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Zhao Y, Chen H, Sun H, Yang F. In the Qaidam Basin, Soil Nutrients Directly or Indirectly Affect Desert Ecosystem Stability under Drought Stress through Plant Nutrients. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1849. [PMID: 38999689 PMCID: PMC11244565 DOI: 10.3390/plants13131849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The low nutrient content of soil in desert ecosystems results in unique physiological and ecological characteristics of plants under long-term water and nutrient stress, which is the basis for the productivity and stability maintenance of the desert ecosystem. However, the relationship between the soil and the plant nutrient elements in the desert ecosystem and its mechanism for maintaining ecosystem stability is still unclear. In this study, 35 sampling sites were established in an area with typical desert vegetation in the Qaidam Basin, based on a drought gradient. A total of 90 soil samples and 100 plant samples were collected, and the soil's physico-chemical properties, as well as the nutrient elements in the plant leaves, were measured. Regression analysis, redundancy analysis (RDA), the Theil-Sen Median and Mann-Kendall methods, the structural equation model (SEM), and other methods were employed to analyze the distribution characteristics of the soil and plant nutrient elements along the drought gradient and the relationship between the soil and leaf nutrient elements and its impact on ecosystem stability. The results provided the following conclusions: Compared with the nutrient elements in plant leaves, the soil's nutrient elements had a more obvious regularity of distribution along the drought gradient. A strong correlation was observed between the soil and leaf nutrient elements, with soil organic carbon and alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen identified as important factors influencing the leaf nutrient content. The SEM showed that the soil's organic carbon had a positive effect on ecosystem stability by influencing the leaf carbon, while the soil's available phosphorus and the mean annual temperature had a direct positive effect on stability, and the soil's total nitrogen had a negative effect on stability. In general, the soil nutrient content was high in areas with a low mean annual temperature and high precipitation, and the ecosystem stability in the area distribution of typical desert vegetation in the Qaidam Basin was low. These findings reveal that soil nutrients affect the stability of desert ecosystems directly or indirectly through plant nutrients in the Qaidam Basin, which is crucial for maintaining the stability of desert ecosystems with the background of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hui Chen
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Technology Innovation Center for Remote Sensing Identification of Environmental Change, School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; (Y.Z.); (H.S.); (F.Y.)
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2
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Bin Asad KM, Yuan Y. The Impact of Scale on Extracting Individual Mobility Patterns from Location-Based Social Media. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 24:3796. [PMID: 38931584 PMCID: PMC11207636 DOI: 10.3390/s24123796] [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: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Understanding human movement patterns is crucial for comprehending how a city functions. It is also important for city planners and policymakers to create more efficient plans and policies for urban areas. Traditionally, human movement patterns were analyzed using origin-destination surveys, travel diaries, and other methods. Now, these patterns can be identified from various geospatial big data sources, such as mobile phone data, floating car data, and location-based social media (LBSM) data. These extensive datasets primarily identify individual or collective human movement patterns. However, the impact of spatial scale on the analysis of human movement patterns from these large geospatial data sources has not been sufficiently studied. Changes in spatial scale can significantly affect the results when calculating human movement patterns from these data. In this study, we utilized Weibo datasets for three different cities in China including Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. We aimed to identify the effect of different spatial scales on individual human movement patterns as calculated from LBSM data. For our analysis, we employed two indicators as follows: an external activity space indicator, the radius of gyration (ROG), and an internal activity space indicator, entropy. These indicators were chosen based on previous studies demonstrating their efficiency in analyzing sparse datasets like LBSM data. Additionally, we used two different ranges of spatial scales-10-100 m and 100-3000 m-to illustrate changes in individual activity space at both fine and coarse spatial scales. Our results indicate that although the ROG values show an overall increasing trend and the entropy values show an overall decreasing trend with the increase in spatial scale size, different local factors influence the ROG and entropy values at both finer and coarser scales. These findings will help to comprehend the dynamics of human movement across different scales. Such insights are invaluable for enhancing overall urban mobility and optimizing transportation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yihong Yuan
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA;
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3
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Cui Z, Sun J, Wu GL. Plant diversity increases spatial stability of aboveground productivity in alpine grasslands. Oecologia 2024; 205:27-38. [PMID: 38652294 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05552-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Plant diversity can significantly affect the grassland productivity and its stability. However, it remains unclear how plant diversity affects the spatial stability of natural grassland productivity, especially in alpine regions that are sensitive to climate change. We analyzed the interaction between plant (species richness and productivity, etc.) and climatic factors (precipitation, temperature, and moisture index, etc.) of alpine natural grassland on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In addition, we tested the relationship between plant diversity and spatial stability of grassland productivity. Results showed that an increase in plant diversity significantly enhanced community productivity and its standard deviation, while reducing the coefficient of variation in productivity. The influence of plant diversity on productivity and the reciprocal of productivity variability coefficient was not affected by vegetation types. The absolute values of the regression slopes between climate factors and productivity in alpine meadow communities with higher plant diversity were smaller than those in alpine meadow communities with lower plant diversity. In other words, alpine meadow communities with higher plant diversity exhibited a weaker response to climatic factors in terms of productivity, whereas those with lower plant diversity showed a stronger response. Our results indicate that high plant diversity buffers the impact of ambient pressure (e.g., precipitation, temperature) on alpine meadow productivity, and significantly enhanced the spatial stability of grassland productivity. This finding provides a theoretical basis for maintaining the stability of grassland ecosystems and scientifically managing alpine grasslands under the continuous climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming On the Loess Plateau, College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jian Sun
- Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Gao-Lin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming On the Loess Plateau, College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering (Institute of Soil and Water Conservation), Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China.
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4
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Lv P, Sun S, Li Y, Zhao S, Zhang J, Hu Y, Yue P, Zuo X. Growing-season drought and nitrogen addition interactively impair grassland ecosystem stability by reducing species diversity, asynchrony, and stability. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169122. [PMID: 38065502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169122] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Aboveground net primary productivity controls the amount of energy available to sustain all living organisms, and its sustainable provision relies on the stability of grassland ecosystems. Human activities leading to global changes, such as increased nitrogen (N) deposition and the more frequent occurrence of extreme precipitation events, with N addition increasing the sensitivity of ecosystem production stability to changes in the precipitation regime. However, whether N addition, in combination with seasonal precipitation increases or severe drought, affects ecosystem stability remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a six-year environmental change monitoring experiment in a semiarid grassland in northern China to test the effects of N addition, seasonal drought, and precipitation increases on the temporal stability of ecosystem productivity. Our study revealed that an interaction between drought and N addition reduced species diversity, species asynchrony, species stability, and thus ecosystem stability. These environmental change drivers (except for precipitation increase) induced a positive relationship between species asynchrony and diversity, whereas N addition interactively with drought and precipitation increase led to a negative relationship between diversity and species stability. Only N addition interactively with drought induced a positive species diversity-ecosystem stability relationship because lower species stability was overcome by increased species asynchrony. Our study is great importance to illustrate that production temporal stability tends to be inhibited with drought, though interactively with nutrient N addition. These findings highlight the primary role of asynchronous dynamics among species in modulating the effects of environmental change on diversity-stability relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Lv
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shanshan Sun
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuqiang Li
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shenglong Zhao
- College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui 741000, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Information Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ya Hu
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ping Yue
- Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaoan Zuo
- Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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5
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Mas-Carrió E, Churski M, Kuijper D, Fumagalli L. Niche overlap across landscape variability in summer between two large herbivores using eDNA metabarcoding. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0279672. [PMID: 38349911 PMCID: PMC10863879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between a species feeding strategy and its environment (trophic ecology) is critical to assess environmental requirements and improve management policies. However, measuring trophic interactions remains challenging. Among the available methods, quantifying the plant composition of a species' diet indicates how species use their environment and their associated niche overlap. Nevertheless, most studies focusing on herbivore trophic ecology ignore the influence that landscape variability may have. Here, we explored how landscape variability influences diet composition through niche overlap. We used eDNA metabarcoding to quantify the diet composition of two large herbivores of the Bialowieza Forest, red deer (Cervus elaphus) and European bison (Bison bonasus) to investigate how increasing habitat quality (i.e. higher abundance of deciduous forage species) and predation risk (i.e. density of wolf in the area) influence their diet composition and niche partitioning. Our findings indicate diet composition is non-homogeneous across the landscape, both within and between species. Red deer showed greater diet variability and lower niche overlap within species compared to bison. We detected a reduction of niche overlap for red deer with increasing predation risk, leading to more dissimilar diets, suggesting their feeding behaviour is affected by wolf presence. This correlation was not found for bison, which are rarely predated by wolf. Higher habitat quality was associated with higher niche overlap only within bison, probably due to their suboptimal feeding strategy as browsers. These results show the importance of integrating environment-induced diet variation in studies aimed at determining the landscape usage or niche overlap of a species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduard Mas-Carrió
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Dries Kuijper
- Mammal Research institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Luca Fumagalli
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory for Conservation Biology, Biophore, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Human Institute of Forensic Taphonomy, University Centre of Legal Medicine Lausanne-Geneva, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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6
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Wang B, Yin X. Homogenization of Functional Diversity of Rotifer Communities in Relation to Eutrophication in an Urban River of North China. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1488. [PMID: 38132314 PMCID: PMC10740681 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Rapid urbanization has triggered nutrient loading, which will inevitably lead to the eutrophication of water bodies and further affect the structure of aquatic populations. At present, eutrophication is a significant challenge for urban aquatic ecosystems. However, we still know little about the correlation between eutrophication in urban rivers and the composition of aquatic functional groups. The effects of urban river eutrophication on rotifer communities were investigated using an annual field survey of the Jinan section of the Xiaoqing River, a typical urban river in northern China. Using functional diversity (FD) and beta diversity, the spatiotemporal variation of the aquatic biological functional groups regime along stretches subject to different eutrophication was investigated. The functional evenness (FEve) and functional divergence (FDiv) decreased significantly with the increment of the trophic level index. Functional diversity exhibits an extremely low level across functional groups, with the richness difference (RichDiff) being an important component. The results indicate that eutrophication led to the homogenization of rotifer communities. This can be attributed to the functional homogenization of the rotifer community in the Jinan section of the Xiaoqing River. The observed homogenization may be due to widely distributed species complementing the ecological niche space. Our findings provide valuable information on the conservation of the urban river under the threat of eutrophication caused by high-intensity human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xuwang Yin
- Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory for Hydrobiology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China;
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7
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van der Plas F, Hennecke J, Chase JM, van Ruijven J, Barry KE. Universal beta-diversity-functioning relationships are neither observed nor expected. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:532-544. [PMID: 36806396 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Widespread evidence shows that local species richness (α-diversity) loss hampers the biomass production and stability of ecosystems. β-Diversity, namely the variation of species compositions among different ecological communities, represents another important biodiversity component, but studies on how it drives ecosystem functioning show mixed results. We argue that to better understand the importance of β-diversity we need to consider it across contexts. We focus on three scenarios that cause gradients in β-diversity: changes in (i) abiotic heterogeneity, (ii) habitat isolation, and (iii) species pool richness. We show that across these scenarios we should not expect universally positive relationships between β-diversity, production, and ecosystem stability. Nevertheless, predictable relationships between β-diversity and ecosystem functioning do exist in specific contexts, and can reconcile seemingly contrasting empirical relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fons van der Plas
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700, AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Justus Hennecke
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700, AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kathryn E Barry
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Dept of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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8
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He S, Xiong K, Song S, Chi Y, Fang J, He C. Research Progress of Grassland Ecosystem Structure and Stability and Inspiration for Improving Its Service Capacity in the Karst Desertification Control. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:770. [PMID: 36840118 PMCID: PMC9959505 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The structure and stability of grassland ecosystems have a significant impact on biodiversity, material cycling and productivity for ecosystem services. However, the issue of the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems has not been systematically reviewed. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we used the systematic-review method and screened 133 papers to describe and analyze the frontiers of research into the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems. The research results showed that: (1) The number of articles about the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems is gradually increasing, and the research themes are becoming increasingly diverse. (2) There is a high degree of consistency between the study area and the spatial distribution of grassland. (3) Based on the changes in ecosystem patterns and their interrelationships with ecosystem processes, we reviewed the research progress and landmark results on the structure, stability, structure-stability relationship and their influencing factors of grassland ecosystems; among them, the study of structure is the main research focus (51.12%), followed by the study of the influencing factors of structure and stability (37.57%). (4) Key scientific questions on structural optimization, stability enhancement and harmonizing the relationship between structure and stability are explored. (5) Based on the background of karst desertification control (KDC) and its geographical characteristics, three insights are proposed to optimize the spatial allocation, enhance the stability of grassland for rocky desertification control and coordinate the regulation mechanism of grassland structure and stability. This study provided some references for grassland managers and relevant policy makers to optimize the structure and enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems. It also provided important insights to enhance the service capacity of grassland ecosystems in KDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Shuzhen Song
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Yongkuan Chi
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Jinzhong Fang
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Chen He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
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9
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Liang M, Baiser B, Hallett LM, Hautier Y, Jiang L, Loreau M, Record S, Sokol ER, Zarnetske PL, Wang S. Consistent stabilizing effects of plant diversity across spatial scales and climatic gradients. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1669-1675. [PMID: 36123533 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01868-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity has widely been documented to enhance local community stability but whether such stabilizing effects of biodiversity extend to broader scales remains elusive. Here, we investigated the relationships between biodiversity and community stability in natural plant communities from quadrat (1 m2) to plot (400 m2) and regional (5-214 km2) scales and across broad climatic conditions, using an extensive plant community dataset from the National Ecological Observatory Network. We found that plant diversity provided consistent stabilizing effects on total community abundance across three nested spatial scales and climatic gradients. The strength of the stabilizing effects of biodiversity increased modestly with spatial scale and decreased as precipitation seasonality increased. Our findings illustrate the generality of diversity-stability theory across scales and climatic gradients, which provides a robust framework for understanding ecosystem responses to biodiversity and climate changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maowei Liang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Benjamin Baiser
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lauren M Hallett
- Department of Biology and Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Yann Hautier
- Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michel Loreau
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS, Moulis, France
| | - Sydne Record
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Eric R Sokol
- National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Battelle, Boulder, CO, USA.,Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Phoebe L Zarnetske
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China.
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10
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Jiang LM, Sattar K, Lü GH, Hu D, Zhang J, Yang XD. Different contributions of plant diversity and soil properties to the community stability in the arid desert ecosystem. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:969852. [PMID: 36092411 PMCID: PMC9453452 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.969852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a one of the focuses of ecological research, understanding the regulation of plant diversity on community stability is helpful to reveal the adaption of plant to environmental changes. However, the relationship between plant diversity and community stability is still controversial due to the scale effect of its influencing factors. In this study, we compared the changes in community stability and different plant diversity (i.e., species, functional, and phylogenetic diversities) between three communities (i.e., riparian forest, ecotone community, and desert shrubs), and across three spatial scales (i.e., 100, 400, and 2500 m2), and then quantified the contribution of soil properties and plant diversity to community stability by using structural equation model (SEM) in the Ebinur Lake Basin Nature Reserve of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the NW China. The results showed that: (1) community stability differed among three communities (ecotone community > desert shrubs > riparian forest). The stability of three communities all decreased with the increase of spatial scale (2) species diversity, phylogenetic richness and the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance were higher in ecotone community than that in desert shrubs and riparian forest, while the mean nearest taxa distance showed as riparian forest > ecotone community > desert shrubs. (3) Soil ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus had the significant direct negative and positive effects on the community stability, respectively. Soil ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus also indirectly affected community stability by adjusting plant diversity. The interaction among species, functional and phylogenetic diversities also regulated the variation of community stability across the spatial scales. Our results suggested that the effect of plant diversities on community stability were greater than that of soil factors. The asynchronous effect caused by the changes in species composition and functional traits among communities had a positive impact on the stability. Our study provided a theoretical support for the conservation and management of biodiversity and community functions in desert areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- La-Mei Jiang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology of Education Ministry, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Xinjiang Jinghe Observation and Research Station of Temperate Desert Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Jinghe, China
| | - Kunduz Sattar
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Forestry Planning Institute, Ürümqi, China
| | - Guang-Hui Lü
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology of Education Ministry, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Xinjiang Jinghe Observation and Research Station of Temperate Desert Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Jinghe, China
| | - Dong Hu
- College of Life Science, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology of Education Ministry, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China
- Xinjiang Jinghe Observation and Research Station of Temperate Desert Ecosystem, Ministry of Education, Jinghe, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Yang
- College of Geography and Tourism Culture, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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11
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Pettersson S, Nilsson Jacobi M. Spatial heterogeneity enhance robustness of large multi-species ecosystems. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008899. [PMID: 34705816 PMCID: PMC8575308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding ecosystem stability and functioning is a long-standing goal in theoretical ecology, with one of the main tools being dynamical modelling of species abundances. With the help of spatially unresolved (well-mixed) population models and equilibrium dynamics, limits to stability and regions of various ecosystem robustness have been extensively mapped in terms of diversity (number of species), types of interactions, interaction strengths, varying interaction networks (for example plant-pollinator, food-web) and varying structures of these networks. Although many insights have been gained, the impact of spatial extension is not included in this body of knowledge. Recent studies of spatially explicit modelling on the other hand have shown that stability limits can be crossed and diversity increased for systems with spatial heterogeneity in species interactions and/or chaotic dynamics. Here we show that such crossing and diversity increase can appear under less strict conditions. We find that the mere possibility of varying species abundances at different spatial locations make possible the preservation or increase in diversity across previous boundaries thought to mark catastrophic transitions. In addition, we introduce and make explicit a multitude of different dynamics a spatially extended complex system can use to stabilise. This expanded stabilising repertoire of dynamics is largest at intermediate levels of dispersal. Thus we find that spatially extended systems with intermediate dispersal are more robust, in general have higher diversity and can stabilise beyond previous stability boundaries, in contrast to well-mixed systems. One of the major challenges facing humanity is the fragmentation of wildlife habitats and decline in biodiversity due to human land-use practices and need for resources. We need to find ways to combine human prosperity with biodiversity conservation. To achieve this a solid understanding of ecosystem stability and functioning is paramount. One way to gain such insight is to find limits when we expect species to go extinct or ecosystems to collapse by simulations of interacting species populations. Many such stability limits have been found theoretically the last decades, but for simplification of modelling, studies often exclude that ecosystems are spread out in space. Here, we explicitly include space and thus allow for dispersal and spatial heterogeneity (local differences) in species abundances. We find that for an ecosystem with the possibility of local spatial heterogeneity, the repertoire of the system’s dynamical behaviour increases dramatically. This increase in possibilities increases system robustness, enables limits previously marking extinction or collapse to be crossed without any remarkable change in global species abundances, and increases biodiversity. Thus we elucidate an additional mechanism pointing to spatial heterogeneity as crucial for ecosystem stability. We find intermediate dispersal as the most favourable for robustness and diversity of ecosystems since they display the largest repertoire of dynamical behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Pettersson
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Martin Nilsson Jacobi
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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12
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Qiao X, Zhang N, Zhang C, Zhang Z, Zhao X, Gadow K. Unravelling biodiversity–productivity relationships across a large temperate forest region. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xuetao Qiao
- Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Naili Zhang
- Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Chunyu Zhang
- Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Zhonghui Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Academy of Forestry Sciences Changchun China
| | - Xiuhai Zhao
- Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
| | - Klaus Gadow
- Faculty of Forestry and Forest Ecology Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Department of Forest and Wood Science University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch South Africa
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13
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Observational Scale Matters for Ecosystem Services Interactions and Spatial Distributions: A Case Study of the Ussuri Watershed, China. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su131910649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how observational scale affects the interactions and spatial distributions of ecosystem services is important for effective ecosystem assessment and management. We conducted a case study in the Ussuri watershed, Northeast China, to explore how observational scale (1 km to 15 km grid resolution) influences the correlations and spatial distributions of ecosystem services. Four ecosystem services of particular importance for the sustainable development of the study area were examined: carbon sequestration, habitat provision, soil retention, and water retention. Across the observational scales examined, trade-offs and synergies of extensively distributed ecosystem services were more likely to be robust compared with those of sparsely distributed ecosystem services, and hot/cold-spots of ecosystem services were more likely to persist when associated with large rather than small land-cover patches. Our analysis suggests that a dual-purpose strategy is the most appropriate for the management of carbon sequestration and habitat provision, and cross-scale management strategies are the most appropriate for the management of soil retention and water retention in the study area. Further studies to deepen our understanding of local landscape patterns will help determine the most appropriate observational scale for analyzing the spatial distributions of these ecosystem services.
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14
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Chen Y, Wu Y, Zhou J, Zhang W, Lin H, Liu X, Pan K, Shen T, Pan Z. Effectively inferring overall spatial distribution pattern of species in a map when exact coordinate information is missing. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Youhua Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Yongbin Wu
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture South China Agricultural University Guangzhou China
| | - Jin Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Wenyan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Hong‐Da Lin
- Institute of Statistics & Department of Applied Mathematics National Chung Hsing University Taichung Taiwan
| | - Xinke Liu
- Guangdong Institute of Forestry Inventory and Planning Guangzhou China
| | - Kaiwen Pan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Tsung‐Jen Shen
- Institute of Statistics & Department of Applied Mathematics National Chung Hsing University Taichung Taiwan
| | - Zhifen Pan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu China
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15
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Wang S, Loreau M, de Mazancourt C, Isbell F, Beierkuhnlein C, Connolly J, Deutschman DH, Doležal J, Eisenhauer N, Hector A, Jentsch A, Kreyling J, Lanta V, Lepš J, Polley HW, Reich PB, van Ruijven J, Schmid B, Tilman D, Wilsey B, Craven D. Biotic homogenization destabilizes ecosystem functioning by decreasing spatial asynchrony. Ecology 2021; 102:e03332. [PMID: 33705570 PMCID: PMC8244107 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Our planet is facing significant changes of biodiversity across spatial scales. Although the negative effects of local biodiversity (α diversity) loss on ecosystem stability are well documented, the consequences of biodiversity changes at larger spatial scales, in particular biotic homogenization, that is, reduced species turnover across space (β diversity), remain poorly known. Using data from 39 grassland biodiversity experiments, we examine the effects of β diversity on the stability of simulated landscapes while controlling for potentially confounding biotic and abiotic factors. Our results show that higher β diversity generates more asynchronous dynamics among local communities and thereby contributes to the stability of ecosystem productivity at larger spatial scales. We further quantify the relative contributions of α and β diversity to ecosystem stability and find a relatively stronger effect of α diversity, possibly due to the limited spatial scale of our experiments. The stabilizing effects of both α and β diversity lead to a positive diversity–stability relationship at the landscape scale. Our findings demonstrate the destabilizing effect of biotic homogenization and suggest that biodiversity should be conserved at multiple spatial scales to maintain the stability of ecosystem functions and services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaopeng Wang
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Claire de Mazancourt
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, Moulis, 09200, France
| | - Forest Isbell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Carl Beierkuhnlein
- Department of Biogeography, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - John Connolly
- UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, Halle (Saale), 06108, Germany
| | - Douglas H Deutschman
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Jiří Doležal
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Andy Hector
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK
| | - Anke Jentsch
- Department of Disturbance Ecology, BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- Experimental Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Greifswald University, Greifswald, 17487, Germany
| | - Vojtech Lanta
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Department of Functional Ecology, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň, 37901, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Lepš
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic.,Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, 37005, Czech Republic
| | - H Wayne Polley
- Agricultural Research Service, Grassland, Soil & Water Research Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Temple, Texas, 76502, USA
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA.,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700 AA, The Netherlands
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Geography, Remote Sensing Laboratories, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Tilman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian Wilsey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Dylan Craven
- Centro de Modelación y Monitoreo de Ecosistemas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, José Toribio Molina 29, Santiago, 8340589, Chile
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16
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Yang G, Zhang Y, Yang X, Liu N, Rillig MC, Veresoglou SD, Wagg C. Mycorrhizal suppression and phosphorus addition influence the stability of plant community composition and function in a temperate steppe. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gaowen Yang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural Univ. Beijing PR China
- Inst. für Biologie, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
| | - Yingjun Zhang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural Univ. Beijing PR China
| | - Xin Yang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural Univ. Beijing PR China
| | - Nan Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural Univ. Beijing PR China
| | - Matthias C. Rillig
- Inst. für Biologie, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
| | - Stavros D. Veresoglou
- Inst. für Biologie, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) Berlin Germany
| | - Cameron Wagg
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Fredericton Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Fredericton NB Canada
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17
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Catano CP, Fristoe TS, LaManna JA, Myers JA. Local species diversity, β-diversity and climate influence the regional stability of bird biomass across North America. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192520. [PMID: 32126951 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity often stabilizes aggregate ecosystem properties (e.g. biomass) at small spatial scales. However, the importance of species diversity within communities and variation in species composition among communities (β-diversity) for stability at larger scales remains unclear. Using a continental-scale analysis of 1657 North American breeding-bird communities spanning 20-years and 35 ecoregions, we show local species diversity and β-diversity influence two components of regional stability: local stability (stability of bird biomass within sites) and spatial asynchrony (asynchronous fluctuations in biomass among sites). We found spatial asynchrony explained three times more variation in regional stability of bird biomass than did local stability. This result contrasts with studies at smaller spatial scales-typically plant metacommunities under 1 ha-that find local stability to be more important than spatial asynchrony. Moreover, spatial asynchrony of bird biomass increased with bird β-diversity and climate heterogeneity (temperature and precipitation), while local stability increased with species diversity. Our study reveals new insights into the scale-dependent processes regulating ecosystem stability, providing evidence that both local biodiversity loss and homogenization can destabilize ecosystem processes at biogeographic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Catano
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Trevor S Fristoe
- Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Joseph A LaManna
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA
| | - Jonathan A Myers
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
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18
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Tucker CM, Aze T, Cadotte MW, Cantalapiedra JL, Chisholm C, Díaz S, Grenyer R, Huang D, Mazel F, Pearse WD, Pennell MW, Winter M, Mooers AO. Assessing the utility of conserving evolutionary history. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1740-1760. [PMID: 31149769 PMCID: PMC6852562 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
It is often claimed that conserving evolutionary history is more efficient than species-based approaches for capturing the attributes of biodiversity that benefit people. This claim underpins academic analyses and recommendations about the distribution and prioritization of species and areas for conservation, but evolutionary history is rarely considered in practical conservation activities. One impediment to implementation is that arguments related to the human-centric benefits of evolutionary history are often vague and the underlying mechanisms poorly explored. Herein we identify the arguments linking the prioritization of evolutionary history with benefits to people, and for each we explicate the purported mechanism, and evaluate its theoretical and empirical support. We find that, even after 25 years of academic research, the strength of evidence linking evolutionary history to human benefits is still fragile. Most - but not all - arguments rely on the assumption that evolutionary history is a useful surrogate for phenotypic diversity. This surrogacy relationship in turn underlies additional arguments, particularly that, by capturing more phenotypic diversity, evolutionary history will preserve greater ecosystem functioning, capture more of the natural variety that humans prefer, and allow the maintenance of future benefits to humans. A surrogate relationship between evolutionary history and phenotypic diversity appears reasonable given theoretical and empirical results, but the strength of this relationship varies greatly. To the extent that evolutionary history captures unmeasured phenotypic diversity, maximizing the representation of evolutionary history should capture variation in species characteristics that are otherwise unknown, supporting some of the existing arguments. However, there is great variation in the strength and availability of evidence for benefits associated with protecting phenotypic diversity. There are many studies finding positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, but little work exists on the maintenance of future benefits or the degree to which humans prefer sets of species with high phenotypic diversity or evolutionary history. Although several arguments link the protection of evolutionary history directly with the reduction of extinction rates, and with the production of relatively greater future biodiversity via increased adaptation or diversification, there are few direct tests. Several of these putative benefits have mismatches between the relevant spatial scales for conservation actions and the spatial scales at which benefits to humans are realized. It will be important for future work to fill in some of these gaps through direct tests of the arguments we define here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Tucker
- Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Coker Hall, CB #3280 120 South RoadChapel Hill, NC 27599‐3280U.S.A.
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (UMR 5175), CNRS34090 MontpellierFrance
| | - Tracy Aze
- School of Earth and Environment, Maths/Earth and Environment BuildingUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTU.K.
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military TrailTorontoONM1C 1A4Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto, 25 Willcocks StreetTorontoONM5S 3B2Canada
| | - Juan L. Cantalapiedra
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz‐Institut für Evolutions und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 4310115BerlinGermany
- Departamento de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad de Alcalá28805Alcalá de HenaresMadridSpain
| | - Chelsea Chisholm
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionQuartier UNIL‐Sorge Batiment Biophore CH‐1015 LausanneSwitzerland
| | - Sandra Díaz
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y NaturalesUniversidad Nacional de Córdoba, Casilla de Correo 4955000CórdobaArgentina
| | - Richard Grenyer
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentSouth Parks Road, University of OxfordOxfordOX1 3QYU.K.
| | - Danwei Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences and Tropical Marine Science InstituteNational University of Singapore, 16 Science Drive 4, 117558Singapore
| | - Florent Mazel
- Department of Biological Sciences8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBCV5A 1S6, Canada
- Department of Botany2329 West Mall, University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
- Biodiversity Research Centre2212 Main Mall, University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - William D. Pearse
- Department of Biology & Ecology Center5205 Old Main Hill, Utah State UniversityLoganUT84322, U.S.A.
| | - Matthew W. Pennell
- Biodiversity Research Centre2212 Main Mall, University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
- Department of ZoologySouth Parks Road, University of British ColumbiaVancouverBCV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Marten Winter
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)Deutscher Platz 5E, 04103 LeipzigGermany
| | - Arne O. Mooers
- Department of Biological Sciences8888 University Drive, Simon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBCV5A 1S6, Canada
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19
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Zhang Y, Loreau M, He N, Wang J, Pan Q, Bai Y, Han X. Climate variability decreases species richness and community stability in a temperate grassland. Oecologia 2018; 188:183-192. [PMID: 29943096 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4208-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Climate change involves modifications in both the mean and the variability of temperature and precipitation. According to global warming projections, both the magnitude and the frequency of extreme weather events are increasing, thereby increasing climate variability. The previous studies have reported that climate warming tends to decrease biodiversity and the temporal stability of community primary productivity (i.e., community stability), but the effects of the variability of temperature and precipitation on biodiversity, community stability, and their relationship have not been clearly explored. We used a long-term (from 1982 to 2014) field data set from a temperate grassland in northern China to explore the effects of the variability of mean temperature and total precipitation on species richness, community stability, and their relationship. Results showed that species richness promoted community stability through increases in asynchronous dynamics across species (i.e., species asynchrony). Both species richness and species asynchrony were positively associated with the residuals of community stability after controlling for its dependence on the variability of mean temperature and total precipitation. Furthermore, the variability of mean temperature reduced species richness, while the variability of total precipitation decreased species asynchrony and community stability. Overall, the present study revealed that species richness and species asynchrony promoted community stability, but increased climate variability may erode these positive effects and thereby threaten community stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200, Moulis, France
| | - Nianpeng He
- Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Junbang Wang
- Synthesis Research Center of Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Qingmin Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Yongfei Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China.
| | - Xingguo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China.
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