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Hermann M, Polazzo F, Cherta L, Crettaz-Minaglia M, García-Astillero A, Peeters ETHM, Rico A, Van den Brink PJ. Combined stress of an insecticide and heatwaves or elevated temperature induce community and food web effects in a Mediterranean freshwater ecosystem. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 260:121903. [PMID: 38875860 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121903] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Ongoing global climate change will shift nature towards Anthropocene's unprecedented conditions by increasing average temperatures and the frequency and severity of extreme events, such as heatwaves. While such climatic changes pose an increased threat for freshwater ecosystems, other stressors like pesticides may interact with warming and lead to unpredictable effects. Studies that examine the underpinned mechanisms of multiple stressor effects are scarce and often lack environmental realism. Here, we conducted a multiple stressors experiment using outdoor freshwater mesocosms with natural assemblages of macroinvertebrates, zooplankton, phytoplankton, macrophytes, and microbes. The effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (1 µg/L) were investigated in combination with three temperature scenarios representing ambient, elevated temperatures (+4 °C), and heatwaves (+0 to 8 °C), the latter two having similar energy input. We found similar imidacloprid dissipation patterns for all temperature treatments with lowest average dissipation half-lives under both warming scenarios (DT50: 3 days) and highest under ambient temperatures (DT50: 4 days) throughout the experiment. Amongst all communities, only the zooplankton community was significantly affected by the combined treatments. This community demonstrated low chemical sensitivity with lagged and significant negative imidacloprid effects only for cyclopoids. Heatwaves caused early and long-lasting significant effects on the zooplankton community as compared to elevated temperatures, with Polyarthra, Daphnia longispina, Lecanidae, and cyclopoids being the most negatively affected taxa, whereas Ceriodaphnia and nauplii showed positive responses to temperature. Community recovery from imidacloprid stress was slower under heatwaves, suggesting temperature-enhanced toxicity. Finally, microbial and macrofauna litter degradation were significantly enhanced by temperature, whereas the latter was also negatively affected by imidacloprid. A structural equation model depicted cascading food web effects of both stressors with stronger relationships and significant negative stressor effects at higher than at lower trophic levels. Our study highlights the threat of a series of heatwaves compared to elevated temperatures for imidacloprid-stressed freshwaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Hermann
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Francesco Polazzo
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Cherta
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Melina Crettaz-Minaglia
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ariadna García-Astillero
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Edwin T H M Peeters
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Andreu Rico
- IMDEA Water Institute, Science and Technology Campus of the University of Alcalá, Avenida Punto Com 2, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paul J Van den Brink
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Walberg PB. Competition Increases Risk of Species Extinction during Extreme Warming. Am Nat 2024; 203:323-334. [PMID: 38358815 DOI: 10.1086/728672] [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] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractTemperature and interspecific competition are fundamental drivers of community structure in natural systems and can interact to affect many measures of species performance. However, surprisingly little is known about the extent to which competition affects extinction temperatures during extreme warming. This information is important for evaluating future threats to species from extreme high-temperature events and heat waves, which are rising in frequency and severity around the world. Using experimental freshwater communities of rotifers and ciliates, this study shows that interspecific competition can lower the threshold temperature at which local extinction occurs, reducing time to extinction during periods of sustained warming by as much as 2 weeks. Competitors may lower extinction temperatures by altering biochemical characteristics of the natural environment that affect temperature tolerance (e.g., levels of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and metabolic wastes) or by accelerating population decline through traditional effects of resource depletion on life history parameters that affect population growth rates. The results suggest that changes in community structure in space and time could drive variability in upper thermal limits.
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Hermann M, Peeters ETHM, Van den Brink PJ. Heatwaves, elevated temperatures, and a pesticide cause interactive effects on multi-trophic levels of a freshwater ecosystem. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 327:121498. [PMID: 36965684 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Climate impacts of elevated temperatures and more severe and frequent weather extremes like heatwaves are globally becoming discernible on nature. While a mechanistic understanding is pivotal for ecosystem management, stressors like pesticides may interact with warming, leading to unpredictable effects on freshwater ecosystems. These multiple stressor studies are scarce and experimental designs often lack environmental realism. To investigate the multiple stressor effects, we conducted a microcosm experiment for 48 days comprising benthic macroinvertebrates, zooplankton, phytoplankton, macrophytes, and microbes. The fungicide carbendazim (100 μg/L) was investigated combined with temperature scenarios representing elevated temperatures (+4 °C) or heatwaves (+0 to +8 °C), both applied with similar energy input on a daily fluctuating ambient temperature (18 °C ± 1.5 °C), which served as control. Measurements showed the highest carbendazim dissipation in water under heatwaves followed by elevated and ambient temperatures. Average carbendazim concentrations were about 50% in water and 16% in sediment of the nominal concentration. In both heated cosms, zooplankton community dynamics revealed an unexpected shift from Rotifera to Cladocera and Copepoda nauplii, indicating variations in their thermal sensitivity, tolerance and resilience. Notably, warming and heatwaves shaped community responses similarly, suggesting heat intensity rather than distribution patterns determined the community structure. Heatwaves led to significant early and longer-lasting adverse effects that were exacerbated over time with Cladocera and Copepoda being most sensitive likely due to significant carbendazim interactions. Finally, a structural equation model demonstrated significant relationships between zooplankton and macrophytes and significantly negative carbendazim effects on zooplankton, whereas positive on macroinvertebrate abundances. The relationship between macroinvertebrate feeding and abundance was masked by significantly temperature-affected microbial leaf litter decomposition. Despite the thermal tolerance of zooplankton communities, our study highlights an increased pesticide threat under temperature extremes. More intense heatwaves are thus likely to cause significant alterations in community assemblages which will adversely affect ecosystem's processes and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Hermann
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700, AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Edwin T H M Peeters
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700, AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Paul J Van den Brink
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700, AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700, AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Wolfe E, Cerini F, Besson M, O'Brien D, Clements CF. Spatiotemporal thermal variation drives diversity trends in experimental landscapes. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:430-441. [PMID: 36494717 PMCID: PMC10108128 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13867] [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: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Temperature is a fundamental driver of species' vital rates and thus coexistence, extinctions and community composition. While temperature is neither static in space nor in time, little work has incorporated spatiotemporal dynamics into community-level investigations of thermal variation. We conducted a microcosm experiment using ciliate protozoa to test the effects of temperatures fluctuating synchronously or asynchronously on communities in two-patch landscapes connected by short or long corridors. We monitored the abundance of each species for 4 weeks-equivalent to ~28 generations-measuring the effects of four temperature regimes and two corridor lengths on community diversity and composition. While corridor length significantly altered the trajectory of diversity change in the communities, this did not result in different community structures at the end of the experiment. The type of thermal variation significantly affected both the temporal dynamics of diversity change and final community composition, with synchronous fluctuation causing deterministic extinctions that were consistent across replicates and spatial variation causing the greatest diversity declines. Our results suggest that the presence and type of thermal variation can play an important role in structuring ecological communities, especially when it interacts with dispersal between habitat patches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie Wolfe
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Francesco Cerini
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Marc Besson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Sorbonne Université CNRS UMR Biologie des organismes marins, BIOM, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Duncan O'Brien
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Schou MF, Engelbrecht A, Brand Z, Svensson EI, Cloete S, Cornwallis CK. Evolutionary trade-offs between heat and cold tolerance limit responses to fluctuating climates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn9580. [PMID: 35622916 PMCID: PMC9140960 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn9580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The evolutionary potential of species to cope with short-term temperature fluctuations during reproduction is critical to predicting responses to future climate change. Despite this, vertebrate research has focused on reproduction under high or low temperatures in relatively stable temperate climates. Here, we characterize the genetic basis of reproductive thermal tolerance to temperature fluctuations in the ostrich, which lives in variable environments in tropical and subtropical Africa. Both heat and cold tolerance were under selection and heritable, indicating the potential for evolutionary responses to mean temperature change. However, we found evidence for a negative, genetic correlation between heat and cold tolerance that should limit the potential for adaptation to fluctuating temperatures. Genetic constraints between heat and cold tolerance appear a crucial, yet underappreciated, factor influencing responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads F. Schou
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anel Engelbrecht
- Directorate Animal Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg, South Africa
| | - Zanell Brand
- Directorate Animal Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg, South Africa
| | | | - Schalk Cloete
- Directorate Animal Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg, South Africa
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland, South Africa
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