1
|
Williams TJ, Reed AJ, Peck LS, Godbold JA, Solan M. Ocean warming and acidification adjust inter- and intra-specific variability in the functional trait expression of polar invertebrates. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14985. [PMID: 38951669 PMCID: PMC11217501 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65808-5] [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: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change is known to affect the distribution and composition of species, but concomitant alterations to functionally important aspects of behaviour and species-environment relations are poorly constrained. Here, we examine the ecosystem ramifications of changes in sediment-dwelling invertebrate bioturbation behaviour-a key process mediating nutrient cycling-associated with near-future environmental conditions (+ 1.5 °C, 550 ppm [pCO2]) for species from polar regions experiencing rapid rates of climate change. We find that responses to warming and acidification vary between species and lead to a reduction in intra-specific variability in behavioural trait expression that adjusts the magnitude and direction of nutrient concentrations. Our analyses also indicate that species behaviour is not predetermined, but can be dependent on local variations in environmental history that set population capacities for phenotypic plasticity. We provide evidence that certain, but subtle, aspects of inter- and intra-specific variation in behavioural trait expression, rather than the presence or proportional representation of species per se, is an important and under-appreciated determinant of benthic biogeochemical responses to climate change. Such changes in species behaviour may act as an early warning for impending ecological transitions associated with progressive climate forcing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Williams
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK.
| | - Adam J Reed
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Lloyd S Peck
- British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Jasmin A Godbold
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Martin Solan
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Meira A, Byers JE, Sousa R. A global synthesis of predation on bivalves. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1015-1057. [PMID: 38294132 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13057] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Predation is a dominant structuring force in ecological communities. In aquatic environments, predation on bivalves has long been an important focal interaction for ecological study because bivalves have central roles as ecosystem engineers, basal components of food webs, and commercial commodities. Studies of bivalves are common, not only because of bivalves' central roles, but also due to the relative ease of studying predatory effects on this taxonomic group. To understand patterns in the interactions of bivalves and their predators we synthesised data from 52 years of peer-reviewed studies on bivalve predation. Using a systematic search, we compiled 1334 studies from 75 countries, comprising 61 bivalve families (N = 2259), dominated by Mytilidae (29% of bivalves), Veneridae (14%), Ostreidae (8%), Unionidae (7%), and Dreissenidae and Tellinidae (6% each). A total of 2036 predators were studied, with crustaceans the most studied predator group (34% of predators), followed by fishes (24%), molluscs (17%), echinoderms (10%) and birds (6%). The majority of studies (86%) were conducted in marine systems, in part driven by the high commercial value of marine bivalves. Studies in freshwater ecosystems were dominated by non-native bivalves and non-native predator species, which probably reflects the important role of biological invasions affecting freshwater biodiversity. In fact, while 81% of the studied marine bivalve species were native, only 50% of the freshwater species were native to the system. In terms of approach, most studies used predation trials, visual analysis of digested contents and exclusion experiments to assess the effects of predation. These studies reflect that many factors influence bivalve predation depending on the species studied, including (i) species traits (e.g. behaviour, morphology, defence mechanisms), (ii) other biotic interactions (e.g. presence of competitors, parasites or diseases), and (iii) environmental context (e.g. temperature, current velocity, beach exposure, habitat complexity). There is a lack of research on the effects of bivalve predation at the population and community and ecosystem levels (only 7% and 0.5% of studies respectively examined impacts at these levels). At the population level, the available studies demonstrate that predation can decrease bivalve density through consumption or the reduction of recruitment. At the community and ecosystem level, predation can trigger effects that cascade through trophic levels or effects that alter the ecological functions bivalves perform. Given the conservation and commercial importance of many bivalve species, studies of predation should be pursued in the context of global change, particularly climate change, acidification and biological invasions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Meira
- CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
| | - James E Byers
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E. Green St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ronaldo Sousa
- CBMA - Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rober AR, McCann KS, Turetsky MR, Wyatt KH. Cascading effects of predators on algal size structure. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2022; 58:308-317. [PMID: 35032342 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The presence of edible and inedible prey species in a food web can influence the strength that nutrients (bottom-up) or herbivores (top-down) have on primary production. In boreal peatlands, wetter more nutrient-rich conditions associated with ongoing climate change are expanding consumer access to aquatic habitat and promoting sources of primary production (i.e., algae) that are susceptible to trophic regulation. Here, we used an in situ mesocosm experiment to evaluate the consequences of enhanced nutrient availability and food-web manipulation (herbivore and predator exclusion) on algal assemblage structure in an Alaskan fen. Owing to the potential for herbivores to selectively consume edible algae (small cells) in favor of more resistant forms, we predicted that the proportion of less-edible algae (large cells) would determine the strength of top-down or bottom-up effects. Consistent with these expectations, we observed an increase in algal-cell size in the presence of herbivores (2-tiered food web) that was absent in the presence of a trophic cascade (3-tiered food web), suggesting that predators indirectly prevented morphological changes in the algal assemblage by limiting herbivory. Increases in algal-cell size with herbivory were driven by a greater proportion of filamentous green algae and nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, whose size and morphological characteristics mechanically minimize consumption. While consumer-driven shifts in algal assemblage structure were significant, they did not prevent top-down regulation of biofilm development by herbivores. Our findings show that increasing wet periods in northern peatlands will provide new avenues for trophic regulation of algal production, including directly through consumption and indirectly via a trophic cascade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Allison R Rober
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 47306, USA
| | - Kevin S McCann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, NIG 2WI, Canada
| | - Merritt R Turetsky
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA
| | - Kevin H Wyatt
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, 47306, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ross SRPJ, García Molinos J, Okuda A, Johnstone J, Atsumi K, Futamura R, Williams MA, Matsuoka Y, Uchida J, Kumikawa S, Sugiyama H, Kishida O, Donohue I. Predators mitigate the destabilising effects of heatwaves on multitrophic stream communities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:403-416. [PMID: 34689388 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Amidst the global extinction crisis, climate change will expose ecosystems to more frequent and intense extreme climatic events, such as heatwaves. Yet, whether predator species loss-a prevailing characteristic of the extinction crisis-will exacerbate the ecological consequences of extreme climatic events remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the loss of predator species can interact with heatwaves to moderate the compositional stability of ecosystems. We exposed multitrophic stream communities, with and without a dominant predator species, to realistic current and future heatwaves and found that heatwaves destabilised algal communities by homogenising them in space. However, this happened only when the predator was absent. Additional heatwave impacts on multiple aspects of stream communities, including changes to the structure of algal and macroinvertebrate communities, as well as total algal biomass and its temporal variability, were not apparent during heatwaves and emerged only after the heatwaves had passed. Taken together, our results suggest that the ecological consequences of heatwaves can amplify over time as their impacts propagate through biological interaction networks, but the presence of predators can help to buffer such impacts. These findings underscore the importance of conserving trophic structure, and highlight the potential for species extinctions to amplify the effects of climate change and extreme events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel R P-J Ross
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jorge García Molinos
- Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Global Station for Arctic Research, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Okuda
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Jackson Johnstone
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Keisuke Atsumi
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ryo Futamura
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Maureen A Williams
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Biology Department, McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland, USA
| | - Yuichi Matsuoka
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Jiro Uchida
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Shoji Kumikawa
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Osamu Kishida
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Takaoka, Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mor JR, Muñoz I, Sabater S, Zamora L, Ruhi A. Energy limitation or sensitive predators? Trophic and non-trophic impacts of wastewater pollution on stream food webs. Ecology 2021; 103:e03587. [PMID: 34792187 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Impacts of environmental stressors on food webs are often difficult to predict because trophic levels can respond in divergent ways, and biotic interactions may dampen or amplify responses. Here we studied food-web level impacts of urban wastewater pollution, a widespread source of degradation that can alter stream food webs via top-down and bottom-up processes. Wastewater may (i) subsidize primary producers by decreasing nutrient limitation, inducing a wide-bottomed trophic pyramid. However, (ii) wastewater may also reduce the quality and diversity of resources, which could decrease energy transfer efficiency by reducing consumer fitness, leading to predator starvation. Additionally, (iii) if higher trophic levels are particularly sensitive to pollution, primary consumers could be released from predation pressure. We tested these hypotheses in 10 pairs of stream sites located upstream and downstream of urban wastewater effluents with different pollutant levels. We found that wastewater pollution reduced predator richness by ~34%. Community Size Spectra (CSS) slopes were steeper downstream than upstream of wastewater effluents-in all except one impact site where predators became locally extinct. Further, variation in downstream CSS slopes were correlated with pollution loads: the more polluted the stream, the steeper the CSS. We estimate that wastewater pollution decreased energy transfer efficiencies to primary consumers by ~70%, limiting energy supply to predators. Additionally, traits increasing vulnerability to chemical pollution were overrepresented among predators, which presented compressed trophic niches (δ15 N- δ13 C) downstream of effluents. Our results show that wastewater pollution can impact stream food webs via a combination of energy limitation to consumers and extirpation of pollution-sensitive top predators. Understanding the indirect (biotically-mediated) vs. direct (abiotic) mechanisms controlling responses to stress may help anticipating impacts of altered water quantity and quality-key signatures of global change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordi-René Mor
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabel Muñoz
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Sabater
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona, Spain.,Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Lluís Zamora
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Albert Ruhi
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
O'Gorman EJ. Multitrophic diversity sustains ecological complexity by dampening top-down control of a shallow marine benthic food web. Ecology 2021; 102:e03274. [PMID: 33368225 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity is typically considered as a one-dimensional metric (e.g., species richness), yet the consequences of species loss may be different depending on where extinctions occur in the food web. Here, I used a manipulative field experiment in a temperate subtidal marine system to explore the implications of diversity loss at multiple trophic levels for ecosystem functioning and food web structure. The four manipulated predators included the small painted goby and common prawn, which are also fed on by the larger black goby and shore crab. Antagonistic interactions between the manipulated predators (e.g., intraguild predation, intimidation, interference competition) limited their negative effects on the rest of the food web. Top-down control was so suppressed at the highest level of multitrophic diversity that the resulting food webs were as complex and productive as those containing no manipulated predators. Negative interactions between the predators weakened as multitrophic diversity decreased, however, resulting in stronger consumption of lower trophic levels and a simpler food web with lower rates of two key ecosystem processes: primary production and decomposition. These results show how indirect interactions between predators on multiple trophic levels help to promote the complexity and functioning of natural systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eoin J O'Gorman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wyatt KH, McCann KS, Rober AR, Turetsky MR. Letter: Trophic interactions regulate peatland carbon cycling. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:781-790. [PMID: 33554469 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Peatlands are the most efficient natural ecosystems for long-term storage of atmospheric carbon. Our understanding of peatland carbon cycling is based entirely on bottom-up controls regulated by low nutrient availability. Recent studies have shown that top-down controls through predator-prey dynamics can influence ecosystem function, yet this has not been evaluated in peatlands to date. Here, we used a combination of nutrient enrichment and trophic-level manipulation to test the hypothesis that interactions between nutrient availability (bottom-up) and predation (top-down) influence peatland carbon fluxes. Elevated nutrients stimulated bacterial biomass and organic matter decomposition. In the absence of top-down regulation, carbon dioxide (CO2 ) respiration driven by greater decomposition was offset by elevated algal productivity. Herbivores accelerated CO2 emissions by removing algal biomass, while predators indirectly reduced CO2 emissions by muting herbivory in a trophic cascade. This study demonstrates that trophic interactions can mitigate CO2 emissions associated with elevated nutrient levels in northern peatlands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin H Wyatt
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA
| | - Kevin S McCann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, NIG2WI, Canada
| | - Allison R Rober
- Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA
| | - Merritt R Turetsky
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Veresoglou SD, Yang G, Mola M, Manntschke A, Mating M, Forstreuter M, Rillig MC. Excluding arbuscular mycorrhiza lowers variability in soil respiration but slows down recovery from perturbations. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gaowen Yang
- Institut für Biologie Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) BerlinD‐14195Germany
| | - Magkdi Mola
- Institut für Biologie Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Moritz Mating
- Institut für Biologie Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Matthias C. Rillig
- Institut für Biologie Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) BerlinD‐14195Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Individual species provide multifaceted contributions to the stability of ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1594-1601. [PMID: 33046872 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01315-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Exploration of the relationship between species diversity and ecological stability has occupied a prominent place in ecological research for decades. Yet, a key component of this puzzle-the contributions of individual species to the overall stability of ecosystems-remains largely unknown. Here, we show that individual species simultaneously stabilize and destabilize ecosystems along different dimensions of stability, and also that their contributions to functional (biomass) and compositional stability are largely independent. By simulating experimentally the extinction of three consumer species (the limpet Patella, the periwinkle Littorina and the topshell Gibbula) from a coastal rocky shore, we found that the capacity to predict the combined contribution of species to stability from the sum of their individual contributions varied among stability dimensions. This implies that the nature of the diversity-stability relationship depends upon the dimension of stability under consideration, and may be additive, synergistic or antagonistic. We conclude that, although the profoundly multifaceted and context-dependent consequences of species loss pose a significant challenge, the predictability of cumulative species contributions to some dimensions of stability provide a way forward for ecologists trying to conserve ecosystems and manage their stability under global change.
Collapse
|
10
|
Brooks PR, Crowe TP. Combined Effects of Multiple Stressors: New Insights Into the Influence of Timing and Sequence. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
11
|
Hunter WR, Ogle N, O’Connor N. Warming affects predatory faunal impacts upon microbial carbon cycling. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William Ross Hunter
- Queen’s University Marine Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University of Belfast Portaferry UK
| | - Neil Ogle
- Queen’s University Stable Isotope Facility, School of Natural and Built Environment Queen's University of Belfast Belfast UK
| | - Nessa O’Connor
- Queen’s University Marine Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University of Belfast Portaferry UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
White L, Donohue I, Emmerson MC, O'Connor NE. Combined effects of warming and nutrients on marine communities are moderated by predators and vary across functional groups. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:5853-5866. [PMID: 30246490 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Warming, nutrient enrichment and biodiversity modification are among the most pervasive components of human-induced global environmental change. We know little about their cumulative effects on ecosystems; however, even though this knowledge is fundamental to predicting and managing their consequences in a changing world. Here, we show that shifts in predator species composition can moderate both the individual and combined effects of warming and nutrient enrichment in marine systems. However, all three aspects of global change also acted independently to alter different functional groups in our flow-through marine rock-pool mesocosms. Specifically, warming reduced macroalgal biomass and assemblage productivity, whereas enrichment led to increased abundance of meso-invertebrate consumers, and loss of predator species led to increased gastropod grazer biomass. This disparity in responses, both across trophic levels (macroalgae and intermediate consumers), and between detecting additive effects on aggregate measures of ecosystem functioning, yet interactive effects on community composition, illustrates that our forecasting ability depends strongly on the level of ecological complexity incorporated within global change experiments. We conclude that biodiversity change-and loss of predator species in particular-plays a critical and overarching role in determining how ecological communities respond to stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lydia White
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Mark C Emmerson
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Nessa E O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
van Egmond EM, van Bodegom PM, van Hal JR, van Logtestijn RSP, Berg MP, Aerts R. Nonadditive effects of consumption in an intertidal macroinvertebrate community are independent of food availability but driven by complementarity effects. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3086-3097. [PMID: 29607008 PMCID: PMC5869218 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Suboptimal environmental conditions are ubiquitous in nature and commonly drive the outcome of biological interactions in community processes. Despite the importance of biological interactions for community processes, knowledge on how species interactions are affected by a limiting resource, for example, low food availability, remains limited. Here, we tested whether variation in food supply causes nonadditive consumption patterns, using the macroinvertebrate community of intertidal sandy beaches as a model system. We quantified isotopically labeled diatom consumption by three macroinvertebrate species (Bathyporeia pilosa, Haustorius arenarius, and Scolelepis squamata) kept in mesocosms in either monoculture or a three-species community at a range of diatom densities. Our results show that B. pilosa was the most successful competitor in terms of consumption at both high and low diatom density, while H. arenarius and especially S. squamata consumed less in a community than in their respective monocultures. Nonadditive effects on consumption in this macroinvertebrate community were present and larger than mere additive effects, and similar across diatom densities. The underlying species interactions, however, did change with diatom density. Complementarity effects related to niche-partitioning were the main driver of the net diversity effect on consumption, with a slightly increasing contribution of selection effects related to competition with decreasing diatom density. For the first time, we showed that nonadditive effects of consumption are independent of food availability in a macroinvertebrate community. This suggests that, in communities with functionally different, and thus complementary, species, nonadditive effects can arise even when food availability is low. Hence, at a range of environmental conditions, species interactions hold important potential to alter ecosystem functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily M van Egmond
- Department of Ecological Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Peter M van Bodegom
- Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Jurgen R van Hal
- Department of Ecological Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | | | - Matty P Berg
- Department of Ecological Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, Community and Conservation Ecology Group University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Rien Aerts
- Department of Ecological Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Frainer A, McKie BG, Amundsen PA, Knudsen R, Lafferty KD. Parasitism and the Biodiversity-Functioning Relationship. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:260-268. [PMID: 29456188 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Species interactions can influence ecosystem functioning by enhancing or suppressing the activities of species that drive ecosystem processes, or by causing changes in biodiversity. However, one important class of species interactions - parasitism - has been little considered in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BD-EF) research. Parasites might increase or decrease ecosystem processes by reducing host abundance. Parasites could also increase trait diversity by suppressing dominant species or by increasing within-host trait diversity. These different mechanisms by which parasites might affect ecosystem function pose challenges in predicting their net effects. Nonetheless, given the ubiquity of parasites, we propose that parasite-host interactions should be incorporated into the BD-EF framework.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- André Frainer
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, 9037 Norway; Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, 9037 Norway.
| | - Brendan G McKie
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, SE 750 07 Sweden
| | - Per-Arne Amundsen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, 9037 Norway
| | - Rune Knudsen
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, 9037 Norway
| | - Kevin D Lafferty
- Western Ecological Research Center, US Geological Survey Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Donohue I, Petchey OL, Kéfi S, Génin A, Jackson AL, Yang Q, O'Connor NE. Loss of predator species, not intermediate consumers, triggers rapid and dramatic extinction cascades. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2962-2972. [PMID: 28346736 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Ecological networks are tightly interconnected, such that loss of a single species can trigger additional species extinctions. Theory predicts that such secondary extinctions are driven primarily by loss of species from intermediate or basal trophic levels. In contrast, most cases of secondary extinctions from natural systems have been attributed to loss of entire top trophic levels. Here, we show that loss of single predator species in isolation can, irrespective of their identity or the presence of other predators, trigger rapid secondary extinction cascades in natural communities far exceeding those generally predicted by theory. In contrast, we did not find any secondary extinctions caused by intermediate consumer loss. A food web model of our experimental system-a marine rocky shore community-could reproduce these results only when biologically likely and plausible nontrophic interactions, based on competition for space and predator-avoidance behaviour, were included. These findings call for a reassessment of the scale and nature of extinction cascades, particularly the inclusion of nontrophic interactions, in forecasts of the future of biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Owen L Petchey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CC065, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, BioDICée team, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Alexandre Génin
- CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CC065, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, BioDICée team, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrew L Jackson
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Qiang Yang
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Nessa E O'Connor
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Atwood TB, Hammill E, Kratina P, Greig HS, Shurin JB, Richardson JS. Warming alters food web-driven changes in the CO2 flux of experimental pond ecosystems. Biol Lett 2017; 11:20150785. [PMID: 26631247 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence shows the important role biota play in the carbon cycle, and strategic management of plant and animal populations could enhance CO2 uptake in aquatic ecosystems. However, it is currently unknown how management-driven changes to community structure may interact with climate warming and other anthropogenic perturbations to alter CO2 fluxes. Here we showed that under ambient water temperatures, predators (three-spined stickleback) and nutrient enrichment synergistically increased primary producer biomass, resulting in increased CO2 uptake by mesocosms in early dawn. However, a 3°C increase in water temperatures counteracted positive effects of predators and nutrients, leading to reduced primary producer biomass and a switch from CO2 influx to efflux. This confounding effect of temperature demonstrates that climate scenarios must be accounted for when undertaking ecosystem management actions to increase biosequestration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T B Atwood
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4 Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - E Hammill
- Department of Watershed Sciences and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - P Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - H S Greig
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - J B Shurin
- Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - J S Richardson
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Specific arrangements of species dominance can be more influential than evenness in maintaining ecosystem process and function. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39325. [PMID: 27996034 PMCID: PMC5171799 DOI: 10.1038/srep39325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological consequences of species loss are widely studied, but represent an end point of environmental forcing that is not always realised. Changes in species evenness and the rank order of dominant species are more widespread responses to directional forcing. However, despite the repercussions for ecosystem functioning such changes have received little attention. Here, we experimentally assess how the rearrangement of species dominance structure within specific levels of evenness, rather than changes in species richness and composition, affect invertebrate particle reworking and burrow ventilation behaviour - important moderators of microbial-mediated remineralisation processes in benthic environments - and associated levels of sediment nutrient release. We find that the most dominant species exert a disproportionate influence on functioning at low levels of evenness, but that changes in biomass distribution and a change in emphasis in species-environmental interactions become more important in governing system functionality as evenness increases. Our study highlights the need to consider the functional significance of alterations to community attributes, rather than to solely focus on the attainment of particular levels of diversity when safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystems that provide essential services to society.
Collapse
|
18
|
Tejada-Martinez D, López DN, Bonta CC, Sepúlveda RD, Valdivia N. Positive and negative effects of mesograzers on early-colonizing species in an intertidal rocky-shore community. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:5761-70. [PMID: 27547352 PMCID: PMC4983589 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological consequences of human‐driven overexploitation and loss of keystone consumers are still unclear. In intertidal rocky shores over the world, the decrease of keystone macrograzers has resulted in an increase in the dominance of herbivores with smaller body (i.e., “mesograzers”), which could potentially alter community assembly and structure. Here, we experimentally tested whether mesograzers affect the structure of rocky intertidal communities during the period of early colonization after the occurrence of a disturbance. A manipulative field experiment was conducted to exclude mesograzers (i.e., juvenile chitons, small snails, amphipods, and juvenile limpets) from experimental areas in an ecosystem characterized by the overexploitation of keystone macrograzers and predators. The results of multivariate analyses suggest that mesograzers had significant effects on intertidal community structure through negative and positive effects on species abundances. Mesograzers had negative effects on filamentous algae, but positive effects on opportunistic foliose algae and barnacles. Probably, mesograzers indirectly favored the colonization of barnacles and foliose algae by removing preemptive competitors, as previously shown for other meso‐ and macrograzer species. These results strongly support the idea that small herbivores exert a firm controlling effect on the assembly process of natural communities. Therefore, changes in functional roles of top‐down controllers might have significant implications for the structure of intertidal communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Tejada-Martinez
- Doctorado en Ciencias, mención en Ecología y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - Daniela N López
- Doctorado en Ciencias, mención en Ecología y Evolución Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - César C Bonta
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile
| | - Roger D Sepúlveda
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; South American Research Group on Coastal Ecosystems (SARCE) Universidad Simón Bolivar Caracas Venezuela
| | - Nelson Valdivia
- Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Austral de Chile Campus Isla Teja Valdivia Chile; Centro FONDAP de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL) Valdivia Chile
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Donohue I, Hillebrand H, Montoya JM, Petchey OL, Pimm SL, Fowler MS, Healy K, Jackson AL, Lurgi M, McClean D, O'Connor NE, O'Gorman EJ, Yang Q. Navigating the complexity of ecological stability. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:1172-85. [PMID: 27432641 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 222] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Human actions challenge nature in many ways. Ecological responses are ineluctably complex, demanding measures that describe them succinctly. Collectively, these measures encapsulate the overall 'stability' of the system. Many international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, broadly aspire to maintain or enhance ecological stability. Such bodies frequently use terms pertaining to stability that lack clear definition. Consequently, we cannot measure them and so they disconnect from a large body of theoretical and empirical understanding. We assess the scientific and policy literature and show that this disconnect is one consequence of an inconsistent and one-dimensional approach that ecologists have taken to both disturbances and stability. This has led to confused communication of the nature of stability and the level of our insight into it. Disturbances and stability are multidimensional. Our understanding of them is not. We have a remarkably poor understanding of the impacts on stability of the characteristics that define many, perhaps all, of the most important elements of global change. We provide recommendations for theoreticians, empiricists and policymakers on how to better integrate the multidimensional nature of ecological stability into their research, policies and actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Donohue
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Helmut Hillebrand
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - José M Montoya
- Theoretical and Experimental Ecological Station, CNRS, UPS, Moulis, France
| | - Owen L Petchey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stuart L Pimm
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mike S Fowler
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Wales, UK
| | - Kevin Healy
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andrew L Jackson
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Deirdre McClean
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nessa E O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
| | - Eoin J O'Gorman
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Qiang Yang
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Litter Decomposition as an Indicator of Stream Ecosystem Functioning at Local-to-Continental Scales. ADV ECOL RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
|
21
|
Single gene locus changes perturb complex microbial communities as much as apex predator loss. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8235. [PMID: 26354365 PMCID: PMC4579780 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many bacterial species are highly social, adaptively shaping their local environment through the production of secreted molecules. This can, in turn, alter interaction strengths among species and modify community composition. However, the relative importance of such behaviours in determining the structure of complex communities is unknown. Here we show that single-locus changes affecting biofilm formation phenotypes in Bacillus subtilis modify community structure to the same extent as loss of an apex predator and even to a greater extent than loss of B. subtilis itself. These results, from experimentally manipulated multitrophic microcosm assemblages, demonstrate that bacterial social traits are key modulators of the structure of their communities. Moreover, they show that intraspecific genetic variability can be as important as strong trophic interactions in determining community dynamics. Microevolution may therefore be as important as species extinctions in shaping the response of microbial communities to environmental change. Some species of social bacteria can chemically modify their nutrient environments, which may influence community interactions. Here, McClean et al. show that changes at a single gene locus in a biofilm-forming bacteria can perturb community structure to the same extent as the loss of an apex predator.
Collapse
|
22
|
Mrowicki RJ, O'Connor NE. Wave action modifies the effects of consumer diversity and warming on algal assemblages. Ecology 2015; 96:1020-9. [PMID: 26230022 DOI: 10.1890/14-0577.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
To understand the consequences of biodiversity loss, it is necessary to test how biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships may vary with predicted environmental change. In particular, our understanding will be advanced by studies addressing the interactive effects of multiple stressors on the role of biodiversity across trophic levels. Predicted increases in wave disturbance and ocean warming, together with climate-driven range shifts of key consumer species, are likely to have profound impacts on the dynamics of coastal marine communities. We tested whether wave action and temperature modified the effects of gastropod grazer diversity (Patella vulgata, Littorina littorea, and Gibbula umbilicalis) on algal assemblages in experimental rock pools. The presence or absence of L. littorea appeared to drive changes in microalgal and macroalgal biomass and macroalgal assemblage structure. Macroalgal biomass also decreased with increasing grazer species richness, but only when wave action was enhanced. Further, independently of grazer diversity, wave action and temperature had interactive effects on macroalgal assemblage structure. Warming also led to a reversal of grazer-macroalgal interaction strengths from negative to positive, but only when there was no wave action. Our results show that hydrodynamic disturbance can exacerbate the effects of changing consumer diversity, and may also disrupt the influence of other environmental stressors on key consumer-resource interactions. These findings suggest that the combined effects of anticipated abiotic and biotic change on the functioning of coastal marine ecosystems, although difficult to predict, may be substantial.
Collapse
|
23
|
Reddin CJ, Docmac F, O’Connor NE, Bothwell JH, Harrod C. Coastal Upwelling Drives Intertidal Assemblage Structure and Trophic Ecology. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130789. [PMID: 26214806 PMCID: PMC4516361 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Similar environmental driving forces can produce similarity among geographically distant ecosystems. Coastal oceanic upwelling, for example, has been associated with elevated biomass and abundance patterns of certain functional groups, e.g., corticated macroalgae. In the upwelling system of Northern Chile, we examined measures of intertidal macrobenthic composition, structure and trophic ecology across eighteen shores varying in their proximity to two coastal upwelling centres, in a hierarchical sampling design (spatial scales of >1 and >10 km). The influence of coastal upwelling on intertidal communities was confirmed by the stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) of consumers, including a dominant suspension feeder, grazers, and their putative resources of POM, epilithic biofilm, and macroalgae. We highlight the utility of muscle δ15N from the suspension feeding mussel, Perumytilus purpuratus, as a proxy for upwelling, supported by satellite data and previous studies. Where possible, we used corrections for broader-scale trends, spatial autocorrelation, ontogenetic dietary shifts and spatial baseline isotopic variation prior to analysis. Our results showed macroalgal assemblage composition, and benthic consumer assemblage structure, varied significantly with the intertidal influence of coastal upwelling, especially contrasting bays and coastal headlands. Coastal topography also separated differences in consumer resource use. This suggested that coastal upwelling, itself driven by coastline topography, influences intertidal communities by advecting nearshore phytoplankton populations offshore and cooling coastal water temperatures. We recommend the isotopic values of benthic organisms, specifically long-lived suspension feeders, as in situ alternatives to offshore measurements of upwelling influence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carl J. Reddin
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Felipe Docmac
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander Von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Nessa E. O’Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
- Institute of Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - John H. Bothwell
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Harrod
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander Von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Mrowicki RJ, Maggs CA, O'Connor NE. Consistent effects of consumer species loss across different habitats. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Mrowicki
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - Christine A. Maggs
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| | - Nessa E. O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL Northern Ireland UK
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Truchy A, Angeler DG, Sponseller RA, Johnson RK, McKie BG. Linking Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning and Services, and Ecological Resilience. ADV ECOL RES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2015.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
|
26
|
Vye SR, Emmerson MC, Arenas F, Dick JTA, O'Connor NE. Stressor intensity determines antagonistic interactions between species invasion and multiple stressor effects on ecosystem functioning. OIKOS 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.01583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan R. Vye
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL UK
- Queen's Univ. Marine Laboratory, 12-13 The Strand, Portaferry, Co. Down; Northern Ireland BT22 1PF UK
| | - Mark C. Emmerson
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL UK
- Queen's Univ. Marine Laboratory, 12-13 The Strand, Portaferry, Co. Down; Northern Ireland BT22 1PF UK
- Inst. for Global Food Security, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 18-30 Malone Road Belfast BT9 5BN UK
| | - Francisco Arenas
- CIIMAR, Univ. of Porto; Rua dos Bragas, 289 PT-4050-123 Porto Portugal
| | - Jaimie T. A. Dick
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL UK
- Queen's Univ. Marine Laboratory, 12-13 The Strand, Portaferry, Co. Down; Northern Ireland BT22 1PF UK
- Inst. for Global Food Security, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 18-30 Malone Road Belfast BT9 5BN UK
| | - Nessa E. O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL UK
- Queen's Univ. Marine Laboratory, 12-13 The Strand, Portaferry, Co. Down; Northern Ireland BT22 1PF UK
- Inst. for Global Food Security, Queen's Univ. Belfast; 18-30 Malone Road Belfast BT9 5BN UK
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Firth LB, Schofield M, White FJ, Skov MW, Hawkins SJ. Biodiversity in intertidal rock pools: informing engineering criteria for artificial habitat enhancement in the built environment. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 102:122-130. [PMID: 24746927 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2014.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2013] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Coastal defence structures are proliferating to counter rising and stormier seas. With increasing concern about the ecological value of built environments, efforts are being made to create novel habitat to increase biodiversity. Rock pools are infrequent on artificial structures. We compared biodiversity patterns between rock pools and emergent rock and assessed the role of pool depth and substratum incline in determining patterns of biodiversity. Rock pools were more taxon rich than emergent substrata. Patterns varied with depth and incline with algal groups being more positively associated with shallow than deeper habitats. Substratum incline had little influence on colonising epibiota, with the exception of canopy algae in deeper habitats where vertical surfaces supported greater taxon richness than horizontal surfaces. The creation of artificial rock pools in built environments will have a positive effect on biodiversity. Building pools of varying depths and inclines and shore heights will provide a range of habitats, increase environmental heterogeneity, therefore creating more possible ecological niches, promoting local biodiversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louise B Firth
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom.
| | - Meredith Schofield
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Freya J White
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Martin W Skov
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J Hawkins
- School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5AB, United Kingdom; Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, Waterfront Campus, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Atwood TB, Hammill E, Richardson JS. Trophic-level dependent effects on CO2 emissions from experimental stream ecosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:3386-3396. [PMID: 24753392 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Revised: 11/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/16/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Concern over accelerating rates of species invasions and losses have initiated investigations into how local and global changes to predator abundance mediate trophic cascades that influence CO2 fluxes of aquatic ecosystems. However, to date, no studies have investigated how species additions or losses at other consumer trophic levels influence the CO2 flux of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we added a large predatory stonefly, detritivorous stonefly, or grazer tadpole to experimental stream food webs and over a 70-day period quantified their effects on community composition, leaf litter decomposition, chlorophyll-a concentrations, and stream CO2 emissions. In general, streams where the large grazer or large detritivore were added showed no change in total invertebrate biomass, leaf litter loss, chlorophyll-a concentrations, or stream CO2 emissions compared with controls; although we did observe a spike in CO2 emissions in the large grazer treatment following a substantial reduction in chlorophyll-a concentrations on day 28. However, the large grazer and large detritivore altered the community composition of streams by reducing the densities of other grazer and detritivore taxa, respectively, compared with controls. Conversely, the addition of the large predator created trophic cascades that reduced total invertebrate biomass and increased primary producer biomass. The cascading effects of the predator additions on the food web ultimately led to decreased CO2 emissions from stream channels by up to 95%. Our results suggest that stream ecosystem processes were more influenced by changes in large predator abundance than large grazer or detritivore abundance, because of a lack of functionally similar large predators. Our study demonstrates that the presence/absence of species with unique functional roles may have consequences for the exchange of CO2 between the ecosystem and the atmosphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Trisha B Atwood
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Penk M, Donohue I, Récoules V, Irvine K. Elevated temperatures interact with habitat quality to undermine survival of ectotherms in climatic refugia. DIVERS DISTRIB 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Penk
- Department of Zoology; School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Zoology Building Dublin 2 Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Dublin 2 Ireland
| | - Ian Donohue
- Department of Zoology; School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Zoology Building Dublin 2 Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Dublin 2 Ireland
| | - Vincent Récoules
- Department of Zoology; School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Zoology Building Dublin 2 Ireland
- École Nationale du Génie de L'eau et de l'Environnement de Strasbourg; 1 quai Koch 67070 Strasbourg France
| | - Kenneth Irvine
- Department of Zoology; School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Zoology Building Dublin 2 Ireland
- UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water and Education; Westvest 7 2611 AX Delft The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
|
31
|
Lin Y, Sutherland WJ. Interaction modification effects on ecological networks are affected by ratio dependence and network topology. J Theor Biol 2014; 363:151-7. [PMID: 25167789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Interaction modification (IM), where one species modifies the strength of the density-mediated direct interaction between two other species, is an important ecological process, but little is known about the collective effect of multiple IM on overall community dynamics. We use stochastic bioenergetic modelling of ecological networks with different network topologies, functional responses and parameter values, to investigate the effects of IM connectance and IM strength on ecosystem properties including the evenness of species abundances and variability of system biomass. We found that the maximum system biomass that could potentially be attained by the model systems increased with IM connectance and strength when the models had nonrandom topology and prey-dependent functional responses as opposed to random topology and ratio-dependent responses. The maximum potential species evenness increased with IM strength but decreased with increasing IM connectance, when all modifications were negative. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for multiple IM across the community for understanding complex community dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yangchen Lin
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
| | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Donohue I, Petchey OL, Montoya JM, Jackson AL, McNally L, Viana M, Healy K, Lurgi M, O'Connor NE, Emmerson MC. On the dimensionality of ecological stability. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:421-9. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Revised: 12/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Donohue
- School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
| | - Owen L. Petchey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
| | - José M. Montoya
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; Agencia Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Barcelona Spain
| | - Andrew L. Jackson
- School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
| | - Luke McNally
- School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
| | - Mafalda Viana
- School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
| | - Kevin Healy
- School of Natural Sciences; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research; Trinity College Dublin; Ireland
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; Agencia Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Barcelona Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF); Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Bellaterra Spain
| | - Nessa E. O'Connor
- School of Biological Sciences; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast UK
| | - Mark C. Emmerson
- School of Biological Sciences; Queen's University Belfast; Belfast UK
| |
Collapse
|