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Ispolatov Y, Doebeli C, Doebeli M. On the evolutionary emergence of predation. J Theor Biol 2023; 572:111578. [PMID: 37437709 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111578] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
In models for the evolution of predation from initially purely competitive species interactions, the propensity of predation is most often assumed to be a direct consequence of the relative morphological and physiological traits of interacting species. Here we explore a model in which predation ability is an independently evolving phenotypic feature, so that even when the relative morphological or physiological traits allow for predation, predation only occurs if the predation ability of individuals has independently evolved to high enough values. In addition to delineating the conditions for the evolutionary emergence of predation, the model reproduces stationary and non-stationary multilevel food webs with the top predators not necessarily having size superiority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav Ispolatov
- Departamento de Física, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Science, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Victor Jara 3493, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Carlos Doebeli
- Imperial College London, Department of Mathematics,, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Doebeli
- Departments of Mathematics and Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada
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2
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Lücken L, Lennartz ST, Froehlich J, Blasius B. Emergent Diversity and Persistent Turnover in Evolving Microbial Cross-Feeding Networks. FRONTIERS IN NETWORK PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 2:834057. [PMID: 36926111 PMCID: PMC10013070 DOI: 10.3389/fnetp.2022.834057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
A distinguishing feature of many ecological networks in the microbial realm is the diversity of substrates that could potentially serve as energy sources for microbial consumers. The microorganisms are themselves the agents of compound diversification via metabolite excretion or overflow metabolism. It has been suggested that the emerging richness of different substrates is an important condition for the immense biological diversity in microbial ecosystems. In this work, we study how complex cross-feeding networks (CFN) of microbial species may develop from a simple initial community given some elemental evolutionary mechanisms of resource-dependent speciation and extinctions using a network flow model. We report results of several numerical experiments and report an in-depth analysis of the evolutionary dynamics. We find that even in stable environments, the system is subject to persisting turnover, indicating an ongoing co-evolution. Further, we compare the impact of different parameters, such as the ratio of mineralization, as well as the metabolic versatility and variability on the evolving community structure. The results imply that high microbial and molecular diversity is an emergent property of evolution in cross-feeding networks, which affects transformation and accumulation of substrates in natural systems, such as soils and oceans, with potential relevance to biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonhard Lücken
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Sinikka T Lennartz
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jule Froehlich
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Bernd Blasius
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.,Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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3
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Morris JR, Allhoff KT, Valdovinos FS. Strange invaders increase disturbance and promote generalists in an evolving food web. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21274. [PMID: 34711894 PMCID: PMC8553831 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99843-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The patterns of diet specialization in food webs determine community structure, stability, and function. While specialists are often thought to evolve due to greater efficiency, generalists should have an advantage in systems with high levels of variability. Here we test the generalist-disturbance hypothesis using a dynamic, evolutionary food web model. Species occur along a body size axis with three traits (body size, feeding center, feeding range) that evolve independently and determine interaction strengths. Communities are assembled via ecological and evolutionary processes, where species biomass and persistence are driven by a bioenergetics model. New species are introduced either as mutants similar to parent species in the community or as invaders, with dissimilar traits. We introduced variation into communities by increasing the dissimilarity of invading species across simulations. We found that strange invaders increased the variability of communities which increased both the degree of generalism and the relative persistence of generalist species, indicating that invasion disturbance promotes the evolution of generalist species in food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Morris
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Korinna T Allhoff
- Institute for Evolution and Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fernanda S Valdovinos
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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4
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Fritsch C, Billiard S, Champagnat N. Identifying conversion efficiency as a key mechanism underlying food webs adaptive evolution: a step forward, or backward? OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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5
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Araujo JM, Correa SB, Penha J, Anderson J, Traveset A. Implications of overfishing of frugivorous fishes for cryptic function loss in a Neotropical floodplain. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joisiane Mendes Araujo
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Starkville MS USA
| | - Jerry Penha
- Centro de Biodiversidade Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Jill Anderson
- Department of Genetics, and Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens GA USA
| | - Anna Traveset
- Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC‐UIB)Terrestrial Ecology Group Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
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6
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Martinez ND. Allometric Trophic Networks From Individuals to Socio-Ecosystems: Consumer–Resource Theory of the Ecological Elephant in the Room. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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7
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Maureaud A, Andersen KH, Zhang L, Lindegren M. Trait-based food web model reveals the underlying mechanisms of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1497-1510. [PMID: 32162299 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The concept of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) has been studied over the last three decades using experiments, theoretical models and more recently observational data. While theoretical models revealed that species richness is the best metric summarizing ecosystem functioning, it is clear that ecosystem function is explained by other variables besides species richness. Additionally, theoretical models rarely focus on more than one ecosystem function, limiting ecosystem functioning to biomass or production. There is a lack of theoretical background to verify how other components of biodiversity and species interactions support ecosystem functioning. Here, using simulations from a food web model based on a community assembly process and a trait-based approach, we test how species biodiversity, food web structure and predator-prey interactions determine several ecosystem functions (biomass, metabolism, production and productivity). Our results demonstrate that the relationship between species richness and ecosystem functioning depends on the type of ecosystem function considered and the importance of diversity and food web structure differs across functions. Particularly, we show that dominance plays a major role in determining the level of biomass, and it is at least as important as the number of species. We find that dominance occurs in the food web when species do not experience strong predation. By manipulating the structure of the food web, we show that species using a wider trait space (generalist communities) result in more connected food webs and generally reach the same level of functioning with less species. The model shows the importance of generalist versus specialist communities on BEF relationships, and as such, empirical studies should focus on quantifying the importance of diet/habitat use on ecosystem functioning. Our study provides a better understanding of BEF underlying mechanisms and generates research hypotheses that can be considered and tested in observational studies. We recommend that studies investigating links between biodiversity and ecosystem functions should include metrics of dominance, species composition, trophic structure and possibly environmental trait space. We also advise that more effort should be made into calculating several ecosystem functions and properties with data from natural multitrophic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Maureaud
- Centre for Ocean Life, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ken H Andersen
- Centre for Ocean Life, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lai Zhang
- School of Mathematical Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Martin Lindegren
- Centre for Ocean Life, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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8
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9
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Curtsdotter A, Banks HT, Banks JE, Jonsson M, Jonsson T, Laubmeier AN, Traugott M, Bommarco R. Ecosystem function in predator-prey food webs-confronting dynamic models with empirical data. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:196-210. [PMID: 30079547 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Most ecosystem functions and related services involve species interactions across trophic levels, for example, pollination and biological pest control. Despite this, our understanding of ecosystem function in multitrophic communities is poor, and research has been limited to either manipulation in small communities or statistical descriptions in larger ones. Recent advances in food web ecology may allow us to overcome the trade-off between mechanistic insight and ecological realism. Molecular tools now simplify the detection of feeding interactions, and trait-based approaches allow the application of dynamic food web models to real ecosystems. We performed the first test of an allometric food web model's ability to replicate temporally nonaggregated abundance data from the field and to provide mechanistic insight into the function of predation. We aimed to reproduce and explore the drivers of the population dynamics of the aphid herbivore Rhopalosiphum padi observed in ten Swedish barley fields. We used a dynamic food web model, taking observed interactions and abundances of predators and alternative prey as input data, allowing us to examine the role of predation in aphid population control. The inverse problem methods were used for simultaneous model fit optimization and model parameterization. The model captured >70% of the variation in aphid abundance in five of ten fields, supporting the model-embodied hypothesis that body size can be an important determinant of predation in the arthropod community. We further demonstrate how in-depth model analysis can disentangle the likely drivers of function, such as the community's abundance and trait composition. Analysing the variability in model performance revealed knowledge gaps, such as the source of episodic aphid mortality, and general method development needs that, if addressed, would further increase model success and enable stronger inference about ecosystem function. The results demonstrate that confronting dynamic food web models with abundance data from the field is a viable approach to evaluate ecological theory and to aid our understanding of function in real ecosystems. However, to realize the full potential of food web models, in ecosystem function research and beyond, trait-based parameterization must be refined and extended to include more traits than body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alva Curtsdotter
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden.,Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - H Thomas Banks
- Center for Research in Scientific Computation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - John E Banks
- Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC), California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, California
| | - Mattias Jonsson
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tomas Jonsson
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden
| | - Amanda N Laubmeier
- Center for Research in Scientific Computation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Michael Traugott
- Mountain Agriculture Research Unit, Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Riccardo Bommarco
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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10
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Identifying a common backbone of interactions underlying food webs from different ecosystems. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2603. [PMID: 29973596 PMCID: PMC6031633 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05056-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the structure of empirical food webs can differ between ecosystems, there is growing evidence of multiple ways in which they also exhibit common topological properties. To reconcile these contrasting observations, we postulate the existence of a backbone of interactions underlying all ecological networks—a common substructure within every network comprised of species playing similar ecological roles—and a periphery of species whose idiosyncrasies help explain the differences between networks. To test this conjecture, we introduce a new approach to investigate the structural similarity of 411 food webs from multiple environments and biomes. We first find significant differences in the way species in different ecosystems interact with each other. Despite these differences, we then show that there is compelling evidence of a common backbone of interactions underpinning all food webs. We expect that identifying a backbone of interactions will shed light on the rules driving assembly of different ecological communities. The structure of ecological networks can vary dramatically, yet there may be common features across networks from different ecosystem types. Here, Bramon Mora et al. use network alignment to demonstrate that there is a common backbone of interactions underlying empirical food webs.
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11
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Barbar F, Ignazi GO, Hiraldo F, Lambertucci SA. Exotic lagomorph may influence eagle abundances and breeding spatial aggregations: a field study and meta-analysis on the nearest neighbor distance. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4746. [PMID: 29761058 PMCID: PMC5949207 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of alien species could be changing food source composition, ultimately restructuring demography and spatial distribution of native communities. In Argentine Patagonia, the exotic European hare has one of the highest numbers recorded worldwide and is now a widely consumed prey for many predators. We examine the potential relationship between abundance of this relatively new prey and the abundance and breeding spacing of one of its main consumers, the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus). First we analyze the abundance of individuals of a raptor guild in relation to hare abundance through a correspondence analysis. We then estimated the Nearest Neighbor Distance (NND) of the Black-chested Buzzard-eagle abundances in the two areas with high hare abundances. Finally, we performed a meta-regression between the NND and the body masses of Accipitridae raptors, to evaluate if Black-chested Buzzard-eagle NND deviates from the expected according to their mass. We found that eagle abundance was highly associated with hare abundance, more than with any other raptor species in the study area. Their NND deviates from the value expected, which was significantly lower than expected for a raptor species of this size in two areas with high hare abundance. Our results support the hypothesis that high local abundance of prey leads to a reduction of the breeding spacing of its main predator, which could potentially alter other interspecific interactions, and thus the entire community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo Barbar
- Grupo de Biología de la Conservación, Ecotono Laboratory, INIBIOMA-CONICET (Universidad Nacional del Comahue), San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Gonzalo O Ignazi
- Grupo de Biología de la Conservación, Ecotono Laboratory, INIBIOMA-CONICET (Universidad Nacional del Comahue), San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación, Estación Biológica Doñana-CSIC España, Sevilla, España
| | - Sergio A Lambertucci
- Grupo de Biología de la Conservación, Ecotono Laboratory, INIBIOMA-CONICET (Universidad Nacional del Comahue), San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina
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12
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Brose U, Hillebrand H. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in dynamic landscapes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0267. [PMID: 27114570 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) and its consequence for ecosystem services has predominantly been studied by controlled, short-term and small-scale experiments under standardized environmental conditions and constant community compositions. However, changes in biodiversity occur in real-world ecosystems with varying environments and a dynamic community composition. In this theme issue, we present novel research on BEF in such dynamic communities. The contributions are organized in three sections on BEF relationships in (i) multi-trophic diversity, (ii) non-equilibrium biodiversity under disturbance and varying environmental conditions, and (iii) large spatial and long temporal scales. The first section shows that multi-trophic BEF relationships often appear idiosyncratic, while accounting for species traits enables a predictive understanding. Future BEF research on complex communities needs to include ecological theory that is based on first principles of species-averaged body masses, stoichiometry and effects of environmental conditions such as temperature. The second section illustrates that disturbance and varying environments have direct as well as indirect (via changes in species richness, community composition and species' traits) effects on BEF relationships. Fluctuations in biodiversity (species richness, community composition and also trait dominance within species) can severely modify BEF relationships. The third section demonstrates that BEF at larger spatial scales is driven by different variables. While species richness per se and community biomass are most important, species identity effects and community composition are less important than at small scales. Across long temporal scales, mass extinctions represent severe changes in biodiversity with mixed effects on ecosystem functions. Together, the contributions of this theme issue identify new research frontiers and answer some open questions on BEF relationships in dynamic communities of real-world landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Strasse 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Helmut Hillebrand
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of Marine Environments (ICBM), Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
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13
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Yasuhara M, Doi H, Wei CL, Danovaro R, Myhre SE. Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in long-term time series and palaeoecological records: deep sea as a test bed. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0282. [PMID: 27114583 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) over long temporal scales is poorly understood. Here, we investigate biological monitoring and palaeoecological records on decadal, centennial and millennial time scales from a BEF framework by using deep sea, soft-sediment environments as a test bed. Results generally show positive BEF relationships, in agreement with BEF studies based on present-day spatial analyses and short-term manipulative experiments. However, the deep-sea BEF relationship is much noisier across longer time scales compared with modern observational studies. We also demonstrate with palaeoecological time-series data that a larger species pool does not enhance ecosystem stability through time, whereas higher abundance as an indicator of higher ecosystem functioning may enhance ecosystem stability. These results suggest that BEF relationships are potentially time scale-dependent. Environmental impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning may be much stronger than biodiversity impacts on ecosystem functioning at long, decadal-millennial, time scales. Longer time scale perspectives, including palaeoecological and ecosystem monitoring data, are critical for predicting future BEF relationships on a rapidly changing planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moriaki Yasuhara
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar Road, Shek O, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hideyuki Doi
- Graduate School of Simulation Studies, University of Hyogo, 7-1-28 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Chih-Lin Wei
- Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
| | - Sarah E Myhre
- Future of Ice Initiative, University of Washington, Johnson Hall, Room 377A, Box 351310 Seattle, WA 98195-1310, USA
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14
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Donoso I, Schleuning M, García D, Fründ J. Defaunation effects on plant recruitment depend on size matching and size trade-offs in seed-dispersal networks. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20162664. [PMID: 28566481 PMCID: PMC5454253 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Defaunation by humans causes a loss of large animals in many ecosystems globally. Recent work has emphasized the consequences of downsizing in animal communities for ecosystem functioning. However, no study so far has integrated network theory and life-history trade-offs to mechanistically evaluate the functional consequences of defaunation in plant-animal networks. Here, we simulated an avian seed-dispersal network and its derived ecosystem function seedling recruitment to assess the relative importance of different size-related mechanisms. Specifically, we considered size matching (between bird size and seed size) and size trade-offs, which are driven by differences in plant or animal species abundance (negative size-quantity relationship) as well as in recruitment probability and disperser quality (positive size-quality relationship). Defaunation led to impoverished seedling communities in terms of diversity and seed size, but only if models accounted for size matching. In addition, size trade-off in plants, in concert with size matching, provoked rapid decays in seedling abundance in response to defaunation. These results underscore a disproportional importance of large animals for ecosystem functions. Downsizing in ecological networks will have severe consequences for ecosystem functioning, especially in interaction networks that are structured by size matching between plants and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Donoso
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC-Uo-PA), University of Oviedo, Valentín Andrés Álvarez s/n, 33071 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Daniel García
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas and Unidad Mixta de Investigación en Biodiversidad (UMIB, CSIC-Uo-PA), University of Oviedo, Valentín Andrés Álvarez s/n, 33071 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jochen Fründ
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Strasse 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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15
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Bolchoun L, Drossel B, Allhoff KT. Spatial topologies affect local food web structure and diversity in evolutionary metacommunities. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1818. [PMID: 28500328 PMCID: PMC5431821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01921-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
An important challenge in theoretical ecology is to better predict ecological responses to environmental change, and in particular to spatial changes such as habitat fragmentation. Classical food-web models have focused on purely ecological predictions, without taking adaptation or evolution of species traits into account. We address this issue using an eco-evolutionary model, which is based on body masses and diets as the key traits that determine metabolic rates and trophic interactions. The model implements evolution by the introduction of new morphs that are related to the existing ones, so that the network structure itself evolves in a self-organized manner. We consider the coupling and decoupling of habitats in multi-trophic metacommunities consisting of 2 or 4 habitats. Our model thus integrates metacommunity models, which describe ecosystems as networks of networks, with large community evolution models. We find that rescue effects and source-sink effects occur within coupled habitats, which have the potential to change local selection pressures so that the local food web structure shows a fingerprint of its spatial conditions. Within our model system, we observe that habitat coupling increases the lifetimes of top predators and promotes local biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lev Bolchoun
- Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Barbara Drossel
- Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Korinna Theresa Allhoff
- Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
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16
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Leibold MA, Chase JM, Ernest SKM. Community assembly and the functioning of ecosystems: how metacommunity processes alter ecosystems attributes. Ecology 2017; 98:909-919. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mathew A. Leibold
- Department of Integrative Biology 2415 Speedway #C0930, University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas 78712 USA
| | - Jonathan M. Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig Germany
- Department of Computer Science Martin Luther University Halle Germany
| | - S. K. Morgan Ernest
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation 110 Newins‐Ziegler Hall PO Box 110430, University of Florida Gainesville Florida 84322 USA
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