environmental conditions in natural systems when the absence of such adaptive changes would preclude it. Small trait changes, coincident with those that may occur within many natural populations, greatly enlarged the number of coexisting species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Klauschies
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Institute for Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Am Neuen Palais 10 D-14469 Potsdam Germany
| | - David A Vasseur
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Ursula Gaedke
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Institute for Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Am Neuen Palais 10 D-14469 Potsdam Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) D-14195 Berlin Germany
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13
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Smeti E, Roelke DL, Spatharis S. Spatial averaging and disturbance lead to high productivity in aquatic metacommunities. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Evangelia Smeti
- Dept of Marine Sciences; Univ. of the Aegean, University Hill; GR-81100 Mytilene Greece
| | - Daniel L. Roelke
- Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences; Texas A&M University; 2258 TAMUS College Station TX 77843-2258 USA
| | - Sofie Spatharis
- Inst. of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Univ. of Glasgow; Glasgow G12 8QQ Scotland UK
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14
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Empirical clues about the fulfillment of quantum principles in ecology: Potential meaning and theoretical challenges. Ecol Modell 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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15
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Roelke DL, Spatharis S. Phytoplankton succession in recurrently fluctuating environments. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121392. [PMID: 25803437 PMCID: PMC4372531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal marine systems are affected by seasonal variations in biogeochemical and physical processes, sometimes leading to alternating periods of reproductive growth limitation within an annual cycle. Transitions between these periods can be sudden or gradual. Human activities, such as reservoir construction and interbasin water transfers, influence these processes and can affect the type of transition between resource loading conditions. How such human activities might influence phytoplankton succession is largely unknown. Here, we employ a multispecies, multi-nutrient model to explore how nutrient loading switching mode might affect phytoplankton succession. The model is based on the Monod-relationship, predicting an instantaneous reproductive growth rate from ambient inorganic nutrient concentrations whereas the limiting nutrient at any given time was determined by Liebig's Law of the Minimum. When these relationships are combined with population loss factors, such as hydraulic displacement of cells associated with inflows, a characterization of a species' niche can be achieved through application of the R* conceptual model, thus enabling an ecological interpretation of modeling results. We found that the mode of reversal in resource supply concentrations had a profound effect. When resource supply reversals were sudden, as expected in systems influenced by pulsed inflows or wind-driven mixing events, phytoplankton were characterized by alternating succession dynamics, a phenomenon documented in inland water bodies of temperate latitudes. When resource supply reversals were gradual, as expected in systems influenced by seasonally developing wet and dry seasons, or annually occurring periods of upwelling, phytoplankton dynamics were characterized by mirror-image succession patterns. This phenomenon has not been reported previously in plankton systems but has been observed in some terrestrial plant systems. These findings suggest that a transition from alternating to "mirror-image" succession patterns might arise with continued coastal zone development, with crucial implications for ecosystems dependent on time-sensitive processes, e.g., spawning events and migration patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Roelke
- Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, and Department of Oceanography, 2258 TAMUS, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sofie Spatharis
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
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16
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Roelke DL, Spatharis S. Phytoplankton assemblage characteristics in recurrently fluctuating environments. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0120673. [PMID: 25799563 PMCID: PMC4370464 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Annual variations in biogeochemical and physical processes can lead to nutrient variability and seasonal patterns in phytoplankton productivity and assemblage structure. In many coastal systems river inflow and water exchange with the ocean varies seasonally, and alternating periods can arise where the nutrient most limiting to phytoplankton growth switches. Transitions between these alternating periods can be sudden or gradual and this depends on human activities, such as reservoir construction and interbasin water transfers. How such activities might influence phytoplankton assemblages is largely unknown. Here, we employed a multispecies, multi-nutrient model to explore how nutrient loading switching mode might affect characteristics of phytoplankton assemblages. The model is based on the Monod-relationship, predicting an instantaneous growth rate from ambient inorganic nutrient concentrations whereas the limiting nutrient at any given time was determined by Liebig's Law of the Minimum. Our simulated phytoplankton assemblages self-organized from species rich pools over a 15-year period, and only the surviving species were considered as assemblage members. Using the model, we explored the interactive effects of complementarity level in trait trade-offs within phytoplankton assemblages and the amount of noise in the resource supply concentrations. We found that the effect of shift from a sudden resource supply transition to a gradual one, as observed in systems impacted by watershed development, was dependent on the level of complementarity. In the extremes, phytoplankton species richness and relative overyielding increased when complementarity was lowest, and phytoplankton biomass increased greatly when complementarity was highest. For low-complementarity simulations, the persistence of poorer-performing phytoplankton species of intermediate R*s led to higher richness and relative overyielding. For high-complementarity simulations, the formation of phytoplankton species clusters and niche compression enabled higher biomass accumulation. Our findings suggest that an understanding of factors influencing the emergence of life history traits important to complementarity is necessary to predict the impact of watershed development on phytoplankton productivity and assemblage structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Roelke
- Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, and Department of Oceanography, 2258 TAMUS, College Station, Texas 77843–2258, United States of America
| | - Sofie Spatharis
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland, United Kingdom
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17
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Munguia P. Life history affects how species experience succession in pen shell metacommunities. Oecologia 2013; 174:1335-44. [PMID: 24305864 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2849-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In nature, very few species are common and broadly distributed. Most species are rare and occupy few sites; this pattern is ubiquitous across habitats and taxa. In spatially structured communities (metacommunities), regional distribution and local abundance may change as the relative effects of within-habitat processes (e.g., species interactions) and among-habitat processes (e.g., dispersal) may vary through succession. A field experiment with the marine benthic inhabitants of pen shells (Atrina rigida) tested how common and rare species respond to succession and metacommunity size. I followed community development through time and partitioned species into sessile and motile based on their natural history. Rare species drive diversity patterns and are influenced by metacommunity size: there are strong abundance-distribution differences between common and rare species in large metacommunities, but motile species show lower rates of change than sessile species. In small metacommunities both common and rare species have similar changes through time; the dichotomous distinction of common and rare species is not present. Edge effects in metacommunities affect species' changes in distribution and abundance. In large metacommunities diversity is higher in edge habitats relative to small metacommunities during early succession. However, edge effects benefit motile species over time in small metacommunities showing a rapid increase in diversity. Individual mobility is sensitive to regional community size and allows individuals to sort among different communities. In contrast, sessile species do not show this edge effect. Metacommunity theory is a useful framework for understanding spatially structured communities, but the natural history of coexisting species cannot be ignored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Munguia
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia,
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18
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Tsirtsis G, Spatharis S. Simulating the structure of natural phytoplankton assemblages: Descriptive vs. mechanistic models. Ecol Modell 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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19
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Roelke DL, Eldridge PM. Losers in the ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’ game: The role of non-hierarchical competition and chaos as biodiversity sustaining agents in aquatic systems. Ecol Modell 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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20
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