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Majer A, Skoracka A, Spaak J, Kuczyński L. Higher-order species interactions cause time-dependent niche and fitness differences: Experimental evidence in plant-feeding arthropods. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14428. [PMID: 38685715 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14428] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Species interact in different ways, including competition, facilitation and predation. These interactions can be non-linear or higher order and may depend on time or species densities. Although these higher-order interactions are virtually ubiquitous, they remain poorly understood, as they are challenging both theoretically and empirically. We propose to adapt niche and fitness differences from modern coexistence theory and apply them to species interactions over time. As such, they may not merely inform about coexistence, but provide a deeper understanding of how species interactions change. Here, we investigated how the exploitation of a biotic resource (plant) by phytophagous arthropods affects their interactions. We performed monoculture and competition experiments to fit a generalized additive mixed model to the empirical data, which allowed us to calculate niche and fitness differences. We found that species switch between different types of interactions over time, including intra- and interspecific facilitation, and strong and weak competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Majer
- Population Ecology Lab, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Center for Advanced Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Anna Skoracka
- Population Ecology Lab, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jürg Spaak
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Lechosław Kuczyński
- Population Ecology Lab, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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2
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Gómez-Llano M, Boys WA, Ping T, Tye SP, Siepielski AM. Interactions between fitness components across the life cycle constrain competitor coexistence. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2297-2308. [PMID: 37087690 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13927] [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: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous mechanisms can promote competitor coexistence. Yet, these mechanisms are often considered in isolation from one another. Consequently, whether multiple mechanisms shaping coexistence combine to promote or constrain species coexistence remains an open question. Here, we aim to understand how multiple mechanisms interact within and between life stages to determine frequency-dependent population growth, which has a key role stabilizing local competitor coexistence. We conducted field experiments in three lakes manipulating relative frequencies of two Enallagma damselfly species to evaluate demographic contributions of three mechanisms affecting different fitness components across the life cycle: the effect of resource competition on individual growth rate, predation shaping mortality rates, and mating harassment determining fecundity. We then used a demographic model that incorporates carry-over effects between life stages to decompose the relative effect of each fitness component generating frequency-dependent population growth. This decomposition showed that fitness components combined to increase population growth rates for one species when rare, but they combined to decrease population growth rates for the other species when rare, leading to predicted exclusion in most lakes. Because interactions between fitness components within and between life stages vary among populations, these results show that local coexistence is population specific. Moreover, we show that multiple mechanisms do not necessarily increase competitor coexistence, as they can also combine to yield exclusion. Identifying coexistence mechanisms in other systems will require greater focus on determining contributions of different fitness components across the life cycle shaping competitor coexistence in a way that captures the potential for population-level variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Gómez-Llano
- Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, 65188, Sweden
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Wade A Boys
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Taylor Ping
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Simon P Tye
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
| | - Adam M Siepielski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA
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3
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Spaak JW, Schreiber SJ. Building modern coexistence theory from the ground up: The role of community assembly. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1840-1861. [PMID: 37747362 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14302] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Modern coexistence theory (MCT) is one of the leading methods to understand species coexistence. It uses invasion growth rates-the average, per-capita growth rate of a rare species-to identify when and why species coexist. Despite significant advances in dissecting coexistence mechanisms when coexistence occurs, MCT relies on a 'mutual invasibility' condition designed for two-species communities but poorly defined for species-rich communities. Here, we review well-known issues with this component of MCT and propose a solution based on recent mathematical advances. We propose a clear framework for expanding MCT to species-rich communities and for understanding invasion resistance as well as coexistence, especially for communities that could not be analysed with MCT so far. Using two data-driven community models from the literature, we illustrate the utility of our framework and highlight the opportunities for bridging the fields of community assembly and species coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurg W Spaak
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Sebastian J Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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4
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Hallett LM, Aoyama L, Barabás G, Gilbert B, Larios L, Shackelford N, Werner CM, Godoy O, Ladouceur ER, Lucero JE, Weiss-Lehman CP, Chase JM, Chu C, Harpole WS, Mayfield MM, Faist AM, Shoemaker LG. Restoration ecology through the lens of coexistence theory. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:1085-1096. [PMID: 37468343 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Advances in restoration ecology are needed to guide ecological restoration in a variable and changing world. Coexistence theory provides a framework for how variability in environmental conditions and species interactions affects species success. Here, we conceptually link coexistence theory and restoration ecology. First, including low-density growth rates (LDGRs), a classic metric of coexistence, can improve abundance-based restoration goals, because abundances are sensitive to initial treatments and ongoing variability. Second, growth-rate partitioning, developed to identify coexistence mechanisms, can improve restoration practice by informing site selection and indicating necessary interventions (e.g., site amelioration or competitor removal). Finally, coexistence methods can improve restoration assessment, because initial growth rates indicate trajectories, average growth rates measure success, and growth partitioning highlights interventions needed in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Hallett
- Department of Biology and Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Lina Aoyama
- Department of Biology and Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - György Barabás
- Division of Ecological and Environmental Modeling (ECOMOD), Dept. IFM, Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden; Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, 1121 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Benjamin Gilbert
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Loralee Larios
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Nancy Shackelford
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Chhaya M Werner
- University of Wyoming, Botany Department, Laramie, WY 82071, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Sustainability, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR 97520, USA
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, E-11510 Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Emma R Ladouceur
- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jacob E Lucero
- Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | | | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - W Stanley Harpole
- Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Physiological Diversity, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Margaret M Mayfield
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Akasha M Faist
- Department of Animal and Range Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA; Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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Paniw M, García-Callejas D, Lloret F, Bassar RD, Travis J, Godoy O. Pathways to global-change effects on biodiversity: new opportunities for dynamically forecasting demography and species interactions. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221494. [PMID: 36809806 PMCID: PMC9943645 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1494] [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] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In structured populations, persistence under environmental change may be particularly threatened when abiotic factors simultaneously negatively affect survival and reproduction of several life cycle stages, as opposed to a single stage. Such effects can then be exacerbated when species interactions generate reciprocal feedbacks between the demographic rates of the different species. Despite the importance of such demographic feedbacks, forecasts that account for them are limited as individual-based data on interacting species are perceived to be essential for such mechanistic forecasting-but are rarely available. Here, we first review the current shortcomings in assessing demographic feedbacks in population and community dynamics. We then present an overview of advances in statistical tools that provide an opportunity to leverage population-level data on abundances of multiple species to infer stage-specific demography. Lastly, we showcase a state-of-the-art Bayesian method to infer and project stage-specific survival and reproduction for several interacting species in a Mediterranean shrub community. This case study shows that climate change threatens populations most strongly by changing the interaction effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbours on both juvenile and adult survival. Thus, the repurposing of multi-species abundance data for mechanistic forecasting can substantially improve our understanding of emerging threats on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paniw
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41001 Spain.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - David García-Callejas
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41001 Spain.,Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Francisco Lloret
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain.,Department Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
| | - Ronald D Bassar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Joseph Travis
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus Río San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
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Bimler MD, Mayfield MM. Ecology: Lifting the curtain on higher-order interactions. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R77-R79. [PMID: 36693315 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Higher-order interactions - the modification of interactions between a species pair by a third - remain poorly understood in nature. A new study manipulates pairwise and higher-order interactions in the field, offering exciting new insights into how higher-order interactions contribute to coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malyon D Bimler
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Margaret M Mayfield
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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7
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Spaak JW, Ke P, Letten AD, De Laender F. Different measures of niche and fitness differences tell different tales. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jurg W. Spaak
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell Univ. Ithaca NY USA
| | - Po‐Ju Ke
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan Univ. Taipei Taiwan
- Dept of Ecology&Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Univ. Princeton NJ USA
| | - Andrew D. Letten
- School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Queensland Brisbane QLD Australia
| | - Frederik De Laender
- Univ. of Namur Namur Belgium
- Inst. of Life‐Earth‐Environment, Namur Center for Complex Systems Namur Belgium
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