1
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Kininmonth S, Ferrando DL, Becerro M. Neighbourhood benthic configuration reveals hidden co-occurrence social diversity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230174. [PMID: 39034706 PMCID: PMC11293851 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Ecological interactions among benthic communities are crucial for shaping marine ecosystems. Understanding these interactions is essential for predicting how ecosystems will respond to environmental changes, invasive species, and conservation management. However, determining the prevalence of species interactions at the community scale is challenging. To overcome this challenge, we employ tools from social network analysis, specifically exponential random graph modelling (ERGM). Our approach explores the relationships among animal and plant organisms within their neighbourhoods. Inspired by companion planting in agriculture, we use spatiotemporal co-occurrence as a measure of mixed species interaction. In other words, the variety of community interactions based on co-occurrence defines what we call 'co-occurrence social diversity'. Our objective is to use ERGM to quantify the proportion of interactions at both the simple paired level and the more complex triangle level, enabling us to measure and compare co-occurrence social diversity. Applying our approach to the Spanish coastal zone across eight sites, five depths, and sunlit/shaded aspects, we discover that 80% of sessile communities, consisting of over a hundred species, exhibit co-occurrence social diversity, with 5% of species consistently forming associations with other species. These organism-level interactions probably have a significant impact on the overall character of the site. This article is part of the theme issue 'Connected interactions: enriching food web research by spatial and social interactions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Kininmonth
- Heron Island Research Station, University of Queensland, Gladstone, Queensland4670, Australia
| | - Diana López Ferrando
- Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - Mikel Becerro
- The BITES Laboratory, Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Access Cala S Francesc 14, Blanes, Girona17300, Spain
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2
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Cuff JP, Evans DM, Vaughan IP, Wilder SM, Tercel MPTG, Windsor FM. Networking nutrients: How nutrition determines the structure of ecological networks. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:974-988. [PMID: 38946110 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14124] [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: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Nutrients can shape ecological interactions but remain poorly integrated into ecological networks. Concepts such as nutrient-specific foraging nevertheless have the potential to expose the mechanisms structuring complex ecological systems. Nutrients also present an opportunity to predict dynamic processes, such as interaction rewiring and extinction cascades, and increase the accuracy of network analyses. Here, we propose the concept of nutritional networks. By integrating nutritional data into ecological networks, we envisage significant advances to our understanding of ecological processes from individual to ecosystem scales. We show that networks can be constructed with nutritional data to illuminate how nutrients structure ecological interactions in natural systems through an empirical example. Throughout, we identify fundamental ecological hypotheses that can be explored in a nutritional network context, alongside methods for resolving those networks. Nutrients influence the structure and complexity of ecological networks through mechanistic processes and concepts including nutritional niche differentiation, functional responses, landscape diversity, ecological invasions and ecosystem robustness. Future research on ecological networks should consider nutrients when investigating the drivers of network structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan P Cuff
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Darren M Evans
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ian P Vaughan
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Shawn M Wilder
- Department of Integrative Biology, 501 Life Sciences West, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Maximillian P T G Tercel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Trinity, Jersey
| | - Fredric M Windsor
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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3
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Srednick G, Swearer SE. Understanding diversity-synchrony-stability relationships in multitrophic communities. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1259-1269. [PMID: 38839850 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02419-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how species loss impacts ecosystem stability is critical given contemporary declines in global biodiversity. Despite decades of research on biodiversity-stability relationships, most studies are performed within a trophic level, overlooking the multitrophic complexity structuring natural communities. Here, in a global analysis of diversity-synchrony-stability (DSS) studies (n = 420), we found that 74% were monotrophic and biased towards terrestrial plant communities, with 91% describing stabilizing effects of asynchrony. Multitrophic studies (26%) were representative of all biomes and showed that synchrony had mixed effects on stability. To explore potential mechanisms, we applied a multitrophic framework adapted from DSS theory to investigate DSS relationships in algae-herbivore assemblages across five long-term tropical and temperate marine system datasets. Both algal and herbivore species diversity reduced within-group synchrony in both systems but had different interactive effects on species synchrony between systems. Herbivore synchrony was positively and negatively influenced by algal diversity in tropical versus temperate systems, respectively, and algal synchrony was positively influenced by herbivore diversity in temperate systems. While herbivore synchrony reduced multitrophic stability in both systems, algal synchrony only reduced stability in tropical systems. These results highlight the complexity of DSS relationships at the multitrophic level and emphasize why more multitrophic assessments are needed to better understand how biodiversity influences community stability in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Griffin Srednick
- National Centre for Coasts and Climate, School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Stephen E Swearer
- Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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4
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Peller T, Altermatt F. Invasive species drive cross-ecosystem effects worldwide. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1087-1097. [PMID: 38503866 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02380-1] [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: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Invasive species are pervasive around the world and have profound impacts on the ecosystem they invade. Invasive species, however, can also have impacts beyond the ecosystem they invade by altering the flow of non-living materials (for example, nutrients or chemicals) or movement of organisms across the boundaries of the invaded ecosystem. Cross-ecosystem interactions via spatial flows are ubiquitous in nature, for example, connecting forests and lakes, grasslands and rivers, and coral reefs and the deep ocean. Yet, we have a limited understanding of the cross-ecosystem impacts invasive species have relative to their local effects. By synthesizing emerging evidence, here we demonstrate the cross-ecosystem impacts of invasive species as a ubiquitous phenomenon that influences biodiversity and ecosystem functioning around the world. We identify three primary ways by which invasive species have cross-ecosystem effects: first, by altering the magnitude of spatial flows across ecosystem boundaries; second, by altering the quality of spatial flows; and third, by introducing novel spatial flows. Ultimately, the strong impacts invasive species can drive across ecosystem boundaries suggests the need for a paradigm shift in how we study and manage invasive species around the world, expanding from a local to a cross-ecosystem perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianna Peller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
| | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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5
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Moisset de Espanés P, Ramos-Jiliberto R. Both local stability and dispersal contribute to metacommunity sensitivity to asynchronous habitat availability. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6273. [PMID: 38491098 PMCID: PMC10943024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56632-y] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The stability of isolated communities depends on the complexity of their foodwebs. However, it remains unclear how local stability interacts with dispersal in multitrophic metacommunities to shape biodiversity patterns. This lack of understanding is deeper in the more realistic frame of landscapes that exhibit non-trivial and time-varying structures. Therefore, in this study, we aim to evaluate the influence of local stabilizing factors versus dispersal in determining the sensitivity of metacommunity biodiversity to increasing asynchrony of site availability. Additionally, we assess the role of foodweb complexity and landscape structure as modulating factors. To accomplish our goals we developed a model based on random matrices for local communities, which are linked by stochastic dispersal over explicit dynamic landscapes. We ran numerical simulations and computed the effect sizes of foodweb temperature, self-limitation, dispersal ability, and all pairwise combinations, on the sensitivity of biodiversity to landscape asynchrony. In our experiments we explored gradients of species richness, foodweb connectance, number of sites, and landscape modularity. Our results showed that asynchrony among site availability periods reduced α -diversity and increased β -diversity. Asynchrony increased γ -diversity at high dispersal rates. Both local and regional stabilizing factors determined the sensitivity of metacommunities to landscape asynchrony. Local factors were more influential in landscapes with fewer sites and lower modularity, as well as in metacommunities composed of complex foodwebs. This research offers insights into the dynamics of metacommunities in dynamic landscapes, providing valuable knowledge about the interplay between local and regional factors in shaping ecological stability and species persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Moisset de Espanés
- Centro de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería, Universidad de Chile, Av. Beaucheff 851, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Ramos-Jiliberto
- GEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology and Environment, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba, Santiago, Chile.
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6
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Savary P, Lessard JP, Peres-Neto PR. Heterogeneous dispersal networks to improve biodiversity science. Trends Ecol Evol 2024; 39:229-238. [PMID: 37891075 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.10.002] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Dispersal has a key role in shaping spatial patterns of biodiversity, yet its spatial heterogeneity is often overlooked in biodiversity analyses and management strategies. Properly parameterised heterogeneous dispersal networks capture the complex interplay between landscape structure and species-specific dispersal capacities. However, this heterogeneity is recurrently neglected when studying the processes underlying biodiversity variation. To address this gap, we introduce a conceptual framework detailing the fundamental processes driving dispersal heterogeneity and its effects on biodiversity dynamics. We propose methods to parameterise heterogeneous dispersal networks, facilitating their integration into commonly used quantitative frameworks for biodiversity analyses. By considering the architecture of heterogeneous dispersal networks, we demonstrate their critical role in guiding biodiversity management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Savary
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Jean-Philippe Lessard
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Pedro R Peres-Neto
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada
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7
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Deutschmann IM, Delage E, Giner CR, Sebastián M, Poulain J, Arístegui J, Duarte CM, Acinas SG, Massana R, Gasol JM, Eveillard D, Chaffron S, Logares R. Disentangling microbial networks across pelagic zones in the tropical and subtropical global ocean. Nat Commun 2024; 15:126. [PMID: 38168083 PMCID: PMC10762198 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44550-y] [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: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial interactions are vital in maintaining ocean ecosystem function, yet their dynamic nature and complexity remain largely unexplored. Here, we use association networks to investigate possible ecological interactions in the marine microbiome among archaea, bacteria, and picoeukaryotes throughout different depths and geographical regions of the tropical and subtropical global ocean. Our findings reveal that potential microbial interactions change with depth and geographical scale, exhibiting highly heterogeneous distributions. A few potential interactions were global, meaning they occurred across regions at the same depth, while 11-36% were regional within specific depths. The bathypelagic zone had the lowest proportion of global associations, and regional associations increased with depth. Moreover, we observed that most surface water associations do not persist in deeper ocean layers despite microbial vertical dispersal. Our work contributes to a deeper understanding of the tropical and subtropical global ocean interactome, which is essential for addressing the challenges posed by global change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erwan Delage
- Nantes Université, CNRS UMR 6004, LS2N, F-44000, Nantes, France
- Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Julie Poulain
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Javier Arístegui
- Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ULPGC, Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Carlos M Duarte
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Ramon Massana
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep M Gasol
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Damien Eveillard
- Nantes Université, CNRS UMR 6004, LS2N, F-44000, Nantes, France
- Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Samuel Chaffron
- Nantes Université, CNRS UMR 6004, LS2N, F-44000, Nantes, France
- Research Federation for the study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Ramiro Logares
- Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.
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8
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Nicoletti G, Padmanabha P, Azaele S, Suweis S, Rinaldo A, Maritan A. Emergent encoding of dispersal network topologies in spatial metapopulation models. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311548120. [PMID: 37931096 PMCID: PMC10655566 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311548120] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We address a generalization of the concept of metapopulation capacity for trees and networks acting as the template for ecological interactions. The original measure had been derived from an insightful phenomenological model and is based on the leading eigenvalue of a suitable landscape matrix. It yields a versatile predictor of metapopulation persistence through a threshold value of the eigenvalue determined by ecological features of the focal species. Here, we present an analytical solution to a fundamental microscopic model that incorporates key ingredients of metapopulation dynamics and explicitly distinguishes between individuals comprising the "settled population" and "explorers" seeking colonization. Our approach accounts for general network characteristics (in particular graph-driven directional dispersal which is known to significantly constrain many ecological estimates) and yields a generalized version of the original model, to which it reduces for particular cases. Through examples, including real landscapes used as the template, we compare the predictions from our approach with those of the standard model. Results suggest that in several cases of practical interest, differences are significant. We also examine, with both models, how changes in habitat fragmentation, including removal, addition, or alteration in size, affect metapopulation persistence. The current approach demonstrates a high level of flexibility, enabling the incorporation of diverse "microscopic" elements and their impact on the resulting biodiversity landscape pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Nicoletti
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Department of Mathematics “T. Levi-Civita”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Prajwal Padmanabha
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Sandro Azaele
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo90133, Italy
| | - Samir Suweis
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne1015, Switzerland
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Amos Maritan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo90133, Italy
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9
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Tetzlaff SJ, Vizentin‐Bugoni J, Sperry JH, Davis MA, Clark RW, Repp RA, Schuett GW. Fission-fusion dynamics in the social networks of a North American pitviper. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10339. [PMID: 37554395 PMCID: PMC10405236 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animal species exist in fission-fusion societies, where the size and composition of conspecific groups change spatially and temporally. To help investigate such phenomena, social network analysis (SNA) has emerged as a powerful conceptual and analytical framework for assessing patterns of interconnectedness and quantifying group-level interactions. We leveraged behavioral observations via radiotelemetry and genotypic data from a long-term (>10 years) study on the pitviper Crotalus atrox (western diamondback rattlesnake) and used SNA to quantify the first robust demonstration of social network structures for any free-living snake. Group-level interactions among adults in this population resulted in structurally modular networks (i.e., distinct clusters of interacting individuals) for fidelis use of communal winter dens (denning network), mating behaviors (pairing network), and offspring production (parentage network). Although the structure of each network was similar, the size and composition of groups varied among them. Specifically, adults associated with moderately sized social groups at winter dens but often engaged in reproductive behaviors-both at and away from dens-with different and fewer partners. Additionally, modules formed by individuals in the pairing network were frequently different from those in the parentage network, likely due to multiple mating, long-term sperm storage by females, and resultant multiple paternity. Further evidence for fission-fusion dynamics exhibited by this population-interactions were rare when snakes were dispersing to and traversing their spring-summer home ranges (to which individuals show high fidelity), despite ample opportunities to associate with numerous conspecifics that had highly overlapping ranges. Taken together, we show that long-term datasets incorporating SNA with spatial and genetic information provide robust and unique insights to understanding the social structure of cryptic taxa that are understudied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha J. Tetzlaff
- U.S. Army ERDC‐CERLChampaignIllinoisUSA
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignIllinoisUSA
| | - Jeferson Vizentin‐Bugoni
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal de PelotasPelotasBrazil
| | - Jinelle H. Sperry
- U.S. Army ERDC‐CERLChampaignIllinoisUSA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Mark A. Davis
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research InstituteUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignChampaignIllinoisUSA
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
| | - Rulon W. Clark
- Chiricahua Desert MuseumRodeoNew MexicoUSA
- Department of BiologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Gordon W. Schuett
- Chiricahua Desert MuseumRodeoNew MexicoUSA
- Department of Biology, Neuroscience InstituteGeorgia State UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
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10
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Zhu C, Li W, Campos-Arceiz A, Dalsgaard B, Ren P, Wang D, Zhang X, Sun M, Si Q, Kang Y, Ding P, Si X. The reliability of regional ecological knowledge to build local interaction networks: a test using seed-dispersal networks across land-bridge islands. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231221. [PMID: 37464753 PMCID: PMC10354482 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Building ecological networks is the fundamental basis of depicting how species in communities interact, but sampling complex interaction networks is extremely labour intensive. Recently, indirect ecological information has been applied to build interaction networks. Here we propose to extend the source of indirect ecological information, and applied regional ecological knowledge to build local interaction networks. Using a high-resolution dataset consisting of 22 locally observed networks with 17 572 seed-dispersal events, we test the reliability of indirectly derived local networks based on regional ecological knowledge (REK) across islands. We found that species richness strongly influenced 'local interaction rewiring' (i.e. the proportion of locally observed interactions among regionally interacting species), and all network properties were biased using REK-based networks. Notably, species richness and local interaction rewiring strongly affected estimations of REK-based network structures. However, locally observed and REK-based networks detected the same trends of how network structure correlates to island area and isolation. These results suggest that we should use REK-based networks cautiously for reflecting actual interaction patterns of local networks, but highlight that REK-based networks have great potential for comparative studies across environmental gradients. The use of indirect regional ecological information may thus advance our understanding of biogeographical patterns of species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Wande Li
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
| | - Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz
- Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan 666303, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Dalsgaard
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peng Ren
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Duorun Wang
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Minghao Sun
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Si
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Kang
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Ding
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingfeng Si
- Zhejiang Zhoushan Archipelago Observation and Research Station, Institute of Eco-Chongming, Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, People's Republic of China
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11
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Borthagaray AI, Cunillera-Montcusí D, Bou J, Tornero I, Boix D, Anton-Pardo M, Ortiz E, Mehner T, Quintana XD, Gascón S, Arim M. Heterogeneity in the isolation of patches may be essential for the action of metacommunity mechanisms. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1125607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The spatial isolation gradient of communities and the gradient in the species dispersal ability are recognized as determinants of biodiversity in metacommunities. In spite of this, mean field models, spatially explicit models, and experiments were mainly focused on idealized spatial arrangements of communities leaving aside the combining role of dispersal and isolation gradients in metacommunity processes. Consequently, we have an incipient understanding of the role of the real spatial arrangement of communities on biodiversity patterns. We focus on six metacommunities for which confident information about the spatial arrangement of water bodies is available. Using coalescent metacommunity models and null models that randomize the location of water bodies, we estimated the potential effect of the landscape on biodiversity and its dependence on species dispersal ability. At extremely low or high dispersal abilities, the location of ponds does not influence diversity because different communities are equally affected by the low or high incoming dispersal. At intermediate dispersal abilities, peripheral communities present a much lower richness and higher beta diversity than central communities. Moreover, metacommunities from real landscapes host more biodiversity than randomized landscapes, a result that is determined by the heterogeneity in the geographic isolation of communities. In a dispersal gradient, mass effects systematically increase the local richness and decrease beta diversity. However, the spatial arrangement of patches only has a large importance in metacommunity processes at intermediate dispersal abilities, which ensures access to central locations but limits dispersal in isolated communities. The ongoing reduction in spatial extent and simplification of the landscape may consequently undermine the metacommunity processes that support biodiversity, something that should be explicitly considered in preserving and restoring strategies.
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12
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Lazic D, Schmickl T. Will biomimetic robots be able to change a hivemind to guide honeybees' ecosystem services? BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2023; 18:035004. [PMID: 36863023 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/acc0b9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We study whether or not a group of biomimetic waggle dancing robots is able to significantly influence the swarm-intelligent decision making of a honeybee colony, e.g. to avoid foraging at dangerous food patches using a mathematical model. Our model was successfully validated against data from two empirical experiments: one examined the selection of foraging targets and the other cross inhibition between foraging targets. We found that such biomimetic robots have a significant effect on a honeybee colony's foraging decision. This effect correlates with the number of applied robots up to several dozens of robots and then saturates quickly with higher robot numbers. These robots can reallocate the bees' pollination service in a directed way towards desired locations or boost it at specific locations, without having a significant negative effect on the colony's nectar economy. Additionally, we found that such robots may be able to lower the influx of toxic substances from potentially harmful foraging sites by guiding the bees to alternative places. These effects also depend on the saturation level of the colony's nectar stores. The more nectar is already stored in the colony, the easier the bees are guided by the robots to alternative foraging targets. Our study shows that biomimetic and socially immersive biomimetic robots are a relevant future research target in order to support (a) the bees by guiding them to safe (pesticide free) places, (b) the ecosystem via boosted and directed pollination services and (c) human society by supporting agricultural crop pollination, thus increasing our food security this way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dajana Lazic
- Artificial Life Lab, Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Thomas Schmickl
- Artificial Life Lab, Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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González C. Evolution of the concept of ecological integrity and its study through networks. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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Peller T, Guichard F, Altermatt F. The significance of partial migration for food web and ecosystem dynamics. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:3-22. [PMID: 36443028 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14143] [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: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Migration is ubiquitous and can strongly shape food webs and ecosystems. Less familiar, however, is that the majority of life cycle, seasonal and diel migrations in nature are partial migrations: only a fraction of the population migrates while the other individuals remain in their resident ecosystem. Here, we demonstrate different impacts of partial migration rendering it fundamental to our understanding of the significance of migration for food web and ecosystem dynamics. First, partial migration affects the spatiotemporal distribution of individuals and the food web and ecosystem-level processes they drive differently than expected under full migration. Second, whether an individual migrates or not is regularly correlated with morphological, physiological, and/or behavioural traits that shape its food-web and ecosystem-level impacts. Third, food web and ecosystem dynamics can drive the fraction of the population migrating, enabling the potential for feedbacks between the causes and consequences of migration within and across ecosystems. These impacts, individually and in combination, can yield unintuitive effects of migration and drive the dynamics, diversity and functions of ecosystems. By presenting the first full integration of partial migration and trophic (meta-)community and (meta-)ecosystem ecology, we provide a roadmap for studying how migration affects and is affected by ecosystem dynamics in a changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianna Peller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Eawag: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Florian Altermatt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Eawag: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
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15
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Guo G, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Bearup D, Liao J. Contrasting effects of dispersal network heterogeneity on ecosystem stability in rock-paper-scissors games. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1068830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intransitive competition, typically represented by the classic rock-paper-scissors game, provides an endogenous mechanism promoting species coexistence. As well known, species dispersal and interaction in nature might occur on complex patch networks, with species interacting in diverse ways. However, the effects of different interaction modes, combined with spatial heterogeneity in patch connectivities, have not been well integrated into our general understanding of how stable coexistence emerges in cyclic competition. We thus incorporate network heterogeneity into the classic rock-paper-scissors game, in order to compare ecosystem stability under two typical modes of interaction: species compete to fill empty sites, and species seize each other’s colony sites. On lattice-structured regular networks, the two interaction modes produce similar stability patterns through forming conspecific clusters to reduce interspecific competition. However, for heterogeneous networks, the interaction modes have contrasting effects on ecosystem stability. Specifically, if species compete for colony sites, increasing network heterogeneity stabilizes competitive dynamics. When species compete to fill empty sites, an increase in network heterogeneity leads to larger population fluctuations and therefore a higher risk of stochastic extinctions, in stark contrast to current knowledge. Our findings strongly suggest that particular attention should be devoted to testing which mode of interaction is more appropriate for modeling a given system.
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Jordán F. The network perspective: Vertical connections linking organizational levels. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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17
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Meng Y, Lai YC, Grebogi C. The fundamental benefits of multiplexity in ecological networks. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220438. [PMID: 36167085 PMCID: PMC9514891 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A tipping point presents perhaps the single most significant threat to an ecological system as it can lead to abrupt species extinction on a massive scale. Climate changes leading to the species decay parameter drifts can drive various ecological systems towards a tipping point. We investigate the tipping-point dynamics in multi-layer ecological networks supported by mutualism. We unveil a natural mechanism by which the occurrence of tipping points can be delayed by multiplexity that broadly describes the diversity of the species abundances, the complexity of the interspecific relationships, and the topology of linkages in ecological networks. For a double-layer system of pollinators and plants, coupling between the network layers occurs when there is dispersal of pollinator species. Multiplexity emerges as the dispersing species establish their presence in the destination layer and have a simultaneous presence in both. We demonstrate that the new mutualistic links induced by the dispersing species with the residence species have fundamental benefits to the well-being of the ecosystem in delaying the tipping point and facilitating species recovery. Articulating and implementing control mechanisms to induce multiplexity can thus help sustain certain types of ecosystems that are in danger of extinction as the result of environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Meng
- Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, Dresden 01187, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Ying-Cheng Lai
- School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Celso Grebogi
- Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, School of Natural and Computing Sciences, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK
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Barrett SCH. Proceedings B 2021: the year in review. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212586. [PMID: 34982950 PMCID: PMC8727154 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Bodner K, Brimacombe C, Fortin M, Molnár PK. Why body size matters: how larger fish ontogeny shapes ecological network topology. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Korryn Bodner
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Toronto Scarborough ON Canada
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto ON Canada
| | - Chris Brimacombe
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto ON Canada
| | | | - Péter K. Molnár
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Toronto Scarborough ON Canada
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto ON Canada
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McLeod A, Leroux SJ, Gravel D, Chu C, Cirtwill AR, Fortin M, Galiana N, Poisot T, Wood SA. Sampling and asymptotic network properties of spatial multi‐trophic networks. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne McLeod
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Dept of Biology, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
| | | | - Cindy Chu
- Aquatic Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Peterborough ON Canada
- Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Burlington ON Canada
| | | | - Marie‐Josée Fortin
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Núria Galiana
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier Univ. Moulis France
| | - Timothée Poisot
- Dépt de Sciences Biologiques, Univ. de Montréal Montréal QC Canada
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