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Food Sources for Benthic Grazers in Trophic Networks of Macrophyte Habitats in a Transitional Baltic Ecosystem. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14101565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we provide insights into that characteristics of two sites representing different conditions of productivity and salinity impact on trophic network structures of macrophyte habitats and diet of benthic grazers at the active vegetation period in the Curonian Lagoon (southeastern Baltic Sea). Regarding the epiphytic growth, macrophytes were more overgrown in the relatively less productive (northern) site with a muddy bottom and more frequent marine water inflow than in the (southern) site with higher productivity and freshwater sandy habitat. Stable isotope analysis revealed that organisms’ samples from the northern site were more enriched with the heavier carbon isotopes, but depleted in the heavier nitrogen isotopes than those from the southern site. Gastropods and amphipods mainly consumed sedimentary organic matter in the southern site, while they grazed epiphytes together with sedimentary organic matter in the northern site. Although to a low extent, gastropods consumed more charophytes than pondweeds in the southern site. This study contributes to a better understanding of the functioning and structure of lagoonal systems, highlighting the importance, often overlooked, of the benthic compartment, which, however, may have a relevant influence on the productivity of the whole system.
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Environmental Factors Drive Periphytic Algal Community Assembly in the Largest Long-Distance Water Diversion Channel. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14060914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Periphytic algae exist widely in different waters. However, little is known about periphytic algae in long-distance water diversion channels across watersheds. We investigated the periphytic algae and the environmental factors at twenty sampling sites in the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MRP). The dominant species were Desmodesmus intermedius (Hegewald), Calothrix thermalis (Bornet & Flahault), Calothrix parietina (Bornet & Flahault) and Leptolyngbya benthonica (Anagnostidis) (dominance > 0.02) as measured in a whole year. Habitat heterogeneity in the MRP led to lower spatial heterogeneity and higher temporal heterogeneity of the periphytic algal community. Stochastic processes are the major process in periphytic community assembly. In deterministic processes, homogeneous selection had the major role in structuring the periphytic community, whereas the role of heterogeneous selection was less significant. In stochastic processes, dispersal limitations had the major role in structuring the periphytic community, whereas the role of homogenizing dispersal and drift were less significant. The variation in total nitrogen and total phosphorus promoted more stochastic processes (−1.96 < βNTI < 1.96). The variations in water temperature and water velocity promoted more heterogeneous selection (βNTI > 1.96). In integrating all of this empirical evidence, we explore the role of environmental factors in the action of ecological processes shaping thecommunity assembly of the periphytic algal community.
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Manca F, Mulà C, Gustafsson C, Mauri A, Roslin T, Thomas DN, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Norkko A, Strona G. Unveiling the complexity and ecological function of aquatic macrophyte-animal networks in coastal ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1306-1324. [PMID: 35174616 PMCID: PMC9544924 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12842] [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: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Network theory offers innovative tools to explore the complex ecological mechanisms regulating species associations and interactions. Although interest in ecological networks has grown steadily during the last two decades, the application of network approaches has been unequally distributed across different study systems: while some kinds of interactions (e.g. plant-pollinator and host-parasite) have been extensively investigated, others remain relatively unexplored. Among the latter, aquatic macrophyte-animal associations in coastal environments have been largely neglected, despite their major role in littoral ecosystems. The ubiquity of macrophyte systems, their accessibility and multi-faceted ecological, economical and societal importance make macrophyte-animal systems an ideal subject for ecological network science. In fact, macrophyte-animal networks offer an aquatic counterpart to terrestrial plant-animal networks. In this review, we show how the application of network analysis to aquatic macrophyte-animal associations has the potential to broaden our understanding of how coastal ecosystems function. Network analysis can also provide a key to understanding how such ecosystems will respond to on-going and future threats from anthropogenic disturbance and environmental change. For this, we: (i) identify key issues that have limited the application of network theory and modelling to aquatic animal-macrophyte associations; (ii) illustrate through examples based on empirical data how network analysis can offer new insights on the complexity and functioning of coastal ecosystems; and (iii) provide suggestions for how to design future studies and establish this new research line into network ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Manca
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Clelia Mulà
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Camilla Gustafsson
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, Hanko, 10900, Finland
| | - Achille Mauri
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ulls väg 16, Uppsala, 756 51, Sweden.,Spatial Foodweb Ecology Group, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27 Latokartanonkaari 5, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | - David N Thomas
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
| | | | - Alf Norkko
- Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, J.A. Palménin tie 260, Hanko, 10900, Finland.,Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 20 F, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden
| | - Giovanni Strona
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.,Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65 Viikinkaari 1, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
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Puche E, Jordán F, Rodrigo MA, Rojo C. Non‐trophic key players in aquatic ecosystems: a mesocosm experiment. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Puche
- Cavanilles Inst. of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Valencia Spain
| | - Ferenc Jordán
- Balaton Limnological Inst., Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary, and Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research Tihany Hungary
| | - María A. Rodrigo
- Cavanilles Inst. of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Valencia Spain
| | - Carmen Rojo
- Cavanilles Inst. of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Valencia Spain
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