1
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Gross CP, Stachowicz JJ. Extending trait dispersion across trophic levels: Predator assemblages act as top-down filters on prey communities. Ecology 2024; 105:e4320. [PMID: 38768562 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Studies of community assembly typically focus on the effects of abiotic environmental filters and stabilizing competition on functional trait dispersion within single trophic levels. Predation is a well-known driver of community diversity and composition, yet the role of functionally diverse predator communities in filtering prey community traits has received less attention. We examined functionally diverse communities of predators (fishes) and prey (epifaunal crustaceans) in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in two northern California estuaries to evaluate the filtering effects of predator traits on community assembly and how filters acting on predators influence their ability to mediate prey community assembly. Fish traits related to bottom orientation were correlated with more clustered epifauna communities, and epifauna were generally overdispersed while fishes were clustered, suggesting prey may be pushed to disparate areas of trait space to avoid capture by benthic sit-and-wait predators. We also found correlations between the trait dispersions of predator and prey communities that strengthened after accounting for the effects of habitat filters on predator dispersion, suggesting that habitat filtering effects on predator species pools may hinder their ability to affect prey community assembly. Our results present compelling observational evidence that specific predator traits have measurable impacts on the community assembly of prey, inviting experimental tests of predator trait means on community assembly and explicit comparisons of how the relative effects of habitat filters and intraguild competition on predators impact their ability to affect prey community assembly. Integrating our understanding of traits at multiple trophic levels can help us better predict the impacts of community composition on food web dynamics as regional species pools shift with climate change and anthropogenic introductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin P Gross
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - John J Stachowicz
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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2
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Sharifian S, Mortazavi MS, Mohebbi Nozar SL. Projected habitat preferences of commercial fish under different scenarios of climate change. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10177. [PMID: 38702432 PMCID: PMC11068754 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61008-3] [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: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The challenges of commercial species with the threats of climate change make it necessary to predict the changes in the distributional shifts and habitat preferences of the species under possible future scenarios. We aim to demonstrate how future climatic changes will affect the habitat suitability of three species of commercial fish using the predictive technique MaxEnt. The dataset used to extract geographical records included OBIS (54%), GBIF (1%), and literature (45%). The output of the model indicated accurate projections of MaxEnt (AUC above 0.9). Temperature was the main descriptor responsible for the main effects on the distribution of commercial fish. With increasing RCP from 2.5 to 8.5, the species would prefer saltier, higher temperatures and deeper waters in the future. We observed different percentages of suitable habitats between species during RCPs showing distinct sensitivity of each fish in facing climate changes. Negative effects from climate change on the distribution patterns of commercial fish were predicted to lead to varying degrees of reduction and changes of suitable habitats and movement of species towards higher latitudes. The finding emphasizes to implement adaptive management measures to preserve the stocks of these commercial fish considering that the intensification of the effects of climate change on subtropical areas and overexploited species is predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Sharifian
- Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Sciences Research Institute, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Seddiq Mortazavi
- Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Sciences Research Institute, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Laili Mohebbi Nozar
- Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecological Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Sciences Research Institute, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran
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3
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Hartwell AM, Wheat AE, Dijkstra JA. Natural warming differentiates communities and increases diversity in deep-sea Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems. Commun Biol 2024; 7:379. [PMID: 38548927 PMCID: PMC10978836 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06070-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems have discrete pockets of fluid discharge that mimic climate-induced ocean warming. Unlike traditional hydrothermal fluids, those discharged by Ridge Flank Hydrothermal Systems have a chemical composition indistinguishable from background water, enabling evaluation of the effect of warming temperature. Here we link temperature and terrain variables to community composition and biodiversity by combining remotely operated vehicle images of vent and non-vent zone communities with associated environmental variables. We show overall differences in composition, family richness, and biodiversity between zones, though richness and diversity were only significantly greater in vent zones at one location. Temperature was a contributing factor to observed greater biodiversity near vent zones. Overall, our results suggest that warming in the deep sea will affect species composition and diversity. However, due to the diverse outcomes projected for ocean warming, additional research is necessary to forecast the impacts of ocean warming on deep-sea ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Hartwell
- University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center, 24 Colovos Rd, Durham, NH, USA.
| | - Anna E Wheat
- Oregon State University, 1500 SW Jefferson Ave, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Jennifer A Dijkstra
- University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/Joint Hydrographic Center, 24 Colovos Rd, Durham, NH, USA
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4
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Bryant SRD, McClain CR. Functional space expansion driven by transitions between energetically advantageous traits in the deep sea. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221302. [PMID: 36382521 PMCID: PMC9667370 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1302] [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: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is shifting community structure and biodiversity on a global scale, in part due to alterations of chemical and thermal energy availability. These changes may impact ecosystem functioning through their influence on functional diversity. We investigate patterns of functional diversity, functional niches, and functional traits in bivalve communities across the energetic gradient of the deep Atlantic Ocean. We use the functional traits feeding type, tiering, and motility level to define the axes of functional space and the unique combinations of these traits as functional niches. We find that increased energy affords new species, added into functional space through niche expansion rather than niche packing. Underlying this pattern are complex dynamics of gains and losses of individual functional niches, with few adapted to the low- and high-energy extremes, and most occurring at intermediate energy. Adaptive qualities of specific traits are evidenced by those functional niches occurring at energetic extremes. Tradeoffs between these traits within the intermediate energy zone underlie an increased coexistence of functional niches, which in turn drives a unimodal pattern of functional niches and expansion of used functional space. This work suggests that energy-limited communities may be especially vulnerable to continued shifts in food availability through the Anthropocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. River D. Bryant
- Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, LA 70344, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 410 E. St. Mary Blvd., Billeaud Hall, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
| | - Craig R. McClain
- Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, LA 70344, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 410 E. St. Mary Blvd., Billeaud Hall, Lafayette, LA 70503, USA
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5
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Gross CP, Duffy JE, Hovel KA, Kardish MR, Reynolds PL, Boström C, Boyer KE, Cusson M, Eklöf J, Engelen AH, Eriksson BK, Fodrie FJ, Griffin JN, Hereu CM, Hori M, Hughes AR, Ivanov MV, Jorgensen P, Kruschel C, Lee KS, Lefcheck J, McGlathery K, Moksnes PO, Nakaoka M, O'Connor MI, O'Connor NE, Olsen JL, Orth RJ, Peterson BJ, Reiss H, Rossi F, Ruesink J, Sotka EE, Thormar J, Tomas F, Unsworth R, Voigt EP, Whalen MA, Ziegler SL, Stachowicz JJ. The biogeography of community assembly: latitude and predation drive variation in community trait distribution in a guild of epifaunal crustaceans. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20211762. [PMID: 35193403 PMCID: PMC8864368 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass (Zostera marina) spanning 30° of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude. Ocean and epiphyte load appeared as secondary predictors; Pacific communities were more overdispersed while Atlantic communities were more clustered, and increasing epiphytes were associated with increased clustering. By examining how species interactions and environmental filters influence community structure across biogeographic regions, we demonstrate how both latitudinal variation in species interactions and historical contingency shape these responses. Community trait distributions have implications for ecosystem stability and functioning, and integrating large-scale observations of environmental filters, species interactions and traits can help us predict how communities may respond to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin P. Gross
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - J. Emmett Duffy
- Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, MarineGEO, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
| | - Kevin A. Hovel
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Melissa R. Kardish
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Pamela L. Reynolds
- DataLab: Data Science and Informatics, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christoffer Boström
- Department of Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo, Finland
| | - Katharyn E. Boyer
- Estuary & Ocean Science Center and Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mathieu Cusson
- Sciences fondamentales and Québec Océan, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada
| | - Johan Eklöf
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - F. Joel Fodrie
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Morehead City, NC, USA
| | | | - Clara M. Hereu
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Baja CA, Mexico
| | - Masakazu Hori
- Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - A. Randall Hughes
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, MA, USA
| | - Mikhail V. Ivanov
- Department of Ichthyology and Hydrobiology, St Petersburg State University, St Petersburg, Russia
| | - Pablo Jorgensen
- Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur, Argentina
| | | | - Kun-Seop Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jonathan Lefcheck
- DataLab: Data Science and Informatics, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Karen McGlathery
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Per-Olav Moksnes
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Goteborg, Sweden
| | | | - Mary I. O'Connor
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nessa E. O'Connor
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
| | | | - Robert J. Orth
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - Bradley J. Peterson
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Francesca Rossi
- Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, ECOSEAS Laboratory, Université de Cote d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Jennifer Ruesink
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Erik E. Sotka
- Grice Marine Laboratory, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Fiona Tomas
- IMEDEAS (CSIC), Esporles, Islas Baleares, Spain
| | | | - Erin P. Voigt
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Matthew A. Whalen
- Hakai Institute, Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - John J. Stachowicz
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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6
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Buhl-Mortensen P, Braga-Henriques A, Stevenson A. Polyp loss and mass occurrence of sea urchins on bamboo corals in the deep sea: an indirect effect of fishing impact? Ecology 2021; 103:e03564. [PMID: 34674254 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability of corals to detach their polyps (leaving behind a naked skeleton) in times of stress, allows polyps to escape from a local source of hostility (Sammarco 1982). In situ observations of this behavior (referred to as 'polyp bailout') were first documented in tropical reef-building corals. Later it was observed in some cold-water corals of Acanthogorgia (Braga-Henriques 2014), and Acanella arbuscula (Rakka et al. 2019) in aquaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pål Buhl-Mortensen
- Benthic Communities and Coastal Interactions Research Group, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Bergen, Norway
| | - Andreia Braga-Henriques
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Agência Regional para, Desenvolvimento da Investigação Tecnologia e Inovação (ARDITI), Piso 2, Caminho da Penteada, 9020-105, Funchal Madeira, Portugal.,Regional Directorate for Fisheries, Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries, Government of the Azores, Rua Cônsul Dabney - Colónia Alemã, 9900-014, Horta Azores, Portugal
| | - Angela Stevenson
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105, Kiel, Germany
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7
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Myers EMV, Anderson MJ, Liggins L, Harvey ES, Roberts CD, Eme D. High functional diversity in deep-sea fish communities and increasing intraspecific trait variation with increasing latitude. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:10600-10612. [PMID: 34367600 PMCID: PMC8328419 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in both inter- and intraspecific traits affects community dynamics, yet we know little regarding the relative importance of external environmental filters versus internal biotic interactions that shape the functional space of communities along broad-scale environmental gradients, such as latitude, elevation, or depth. We examined changes in several key aspects of functional alpha diversity for marine fishes along depth and latitude gradients by quantifying intra- and interspecific richness, dispersion, and regularity in functional trait space. We derived eight functional traits related to food acquisition and locomotion and calculated seven complementary indices of functional diversity for 144 species of marine ray-finned fishes along large-scale depth (50-1200 m) and latitudinal gradients (29°-51° S) in New Zealand waters. Traits were derived from morphological measurements taken directly from footage obtained using Baited Remote Underwater Stereo-Video systems and museum specimens. We partitioned functional variation into intra- and interspecific components for the first time using a PERMANOVA approach. We also implemented two tree-based diversity metrics in a functional distance-based context for the first time: namely, the variance in pairwise functional distance and the variance in nearest neighbor distance. Functional alpha diversity increased with increasing depth and decreased with increasing latitude. More specifically, the dispersion and mean nearest neighbor distances among species in trait space and intraspecific trait variability all increased with depth, whereas functional hypervolume (richness) was stable across depth. In contrast, functional hypervolume, dispersion, and regularity indices all decreased with increasing latitude; however, intraspecific trait variation increased with latitude, suggesting that intraspecific trait variability becomes increasingly important at higher latitudes. These results suggest that competition within and among species are key processes shaping functional multidimensional space for fishes in the deep sea. Increasing morphological dissimilarity with increasing depth may facilitate niche partitioning to promote coexistence, whereas abiotic filtering may be the dominant process structuring communities with increasing latitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth M. V. Myers
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Marti J. Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Libby Liggins
- School of Natural and Computational SciencesMassey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
- Auckland War Memorial MuseumTāmaki Paenga HiraAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Euan S. Harvey
- School of Molecular and Life SciencesCurtin UniversityBentleyWAAustralia
| | | | - David Eme
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS)Massey UniversityAucklandNew Zealand
- IFREMERUnité Ecologie et Modèles pour l’HalieutiqueNantesFrance
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8
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Alfaro-Lucas JM, Pradillon F, Zeppilli D, Michel LN, Martinez-Arbizu P, Tanaka H, Foviaux M, Sarrazin J. High environmental stress and productivity increase functional diversity along a deep-sea hydrothermal vent gradient. Ecology 2020; 101:e03144. [PMID: 32720359 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Productivity and environmental stress are major drivers of multiple biodiversity facets and faunal community structure. Little is known on their interacting effects on early community assembly processes in the deep sea (>200 m), the largest environment on Earth. However, at hydrothermal vents productivity correlates, at least partially, with environmental stress. Here, we studied the colonization of rock substrata deployed along a deep-sea hydrothermal vent gradient at four sites with and without direct influence of vent fluids at 1,700-m depth in the Lucky Strike vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge [MAR]). We examined in detail the composition of faunal communities (>20 μm) established after 2 yr and evaluated species and functional patterns. We expected the stressful hydrothermal activity to (1) limit functional diversity and (2) filter for traits clustering functionally similar species. However, our observations did not support our hypotheses. On the contrary, our results show that hydrothermal activity enhanced functional diversity. Moreover, despite high species diversity, environmental conditions at surrounding sites appear to filter for specific traits, thereby reducing functional richness. In fact, diversity in ecological functions may relax the effect of competition, allowing several species to coexist in high densities in the reduced space of the highly productive vent habitats under direct fluid emissions. We suggest that the high productivity at fluid-influenced sites supports higher functional diversity and traits that are more energetically expensive. The presence of exclusive species and functional entities led to a high turnover between surrounding sites. As a result, some of these sites contributed more than expected to the total species and functional β diversities. The observed faunal overlap and energy links (exported productivity) suggest that rather than operating as separate entities, habitats with and without influence of hydrothermal fluids may be considered as interconnected entities. Low functional richness and environmental filtering suggest that surrounding areas, with their very heterogeneous species and functional assemblages, may be especially vulnerable to environmental changes related to natural and anthropogenic impacts, including deep-sea mining.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - P Martinez-Arbizu
- Senckenberg am Meer, German Center for Marine Biodiversity Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - H Tanaka
- Tokyo Sea Life Park, Tokyo, Japan
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9
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Macheriotou L, Rigaux A, Derycke S, Vanreusel A. Phylogenetic clustering and rarity imply risk of local species extinction in prospective deep-sea mining areas of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192666. [PMID: 32228410 PMCID: PMC7209057 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
An understanding of the forces controlling community structure in the deep sea is essential at a time when its pristineness is threatened by polymetallic nodule mining. Because abiotically defined communities are more sensitive to environmental change, we applied occurrence- and phylogeny-based metrics to determine the importance of biotic versus abiotic structuring processes in nematodes, the most abundant invertebrate taxon of the Clarion–Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ), an area targeted for mining. We investigated the prevalence of rarity and the explanatory power of environmental parameters with respect to phylogenetic diversity (PD). We found evidence for aggregation and phylogenetic clustering in nematode amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and the dominant genus Acantholaimus, indicating the influence of environmental filtering, sympatric speciation, affinity for overlapping habitats and facilitation for community structure. PD was associated with abiotic variables such as total organic carbon, chloroplastic pigments equivalents and/or mud content, explaining up to 57% of the observed variability and providing further support of the prominence of environmental structuring forces. Rarity was high throughout, ranging from 64 to 75% unique ASVs. Communities defined by environmental filtering with a prevalence of rarity in the CCFZ suggest taxa of these nodule-bearing abyssal plains will be especially vulnerable to the risk of extinction brought about by the efforts to extract them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Macheriotou
- Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annelien Rigaux
- Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sofie Derycke
- Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Aquatic Environment and Quality, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium
| | - Ann Vanreusel
- Marine Biology Research Group, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, Building S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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10
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Ashford OS, Horton T, Roterman CN, Thurston MH, Griffiths HJ, Brandt A. A new Southern Ocean species in the remarkable and rare amphipod family Podosiridae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) questions existing systematic hypotheses. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The amphipod family Podosiridae is unusual in that it combines morphological elements of the disparate families Podoceridae and Eusiridae. Here, we describe a new species in the family from specimens collected from the Southern Ocean in the vicinity of the South Orkney Islands and South Shetland Islands. We present mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (18S) nucleic acid sequences for this and a congeneric species and use these to investigate the phylogenetic placement of Podosiridae within the Amphipoda. Our results do not provide evidence for a close relationship between Podosiridae and Podoceridae or Eusiridae, suggesting that the superficial similarity between these families is the result of morphological convergence. Instead, it is likely that Podosiridae are more closely related to families within Amphilochidira, such as Stenothoidae. Definitive placement of Podosiridae in the Amphipoda awaits further specimen collection, additional nucleotide data (including sequences from the Hyperiopsidae and the Vitjazianidae) and a more directed analysis of relationships within this portion of the amphipod phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver S Ashford
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tammy Horton
- National Oceanography Centre, European Way, Southampton, UK
| | | | | | - Huw J Griffiths
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angelika Brandt
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Department of Marine Zoology, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt and Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, FB 15 Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Campus Riedberg, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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11
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Meyer J, Kröncke I. Shifts in trait-based and taxonomic macrofauna community structure along a 27-year time-series in the south-eastern North Sea. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0226410. [PMID: 31851700 PMCID: PMC6919609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Current research revealed distinct changes in ecosystem functions, and thus in ecosystem stability and resilience, caused by changes in community structure and diversity loss. Benthic species play an important role in benthic-pelagic coupling, such as through the remineralization of deposited organic material, and changes to benthic community structure and diversity have associated with changes in ecosystem functioning, ecosystem stability and resilience. However, the long-term variability of traits and functions in benthic communities is largely unknown. By using abundance and bioturbation potential of macrofauna samples, taken along a transect from the German Bight towards the Dogger Bank in May 1990 and annually from 1995 to 2017, we analysed the taxonomic and trait-based macrofauna long-term community variability and diversity. Taxonomic and trait-based diversity remained stable over time, while three different regimes were found, characterised by changes in taxonomic and trait-based community structure. Min/max autocorrelation factor analysis revealed the climatic variables sea surface temperature (SST) and North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), nitrite, and epibenthic abundance as most important environmental drivers for taxonomic and trait-based community changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Meyer
- Marine Research, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Benthic Ecology, Oldenburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Ingrid Kröncke
- Marine Research, Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Benthic Ecology, Oldenburg, Germany
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12
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Ashford OS, Kenny AJ, Barrio Froján CRS, Horton T, Rogers AD. Investigating the environmental drivers of deep-seafloor biodiversity: A case study of peracarid crustacean assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14167-14204. [PMID: 31938511 PMCID: PMC6953587 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The deep-sea benthos covers over 90% of seafloor area and hosts a great diversity of species which contribute toward essential ecosystem services. Evidence suggests that deep-seafloor assemblages are structured predominantly by their physical environment, yet knowledge of assemblage/environment relationships is limited. Here, we utilized a very large dataset of Northwest Atlantic Ocean continental slope peracarid crustacean assemblages as a case study to investigate the environmental drivers of deep-seafloor macrofaunal biodiversity. We investigated biodiversity from a phylogenetic, functional, and taxonomic perspective, and found that a wide variety of environmental drivers, including food availability, physical disturbance (bottom trawling), current speed, sediment characteristics, topographic heterogeneity, and temperature (in order of relative importance), significantly influenced peracarid biodiversity. We also found deep-water peracarid assemblages to vary seasonally and interannually. Contrary to prevailing theory on the drivers of deep-seafloor diversity, we found high topographic heterogeneity (at the hundreds to thousands of meter scale) to negatively influence assemblage diversity, while broadscale sediment characteristics (i.e., percent sand content) were found to influence assemblages more than sediment particle-size diversity. However, our results support other paradigms of deep-seafloor biodiversity, including that assemblages may vary inter- and intra-annually, and how assemblages respond to changes in current speed. We found that bottom trawling negatively affects the evenness and diversity of deep-sea soft-sediment peracarid assemblages, but that predicted changes in ocean temperature as a result of climate change may not strongly influence continental slope biodiversity over human timescales, although it may alter deep-sea community biomass. Finally, we emphasize the value of analyzing multiple metrics of biodiversity and call for researchers to consider an expanded definition of biodiversity in future investigations of deep-ocean life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver S. Ashford
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)LowestoftUK
- Present address:
Scripps Institution of OceanographyLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Andrew J. Kenny
- Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)LowestoftUK
| | | | - Tammy Horton
- National Oceanography CentreUniversity of Southampton Waterfront CampusSouthamptonUK
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Abstract
Seamounts are one of the major biomes of the global ocean. The last 25 years of research has seen considerable advances in the understanding of these ecosystems. The interactions between seamounts and steady and variable flows have now been characterised providing a better mechanistic understanding of processes influencing biology. Processes leading to upwelling, including Taylor column formation and tidal rectification, have now been defined as well as those leading to draw down of organic matter from the ocean surface to seamount summit and flanks. There is also an improved understanding of the interactions between seamounts, zooplankton and micronekton communities especially with respect to increased predation pressure in the vicinity of seamounts. Evidence has accumulated of the role of seamounts as hot spots for ocean predators including large pelagic fish, sharks, pinnipeds, cetaceans and seabirds. The complexity of benthic communities associated with seamounts is high and drivers of biodiversity are now being resolved. Claims of high endemism resulting from isolation of seamounts as islands of habitat and speciation have not been supported. However, for species characterised by low dispersal capability, such as some groups of benthic sessile or low-mobility invertebrates, low connectivity between seamount populations has been found with evidence of endemism at a local level. Threats to seamounts have increased in the last 25 years and include overfishing, destructive fishing, marine litter, direct and indirect impacts of climate change and potentially marine mining in the near future. Issues around these threats and their management are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex D Rogers
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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