1
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Farrugia Drakard V, Brooks PR, Crowe TP. Colonisation after disturbance on artificial structures: The influence of timing and grazing. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 187:105956. [PMID: 36958198 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Artificial structures are poor surrogates of natural rocky shores, meaning they generally support depauperate assemblages. These differences may result from a combination of recruitment processes, biotic interactions, and structuring by environmental factors. In this study, plots were cleared on two seawalls and two natural shores at two separate timepoints - in August 2020 (summer) and February 2021 (winter) - and monitored over one year to determine the influence of timing of disturbance on recruitment and succession. Additional plots were cleared at one of the seawalls at a single timepoint in August 2020, and exclusion cages were installed to determine the influence of grazing pressure on colonisation; these were monitored for 18 months. Disturbance during winter resulted in higher concentrations of all biofilm components up to 3 months, but did not impact benthic community composition beyond this point. Grazer exclusion on artificial structures increased biofilm concentrations and influenced community composition in comparison to plots on artificial structures without exclusion, while communities on natural surfaces differed in terms of species composition to those on artificial plots at 12 months. We conclude that the timing of routine maintenance works on artificial structures may impact initial biofilm abundances. Furthermore, while grazing pressure does influence community structure on artificial structures, this alone is not sufficient to explain biological differences between artificial structures and natural shores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Farrugia Drakard
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
| | - Paul R Brooks
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Tasman P Crowe
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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2
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Ullah H, Fordham DA, Nagelkerken I. Climate change negates positive CO 2 effects on marine species biomass and productivity by altering the strength and direction of trophic interactions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 801:149624. [PMID: 34419906 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
One of the biggest challenges in more accurately forecasting the effects of climate change on future food web dynamics relates to how climate change affects multi-trophic species interactions, particularly when multiple interacting stressors are considered. Using a dynamic food web model, we investigate the individual and combined effect of ocean warming and acidification on changes in trophic interaction strengths (both direct and indirect) and the consequent effects on biomass structure of food web functional groups. To do this, we mimicked a species-rich multi-trophic-level temperate shallow-water rocky reef food web and integrated empirical data from mesocosm experiments on altered species interactions under warming and acidification, into food-web models. We show that a low number of strong temperature-driven changes in direct trophic interactions (feeding and competition) will largely determine the magnitude of biomass change (either increase or decrease) of high-order consumers, with increasing consumer biomass suppressing that of prey species. Ocean acidification, in contrast, alters a large number of weak indirect interactions (e.g. cascading effects of increased or decreased abundances of other groups), enabling a large increase in consumer and prey biomass. The positive effects of ocean acidification are driven by boosted primary productivity, with energy flowing up to higher trophic levels. We show that warming is a much stronger driver of positive as well as negative modifications of species biomass compared to ocean acidification. Warming affects a much smaller number of existing trophic interactions, though, with direct consumer-resource effects being more important than indirect effects. We conclude that the functional role of consumers in future food webs will be largely regulated by alterations in the strength of direct trophic interactions under ocean warming, with ensuing effects on the biomass structure of marine food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadayet Ullah
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences and the Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Damien A Fordham
- School of Biological Sciences and the Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ivan Nagelkerken
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, School of Biological Sciences and the Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; School of Biological Sciences and the Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
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3
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Perujo N, Van den Brink PJ, Segner H, Mantyka-Pringle C, Sabater S, Birk S, Bruder A, Romero F, Acuña V. A guideline to frame stressor effects in freshwater ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 777:146112. [PMID: 33689887 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Environmental policies fall short in protecting freshwater ecosystems, which are heavily threatened by human pressures and their associated stressors. One reason is that stressor effects depend on the context in which they occur and it is difficult to extrapolate patterns to predict the effect of stressors without these being contextualized in a general frame. This study aims at improving existing decision-making frameworks such as the DPSIR approach (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) or ERA (Environmental Risk Assessment) in the context of stressors. Here, we delve into stressor-impact relationships in freshwater ecosystems and develop a guideline which includes key characteristics such as stressor type, stressor duration, location, the natural levels of environmental variables to which each ecosystem is used to, among others. This guideline is intended to be useful in a wide range of ecosystem conditions and stressors. Incorporating these guidelines may favor the comparability of scientific results and may lead to a substantial advancement in the efficacy of diagnosis and predictive approaches of impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Perujo
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain.
| | - P J Van den Brink
- Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, the Netherlands; Wageningen Environmental Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, the Netherlands
| | - H Segner
- Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health, University of Bern, P.O. Box, 3001, Bern, Switzerland
| | - C Mantyka-Pringle
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, YT, Canada; School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - S Sabater
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; Institut d'Ecologia Aquàtica (IEA), University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - S Birk
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - A Bruder
- Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - F Romero
- Plant-Soil Interactions, Research Division Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Reckenholzstrasse 191, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - V Acuña
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona, Spain; University of Girona, Plaça de Sant Domènec 3, 17004 Girona, Spain
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4
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Ferguson RMW, O'Gorman EJ, McElroy DJ, McKew BA, Coleman RA, Emmerson MC, Dumbrell AJ. The ecological impacts of multiple environmental stressors on coastal biofilm bacteria. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3166-3178. [PMID: 33797829 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ecological communities are increasingly exposed to multiple interacting stressors. For example, warming directly affects the physiology of organisms, eutrophication stimulates the base of the food web, and harvesting larger organisms for human consumption dampens top-down control. These stressors often combine in the natural environment with unpredictable results. Bacterial communities in coastal ecosystems underpin marine food webs and provide many important ecosystem services (e.g. nutrient cycling and carbon fixation). Yet, how microbial communities will respond to a changing climate remains uncertain. Thus, we used marine mesocosms to examine the impacts of warming, nutrient enrichment, and altered top-predator population size structure (common shore crab) on coastal microbial biofilm communities in a crossed experimental design. Warming increased bacterial α-diversity (18% increase in species richness and 67% increase in evenness), but this was countered by a decrease in α-diversity with nutrient enrichment (14% and 21% decrease for species richness and evenness, respectively). Thus, we show some effects of these stressors could cancel each other out under climate change scenarios. Warming and top-predator population size structure both affected bacterial biofilm community composition, with warming increasing the abundance of bacteria capable of increased mineralization of dissolved and particulate organic matter, such as Flavobacteriia, Sphingobacteriia, and Cytophagia. However, the community shifts observed with warming depended on top-predator population size structure, with Sphingobacteriia increasing with smaller crabs and Cytophagia increasing with larger crabs. These changes could alter the balance between mineralization and carbon sequestration in coastal ecosystems, leading to a positive feedback loop between warming and CO2 production. Our results highlight the potential for warming to disrupt microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling in coastal ecosystems, and the importance of studying these effects in combination with other environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eoin J O'Gorman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - David J McElroy
- Coastal & Marine Ecosystems Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Marine Stewardship Council, London, UK
| | - Boyd A McKew
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Ross A Coleman
- Coastal & Marine Ecosystems Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark C Emmerson
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Alex J Dumbrell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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5
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O'Gorman EJ. Multitrophic diversity sustains ecological complexity by dampening top-down control of a shallow marine benthic food web. Ecology 2021; 102:e03274. [PMID: 33368225 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity is typically considered as a one-dimensional metric (e.g., species richness), yet the consequences of species loss may be different depending on where extinctions occur in the food web. Here, I used a manipulative field experiment in a temperate subtidal marine system to explore the implications of diversity loss at multiple trophic levels for ecosystem functioning and food web structure. The four manipulated predators included the small painted goby and common prawn, which are also fed on by the larger black goby and shore crab. Antagonistic interactions between the manipulated predators (e.g., intraguild predation, intimidation, interference competition) limited their negative effects on the rest of the food web. Top-down control was so suppressed at the highest level of multitrophic diversity that the resulting food webs were as complex and productive as those containing no manipulated predators. Negative interactions between the predators weakened as multitrophic diversity decreased, however, resulting in stronger consumption of lower trophic levels and a simpler food web with lower rates of two key ecosystem processes: primary production and decomposition. These results show how indirect interactions between predators on multiple trophic levels help to promote the complexity and functioning of natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eoin J O'Gorman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
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6
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Individual species provide multifaceted contributions to the stability of ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1594-1601. [PMID: 33046872 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01315-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Exploration of the relationship between species diversity and ecological stability has occupied a prominent place in ecological research for decades. Yet, a key component of this puzzle-the contributions of individual species to the overall stability of ecosystems-remains largely unknown. Here, we show that individual species simultaneously stabilize and destabilize ecosystems along different dimensions of stability, and also that their contributions to functional (biomass) and compositional stability are largely independent. By simulating experimentally the extinction of three consumer species (the limpet Patella, the periwinkle Littorina and the topshell Gibbula) from a coastal rocky shore, we found that the capacity to predict the combined contribution of species to stability from the sum of their individual contributions varied among stability dimensions. This implies that the nature of the diversity-stability relationship depends upon the dimension of stability under consideration, and may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic. We conclude that, although the profoundly multifaceted and context-dependent consequences of species loss pose a significant challenge, the predictability of cumulative species contributions to some dimensions of stability provide a way forward for ecologists trying to conserve ecosystems and manage their stability under global change.
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7
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Henden JA, Ims RA, Yoccoz NG, Asbjørnsen EJ, Stien A, Mellard JP, Tveraa T, Marolla F, Jepsen JU. End-user involvement to improve predictions and management of populations with complex dynamics and multiple drivers. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02120. [PMID: 32159900 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable management of wildlife populations can be aided by building models that both identify current drivers of natural dynamics and provide near-term predictions of future states. We employed a Strategic Foresight Protocol (SFP) involving stakeholders to decide the purpose and structure of a dynamic state-space model for the population dynamics of the Willow Ptarmigan, a popular game species in Norway. Based on local knowledge of stakeholders, it was decided that the model should include food web interactions and climatic drivers to provide explanatory predictions. Modeling confirmed observations from stakeholders that climate change impacts Ptarmigan populations negatively through intensified outbreaks of insect defoliators and later onset of winter. Stakeholders also decided that the model should provide anticipatory predictions. The ability to forecast population density ahead of the harvest season was valued by the stakeholders as it provides the management extra time to consider appropriate harvest regulations and communicate with hunters prior to the hunting season. Overall, exploring potential drivers and predicting short-term future states, facilitate collaborative learning and refined data collection, monitoring designs, and management priorities. Our experience from adapting a SFP to a management target with inherently complex dynamics and drivers of environmental change, is that an open, flexible, and iterative process, rather than a rigid step-wise protocol, facilitates rapid learning, trust, and legitimacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John-André Henden
- University of Tromsø, The Arctic University, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway
| | - Rolf A Ims
- University of Tromsø, The Arctic University, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
| | - Nigel G Yoccoz
- University of Tromsø, The Arctic University, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
| | | | - Audun Stien
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
| | - Jarad Pope Mellard
- University of Tromsø, The Arctic University, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway
| | - Torkild Tveraa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
| | - Filippo Marolla
- University of Tromsø, The Arctic University, Hansine Hansens veg 18, Tromsø, 9019, Norway
| | - Jane Uhd Jepsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Postboks 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
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8
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Aguilera MA, Valdivia N, Broitman BR, Jenkins SR, Navarrete SA. Novel co-occurrence of functionally redundant consumers induced by range expansion alters community structure. Ecology 2020; 101:e03150. [PMID: 32730670 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Ongoing climate change is shifting the geographic distributions of some species, potentially imposing rapid changes in local community structure and ecosystem functioning. Besides changes in population-level interspecific interactions, such range shifts may also cause changes in functional structure within the host assemblages, which can result in losses or gains in ecosystem functions. Because consumer-resource dynamics are central to community regulation, functional reorganization driven by introduction of new consumer species can have large consequences on ecosystem functions. Here we experimentally examine the extent to which the recent poleward range expansion of the intertidal grazer limpet Scurria viridula along the coast of Chile has altered the role of the resident congeneric limpet S. zebrina, and whether the net collective impacts, and functional structure, of the entire herbivore guild have been modified by the introduction of this new member. We examined the functional role of Scurria species in controlling ephemeral algal cover, bare rock availability, and species richness and diversity, and compared the effects in the region of range overlap against their respective "native" abutted ranges. Experiments showed depression of per capita effects of the range-expanded species within the region of overlap, suggesting environmental conditions negatively affect individual performance. In contrast, effects of S. zebrina were commonly invariant at its range edge. When comparing single species versus polycultures, effects on bare rock cover were altered by the presence of the other Scurria species, suggesting competition between Scurria species. Importantly, although the magnitude of S. viridula effects at the range overlap was reduced, its addition to the herbivore guild seems to complement and intensify the role of the guild in reducing green algal cover, species richness and increasing bare space provision. Our study thus highlights that range expansion of an herbivore can modify the functional guild structure in the recipient community. It also highlights the complexity of predicting how functional structure may change in the face of natural or human-induced range expansions. There is a need for more field-based examination of regional functional compensation, complementarity, or inhibition before we can construct a conceptual framework to anticipate the consequences of species range expansions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés A Aguilera
- Departamento de Biología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo, 1281, Coquimbo, Chile.,Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Ossandón 877, Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Nelson Valdivia
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia, 5110236, Chile.,Centro FONDAP de Investigación de Dinámicas de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL), Chile
| | - Bernardo R Broitman
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Viña de Mar, Chile
| | - Stuart R Jenkins
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK
| | - Sergio A Navarrete
- Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Las Cruces, Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile
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9
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Skein L, Alexander ME, Robinson TB. Co-occurring predators increase biotic resistance against an invasive prey. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 157:104929. [PMID: 32275511 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.104929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The presence of multiple predators can lead to variation in predator behavior and ultimately altered risk for shared prey. This concept has seldom been accounted for in studies that consider predator-driven biotic resistance from native marine predators against invasive prey. This study compared the prey selection of whelks and rock lobsters when co-occurring and when foraging in isolation. When in isolation, both predators preferred the native mussel Choromytilus meridionalis, regardless of the abundance of alternative prey. However, when co-occurring, predation risk for all prey species, including the invasive mussel Semimytilus algosus, increased. This was largely driven by greater variation in prey selection by rock lobsters in the presence of whelks. This indicates that predatory efforts from co-occurring predators can result in stronger predation pressure on invasive prey than would be recognized if predators were assessed in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Skein
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Natural Sciences Building, Merriman Avenue, Stellenbosch, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Mhairi E Alexander
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Natural Sciences Building, Merriman Avenue, Stellenbosch, Matieland, 7602, South Africa; Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research (IBEHR), School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BE, UK
| | - Tamara B Robinson
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Natural Sciences Building, Merriman Avenue, Stellenbosch, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
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10
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David V, Joachim S, Porcher JM, Beaudouin R. Modelling BPA effects on three-spined stickleback population dynamics in mesocosms to improve the understanding of population effects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 692:854-867. [PMID: 31539991 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical, is ubiquitously present in the aquatic environment. Its impacts at the population level on three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have been studied in artificial streams with low-dose BPA concentrations. The causes explaining the observed effects remained unclear. Here, we used an individual-based model coupled to a Dynamic Energy Budget model to (i) assess the potential of modelling to predict impacts at the population level using individual level laboratory ecotoxicological endpoints and (ii) provide insight on the mechanisms of BPA toxicity in these mesocosms. To do that, both direct and indirect effects of BPA on three-spined sticklebacks were incorporated in the model. Indeed, direct BPA effects on fish have been identified based on literature data whereas indirect effects on sticklebacks have been taken into account using sampling data of their prey from the exposed artificial streams. Results of the modelling showed that direct BPA effects on fish (impacts on gonad formation, growth, male reproductive behavior, eggs and larvae survival) mainly explained the three-spined stickleback population structure in the mesocosms, but indirect effects were not negligible. Hence, this study showed the potential of modelling in risk assessment to predict the impacts on fish population viability from behavioral and physiological effects measured on organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane David
- Unit of Models for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology (METO), INERIS, 60550 Verneuil en Halatte, France; UMR-I 02 SEBIO, INERIS, Parc ALATA, BP2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Sandrine Joachim
- UMR-I 02 SEBIO, INERIS, Parc ALATA, BP2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Jean-Marc Porcher
- UMR-I 02 SEBIO, INERIS, Parc ALATA, BP2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France
| | - Rémy Beaudouin
- Unit of Models for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology (METO), INERIS, 60550 Verneuil en Halatte, France; UMR-I 02 SEBIO, INERIS, Parc ALATA, BP2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France.
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11
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McClean D, Friman V, Finn A, Salzberg LI, Donohue I. Coping with multiple enemies: pairwise interactions do not predict evolutionary change in complex multitrophic communities. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deirdre McClean
- Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, Univ. of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
- Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Biological Sciences Univ. of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | | | - Alain Finn
- Dept of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin Ireland
| | - Letal I. Salzberg
- Smurfit Inst. of Genetics, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin Ireland
| | - Ian Donohue
- Dept of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin Ireland
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12
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Dee LE, Cowles J, Isbell F, Pau S, Gaines SD, Reich PB. When Do Ecosystem Services Depend on Rare Species? Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:746-758. [PMID: 31104954 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Conservation aims to preserve species and ecosystem services. If rare species contribute little to ecosystem services, yet are those most in need of preservation, tradeoffs may exist for these contrasting objectives. However, little attention has focused on identifying how, when, and where rare species contribute to ecosystem services and at what scales. Here, we review distinct ways that ecosystem services can positively depend on the presence, abundance, disproportionate contribution or, counterintuitively, the scarcity of rare species. By contrast, ecosystem services are less likely to depend on rare species that do not have a unique role in any service or become abundant enough to contribute substantially. We propose a research agenda to identify when rare species may contribute significantly to services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Dee
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St Paul, MN, USA; Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Jane Cowles
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Stephanie Pau
- Department of Geography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Steven D Gaines
- Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St Paul, MN, USA; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales 2753, Australia
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13
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Hunter WR, Ogle N, O’Connor N. Warming affects predatory faunal impacts upon microbial carbon cycling. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William Ross Hunter
- Queen’s University Marine Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University of Belfast Portaferry UK
| | - Neil Ogle
- Queen’s University Stable Isotope Facility, School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University of Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Nessa O’Connor
- Queen’s University Marine Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University of Belfast Portaferry UK
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14
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Yang Q, Fowler MS, Jackson AL, Donohue I. The predictability of ecological stability in a noisy world. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:251-259. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0794-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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15
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White L, Donohue I, Emmerson MC, O'Connor NE. Combined effects of warming and nutrients on marine communities are moderated by predators and vary across functional groups. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:5853-5866. [PMID: 30246490 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Warming, nutrient enrichment and biodiversity modification are among the most pervasive components of human-induced global environmental change. We know little about their cumulative effects on ecosystems; however, even though this knowledge is fundamental to predicting and managing their consequences in a changing world. Here, we show that shifts in predator species composition can moderate both the individual and combined effects of warming and nutrient enrichment in marine systems. However, all three aspects of global change also acted independently to alter different functional groups in our flow-through marine rock-pool mesocosms. Specifically, warming reduced macroalgal biomass and assemblage productivity, whereas enrichment led to increased abundance of meso-invertebrate consumers, and loss of predator species led to increased gastropod grazer biomass. This disparity in responses, both across trophic levels (macroalgae and intermediate consumers), and between detecting additive effects on aggregate measures of ecosystem functioning, yet interactive effects on community composition, illustrates that our forecasting ability depends strongly on the level of ecological complexity incorporated within global change experiments. We conclude that biodiversity change-and loss of predator species in particular-plays a critical and overarching role in determining how ecological communities respond to stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia White
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Mark C Emmerson
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Nessa E O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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16
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Maceda-Veiga A, Mac Nally R, de Sostoa A. Water-quality impacts in semi-arid regions: can natural 'green filters' mitigate adverse effects on fish assemblages? WATER RESEARCH 2018; 144:628-641. [PMID: 30096689 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.07.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The effective aridity in riparian areas is increasing from climate change and from human water consumption, which exacerbates the impacts of effluents from wastewater-treatment plants and from catchment run-off in rivers. The potential of natural riparian areas to act as 'green filters' has long been recognized, but the possible ecological benefits of natural riparian areas over large-scale environmental gradients on fish have not been explored in detail. Using an extensive data-set from northeastern Spain (99,700 km2, 15 catchments, 530 sites), ours is the first study to ask whether natural riparian vegetation can mitigate the effects of pollution on fish in rivers experiencing water scarcity. We used multimodel inference to explore the additive and interactive effects of riparian vegetation with nutrient pollution and water conductivity, which are among the world's worst river stressors, on multiple fish guilds, including widely distributed species and highly invasive alien fish species. Most models (54%) supported the additive effects of water-quality factors on fish, after having accounted for the influence of geography and hydrological alterations. Although many fewer models (7%) included riparian vegetation as an important predictor, riparian vegetation modulated the forms of the associations between fish and pollution. The relationship of nutrient pollution with native and alien fish richness changed from negative to positive with greater riparian structure or species richness. However, we found the opposite effect for the mean body size of sedentary fish, and only positive additive effects of riparian richness for the probability of occurrence of pelagic fish. Ammonium and nitrite concentrations adversely affected fish in these rivers up to 10 years after the enforcement of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive by the European Union. High conductivity also much affects fish, having negatives associations with migratory, pelagic, invertivorous and native fish, and positive associations with sedentary, benthic, omnivorous and alien fish. Therefore, the current status of natural riparian areas is unlikely to fully mitigate water-quality impacts on fish. The conservation of freshwater resources in semi-arid regions, such as north-eastern Spain, requires improved waste-water treatments and better agriculture practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Maceda-Veiga
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences & Institute of Research in Biodiversity, Universitat de Barcelona (IRBio-UB), 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Ralph Mac Nally
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, 2617, ACT, Australia; Sunrise Ecological Research Institute, Ocean Grove, 3226, Australia
| | - Adolfo de Sostoa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences & Institute of Research in Biodiversity, Universitat de Barcelona (IRBio-UB), 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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17
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Bertolini C, Montgomery WI, O’Connor NE. Habitat with small inter-structural spaces promotes mussel survival and reef generation. MARINE BIOLOGY 2018; 165:163. [PMID: 30363846 PMCID: PMC6182589 DOI: 10.1007/s00227-018-3426-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Spatially complex habitats provide refuge for prey and mediate many predator-prey interactions. Increasing anthropogenic pressures are eroding such habitats, reducing their complexity and potentially altering ecosystem stability on a global scale. Yet, we have only a rudimentary understanding of how structurally complex habitats create ecological refuges for most ecosystems. Better informed management decisions require an understanding of the mechanisms underpinning the provision of physical refuge and this may be linked to prey size, predator size and predator identity in priority habitats. We tested each of these factors empirically in a model biogenic reef system. Specifically, we tested whether mortality rates of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) of different sizes differed among: (i) different forms of reef structural distribution (represented as 'clumped', 'patchy' and 'sparse'); (ii) predator species identity (shore crab, Carcinus maenas and starfish, Asterias rubens); and (iii) predator size. The survival rate of small mussels was greatest in the clumped experimental habitat and larger predators generally consumed more prey regardless of the structural organisation of treatment. Small mussels were protected from larger A. rubens but not from larger C. maenas in the clumped habitats. The distribution pattern of structural objects, therefore, may be considered a useful proxy for reef complexity when assessing predator-prey interactions, and optimal organisations should be considered based on both prey and predator sizes. These findings are essential to understand ecological processes underpinning predation rates in structurally complex habitats and to inform future restoration and ecological engineering practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Bertolini
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland, UK
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Estuarine and Delta Systems, Utrecht University, PO Box 140, 4401 NT Yerseke, The Netherlands
| | - W. I. Montgomery
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Nessa E. O’Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL Northern Ireland, UK
- School of Natural Sciences, Zoology Building, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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18
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Atwood TB, Hammill E. The Importance of Marine Predators in the Provisioning of Ecosystem Services by Coastal Plant Communities. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1289. [PMID: 30233626 PMCID: PMC6129962 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Food web theory predicts that current global declines in marine predators could generate unwanted consequences for many marine ecosystems. In coastal plant communities (kelp, seagrass, mangroves, and salt marsh), several studies have documented the far-reaching effects of changing predator populations. Across coastal ecosystems, the loss of marine predators appears to negatively affect coastal plant communities and the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we discuss some of the documented and suspected effects of predators on coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and the stability and resilience of coastal plant communities. In addition, we present a meta-analysis to assess the strength and direction of trophic cascades in kelp forests, seagrasses, salt marshes, and mangroves. We demonstrate that the strength and direction of trophic cascades varied across ecosystem types, with predators having a large positive effect on plants in salt marshes, a moderate positive effect on plants in kelp and mangroves, and no effect on plants in seagrasses. Our analysis also identified that there is a paucity of literature on trophic cascades for all four coastal plant systems, but especially seagrass and mangroves. Our results demonstrate the crucial role of predators in maintaining coastal ecosystem services, but also highlights the need for further research before large-scale generalizations about the prevalence, direction, and strength of trophic cascade in coastal plant communities can be made.
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19
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Morello SL, Etter RJ. Transition probabilities help identify putative drivers of community change in complex systems. Ecology 2018; 99:1357-1369. [PMID: 29604059 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the role of larger-scale processes in modulating the assembly, structure, and dynamics of communities is critical for forecasting the effects of climate-change and managing ecosystems. Developing this comprehensive perspective is difficult though, because species interactions are complex, interdependent, and dynamic through space and time. Typically, experiments focus on tractable subsets of interactions that will be most critical to investigate and explain shifts in communities, but qualitatively base these choices on experience, natural history, and theory. One quantitative approach to identify the putative forces regulating communities, without reducing system complexity, is estimating transition probabilities among species occupying space (i.e., multispecies Markov chain models). Although not mechanistic, these models estimate the relative frequency and importance of ecological pathways in community assembly and dynamics, and can serve as a framework to identify how pathways change across large scales and which are most important to investigate further. Here, we demonstrate this method in the Gulf of Maine (GOM) intertidal zone, where research has largely focused on the local-scale processes that influence communities, while the mechanisms responsible for more regional shifts in communities are less clear. Transition probabilities of faunal elements were quantified bimonthly for ~2.5 yr in local intertidal communities at three replicate sites in the southern, mid-coast, and northern GOM. Transitions related to mortality, colonization, and replacement by mussels, barnacles, red algae, and encrusting corallines differed regionally, suggesting specific pathways related to consumer pressure and recruitment vary across the GOM with shifting intertidal community structure. Combined with species abundance data and insights from previous research, we develop and evaluate the pathways by which communities likely change in the GOM. Species interactions in local communities can be complex, and this complexity should be incorporated into hypothesis building, experiments, theory, interpretations, and forecasts in ecology. Such a comprehensive approach will be critical to understand how regional shifts in local interactions can drive large-scale community change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott L Morello
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA.,The Downeast Institute, P.O. Box 83, Bzeals, Maine, 04611, USA
| | - Ron J Etter
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
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20
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A structural equation modeling approach for formalizing and evaluating ecological integrity in terrestrial ecosystems. ECOL INFORM 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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21
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Donohue I, Petchey OL, Kéfi S, Génin A, Jackson AL, Yang Q, O'Connor NE. Loss of predator species, not intermediate consumers, triggers rapid and dramatic extinction cascades. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2962-2972. [PMID: 28346736 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Ecological networks are tightly interconnected, such that loss of a single species can trigger additional species extinctions. Theory predicts that such secondary extinctions are driven primarily by loss of species from intermediate or basal trophic levels. In contrast, most cases of secondary extinctions from natural systems have been attributed to loss of entire top trophic levels. Here, we show that loss of single predator species in isolation can, irrespective of their identity or the presence of other predators, trigger rapid secondary extinction cascades in natural communities far exceeding those generally predicted by theory. In contrast, we did not find any secondary extinctions caused by intermediate consumer loss. A food web model of our experimental system-a marine rocky shore community-could reproduce these results only when biologically likely and plausible nontrophic interactions, based on competition for space and predator-avoidance behaviour, were included. These findings call for a reassessment of the scale and nature of extinction cascades, particularly the inclusion of nontrophic interactions, in forecasts of the future of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Owen L Petchey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CC065, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, BioDICée team, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Alexandre Génin
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CC065, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, BioDICée team, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrew L Jackson
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Qiang Yang
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Nessa E O'Connor
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
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22
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Penk M, Saul W, Dick JT, Donohue I, Alexander ME, Linzmaier S, Jeschke JM. A trophic interaction framework for identifying the invasive capacity of novel organisms. Methods Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Penk
- School of Natural SciencesTrinity College Dublin Dublin Ireland
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, PharmacyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Wolf‐Christian Saul
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, PharmacyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
- Centre for Invasion Biology (CIB)Department of Botany and Zoology & Department of Mathematical SciencesStellenbosch University Matieland South Africa
| | - Jaimie T.A. Dick
- Institute for Global Food SecuritySchool of Biological SciencesQueen's University Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Ian Donohue
- School of Natural SciencesTrinity College Dublin Dublin Ireland
| | - Mhairi E. Alexander
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research (IBEHR)School of Science and SportUniversity of the West of Scotland Paisley UK
| | - Stefan Linzmaier
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, PharmacyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
| | - Jonathan M. Jeschke
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, PharmacyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Leibniz‐Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
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23
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Interspecies Interactions Reverse the Hazard of Antibiotics Exposure: A Plankton Community Study on Responses to Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2373. [PMID: 28539649 PMCID: PMC5443794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02593-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecotoxicological effects of Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CIP) were tested on population densities of plankton assemblages consisting of two algae (Isochrysis galbana and Platymonas subcordiformis) and a rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis). The I. galbana showed a significant decrease in densities when concentrations of CIP were above 2.0 mg L−1 in single-species tests, while P. subcordiformis and B. plicatilis were stable in densities when CIP were less than10.0 mg L−1. The equilibrium densities of I. galbana in community test increased with CIP concentrations after falling to a trough at 5.0 mg L−1, showed a completely different pattern of P. subcordiformis which decreased with CIP concentrations after reaching a peak at 30.0 mg L−1. The observed beneficial effect was a result of interspecies interactions of trophic cascade that buffered for more severe direct effects of toxicants. The community test-based NOEC of CIP (2.0 mg L−1), embodying the indirect effects, was different from the extrapolated one derived by single-species tests (0.5 mg L−1), but all lacked confidence interval. A CIP threshold concentration of obvious relevance to ecological interaction was calculated with a simplified plankton ecological model, achieving a value of 1.26 mg L−1 with a 95% bootstrapping confidence interval from 1.18 to 1.31 mg L−1.
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24
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Leibold MA, Hall SR, Smith VH, Lytle DA. Herbivory enhances the diversity of primary producers in pond ecosystems. Ecology 2017; 98:48-56. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mathew A. Leibold
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas 78712 USA
| | - Spencer R. Hall
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington Indiana 47405 USA
| | - Val H. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas 66045 USA
| | - David A. Lytle
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
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25
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Frost CM, Peralta G, Rand TA, Didham RK, Varsani A, Tylianakis JM. Apparent competition drives community-wide parasitism rates and changes in host abundance across ecosystem boundaries. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12644. [PMID: 27577948 PMCID: PMC5013663 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Species have strong indirect effects on others, and predicting these effects is a central challenge in ecology. Prey species sharing an enemy (predator or parasitoid) can be linked by apparent competition, but it is unknown whether this process is strong enough to be a community-wide structuring mechanism that could be used to predict future states of diverse food webs. Whether species abundances are spatially coupled by enemy movement across different habitats is also untested. Here, using a field experiment, we show that predicted apparent competitive effects between species, mediated via shared parasitoids, can significantly explain future parasitism rates and herbivore abundances. These predictions are successful even across edges between natural and managed forests, following experimental reduction of herbivore densities by aerial spraying of insecticide over 20 hectares. This result shows that trophic indirect effects propagate across networks and habitats in important, predictable ways, with implications for landscape planning, invasion biology and biological control. Species sharing a common enemy such as a parasitoid or predator can indirectly affect one another. Here, Frost et al. use quantitative food-web data from communities of caterpillar hosts to show experimentally that apparent competition is important in predicting food-web structure across habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol M Frost
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Guadalupe Peralta
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Tatyana A Rand
- USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, Sidney, Montana 59270, USA
| | - Raphael K Didham
- School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley Western Australia 6009, Australia.,CSIRO Land &Water, Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, Underwood Ave, Floreat Western Australia 6014, Australia
| | - Arvind Varsani
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.,Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.,Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town 7700, South Africa.,Department of Plant Pathology and Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
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26
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Tejada-Martinez D, López DN, Bonta CC, Sepúlveda RD, Valdivia N. Positive and negative effects of mesograzers on early-colonizing species in an intertidal rocky-shore community. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:5761-70. [PMID: 27547352 PMCID: PMC4983589 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological consequences of human‐driven overexploitation and loss of keystone consumers are still unclear. In intertidal rocky shores over the world, the decrease of keystone macrograzers has resulted in an increase in the dominance of herbivores with smaller body (i.e., “mesograzers”), which could potentially alter community assembly and structure. Here, we experimentally tested whether mesograzers affect the structure of rocky intertidal communities during the period of early colonization after the occurrence of a disturbance. A manipulative field experiment was conducted to exclude mesograzers (i.e., juvenile chitons, small snails, amphipods, and juvenile limpets) from experimental areas in an ecosystem characterized by the overexploitation of keystone macrograzers and predators. The results of multivariate analyses suggest that mesograzers had significant effects on intertidal community structure through negative and positive effects on species abundances. Mesograzers had negative effects on filamentous algae, but positive effects on opportunistic foliose algae and barnacles. Probably, mesograzers indirectly favored the colonization of barnacles and foliose algae by removing preemptive competitors, as previously shown for other meso‐ and macrograzer species. These results strongly support the idea that small herbivores exert a firm controlling effect on the assembly process of natural communities. Therefore, changes in functional roles of top‐down controllers might have significant implications for the structure of intertidal communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Tejada-Martinez
- Doctorado en Ciencias, mención en Ecología y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - Daniela N López
- Doctorado en Ciencias, mención en Ecología y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - César C Bonta
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - Roger D Sepúlveda
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; South American Research Group on Coastal Ecosystems (SARCE) Universidad Simón Bolivar Caracas Venezuela
| | - Nelson Valdivia
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Centro FONDAP de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL) Valdivia Chile
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27
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Single gene locus changes perturb complex microbial communities as much as apex predator loss. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8235. [PMID: 26354365 PMCID: PMC4579780 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many bacterial species are highly social, adaptively shaping their local environment through the production of secreted molecules. This can, in turn, alter interaction strengths among species and modify community composition. However, the relative importance of such behaviours in determining the structure of complex communities is unknown. Here we show that single-locus changes affecting biofilm formation phenotypes in Bacillus subtilis modify community structure to the same extent as loss of an apex predator and even to a greater extent than loss of B. subtilis itself. These results, from experimentally manipulated multitrophic microcosm assemblages, demonstrate that bacterial social traits are key modulators of the structure of their communities. Moreover, they show that intraspecific genetic variability can be as important as strong trophic interactions in determining community dynamics. Microevolution may therefore be as important as species extinctions in shaping the response of microbial communities to environmental change. Some species of social bacteria can chemically modify their nutrient environments, which may influence community interactions. Here, McClean et al. show that changes at a single gene locus in a biofilm-forming bacteria can perturb community structure to the same extent as the loss of an apex predator.
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28
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Wang C, Zhang Y, Li H, Xing W, Yu H. The Effects of Petroleum Hydrocarbons on Algae Can Be Reversed in the Presence of a Primary Consumer. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2015; 95:344-349. [PMID: 26160503 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-015-1598-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The ecotoxicological effects of a mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons were tested on densities of two algae, Platymonas helgolandica var. tsingtaoensis and Isochrysis galbana, and of a rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, by single-species and customized community experiments. Test concentrations ranged from 0 to 100 mg L(-1), while five to seven treatments were assessed in triplicate within 1 month. A significant decrease in densities during single-species toxicity tests were found when concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons were above 1.0 mg L(-1). However, equilibrium densities of algae in the customized community showed a different pattern, which increased with concentration and reached a peak at 20.0 mg L(-1). The community-based no observed effect concentration (NOEC; 1.0 mg L(-1)) was different from the NOEC derived by single-species toxic tests (0.25 mg L(-1)). This demonstrates that ecotoxicological effects on plankton as part of a community is significantly different from single-species toxicity tests owing to ecological interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changyou Wang
- School of Marine Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China,
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Amundrud SL, Srivastava DS, O'Connor MI. Indirect effects of predators control herbivore richness and abundance in a benthic eelgrass (Zostera marina) mesograzer community. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1092-102. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Amundrud
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre; University of British Columbia; 6270 University Blvd. Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre; University of British Columbia; 6270 University Blvd. Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Mary I. O'Connor
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre; University of British Columbia; 6270 University Blvd. Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
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