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Fedyń I, Sobociński W, Czyżowicz S, Wyka J, Ciach M. Ecosystem engineers cause biodiversity spill-over: Beavers are associated with breeding bird assemblages on both wetlands and adjacent terrestrial habitats. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 950:175166. [PMID: 39094639 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Revised: 06/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
The influence of ecosystem engineers on habitats and communities is commonly acknowledged in a site-bounded context, i.e. in places directly affected by the presence of the focal species. However, the spatial extent of the effects of such engineering is poorly understood, raising the question as to what impact they have on ecosystems situated beyond the species' direct influence. Beavers Castor spp., iconic ecosystem engineers, are capable of significantly transforming aquatic ecosystems. Their presence boosts biodiversity in adjacent aquatic and riparian habitats, but as a result of cascading processes, beavers may affect terrestrial habitats situated beyond the range of their immediate activity. Our study investigates the breeding bird assemblage along a spatial gradient from the water to the forest interior on central European watercourses modified and unmodified by beavers. The results show that beaver sites are characterized by a higher species richness and abundance of breeding birds than unmodified watercourses. Such sites also host a different species pool, as 27 % of the recorded bird species occurred exclusively on the beaver sites. The effect of the beaver's presence on the bird assemblage extended to adjacent terrestrial habitats located up to 100 m from the water's edge, where the species richness and abundance was higher and the species composition was substantially modified. We also found a positive correlation between the total area of beaver wetland and the numbers of bird species and individuals recorded. Our study adds to the general understanding of the spatial context of the ecosystem engineering concept, as the changes brought about by engineers have an influence beyond the area of their immediate occurrence. Our work also has implications for landscape planning and management, where existing beaver sites with terrestrial buffer zones may constitute a network of biodiversity hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izabela Fedyń
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Wojciech Sobociński
- Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, ul. Ciołkowskiego 1J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
| | - Sławomir Czyżowicz
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Jakub Wyka
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Ciach
- Department of Forest Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Kraków, Poland.
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Chang W, Zhang P, Li J, Aspe NM, Hao J, Lu S, Wan Z, Wu D. Impacts of Millipedes on Acari and Collembola Communities-A Microcosm Experiment. INSECTS 2024; 15:456. [PMID: 38921170 PMCID: PMC11203639 DOI: 10.3390/insects15060456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers influence the structure and function of soil food webs through non-trophic interactions. The activity of large soil animals, such as earthworms, has a significant impact on the soil microarthropod community. However, the influence of millipedes on soil microarthropod communities remains largely unknown. In this microcosm experiment, we examined the effects of adding, removing, and restricting millipede activity on Acari and Collembola communities in litter and soil by conducting two destructive sampling sessions on days 10 and 30, respectively. At the time of the first sampling event (10 d), Acari and Collembola abundance was shown to increase and the alpha diversity went higher in the treatments with millipedes. At the time of the second sampling event (30 d), millipedes significantly reduced the Collembola abundance and alpha diversity. The results were even more pronounced as the millipedes moved through the soil, which caused the collembolans to be more inclined to inhabit the litter, which in turn resulted in the increase in the abundance and diversity of Acari in the soil. The rapid growth of Collembola in the absence of millipedes significantly inhibited the abundance of Acari. The presence of millipedes altered the community structure of Acari and Collembola, leading to a stronger correlation between the two communities. Changes in these communities were driven by the dominant taxa of Acari and Collembola. These findings suggest that millipedes, as key ecosystem engineers, have varying impacts on different soil microarthropods. This study enhances our understanding of biological interactions and offers a theoretical foundation for soil biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjin Chang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
| | - Peng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
| | - Jianwei Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
| | - Nonillon M. Aspe
- College of Marine and Allied Sciences, Mindanao State University at Naawan, Naawan 9023, Misamis Oriental, Philippines;
| | - Jiahua Hao
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
| | - Siyuan Lu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
| | - Zhuoma Wan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
| | - Donghui Wu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China; (W.C.); (J.L.); (J.H.); (S.L.); (Z.W.)
- Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China;
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China
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Stelling‐Wood TP, Poore AGB, Hughes AR, Everett JD, Gribben PE. Habitat traits and predation interact to drive abundance and body size patterns in associated fauna. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10771. [PMID: 38053789 PMCID: PMC10694384 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat-forming organisms provide three-dimensional structure that supports abundant and diverse communities. Variation in the morphological traits of habitat formers will therefore likely influence how they facilitate associated communities, either via food and habitat provisioning, or by altering predator-prey interactions. These mechanisms, however, are typically studied in isolation, and thus, we know little of how they interact to affect associated communities. In response to this, we used naturally occurring morphological variability in the alga Sargassum vestitum to create habitat units of distinct morphotypes to test whether variation in the morphological traits (frond size and thallus size) of S. vestitum or the interaction between these traits affects their value as habitat for associated communities in the presence and absence of predation. We found morphological traits did not interact, instead having independent effects on epifauna that were negligible in the absence of predation. However, when predators were present, habitat units with large fronds were found to host significantly lower epifaunal abundances than other morphotypes, suggesting that large frond alga provided low-value refuge from predators. The presence of predators also influenced the size structure of epifaunal communities from habitat units of differing frond size, suggesting that the refuge value of S. vestitum was also related to epifauna body size. This suggests that habitat formers may chiefly structure associated communities by mediating size-selective predation, and not through habitat provisioning. Furthermore, these results also highlight that habitat traits cannot be considered in isolation, for their interaction with biotic processes can have significant implications for associated communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia P. Stelling‐Wood
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Alistair G. B. Poore
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | | | - Jason D. Everett
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- School of Mathematics and PhysicsThe University of QueenslandSt LuciaQueenslandAustralia
| | - Paul E. Gribben
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Sydney Institute of Marine ScienceMosmanNew South WalesAustralia
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McClain CR, Boolukos CM, Bryant SRD, Hanks G. Sunken trees in the deep sea link terrestrial and marine biodiversity. Ecology 2023; 104:e4168. [PMID: 37712249 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Wood in the deep sea serves as a substantial food source in an otherwise barren environment, forming specialized, endemic, and diverse community assemblages. This biodiversity reliance on a terrestrial source creates a linkage by which anthropogenic impacts on land can alter the deep oceans. Knowledge of the alpha- or beta-diversity of entire wood-fall communities, and wooden drivers of each would elucidate the terrestrial and deep-sea linkage. We report on a multifactorial experiment in the deep ocean in which alpha- and beta-diversity of 43 wood falls and 11 tree species are quantified over time, wood density, and wood size. We tested multiple hypotheses seeking to link how biodiversity on land may impact the biodiversity in the deep oceans. A tremendous biodiversity occurred among these wood falls in the deep Gulf of Mexico; 114 invertebrate species from 10 phyla. Time, wood hardness, and wood size all impacted various components of community structure. In many cases, these effects were additive. Species occurring on softwoods versus hardwoods and small versus large wood falls were compositionally different. Although various processes can control community structure, this experiment suggests a strong influence of environmental filtering and host specificity of wood-fall invertebrates suggesting an intimate coupling to tree biodiversity and biomass on land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig R McClain
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - Corie M Boolukos
- Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin, Louisiana, USA
| | - S River D Bryant
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - Granger Hanks
- Department of Biology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
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Reinhardt JR, Marquis RJ. Ecosystem engineering and leaf quality together affect arthropod community structure and diversity on white oak (Quercus alba L.). Oecologia 2023; 203:13-25. [PMID: 37689603 PMCID: PMC10615914 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05439-1] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Shelter building caterpillars act as ecosystem engineers by creating and maintaining leaf shelters, which are then colonized by other arthropods. Foliage quality has been shown to influence initial colonization by shelter-building caterpillars. However, the effects of plant quality on the interactions between ecosystem engineers and their communities have yet to be studied at the whole plant level. We examined how leaf tying caterpillars, as ecosystem engineers, impact arthropod communities on Quercus alba (white oak), and the modifying effect of foliage quality on these interactions. We removed all leaf tying caterpillars and leaf ties on 35 Q. alba saplings during the season when leaf tying caterpillars were active (June-September), and compared these leaf tie removal trees to 35 control trees whose leaf ties were left intact. Removal of these ecosystem engineers had no impact on overall arthropod species richness, but reduced species diversity, and overall arthropod abundance and that of most guilds, and changed the structure of the arthropod community as the season progressed. There was an increase in plant-level species richness with increasing number of leaf ties, consistent with Habitat Diversity Hypothesis. In turn, total arthropod density, and that of both leaf tying caterpillars and free-feeding caterpillars were affected by foliar tannin and nitrogen concentrations, and leaf water content. The engineering effect was greatest on low quality plants, consistent with the Stress-Gradient Hypothesis. Our results demonstrate that interactions between ecosystem engineering and plant quality together determine community structure of arthropods on Q. alba in Missouri.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Reinhardt
- Department of Biology and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1 University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA.
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forest and Woodland Ecosystems, 1221 South Main Street, Moscow, ID, 83843, USA.
| | - Robert J Marquis
- Department of Biology and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 1 University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63121, USA
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Tumolo BB, Albertson LK, Daniels MD, Cross WF, Sklar LL. Facilitation strength across environmental and beneficiary trait gradients in stream communities. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2005-2015. [PMID: 37555442 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers modify habitats in ways that facilitate other community members by ameliorating harsh conditions. The strength of such facilitation is predicted to be influenced by both beneficiary traits and abiotic context. One key trait of animals that could control the strength of facilitation is beneficiary body size because it should determine how beneficiaries fit within and exploit stress ameliorating habitat modifications. However, few studies have measured how beneficiary body size relates to facilitation strength along environmental gradients. We examined how the strength of facilitation by net-spinning caddisflies on invertebrate communities in streams varied along an elevation gradient and based on traits of the invertebrate beneficiaries. We measured whether use of silk retreats as habitat concentrated invertebrate density and biomass compared to surrounding rock surface habitat and whether the use of retreat habitat varied across body sizes of community members along the gradient. We found that retreats substantially concentrated the densities of a diversity of taxa including eight different Orders, and this effect was greatest at high elevations. Caddisfly retreats also concentrated invertebrate biomass more as elevation increased. Body size of invertebrates inhabiting retreats was lower than that of surrounding rock habitats at low elevation sites, however, body size between retreats and rocks converged at higher elevation sites. Additionally, the body size of invertebrates found in retreats varied within and across taxa. Specifically, caddisfly retreats functioned as a potential nursery for taxa with large maximal body sizes. However, the patterns of this taxon-specific nursery effect were not influenced by elevation unlike the patterns observed based on community-level body size. Collectively, our results indicate that invertebrates use retreats in earlier life stages or when they are smaller in body size independent of life stage. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that facilitation strength intensifies as elevation increases within stream invertebrate communities. Further consideration of how trait variation and environmental gradients interact to determine the strength and direction of biotic interactions will be important as species ranges and environmental conditions continue to shift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin B Tumolo
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | - Lindsey K Albertson
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Wyatt F Cross
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Leonard L Sklar
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Martínez-Quintana Á, Lasker HR, Wilson AM. Three-dimensional species distribution modelling reveals the realized spatial niche for coral recruitment on contemporary Caribbean reefs. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1497-1509. [PMID: 37380335 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The three-dimensional structure of habitats is a critical component of species' niches driving coexistence in species-rich ecosystems. However, its influence on structuring and partitioning recruitment niches has not been widely addressed. We developed a new method to combine species distribution modelling and structure from motion, and characterized three-dimensional recruitment niches of two ecosystem engineers on Caribbean coral reefs, scleractinian corals and gorgonians. Fine-scale roughness was the most important predictor of suitable habitat for both taxa, and their niches largely overlapped, primarily due to scleractinians' broader niche breadth. Crevices and holes at mm scales on calcareous rock with low coral cover were more suitable for octocorals than for scleractinian recruits, suggesting that the decline in scleractinian corals is facilitating the recruitment of octocorals on contemporary Caribbean reefs. However, the relative abundances of the taxa were independent of the amount of suitable habitat on the reef, emphasizing that niche processes alone do not predict recruitment rates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Howard R Lasker
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
- Department of Geology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Adam M Wilson
- Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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Miguel-Peñaloza A, Cultid-Medina CA, Pérez-Alquicira J, Rico Y. Do habitat fragmentation and degradation influence the strength of fine-scale spatial genetic structure in plants? A global meta-analysis. AOB PLANTS 2023; 15:plad019. [PMID: 37214225 PMCID: PMC10198778 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
As primarily sessile organisms, plants often show a non-random spatial distribution of genotypes over distance. This process known as fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS) has been suggested through systematic reviews to depend on life form, mating system, and pollen and seed dispersal vectors, while there is no consensus on its behaviour due to external factors, such as anthropogenic habitat changes. By conducting a systematic review and global meta-analysis of empirical FSGS studies, we aimed to evaluate how anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and degradation influence the strength of FSGS in plant populations by means of the Sp statistic. Moreover, we tested how pollination and seed dispersal vectors contribute to the variation of the Sp statistic. We retrieved 243 FSGS studies from 1960 to 2020 of which only 65 were informative for the systematic review. Most empirical studies comprised outcrossers (84%) and trees (67%), with few herbs (23%) and scarce annual species (2%). In weighted meta-analyses for 116 plant populations (31 studies), we did not detect significant effects in the magnitude of effect sizes for the Sp statistic among undisturbed, degraded and fragmented habitats. Results showed significant effects for seed dispersal vectors, but not for pollination. Overall, we observed high variation among the effect sizes (not related to the goodness-of-fit of mixed models) of habitat status, pollination and seed dispersal categories, which precludes identifying biological trends on the Sp statistic. More empirical studies are needed that contrast multiple plant populations in disturbed versus undisturbed habitats, and by increasing the taxonomic groups, such as herbs and annual plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ara Miguel-Peñaloza
- Instituto de Ecología A.C., Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano, Centro Regional del Bajío, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán 61600, Mexico
| | - Carlos A Cultid-Medina
- Instituto de Ecología A.C., Red de Diversidad Biológica del Occidente Mexicano, Centro Regional del Bajío, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán 61600, Mexico
- CONAHCYT, Ciudad de México 03940, México
| | - Jessica Pérez-Alquicira
- CONAHCYT, Ciudad de México 03940, México
- Laboratorio Nacional de Identificación y Caracterización Vegetal, Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco 45200, Mexico
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Chibowski P, Zegarek M, Zarzycka A, Suska‐Malawska M. Ecosystem engineers in the extreme: The modest impact of marmots on vegetation cover and plant nitrogen and phosphorus content in a cold, extremely arid mountain environment. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9948. [PMID: 36993151 PMCID: PMC10041373 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Burrowing mammals strongly impact plant communities. One of the main effects is accelerating nutrient cycling and thus promoting plant growth. This mechanism is well-studied in grasslands and alpine habitats, but less is known about this phenomenon in arid, cold mountain environments. We studied ecosystem engineering by long-tailed marmots (Marmota caudata) by measuring the content of plant nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as nitrogen stable isotopes in plant biomass and marmot feces in a distance gradient up to 20 m from marmot burrows in an extremely arid glacier valley in Eastern Pamir, Tajikistan. We also captured aerial images of the area inhabited by marmots to study the spatial distribution of vegetation. There was a weak relationship between the presence of burrows and vegetation cover on soil not covered by burrow material. Burrow mounds were not colonized by plants, as opposed to other studies, where mounds are often microhabitats that enhance plant diversity. A significant increase in N and P in aboveground green plant biomass in the proximity of burrows was found in one out of six studied plant species. Contrary to our expectations, stable N isotopes did not give further insight into N routing. We assume that plant growth is strongly limited by water availability, which prevents them from utilizing the local increase in nutrients, certainly provided by marmot activity. The results are contrary to numerous studies, which showed that the role of burrowing animals as ecosystem engineers increases with increasing abiotic stress, including aridity. This shows a lack of this type of study at the end of the gradient of abiotic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Chibowski
- Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research CentreUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
| | - Marcin Zegarek
- Mammal Research InstitutePolish Academy of SciencesWarsawPoland
| | - Aleksandra Zarzycka
- Faculty of Biology, Biological and Chemical Research CentreUniversity of WarsawWarsawPoland
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Piló LB, Calux A, Scherer R, Bernard E. Bats as ecosystem engineers in iron ore caves in the Carajás National Forest, Brazilian Amazonia. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0267870. [PMID: 37167295 PMCID: PMC10174506 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers are organisms able to modify their environment by changing the distribution of materials and energy, with effects on biotic and abiotic ecosystem components. Several ecosystem engineers are known, but for most of them the mechanisms behind their influence are poorly known. We detail the role of bats as ecosystem engineers in iron ore caves in the Carajás National Forest, Brazilian Amazonia, an area with > 1,500 caves, some holding ~150,000 bats. We analyzed the chemical composition of guano deposits in bat caves, radiocarbon-dated those deposits, and elucidated the chemical mechanisms involved and the role the bat guano has on modifying those caves. The insect-composed guano was rich in organic matter, with high concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus pentoxide and ferric oxide, plus potassium oxide, calcium and sulfur trioxide. Radiocarbon dating indicated guano deposits between 22,000 and 1,800 years old. The guano pH was mainly acid (from 2.1 to 5.6). Percolating waters in those bat caves were also acid (pH reaching 1.5), with the presence of phosphate, iron, calcium, nitrate and sulfate. Acid solutions due to guano decomposition and possible microbial activity produced various forms of corrosion on the caves´ floor and walls, resulting in their enlargement. Bat caves or caves with evidence of inactive bat colonies had, on average, lengths six times larger, areas five times larger, and volumes five times bigger than the regional average, plus more abundant, diversified and bigger speleothems when compared with other caves. In an example of bioengineering, the long-term presence of bats (> 22,000 years) and the guano deposits they produce, mediated by biological and chemical interactions over millennia, resulted in very unique ecological, evolutionary and geomorphological processes, whose working are just beginning to be better understood by science. However, the current expansion of mineral extraction activities coupled with the loosening of licensing and cave protection rules is a real conservation threat to the bat caves in Carajás. The destruction of those caves would represent an unacceptable loss of both speleological and biological heritage and we urge that, whenever they occur, bat caves and their colonies must be fully protected and left off-limits of mineral extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis B Piló
- Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ciência Aplicada à Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Allan Calux
- Carstografica-Karst Applied Research Centre, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Enrico Bernard
- Departamento de Zoologia, Laboratório de Ciência Aplicada à Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
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Koshkina A, Freitag M, Grigoryeva I, Hölzel N, Stirnemann I, Velbert F, Kamp J. Post‐Soviet
fire and grazing regimes govern the abundance of a key ecosystem engineer on the Eurasian steppe, the yellow ground squirrel
Spermophilus fulvus. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alyona Koshkina
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) Astana Kazakhstan
| | - Martin Freitag
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation Bonn Germany
| | - Irina Grigoryeva
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) Astana Kazakhstan
- Karaganda State University named of E.A. Buketov Karaganda Kazakhstan
| | - Norbert Hölzel
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Ingrid Stirnemann
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Frederike Velbert
- Institute of Landscape Ecology University of Münster Münster Germany
| | - Johannes Kamp
- Department of Conservation Biology University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
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12
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Valkó O, Kelemen A, Kiss O, Deák B. Patch and matrix characteristics determine the outcome of ecosystem engineering by mole rats in dry grasslands. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14582. [PMID: 36540798 PMCID: PMC9760028 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Burrowing mammals are important ecosystem engineers, especially in open ecosystems where they create patches that differ from the surrounding matrix in their structure or ecosystem functions. Methods We evaluated the fine-scale effects of a subterranean ecosystem engineer, the Lesser blind mole rat on the vegetation composition of sandy dry grasslands in Hungary. In this model system we tested whether the characteristics of the patch (mound size) and the matrix (total vegetation cover in the undisturbed grassland) influence the structural and functional contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grasslands. We sampled the vegetation of 80 mounds and 80 undisturbed grassland plots in four sites, where we recorded the total vegetation cover, and the occurrence and cover of each vascular plant species. We used two proxies to characterise the patches (mounds) and the matrix (undisturbed grassland): we measured the perimeter of the mounds and estimated the total vegetation cover of the undisturbed grasslands. First, we compared the vegetation characteristics of the mounds and the surrounding grasslands with general linear models. Second, we characterised the contrasts between the mounds and the undisturbed grassland by relative response indices (RRIs) of the vegetation characteristics studied in the first step. Results Species composition of the vegetation of the mounds and undisturbed grasslands was well separated in three out of the four study sites. Mounds were characterised by lower vegetation cover, lower cover of perennial graminoids, and higher diversity, and evenness compared to undisturbed grasslands. The contrast in vegetation cover between mounds and undisturbed grasslands increased with decreasing patch size. Increasing vegetation cover in the matrix grasslands increased the contrasts between the mounds and undisturbed grasslands in terms of total cover, perennial graminoid cover, diversity, and evenness. Our results suggest that mole rat mounds provide improved establishment conditions for subordinate species, because they are larger than other types of natural gaps and are characterised by less intense belowground competition. The ecosystem engineering effect, i.e., the contrast between the patches and the matrix was the largest in the more closed grasslands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Valkó
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - András Kelemen
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary,Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Orsolya Kiss
- Institute of Animal Sciences and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Szeged, Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
| | - Balázs Deák
- Lendület Seed Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
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Bosch NE, Pessarrodona A, Filbee-Dexter K, Tuya F, Mulders Y, Bell S, Langlois T, Wernberg T. Habitat configurations shape the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fishes in a tropical-temperate transition zone: implications under a warming future. Oecologia 2022; 200:455-470. [PMID: 36344837 PMCID: PMC9675646 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05278-6] [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: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the extent to which species' traits mediate patterns of community assembly is key to predict the effect of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystem functioning. Here, we apply a trait-based community assembly framework to understand how four different habitat configurations (kelp forests, Sargassum spp. beds, hard corals, and turfs) shape the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fish assemblages in a tropical-temperate transition zone. Specifically, we tested (i) the degree of trait divergence and convergence in each habitat, (ii) which traits explained variation in species' abundances, and (iii) differences in standing biomass (kg ha-1), secondary productivity (kg ha-1 day-1) and turnover (% day-1). Fish assemblages in coral and kelp habitats displayed greater evidence of trait convergence, while turf and Sargassum spp. habitats displayed a higher degree of trait divergence, a pattern that was mostly driven by traits related to resource use and thermal affinity. This filtering effect had an imprint on the trophic and energetic dynamics of reef fishes, with turf habitats supporting higher fish biomass and productivity. However, these gains were strongly dependent on trophic guild, with herbivores/detritivores disproportionately contributing to among-habitat differences. Despite these perceived overall gains, turnover was decoupled for fishes that act as conduit of energy to higher trophic levels (i.e. microinvertivores), with coral habitats displaying higher rates of fish biomass replenishment than turf despite their lower productivity. This has important implications for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, questioning the long-term sustainability of ecological processes and fisheries yields in increasingly altered marine habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nestor E Bosch
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Albert Pessarrodona
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Karen Filbee-Dexter
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
- Institute of Marine Research, Nye Flødevigveien 20, 4817, His, Norway
| | - Fernando Tuya
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación, IU-ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Crta. Taliarte S/N, 35214, Telde, Spain
| | - Yannick Mulders
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Sahira Bell
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Tim Langlois
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Thomas Wernberg
- School of Biological Sciences, The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
- Institute of Marine Research, Nye Flødevigveien 20, 4817, His, Norway
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
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Zhao ST, Johnson-Bice SM, Roth JD. Foxes engineer hotspots of wildlife activity on the nutrient-limited Arctic tundra. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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15
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de Alcantara Viana JV, Vieira C, Duarte RC, Romero GQ. Predator responses to prey camouflage strategies: a meta-analysis. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220980. [PMID: 36100020 PMCID: PMC9470275 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although numerous studies about camouflage have been conducted in the last few decades, there is still a significant gap in our knowledge about the magnitude of protective value of different camouflage strategies in prey detection and survival. Furthermore, the functional significance of several camouflage strategies remains controversial. Here we carried out a comprehensive meta-analysis including comparisons of different camouflage strategies as well as predator and prey types, considering two response variables: mean predator search time (ST) (63 studies) and predator attack rate (AR) of camouflaged prey (28 studies). Overall, camouflage increased the predator ST by 62.56% and decreased the AR of prey by 27.34%. Masquerade was the camouflage strategy that most increased predator ST (295.43%). Background matching and disruptive coloration did not differ from each other. Motion camouflage did not increase ST but decreases AR on prey. We found no evidence that eyespot increases ST and decreases AR by predators. The different types of predators did not differ from each other, but caterpillars were the type of prey that most influenced the magnitude of camouflage's effect. We highlight the potential evolutionary mechanisms that led camouflage to be a highly effective anti-predatory adaptation, as well as potential discrepancies or redundancies among strategies, predator and prey types.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Vitor de Alcantara Viana
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Camila Vieira
- Departamento de Ciências Básicas, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), campus de Pirassununga, CEP 13635-900 Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rafael Campos Duarte
- Universidade Federal do ABC, CEP 09606-045 São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Laboratório de Interações Multitróficas e Biodiversidade, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, CEP 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
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The activity of a subterranean small mammal alters Afroalpine vegetation patterns and is positively affected by livestock grazing. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Byers JE. Using ecosystem engineers to enhance multiple ecosystem processes. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James E. Byers
- Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens Georgia USA
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18
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Maisey AC, Haslem A, Leonard SWJ, Bennett AF. Differential effects of ecosystem engineering by the superb lyrebird
Menura novaehollandiae
and herbivory by large mammals on floristic regeneration and structure in wet eucalypt forests. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8956. [PMID: 35784040 PMCID: PMC9163197 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers that modify the soil and ground‐layer properties exert a strong influence on vegetation communities in ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the interactions between animal engineers and vegetation is challenging when in the presence of large herbivores, as many vegetation communities are simultaneously affected by both engineering and herbivory. The superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae, an ecosystem engineer in wet forests of south‐eastern Australia, extensively modifies litter and soil on the forest floor. The aim of this study was to disentangle the impacts of engineering by lyrebirds and herbivory by large mammals on the composition and structure of ground‐layer vegetation. We carried out a 2‐year, manipulative exclusion experiment in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. We compared three treatments: fenced plots with simulated lyrebird foraging; fenced plots excluding herbivores and lyrebirds; and open controls. This design allowed assessment of the relative impacts of engineering and herbivory on germination rates, seedling density, vegetation cover and structure, and community composition. Engineering by lyrebirds enhanced the germination of seeds in the litter layer. After 2 years, more than double the number of germinants were present in “engineered” than “non‐engineered” plots. Engineering did not affect the density of seedlings, but herbivory had strong detrimental effects. Herbivory also reduced the floristic richness and structural complexity (<0.5 m) of forest vegetation, including the cover of herbs. Neither process altered the floristic composition of the vegetation within the 2‐year study period. Ecosystem engineering by lyrebirds and herbivory by large mammals both influence the structure of forest‐floor vegetation. The twofold increase in seeds stimulated to germinate by engineering may contribute to the evolutionary adaptation of plants by allowing greater phenotypic expression and selection than would otherwise occur. Over long timescales, engineering and herbivory likely combine to maintain a more‐open forest floor conducive to ongoing ecosystem engineering by lyrebirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex C. Maisey
- Department of Environment and Genetics La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
| | - Angie Haslem
- Department of Environment and Genetics La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
| | - Steven W. J. Leonard
- Department of Environment and Genetics La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Hobart Tas. Australia
| | - Andrew F. Bennett
- Department of Environment and Genetics La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes La Trobe University Bundoora Vic. Australia
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19
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Romero GQ, Gonçalves-Souza T, Roslin T, Marquis RJ, Marino NAC, Novotny V, Cornelissen T, Orivel J, Sui S, Aires G, Antoniazzi R, Dáttilo W, Breviglieri CPB, Busse A, Gibb H, Izzo TJ, Kadlec T, Kemp V, Kersch-Becker M, Knapp M, Kratina P, Luke R, Majnarić S, Maritz R, Mateus Martins P, Mendesil E, Michalko J, Mrazova A, Novais S, Pereira CC, Perić MS, Petermann JS, Ribeiro SP, Sam K, Trzcinski MK, Vieira C, Westwood N, Bernaschini ML, Carvajal V, González E, Jausoro M, Kaensin S, Ospina F, Cristóbal-Pérez EJ, Quesada M, Rogy P, Srivastava DS, Szpryngiel S, Tack AJM, Teder T, Videla M, Viljur ML, Koricheva J. Climate variability and aridity modulate the role of leaf shelters for arthropods: A global experiment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3694-3710. [PMID: 35243726 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Current climate change is disrupting biotic interactions and eroding biodiversity worldwide. However, species sensitive to aridity, high temperatures, and climate variability might find shelter in microclimatic refuges, such as leaf rolls built by arthropods. To explore how the importance of leaf shelters for terrestrial arthropods changes with latitude, elevation, and climate, we conducted a distributed experiment comparing arthropods in leaf rolls versus control leaves across 52 sites along an 11,790 km latitudinal gradient. We then probed the impact of short- versus long-term climatic impacts on roll use, by comparing the relative impact of conditions during the experiment versus average, baseline conditions at the site. Leaf shelters supported larger organisms and higher arthropod biomass and species diversity than non-rolled control leaves. However, the magnitude of the leaf rolls' effect differed between long- and short-term climate conditions, metrics (species richness, biomass, and body size), and trophic groups (predators vs. herbivores). The effect of leaf rolls on predator richness was influenced only by baseline climate, increasing in magnitude in regions experiencing increased long-term aridity, regardless of latitude, elevation, and weather during the experiment. This suggests that shelter use by predators may be innate, and thus, driven by natural selection. In contrast, the effect of leaf rolls on predator biomass and predator body size decreased with increasing temperature, and increased with increasing precipitation, respectively, during the experiment. The magnitude of shelter usage by herbivores increased with the abundance of predators and decreased with increasing temperature during the experiment. Taken together, these results highlight that leaf roll use may have both proximal and ultimate causes. Projected increases in climate variability and aridity are, therefore, likely to increase the importance of biotic refugia in mitigating the effects of climate change on species persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Robert J Marquis
- Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tatiana Cornelissen
- Centre for Ecological Synthesis and Conservation, Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jerome Orivel
- CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRAE, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles, Campus agronomique, Kourou cedex, France
| | - Shen Sui
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Nagada Harbour, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Gustavo Aires
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
| | - Reuber Antoniazzi
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Crasso P B Breviglieri
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Annika Busse
- Department of Nature Conservation and Research, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Heloise Gibb
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thiago J Izzo
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brasil
| | - Tomas Kadlec
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Victoria Kemp
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Monica Kersch-Becker
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michal Knapp
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Luke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
| | - Stefan Majnarić
- Faculty of Science, Department of biology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Robin Maritz
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Paulo Mateus Martins
- Laboratory of Ecological Synthesis and Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Etnobiologia e Conservação da Natureza, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) [Federal Rural University of Pernambuco], Recife, Brazil
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Esayas Mendesil
- Department of Horticulture and Plant Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Jaroslav Michalko
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
- Mlynany Arboretum, Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Anna Mrazova
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Samuel Novais
- Red de Interacciones Multitróficas, Instituto de Ecología A.C, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Cássio C Pereira
- Centre for Ecological Synthesis and Conservation, Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mirela S Perić
- Faculty of Science, Department of biology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jana S Petermann
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Sérvio P Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Ecoehalth, Ecology of Canopy Insects and Natural Succession, NUPEB-Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Katerina Sam
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - M Kurtis Trzcinski
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Camila Vieira
- Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Natalie Westwood
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maria L Bernaschini
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Valentina Carvajal
- Laboratorio de Ecologia, Grupo de Investigación en Ecosistemas Tropicales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
| | - Ezequiel González
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute for Environmental Science, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Mariana Jausoro
- Departamento de Ciencias Basicas, Universidad Nacional de Chilecito, Chilecito, Spain
| | - Stanis Kaensin
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Nagada Harbour, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Fabiola Ospina
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
| | - E Jacob Cristóbal-Pérez
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Mauricio Quesada
- Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis y Síntesis Ecológica (LANASE), Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, México
| | - Pierre Rogy
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Scarlett Szpryngiel
- Department of Zoology, The Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tiit Teder
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Videla
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Mari-Liis Viljur
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III), Julius Maximilians University Würzburg, Rauhenebrach, Germany
| | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK
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Orazi V, Hagge J, Gossner MM, Müller J, Heurich M. A Biodiversity Boost From the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) in Germany’s Oldest National Park. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.873307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Beavers are important engineers in freshwater ecosystems and reintroduction programs have enabled the recovery of beaver populations in several European countries, but the impact on biodiversity conservation is still unclear. We studied the effects of beavers on the terrestrial biodiversity of eight taxonomic groups by comparing beaver ponds with river and forest habitats in a mountain forest ecosystem in Central Europe. Among the 1,166 collected species, 196 occurred exclusively at beaver ponds, 192 in plots at the river, and 156 in the forest plots. More species of conservation concern were found at the beaver ponds (76) than on the river (67) and forest (63) plots. Abundances of bats and birds were higher at the beaver ponds than at the river or forest sites. The number of bird species at the beaver ponds was higher than at the river. The community composition of birds, beetles, and true bugs differed significantly between the beaver ponds and river plots, and for seven taxonomic groups it differed significantly between the beaver ponds and forest plots. An indicator species analysis revealed eight indicator species for the beaver pond but none for the river and forest plots. Our results demonstrate that beavers, as ecological engineers, increase habitat heterogeneity in mountain forests and thereby promote biodiversity. The expansion of beaver populations into these ecosystems should thus be supported, as it may serve as a biotic restoration tool.
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Lucero JE, Faist AM, Lortie CJ, Callaway RM. Risk of Facilitated Invasion Depends Upon Invader Identity, Not Environmental Severity, Along an Aridity Gradient. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.886690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Positive interactions can drive the assembly of desert plant communities, but we know little about the species-specificity of positive associations between native shrubs and invasive annual species along aridity gradients. These measures are essential for explaining, predicting, and managing community-level responses to plant invasions and environmental change. Here, we measured the intensity of spatial associations among native shrubs and the annual plant community—including multiple invasive species and their native neighbors—along an aridity gradient across the Mojave and San Joaquin Deserts, United States. Along the gradient, we sampled the abundance and species richness of invasive and native annual species using 180 pairs of shrub and open microsites. Across the gradient, the invasive annuals Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens (B. rubens), B. tectorum, B. diandrus, Hordeum murinum, and Brassica tournefortii were consistently more abundant under shrubs than away from shrubs, suggesting positive effects of shrubs on these species. In contrast, abundance of the invasive annual Schismus spp. was greater away from shrubs than under shrubs, suggesting negative effects of shrubs on this species. Similarly, native annual abundance (pooled) and native species richness were greater away from shrubs than under shrubs. Shrub-annual associations were not influenced by shrub size or aridity. Interestingly, we found correlative evidence that B. rubens reduced native abundance (pooled), native species richness, and exotic abundance (pooled) under, but not away from shrubs. We conclude that native shrubs have considerable potential to directly (by increasing invader abundance) and indirectly (by increasing negative impacts of invaders on neighbors) facilitate plant invasions along broad environmental gradients, but these effects may depend more upon invader identity than environmental severity.
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Pereira TA, Vieira SA, Oliveira RS, Antiqueira PAP, Migliorini GH, Romero GQ. Local drivers of heterogeneity in a tropical forest: epiphytic tank bromeliads affect the availability of soil resources and conditions and indirectly affect the structure of seedling communities. Oecologia 2022; 199:205-215. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05179-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Lowney AM, Thomson RL. Ecological engineering across a spatial gradient: Sociable weaver colonies facilitate animal associations with increasing environmental harshness. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1385-1399. [PMID: 35278217 PMCID: PMC9544845 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The spatial distribution of animals in a landscape depends mainly on the distribution of resources. Resource availability is often facilitated by other species and can positively influence local species diversity and affect community structure. Species that significantly change resource availability are often termed ecosystem engineers. Identifying these species is important, but predicting where they have large or small impacts is a key challenge that will enhance the usefulness of the ecosystem engineering concept. In harsh and stressful environments, the stress gradient hypothesis predicts that community structure and function will be increasingly influenced by facilitative interactions. To test this hypothesis, we investigate how the ecosystem engineering role and importance of sociable weavers Philetairus socius varies across a spatial gradient of harshness, for which aridity served as a proxy. These birds build large colonies that are home to hundreds of weavers and host a wide range of avian and non‐avian heterospecifics. We investigated the use of weaver colonies on multiple taxa (invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals) at multiple sites across a >1,000 km aridity gradient. We show that sociable weaver colonies create localized biodiversity hotspots across their range. Furthermore, trees containing sociable weaver colonies maintained localized animal diversity at sites with lower rainfall, an effect not as pronounced at sites with higher rainfall. Our results were consistent with predictions of the stress gradient hypothesis, and we provide one of the first tests of this hypothesis in terrestrial animal communities. Facilitation and amelioration by ecosystem engineers may mitigate some of the extreme impacts of environmental harshness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M. Lowney
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
| | - Robert L. Thomson
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence University of Cape Town Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
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Hensel MJS, Silliman BR, Hensel E, Byrnes JEK. Feral hogs control brackish marsh plant communities over time. Ecology 2022; 103:e03572. [PMID: 34706065 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Feral hogs modify ecosystems by consuming native species and altering habitat structure. These invasions can generate fundamentally different post-invasion habitats when disturbance changes community structure, ecosystem function, or recovery dynamics. Here, we use multiple three-year exclusion experiments to describe how feral hogs affect hyper-productive brackish marshes over time. We find that infrequent yet consistent hog foraging and trampling suppresses dominant plants by generating a perpetually disturbed habitat that favors competitively inferior species and disallows full vegetative recovery over time. Along borders between plant monocultures, trampling destroys dominant graminoids responsible for most aboveground marsh biomass while competitively inferior plants increase fivefold. Hog activities shift the brackish marsh disturbance regime from pulse to press, which changes the plant community: competitively inferior plants increase coverage, species diversity is doubled, and live cover is lowered by 30% as large plants are unable to take hold in hog-disturbed areas. Release from disturbance does not result in complete recovery (i.e., dominant plant monocultures) because hog consumer control is a combination of both top-down control and broader engineering effects. These results highlight how habitats are susceptible to invasive effects outside of structural destruction alone, especially if large consumers are pervasive over time and change the dynamics that sustain recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc J S Hensel
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
- Nicholas School for the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, 23062, USA
| | - Brian R Silliman
- Nicholas School for the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina, 28516, USA
| | - Enie Hensel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia, 23062, USA
| | - Jarrett E K Byrnes
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
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25
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Local environmental context determines the colonisation of leaf shelters by arthropods: an experimental study. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467421000523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The magnitude of facilitation by shelter-building engineers on community structure is expected to be greater when they increase limited resources in the environment. We evaluated the influence of local environmental context on the colonisation of leaf shelters by arthropods in a Mexican evergreen tropical rainforest. We compared the species richness and abundance of arthropods (total and for different guilds) colonising artificially rolled leaves in habitats differing in understory heterogeneity (forest edge > old-growth forests > living fences). Arthropod abundance of the most representative arthropod taxa (i.e., Araneae, Blattodea, Collembola and Psocoptera) colonising the rolled leaves was greater at forest edge, a trend also observed for average arthropod abundance, and for detritivore and predator guilds. In addition, fewer arthropod species and individuals colonised the rolled leaves in the living fence habitat, a trend also observed for most arthropod guilds. As forest edge is expected to have a greater arthropod diversity and stronger density-dependent interactions, a greater limitation of refuges from competitors or predators may have determined the higher colonisation of the rolled leaves in this habitat. Our results demonstrate that local environment context is an important factor that affects the colonisation of arthropods in leaf shelters.
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26
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O'Neill HM, Twiss SD, Stephens PA, Mason THE, Ryrholm N, Burman J. The importance of direct and indirect trophic interactions in determining the presence of a locally rare day-flying moth. Oecologia 2022; 198:531-542. [PMID: 34999944 PMCID: PMC8858923 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05100-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Ecosystem engineers affect other organisms by creating, maintaining or modifying habitats, potentially supporting species of conservation concern. However, it is important to consider these interactions alongside non-engineering trophic pathways. We investigated the relative importance of trophic and non-trophic effects of an ecosystem engineer, red deer, on a locally rare moth, the transparent burnet (Zygaena purpuralis). This species requires specific microhabitat conditions, including the foodplant, thyme, and bare soil for egg-laying. The relative importance of grazing (i.e., trophic effect of modifying microhabitat) and trampling (i.e., non-trophic effect of exposing bare soil) by red deer on transparent burnet abundance is unknown. We tested for these effects using a novel method of placing pheromone-baited funnel traps in the field. Imago abundance throughout the flight season was related to plant composition, diversity and structure at various scales around each trap. Indirect effects of red deer activity were accounted for by testing red deer pellet and trail presence against imago abundance. Imago abundance was positively associated with thyme and plant diversity, whilst negatively associated with velvet grass and heather species cover. The presence of red deer pellets and trails were positively associated with imago abundance. The use of these sites by red deer aids the transparent burnet population via appropriate levels of grazing and the provision of a key habitat condition, bare soil, in the form of deer trails. This study shows that understanding how both trophic and non-trophic interactions affect the abundance of a species provides valuable insights regarding conservation objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen M O'Neill
- Centre for Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland. O'
| | - Sean D Twiss
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Philip A Stephens
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Tom H E Mason
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, CH-6204, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Nils Ryrholm
- Department of Electronics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and 44 Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden
| | - Joseph Burman
- Ecology Research Group, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent, England
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27
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Lucero JE, Callaway RM, Faist AM, Lortie CJ. An unfortunate alliance: Native shrubs increase the abundance, performance, and apparent impacts of Bromus tectorum across a regional aridity gradient. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Cameron H, Amor MD, Bellgrove A. Barriers to restoration: Pollution alters nurse effects for an ecosystem engineer. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Cameron
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Victoria Australia
- Centre for Geometric Biology School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Michael D. Amor
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria South Yarra Victoria Australia
- Department of Aquatic Zoology Western Australian Museum Welshpool Western Australia Australia
| | - Alecia Bellgrove
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Victoria Australia
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29
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Wagner TC, Uiseb K, Fischer C. Rolling pits of Hartmann's mountain zebra ( Zebra equus hartmannae) increase vegetation diversity and landscape heterogeneity in the Pre-Namib. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:13036-13051. [PMID: 34646451 PMCID: PMC8495834 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Microsites created by soil-disturbing animals are important landscape elements in arid environments. In the Pre-Namib, dust-bathing behavior of the near-endemic Hartmann's mountain zebra creates unique rolling pits that persist in the landscape. However, the ecohydrological characteristics and the effects of those microsites on the vegetation and on organisms of higher trophic levels are still unknown. In our study, we characterized the soil grain size composition and infiltration properties of rolling pits and reference sites and recorded vegetation and arthropod assemblages during the rainy season of five consecutive years with different amounts of seasonal rainfall. We further used the excess green vegetation index derived from drone imagery to demonstrate the different green up and wilting of pits and references after a rainfall event. In contrast to the surrounding grassland, rolling pits had finer soil with higher nutrient content, collected runoff, showed a higher infiltration, and kept soil moisture longer. Vegetation in the rolling pits was denser, dominated by annual forbs and remained green for longer periods. The denser vegetation resulted in a slightly higher activity density of herbivorous arthropods, which in turn increased the activity density of omnivorous and predatory arthropods. In times of drought, the rolling pits could act as safe sites and refuges for forbs and arthropods. With their rolling pits, Hartmann's mountain zebras act as ecosystem engineers, contributing to the diversity of forb communities and heterogeneity of the landscape in the Pre-Namib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C. Wagner
- Restoration EcologySchool of Life SciencesTechnische Universität MünchenFreisingGermany
| | - Kenneth Uiseb
- Directorate of Scientific ServicesNamibia Ministry of Environment, Forestry and TourismWindhoekNamibia
| | - Christina Fischer
- Restoration EcologySchool of Life SciencesTechnische Universität MünchenFreisingGermany
- Faunistics and Wildlife ConservationDepartment of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape DevelopmentAnhalt University of Applied SciencesBernburgGermany
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30
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Jara-Yáñez R, Meynard A, Acosta G, Latorre-Padilla N, Oyarzo-Miranda C, Castañeda F, Piña F, Rivas J, Bulboa C, Contreras-Porcia L. Negative Consequences on the Growth, Morphometry, and Community Structure of the Kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (Phaeophyceae, Ochrophyta) by a Short Pollution Pulse of Heavy Metals and PAHs. TOXICS 2021; 9:toxics9080190. [PMID: 34437508 PMCID: PMC8402373 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9080190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The study of pollution effects in the marine environment has become important in recent decades, and the exposure to simultaneous pollutants has become especially relevant. Indeed, the study of key organisms, such as ecosystem engineers, can show a broader view of the effects of pollutants. In this context, we evaluate in situ the effects of a short (7-day) pollution pulse of combined solutions of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Cu + PAHs, Cd + PAHs, Cu + Cd, and Cu + Cd + PAHs) on the development and morphological features of Macrocystis pyrifera sporophytes over a period of 90 days. Additionally, we determined the effects on the community structure associated with this kelp. This study evidenced a smaller number of blades and a decreased size of blades and holdfasts, as well as the death of individuals exposed to a secondary mix of metals (Cu + Cd) and a tertiary mix of pollutants (Cu + Cd + PAHs). Regarding the effects on the accompanying fauna, low richness and diversity were registered. M. pyrifera grazers, according to the mixture of pollutants, were either absent or diminished. These results show that the pulse of contamination in the early stages of M. pyrifera negatively affects its development and morphometry, as well as its role as an ecosystem engineer, due to a negative alteration in the species composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roddy Jara-Yáñez
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Andrés Meynard
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
| | - Gladys Acosta
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
| | - Nicolás Latorre-Padilla
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
| | - Carolina Oyarzo-Miranda
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
| | - Francisco Castañeda
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
| | - Florentina Piña
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
| | - Jorge Rivas
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
| | - Cristian Bulboa
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Correspondence: (C.B.); (L.C.-P.)
| | - Loretto Contreras-Porcia
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370251, Chile; (R.J.-Y.); (A.M.); (G.A.); (N.L.-P.); (C.O.-M.); (F.C.); (F.P.); (J.R.)
- Centro de Investigación Marina de Quintay (CIMARQ), Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Valparaiso, Quintay 2531015, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecología Costera (SECOS), Santiago 8370251, Chile
- Correspondence: (C.B.); (L.C.-P.)
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31
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Stelling‐Wood TP, Poore AGB, Gribben PE. Shifts in biomass and structure of habitat-formers across a latitudinal gradient. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8831-8842. [PMID: 34257931 PMCID: PMC8258212 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Global patterns of plant biomass drive the distribution of much of the marine and terrestrial life on Earth. This is because their biomass and physical structure have important consequences for the communities they support by providing food and habitat. In terrestrial ecosystems, temperature is one of the major determinants of plant biomass and can influence plant and leaf morphology. In temperate marine systems, macroalgae are major habitat-formers and commonly display highly variable morphology in response to local environmental conditions. Variation in their morphology, and thus habitat structure on temperate reefs, however, is poorly understood across large scales. In this study, we used a trait-based approach to quantify morphological variability in subtidal rocky reefs dominated by the algal genus Sargassum along a latitudinal gradient, in southeastern Australia (~900 km). We tested whether large-scale variation in sea surface temperature (SST), site exposure, and nutrient availability can predict algal biomass and individual morphology. We found Sargassum biomass declined with increasing maximum SST. We also found that individual morphology varied with abiotic ocean variables. Frond size and intraindividual variability in frond size decreased with increasing with distance from the equator, as SST decreased and nitrate concentration increased. The shape of fronds displayed no clear relationship with any of the abiotic variables measured. These results suggest climate change will cause significant changes to the structure of Sargassum habitats along the southeastern coast of Australia, resulting in an overall reduction in biomass and increase in the prevalence of thalli with large, highly variable fronds. Using a space-for-time approach means shifts in morphological trait values can be used as early warning signs of impending species declines and regime shifts. Consequently, by studying traits and how they change across large scales we can potentially predict and anticipate the impacts of environmental change on these communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talia Peta Stelling‐Wood
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Alistair G. B. Poore
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Paul E. Gribben
- Centre of Marine Science and InnovationUNSW SydneySydneyNSWAustralia
- Sydney Institute of Marine ScienceMosmanNSWAustralia
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32
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Charles GK, Riginos C, Veblen KE, Kimuyu DM, Young TP. Termite mound cover and abundance respond to herbivore-mediated biotic changes in a Kenyan savanna. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7226-7238. [PMID: 34188808 PMCID: PMC8216887 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Both termites and large mammalian herbivores (LMH) are savanna ecosystem engineers that have profound impacts on ecosystem structure and function. Both of these savanna engineers modulate many common and shared dietary resources such as woody and herbaceous plant biomass, yet few studies have addressed how they impact one another. In particular, it is unclear how herbivores may influence the abundance of long-lived termite mounds via changes in termite dietary resources such as woody and herbaceous biomass. While it has long been assumed that abundance and areal cover of termite mounds in the landscape remain relatively stable, most data are observational, and few experiments have tested how termite mound patterns may respond to biotic factors such as changes in large herbivore communities. Here, we use a broad tree density gradient and two landscape-scale experimental manipulations-the first a multi-guild large herbivore exclosure experiment (20 years after establishment) and the second a tree removal experiment (8 years after establishment)-to demonstrate that patterns in Odontotermes termite mound abundance and cover are unexpectedly dynamic. Termite mound abundance, but areal cover not significantly, is positively associated with experimentally controlled presence of cattle, but not wild mesoherbivores (15-1,000 kg) or megaherbivores (elephants and giraffes). Herbaceous productivity and tree density, termite dietary resources that are significantly affected by different LMH treatments, are both positive predictors of termite mound abundance. Experimental reductions of tree densities are associated with lower abundances of termite mounds. These results reveal a richly interacting web of relationships among multiple savanna ecosystem engineers and suggest that termite mound abundance and areal cover are intimately tied to herbivore-driven resource availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace K. Charles
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Mpala Research CentreNanyukiKenya
| | - Corinna Riginos
- Mpala Research CentreNanyukiKenya
- The Nature ConservancyLanderWyomingUSA
| | - Kari E. Veblen
- Mpala Research CentreNanyukiKenya
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - Duncan M. Kimuyu
- Mpala Research CentreNanyukiKenya
- Department of Natural Resource ManagementKaratina UniversityKaratinaKenya
| | - Truman P. Young
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
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33
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Lowney AM, Thomson RL. Ecological engineering across a temporal gradient: Sociable weaver colonies create year-round animal biodiversity hotspots. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2362-2376. [PMID: 34036578 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Animal distribution in a landscape depends mostly on the availability of resources. This can be facilitated by other species that have positive effects on local species diversity and impact community structure. Species that significantly change resource availability are often termed ecosystem engineers. Identifying these species is key but predicting where they have large or small impacts is an even greater challenge. The stress-gradient hypothesis predicts that the importance of facilitative interactions that shape community structure and function will increase in stressful and harsh environments. In most environments, conditions will fluctuate between harsh and benign periods, yet how the impacts of ecosystem engineers will change in different conditions has received little attention. Monitoring for extended periods will increase the understanding of how engineers may mitigate the extreme differences between changing seasons. We investigated the role of sociable weavers Philetairus socius as ecosystem engineers and examined how the association of species to weaver colonies may vary across a seasonal (temporal) gradient. Sociable weavers build large colonies that are home to hundreds of weaver individuals but also host a wide range of other animal species. We investigated the use of weaver colonies by terrestrial and arboreal vertebrates and birds throughout a calendar year, encompassing harsh and benign periods. We demonstrate that the presence of sociable weaver colonies creates centres of animal activity. Colonies were used by the local Kalahari animal community for foraging, shade, territorial behaviours and roosting sites. Furthermore, animal activity increased with increased primary productivity, but this was not restricted to weaver colonies, suggesting that the importance of colonies does not directionally change across environmental conditions. Our results were not consistent with predictions of the stress-gradient hypothesis across a temporal gradient. We demonstrate the importance of sociable weavers as ecological engineers and the significance of their colonies in structuring the surrounding animal community. Colonies appear to provide a range of different resources for different species. Sociable weaver colonies have large ecological importance to local animal communities and, by mitigating environmental stress, may be increasingly important as human-driven climate change advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Lowney
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Robert L Thomson
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
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Cheung P, Nozawa Y, Miki T. Ecosystem engineering structures facilitate ecological resilience: A coral reef model. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pak‐Yin Cheung
- Institute of Oceanography National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
- Biodiversity Research Center Academia Sinica Taipei Taiwan
| | - Yoko Nozawa
- Biodiversity Research Center Academia Sinica Taipei Taiwan
| | - Takeshi Miki
- Institute of Oceanography National Taiwan University Taipei Taiwan
- Research Center for Environmental Changes Academia Sinica Taipei Taiwan
- Ecology and Environmental Engineering Course, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology Ryukoku University Otsu Shiga Japan
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Wang D, Nkurunziza V, Barber NA, Zhu H, Wang J. Introduced ecological engineers drive behavioral changes of grasshoppers, consequently linking to its abundance in two grassland plant communities. Oecologia 2021; 195:1007-1018. [PMID: 33625579 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04880-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Introduced ecosystem engineers are expected to have extensive ecological impacts on a broad range of resident biota by altering the physical-chemical structure of ecosystems. Livestock that are potentially important introduced ecosystem engineers in grassland systems could create and/or modify habitats for native plant-dwelling insects. Yet, there is little knowledge of how insects respond to engineering effects of introduced livestock. To bridge this gap, we tested how domestic sheep affects the behavior and abundance of a native grasshopper Euchorthippus unicolor at both low (11.8 ± 0.4 plant species per plot) and high (19.8 ± 0.5 plant species per plot) diversity sites. Results found grasshoppers shifted their resting and feeding locations from the upper to the intermediate or low layers of vegetation, and fed on more plants species following livestock engineering effects. In the low plant diversity habitats, grazing caused grasshoppers to increase switching frequency, spend more time searching for host plants, and reduce time spent feeding, but had opposite effects on all the three behaviors in the high-diversity habitats. Moreover, grazing engineering effects on behavioral changes of grasshoppers were potentially related to their abundance. Overall, this study highlights native insect species' behavior and abundance in responses to introduced ecological engineers, and suggests that ecosystem engineers of non-native species have strong and important impacts extending beyond their often most obvious and frequently documented direct ecological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deli Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science/School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China
| | - Venuste Nkurunziza
- Institute of Grassland Science/School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China
| | - Nicholas A Barber
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Hui Zhu
- Institute of Grassland Science/School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China. .,School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China.
| | - Jingting Wang
- Institute of Grassland Science/School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun, 130024, Jilin, China
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Berris KK, Cooper SJB, Breed WG, Berris JR, Carthew SM. Burrow use by bilbies in temperate South Australia. AUSTRALIAN MAMMALOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1071/am20027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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37
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Pavone CB, Gorman D, Flores AAV. Evidence of surplus carrying capacity for benthic invertebrates with the poleward range extension of the tropical seagrass Halophila decipiens in SE Brazil. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 162:105108. [PMID: 32846321 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105108] [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: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Seagrasses may enhance the abundance and diversity of benthic invertebrates through trophic facilitation. We investigated this potential ecological function for two seagrasses in SE Brazil: Halodule emarginata, a native species, and Halophila decipiens, a tropical seagrass recently established in the region. At Halophila sites, the organic matter (or carbon) in sediments decreased steadily from seagrass patches to isolated bare grounds, indicating surplus primary production. This was not observed at Halodule sites. At one of the two Halophila sites, localized trophic enrichment was also consistently linked to increased invertebrate abundance within patches, chiefly through increased carrying capacity of small mesoherbivores. Rather than spillover, edge effects were observed at bordering bare habitats, where polychaete predators were abundant. The transition from seagrass edges to isolated bare habitats was marked by an increase of the density of sipunculid worms. The current spread of Halophila may thus change the spatial distribution of benthic ecological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla B Pavone
- Centre for Marine Biology - University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil; Institute of Biology - State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniel Gorman
- CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Augusto A V Flores
- Centre for Marine Biology - University of São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil.
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Jones AG, Denis L, Fournier J, Desroy N, Duong G, Dubois SF. Linking multiple facets of biodiversity and ecosystem functions in a coastal reef habitat. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 162:105092. [PMID: 32892150 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105092] [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: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Reef-building species play key roles in promoting local species richness and regulating ecosystem functions like biogeochemical fluxes. We evaluated the functioning of a habitat engineered by the reef-building polychaete Sabellaria alveolata, by measuring oxygen and nutrient fluxes in the reef structures and in the soft-sediments nearby. Then, we investigated the relative importance of temperature, the engineer S. alveolata, and different facets of macrofauna diversity (taxonomic, functional diversity and identity), on the reef biogeochemical fluxes using multiple linear regressions and effect sizes. The reef fluxes were more intense than the soft-sediment fluxes and mainly driven by the engineer biomass and abundance, stressing the importance of these biogenic structures. Higher water temperatures and an intermediate level of associated macrofauna functional dispersion weighted only by abundance (i.e. intermediate biological trait variability) maximized the reef's global biogeochemical functioning. Ultimately, the physical degradation of the reefs could lead to lower levels of functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auriane G Jones
- IFREMER, Laboratoire Centre de Bretagne, DYNECO, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Benthique Côtière (LEBCO), 29280, Plouzané, France; IFREMER, Laboratoire Environnement et Ressources Bretagne nord, BP 80108, 35801, Dinard cedex, France; ESE, Ecology and Ecosystem Health, AGROCAMPUS OUEST, INRA, 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc, 35042, Rennes, France.
| | - Lionel Denis
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France
| | - Jérôme Fournier
- CNRS, UMR 7204 CESCO, 75005, Paris, France; MNHN, Station de Biologie Marine, BP 225, 29182, Concarneau cedex, France
| | - Nicolas Desroy
- IFREMER, Laboratoire Environnement et Ressources Bretagne nord, BP 80108, 35801, Dinard cedex, France
| | - Gwendoline Duong
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ. Littoral Côte d'Opale, UMR 8187, LOG, Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences, F 62930, Wimereux, France
| | - Stanislas F Dubois
- IFREMER, Laboratoire Centre de Bretagne, DYNECO, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Benthique Côtière (LEBCO), 29280, Plouzané, France
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Fontes BL, Desbiez ALJ, Massocato GF, Srbek-Araujo AC, Sanaiotti TM, Bergallo HG, Ferreguetti ÁC, Noia CHR, Schettino VR, Valls R, Moreira DDO, Gatti A, Mendonça EDS, Banhos A. The local extinction of one of the greatest terrestrial ecosystem engineers, the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), in one of its last refuges in the Atlantic Forest, will be felt by a large vertebrate community. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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40
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Gibb H, Silvey CJ, Robinson C, L'Hotellier FA, Eldridge DJ. Experimental evidence for ecological cascades following threatened mammal reintroduction. Ecology 2020; 102:e03191. [PMID: 32892373 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Species extinction has reached unprecedented rates globally, and can cause unexpected ecological cascades. Since Europeans arrived in Australia, many endemic mammals have declined or become extinct, but their ecological roles and outcomes of their reintroduction for ecosystems are poorly understood. Using surveys and novel long-term exclusion and disturbance experiments, we tested how digging mammal reintroduction affects predatory invertebrates. Mammal exclusion tended to decrease bare ground. Although scorpion burrow abundance increased with bare ground, mammals also had direct negative effects on scorpions. Increased disturbance alone decreased scorpion abundance, but other mechanisms, such as predation, also contributed to the mammal effect. Despite negative associations between scorpions and spiders, both groups increased and spider composition changed following mammal exclusion. Our long-term research showed that threatened digging mammals drive ecosystem cascades, affecting biota through a variety of pathways. Reintroductions of locally extinct digging mammals can restore ecosystems, but ecosystem cascades may lead to unexpected restructuring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heloise Gibb
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia.,Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Colin J Silvey
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Chloe Robinson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | | | - David J Eldridge
- Office of Environment and Heritage, C/O Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia
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Vivó-Pons A, Alós J, Tomas F. Invasion by an ecosystem engineer shifts the abundance and distribution of fish but does not decrease diversity. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 160:111586. [PMID: 32911114 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111586] [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: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Negative impacts of invasive species are widely accepted, but there is increasing evidence that neutral or positive effects are more prevalent than initially recognized, particularly for species which are of different functional / trophic group than the invader. We used a BACI design to examine how fish communities responded to the invasion of Halimeda incrassata, an ecosystem engineer which colonizes sandy habitats in the Western Mediterranean. While invasion did not alter overall species richness or diversity, we detected positive, negative and neutral responses by different fish species, which has important ecological and socio-economic implications. Contrasting responses likely result from different alterations that this alga conferred, putatively increasing prey availability via habitat creation, or limiting burial and camouflage abilities of fish. Our results highlight that effects of ecosystem engineers can be multiple and complex, and that predictions of invasive species are not straight forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Vivó-Pons
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain.
| | - Josep Alós
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Fiona Tomas
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain; Dept. Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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42
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Liu X, Ma Q, Yu H, Li Y, Zhou L, He Q, Xu Z, Zhou G. Responses of plant biomass and yield component in rice, wheat, and maize to climatic warming: a meta-analysis. PLANTA 2020; 252:90. [PMID: 33083898 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-020-03495-y] [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: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Responses of plant biomass and yield components to warming are species-specific and are shifted as increased warming magnitude rises; this finding improves the results of IPCC AR5. The responses of crop yields to climatic warming have been extensively reported from experimental results, historical yield collections, and modeling research. However, an integrative report on the responses of plant biomass and yield components of three major crops to experimental warming is lacking. Here, a meta-analysis based on the most recent warming experiments was conducted to quantify the climatic warming responses of the biomass, grain yield (GY), and yield components of three staple crops. The results showed that the wheat total aboveground biomass (TAGB) increased by 6.0% with general warming, while the wheat GY did not significantly respond to warming; however, the responses shifted with increases in the mean growing season temperature (MGST). Negative effects on wheat TAGB and GY appeared when the MGSTs were above 15 °C and 13 °C, respectively. The wheat GY and the number of grains per panicle decreased by 8.4% and 7.5%, respectively, per degree Celsius increase. Increases in temperature significantly reduced the rice TAGB and GY by 4.3% and 16.6%, respectively, but rice straw biomass increased with increasing temperature. However, the rice grain weight and the number of panicles decreased with continuous increasing temperature (ΔTa). The maize biomass, GY, and yield components all generally decreased with climatic warming. Finally, the crop responses to climatic warming were significantly influenced by warming time, warming treatment facility, and methods. Our findings can improve the assessment of crop responses to climatic warming and are useful for ensuring food security while combating future global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Quanhui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongying Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yibo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Li Zhou
- Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Qijin He
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
| | - Guangsheng Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
- Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100081, China.
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43
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Tumolo BB, Calle L, Anderson HE, Briggs MA, Carlson S, MacDonald MJ, Reinert JH, Albertson LK. Toward spatio-temporal delineation of positive interactions in ecology. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9026-9036. [PMID: 32953043 PMCID: PMC7487250 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Given unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss, there is an urgency to better understand the ecological consequences of interactions among organisms that may lost or altered. Positive interactions among organisms of the same or different species that directly or indirectly improve performance of at least one participant can structure populations and communities and control ecosystem process. However, we are still in need of synthetic approaches to better understand how positive interactions scale spatio-temporally across a range of taxa and ecosystems. Here, we synthesize two complementary approaches to more rigorously describe positive interactions and their consequences among organisms, across taxa, and over spatio-temporal scales. In the first approach, which we call the mechanistic approach, we make a distinction between two principal mechanisms of facilitation-habitat modification and resource modification. Considering the differences in these two mechanisms is critical because it delineates the potential spatio-temporal bounds over which a positive interaction can occur. We offer guidance on improved sampling regimes for quantification of these mechanistic interactions and their consequences. Second, we present a trait-based approach in which traits of facilitators or traits of beneficiaries can modulate their magnitude of effect or how they respond to either of the positive interaction mechanisms, respectively. Therefore, both approaches can be integrated together by quantifying the degree to which a focal facilitator's or beneficiary's traits explain the magnitude of a positive effect in space and time. Furthermore, we demonstrate how field measurements and analytical techniques can be used to collect and analyze data to test the predictions presented herein. We conclude by discussing how these approaches can be applied to contemporary challenges in ecology, such as conservation and restoration and suggest avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonardo Calle
- Department of EcologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
- Department of Forest ManagementW.A. Franke College of Forestry and ConservationUniversity of MontanaBozemanMTUSA
| | | | | | - Sam Carlson
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental SciencesMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
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Schratzberger M, Somerfield PJ. Effects of widespread human disturbances in the marine environment suggest a new agenda for meiofauna research is needed. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 728:138435. [PMID: 32570325 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The response of an ecological community to a disturbance event, and its capacity to recover, are of major interest to ecologists, especially at a time of increasing frequencies and intensities of environmental change brought about by humans. Meiofauna, a group of small-sized organisms, are an abundant and ubiquitous component of seafloor communities that respond rapidly to environmental change. We summarise the available research on the response of metazoan meiofauna to the most widespread anthropogenic disturbances in the marine environment, including bottom fishing, the introduction of invasive species and anthropogenic climate change. We show that disturbance effects on habitats interact critically with effects on resident meiofauna species. Their responses are consistent with competitive replacement, where disparate disturbance effects on competing species drive shifts in dominance and intra- and interspecific interactions. The widespread replacement of habitat-specific ecological specialists by broadly-adapted ecological generalists and opportunists results in biotic and functional homogenisation of once disparate biotas. Anthropogenic disturbances may facilitate novel interactions among meiofauna species, and between meiofauna and other benthic organisms, but the number and breadth of these interactions is likely to be limited. Knowledge about the dependence of meiofauna species on their environment and on other benthic species has been growing. Future studies will be most meaningful if this knowledge is expanded alongside understanding the potential of locally adapted species to respond to shifts in environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schratzberger
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, United Kingdom; Collaborative Centre for Sustainable Use of the Seas, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Paul J Somerfield
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth PL1 3DH, United Kingdom
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45
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Lucero JE, Seifan M, Callaway RM, Lortie CJ. Positive associations with native shrubs are intense and important for an exotic invader but not the native annual community across an aridity gradient. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E. Lucero
- Department of Biology York University Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Merav Seifan
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research Ben‐Gurion University of the Negev Midreshet Ben‐Gurion Israel
| | - Ragan M. Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences and the Institute on Ecosystems University of Montana Missoula MT USA
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46
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Lloyd HB, Cruz‐Motta JJ, Glasby TM, Hutchings PA, Gribben PE. Unusual but consistent latitudinal patterns in macroalgal habitats and their invertebrate communities across two countries. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah B. Lloyd
- School of Life Sciences University of Technology Sydney NSW Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman NSW Australia
| | - Juan J. Cruz‐Motta
- Department of Marine Sciences University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Puerto Rico
| | - Tim M. Glasby
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries Port Stephens Fisheries Institute Nelson Bay NSW Australia
| | - Pat A. Hutchings
- Australian Museum Research Institute Australian Museum Sydney NSW Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University North Ryde NSW Australia
| | - Paul E. Gribben
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science Mosman NSW Australia
- Centre for Marine Science and Innovation School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW Australia
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47
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Solgaard Thomsen M. Indiscriminate data aggregation in ecological meta-analysis underestimates impacts of invasive species. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:312-314. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1117-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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48
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Rodrigues TF, Mantellatto AMB, Superina M, Chiarello AG. Ecosystem services provided by armadillos. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1-21. [PMID: 31448491 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Awareness of the natural ecological processes provided by organisms that benefit human well-being has significantly progressed towards the goal of making conservation a mainstream value. Identifying different services and the species that provide them is a vital first step for the management and maintenance of these so-called ecosystem services. Herein, we specifically address the armadillos, which play key functional roles in terrestrial ecosystems, including as ecosystem engineers, predators, and vectors of invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Armadillos can control pests, disperse seeds, and be effective sentinels of potential disease outbreaks or bioindicators of environmental contaminants. They also supply important material (meat, medicines) and non-material (learning, inspiration) contributions all over the Americas. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by armadillos and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in terrestrial ecosystems and the services they supply. Such information will produce powerful arguments for armadillo conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago F Rodrigues
- Applied Ecology Program, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, 13418-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Aline M B Mantellatto
- Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia, Campus Sosígenes Costa, Porto Seguro, 45810-000, BA, Brazil
| | - Mariella Superina
- Laboratorio de Medicina y Endocrinología de la Fauna Silvestre, IMBECU - CCT CONICET Mendoza, Mendoza, 5500, Argentina
| | - Adriano G Chiarello
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 14040-901, SP, Brazil
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49
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Louw MA, Haussmann NS, le Roux PC. Testing for consistency in the impacts of a burrowing ecosystem engineer on soil and vegetation characteristics across biomes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19355. [PMID: 31852970 PMCID: PMC6920383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55917-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The impacts of ecosystem engineers may be expected to vary along environmental gradients. Due to some resources being more limited in arid than in mesic environments, disturbances created by burrowing mammals are expected to have a greater ameliorating effect in arid environments, with larger differences in microhabitat conditions expected between burrows and undisturbed areas. The aim of this study was to test if the impacts of a medium-sized burrowing mammal, the aardvark, on soil properties (soil temperature, moisture and compaction) and vegetation characteristics (plant cover, species richness and species composition) are consistent across three biomes that differ strongly in annual rainfall. Burrowing affected soil and vegetation attributes, but the direction and magnitude of these biogeomorphological impacts were not consistent across the different biomes. For example, plant species composition was altered by burrowing in the arid scrubland and in the mesic grassland, but not in the semi-arid savannah. Contrary to expectations, the difference in the impacts of burrowing between biomes were not related to rainfall, with burrowing having strong, albeit different, impacts in both the arid scrubland and the mesic grassland, but weaker effects in the semi-arid savannah. It appears, therefore, that the impacts of these biogeomorphic agents may be site-specific and that it may be difficult to predict variation in their biotic and abiotic effects across environmental gradients. As a result, forecasting the impacts of ecosystem engineers under different conditions remains a challenge to management, restoration and conservation strategies related to these types of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Louw
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa. .,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa. .,Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa.
| | - N S Haussmann
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa
| | - P C le Roux
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa
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Nummi P, Liao W, Huet O, Scarpulla E, Sundell J. The beaver facilitates species richness and abundance of terrestrial and semi-aquatic mammals. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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