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van Breugel M, Bongers F, Norden N, Meave JA, Amissah L, Chanthorn W, Chazdon R, Craven D, Farrior C, Hall JS, Hérault B, Jakovac C, Lebrija-Trejos E, Martínez-Ramos M, Muñoz R, Poorter L, Rüger N, van der Sande M, Dent DH. Feedback loops drive ecological succession: towards a unified conceptual framework. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:928-949. [PMID: 38226776 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13051] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The core principle shared by most theories and models of succession is that, following a major disturbance, plant-environment feedback dynamics drive a directional change in the plant community. The most commonly studied feedback loops are those in which the regrowth of the plant community causes changes to the abiotic (e.g. soil nutrients) or biotic (e.g. dispersers) environment, which differentially affect species availability or performance. This, in turn, leads to shifts in the species composition of the plant community. However, there are many other PE feedback loops that potentially drive succession, each of which can be considered a model of succession. While plant-environment feedback loops in principle generate predictable successional trajectories, succession is generally observed to be highly variable. Factors contributing to this variability are the stochastic processes involved in feedback dynamics, such as individual mortality and seed dispersal, and extrinsic causes of succession, which are not affected by changes in the plant community but do affect species performance or availability. Both can lead to variation in the identity of dominant species within communities. This, in turn, leads to further contingencies if these species differ in their effect on their environment (priority effects). Predictability and variability are thus intrinsically linked features of ecological succession. We present a new conceptual framework of ecological succession that integrates the propositions discussed above. This framework defines seven general causes: landscape context, disturbance and land-use, biotic factors, abiotic factors, species availability, species performance, and the plant community. When involved in a feedback loop, these general causes drive succession and when not, they are extrinsic causes that create variability in successional trajectories and dynamics. The proposed framework provides a guide for linking these general causes into causal pathways that represent specific models of succession. Our framework represents a systematic approach to identifying the main feedback processes and causes of variation at different successional stages. It can be used for systematic comparisons among study sites and along environmental gradients, to conceptualise studies, and to guide the formulation of research questions and design of field studies. Mapping an extensive field study onto our conceptual framework revealed that the pathways representing the study's empirical outcomes and conceptual model had important differences, underlining the need to move beyond the conceptual models that currently dominate in specific fields and to find ways to examine the importance of and interactions among alternative causal pathways of succession. To further this aim, we argue for integrating long-term studies across environmental and anthropogenic gradients, combined with controlled experiments and dynamic modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel van Breugel
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Arts Link, #03-01 Block AS2, 117570, Singapore
- Yale-NUS College, 16 College Avenue West, Singapore, 138527, Singapore
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Natalia Norden
- Centro de Estudios Socioecológicos y Cambio Global, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Avenida Circunvalar #16-20, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jorge A Meave
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, C.P. 04510, Mexico
| | - Lucy Amissah
- CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, UPO Box 63, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Wirong Chanthorn
- Department of Environmental Technology and Management, Faculty of Environment, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Jatujak District, 10900, Thailand
| | - Robin Chazdon
- Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Dr, Sippy Downs, Queensland, 4556, Australia
| | - Dylan Craven
- Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Piramide 5750, Huechuraba, Santiago, 8580745, Chile
| | - Caroline Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Stop C0930, Austin, Texas, 78705, USA
| | - Jefferson S Hall
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, F-34398 Montpellier, France & Forêts et Sociétés, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Catarina Jakovac
- Departamento de Fitotecnia, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, 88034-000, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Edwin Lebrija-Trejos
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa-Oranim, Tivon, 36006, Israel
| | - Miguel Martínez-Ramos
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro # 8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda de San José de la Huerta, CP 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Muñoz
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nadja Rüger
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Economics, Institute of Empirical Economic Research, University of Leipzig, Grimmaische Str. 12, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Masha van der Sande
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daisy H Dent
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
- ETH Zürich, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute for Integrative Biology, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
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2
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Altering native community assembly history influences the performance of an annual invader. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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3
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Yannelli FA, MacLaren C, Kollmann J. Moving Away From Limiting Similarity During Restoration: Timing of Arrival and Native Biomass Are Better Proxies of Invasion Suppression in Grassland Communities. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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4
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Hu J, Wei Z, Kowalchuk GA, Xu Y, Shen Q, Jousset A. Rhizosphere microbiome functional diversity and pathogen invasion resistance build up during plant development. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:5005-5018. [PMID: 32458448 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The rhizosphere microbiome is essential for plant growth and health, and numerous studies have attempted to link microbiome functionality to species and trait composition. However, to date little is known about the actual ecological processes shaping community composition, complicating attempts to steer microbiome functionality. Here, we assess the development of microbial life history and community-level species interaction patterns that emerge during plant development. We use microbial phenotyping to experimentally test the development of niche complementarity and life history traits linked to microbiome performance. We show that the rhizosphere microbiome assembles from pioneer assemblages of species with random resource overlap into high-density, functionally complementary climax communities at later stages. During plant growth, fast-growing species were further replaced by antagonistic and stress-tolerant ones. Using synthetic consortia isolated from different plant growth stages, we demonstrate that the high functional diversity of 'climax' microbiomes leads to a better resistance to bacterial pathogen invasion. By demonstrating that different life-history strategies prevail at different plant growth stages and that community-level processes may supersede the importance of single species, we provide a new toolbox to understand microbiome assembly and steer its functionality at a community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Hu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China.,Institute for Environmental Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zhong Wei
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - George A Kowalchuk
- Institute for Environmental Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yangchun Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Alexandre Jousset
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Plant Immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Weigang 1, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China.,Institute for Environmental Biology, Ecology and Biodiversity, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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5
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Groves AM, Bauer JT, Brudvig LA. Lasting signature of planting year weather on restored grasslands. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5953. [PMID: 32249766 PMCID: PMC7136215 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological restoration - the rebuilding of damaged or destroyed ecosystems - is a critical component of conservation efforts, but is hindered by inconsistent, unpredictable outcomes. We investigated a source of this variation that is anecdotally suggested by practitioners, but for which empirical evidence is rare: the weather conditions during the first growing season after planting. The idea of whether natural communities face long-term consequences from conditions even many years in the past, called historical contingency, is a debated idea in ecological research. Using a large dataset (83 sites) across a wide geographic distribution (three states), we find evidence that precipitation and temperatures in the planting year (2-19 years before present) affected the relative dominance of the sown (native target species) and non-sown (mostly non-native) species. We find strong support for lasting planting year weather effects in restored tallgrass prairies, thereby supporting the historically contingent model of community assembly in a real-world setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Groves
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Discover Magazine, Kalmbach Media, Waukesha, WI, USA.
| | - Jonathan T Bauer
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Biology, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Lars A Brudvig
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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6
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Moss WE, McDevitt-Galles T, Calhoun DM, Johnson PTJ. Tracking the assembly of nested parasite communities: Using β-diversity to understand variation in parasite richness and composition over time and scale. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1532-1542. [PMID: 32160311 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Community composition is driven by a few key assembly processes: ecological selection, drift and dispersal. Nested parasite communities represent a powerful study system for understanding the relative importance of these processes and their relationship with biological scale. Quantifying β-diversity across scales and over time additionally offers mechanistic insights into the ecological processes shaping the distributions of parasites and therefore infectious disease. To examine factors driving parasite community composition, we quantified the parasite communities of 959 amphibian hosts representing two species (the Pacific chorus frog, Pseudacris regilla and the California newt, Taricha torosa) sampled over 3 months from 10 ponds in California. Using additive partitioning, we estimated how much of regional parasite richness (γ-diversity) was composed of within-host parasite richness (α-diversity) and turnover (β-diversity) at three biological scales: across host individuals, across species and across habitat patches (ponds). We also examined how β-diversity varied across time at each biological scale. Differences among ponds comprised the majority (40%) of regional parasite diversity, followed by differences among host species (23%) and among host individuals (12%). Host species supported parasite communities that were less similar than expected by null models, consistent with ecological selection, although these differences lessened through time, likely due to high dispersal rates of infectious stages. Host individuals within the same population supported more similar parasite communities than expected, suggesting that host heterogeneity did not strongly impact parasite community composition and that dispersal was high at the individual host-level. Despite the small population sizes of within-host parasite communities, drift appeared to play a minimal role in structuring community composition. Dispersal and ecological selection appear to jointly drive parasite community assembly, particularly at larger biological scales. The dispersal ability of aquatic parasites with complex life cycles differs strongly across scales, meaning that parasite communities may predictably converge at small scales where dispersal is high, but may be more stochastic and unpredictable at larger scales. Insights into assembly mechanisms within multi-host, multi-parasite systems provide opportunities for understanding how to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases within human and wildlife hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wynne E Moss
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Dana M Calhoun
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Pieter T J Johnson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
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7
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Tian Y, Ma X, Li Y, Cheng C, Ge F, An D. Relationship between microbial diversity and nitrogenase activity of Stipagrostis pennata rhizosheath. J Cell Biochem 2019; 120:13501-13508. [PMID: 30938883 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.28625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen is the key factor for plant survival and growth, especially in the desert. Stipagrostis pennata, a sand born drought-resistant plant, could colonize pioneerly in Gurbantunggut Desert during revegetation. One strategy for their environment adaptation was the rhizosheath formatted by root-hair, mucilaginous exudates, microbial components, and soil particles, for which not only provides a favorable living microenvironment but also supplies essential nutrients. To understand the relationship between microorganisms living in rhizosheaths and the nitrogen nutrition supply, the microbial diversity and nitrogenase activity was estimated during the growth of S. pennata. Five samples of the rhizosheath, which based on the development periods of the plant, regreen, flowering, filling, seed maturating, and withering period, were collected. The nitrogenase activity was estimated by acetylene reduction and the microbial diversity was analyzed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the nitrogenase activity was increased slowly during regreen to flowering, while reached a peak rapidly at filling sample and then decreased gradually. A total of 274 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified and significant differences in community structure and composition at each growth period. Among them, the main phyla included Actinobacteria and Proteus, which were the most abundant phyla in all periods. In addition, the microbial diversity in the grain filling period was higher than other periods in view of the analysis of alpha diversity and beta diversity. Furthermore, principal component analysis (PCA) analysis showed that the microbial communities in the filling period was low in similarity with other periods. Most importantly, the OTUs associated with nitrogen fixation is the most during the filling period, involving Phagecidae and Fucoraceae. Overall, the study not only revealed the differences in nitrogenase activity among different developmental periods in S. pennata, but also explored the potential bridges between it and community structure and diversity of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhi Tian
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiaolin Ma
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
| | - Yuanting Li
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
| | - Cong Cheng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Functional Genomics, College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fengwei Ge
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
| | - Dengdi An
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Special Species Conservation and Regulatory Biology, College of Life Science, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
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Halpern CB, Antos JA, Kothari S, Olson AM. Past tree influence and prescribed fire exert strong controls on reassembly of mountain grasslands after tree removal. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 29:e01860. [PMID: 30703273 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Woody-plant encroachment represents a global threat to grasslands. Although the causes and consequences of this regime shift have received substantial attention, the processes that constrain reassembly of the grassland state remain poorly understood. We experimentally tested two potentially important controls on reassembly, the past influence of trees and the effects of fire, in conifer-invaded grasslands (mountain meadows) of western Oregon. Previously, we had reconstructed the history of tree invasion at fine spatial and temporal resolution. Using small subplots (10 × 10 m) nested within larger (1-ha) experimental plots, we characterized the fine-scale mosaic of encroachment states, ranging from remnant meadow openings (minimally altered by trees) to century-old forests (lacking meadow species). Subsequently, we removed trees from six plots, of which three were broadcast burned and three remained unburned (except for localized burn piles). Within each plot, subplots were sampled before and periodically after tree removal to quantify the individual and interactive effects of past tree influence and fire on grassland community reassembly. Adjacent, uninvaded meadows served as reference sites. "Past tree influence" was defined as the multivariate (structural or compositional) distance of subplots to reference meadows prior to tree removal. "Reassembly" was defined as the distance, or change in distance, to reference meadows at final sampling. Consistent with theory, we observed greater reassembly of plant community structure than of composition, as loss of meadow specialists was offset by establishment of disturbance-adapted meadow generalists of similar growth form. Nevertheless, eight years after tree removal, most subplots remained structurally and compositionally distinct from reference meadows. Furthermore, fire had both destabilizing and inhibitory effects: it reduced survival of meadow specialists across the range of encroachment states and, where past tree influence was greater, it stalled reassembly by promoting expansion of a highly competitive native meadow sedge. The slow pace of reassembly, despite abundant open space, suggests strong seed limitation: a condition exacerbated by burning. We present a novel test of the importance of past tree influence and fire for restoration of tree-invaded grasslands, offering insights into how constraints on community reassembly vary along a continuum of tree-altered states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles B Halpern
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, Washington, 98195-2100, USA
| | - Joseph A Antos
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3020, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3N5, Canada
| | - Shan Kothari
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55108, USA
| | - Annette M Olson
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA
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9
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Thomson DM, King RA, Schultz EL. Between invaders and a risky place: Exotic grasses alter demographic tradeoffs of native forb germination timing. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Diane M. Thomson
- W. M. Keck Science Department The Claremont Colleges 925 N. Mills Avenue Claremont California 91711 USA
| | - Rachel A. King
- W. M. Keck Science Department The Claremont Colleges 925 N. Mills Avenue Claremont California 91711 USA
| | - Emily L. Schultz
- W. M. Keck Science Department The Claremont Colleges 925 N. Mills Avenue Claremont California 91711 USA
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Wagner M, Walker KJ, Pywell RF. Seed bank dynamics in restored grassland following the sowing of high- and low-diversity seed mixtures. Restor Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.12616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Markus Wagner
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Benson Lane, Wallingford Oxfordshire OX10 8BB U.K
| | - Kevin J. Walker
- Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland; Room 14, Bridge House, 1-2 Station Bridge, Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 1SS U.K
| | - Richard F. Pywell
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; Benson Lane, Wallingford Oxfordshire OX10 8BB U.K
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Weidlich EWA, von Gillhaussen P, Delory BM, Blossfeld S, Poorter H, Temperton VM. The Importance of Being First: Exploring Priority and Diversity Effects in a Grassland Field Experiment. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 7:2008. [PMID: 28119707 PMCID: PMC5221677 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.02008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Diversity of species and order of arrival can have strong effects on ecosystem functioning and community composition, but these two have rarely been explicitly combined in experimental setups. We measured the effects of both species diversity and order of arrival on ecosystem function and community composition in a grassland field experiment, thus combining biodiversity and assembly approaches. We studied the effect of order of arrival of three plant functional groups (PFGs: grasses, legumes, and non-leguminous forbs) and of sowing low and high diversity seed mixtures (9 or 21 species) on species composition and aboveground biomass. The experiment was set up in two different soil types. Differences in PFG order of arrival affected the biomass, the number of species and community composition. As expected, we found higher aboveground biomass when sowing legumes before the other PFGs, but this effect was not continuous over time. We did not find a positive effect of sown diversity on aboveground biomass (even if it influenced species richness as expected). No interaction were found between the two studied factors. We found that sowing legumes first may be a good method for increasing productivity whilst maintaining diversity of central European grasslands, although the potential for long-lasting effects needs further study. In addition, the mechanisms behind the non-continuous priority effects we found need to be further researched, taking weather and plant-soil feedbacks into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela W. A. Weidlich
- Plant Sciences, Institute for Bio- and Geosciences-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHJülich, Germany
- Ecosystem Functioning and Services, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana UniversityLüneburg, Germany
| | - Philipp von Gillhaussen
- Plant Sciences, Institute for Bio- and Geosciences-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHJülich, Germany
| | - Benjamin M. Delory
- Ecosystem Functioning and Services, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana UniversityLüneburg, Germany
| | - Stephan Blossfeld
- Plant Sciences, Institute for Bio- and Geosciences-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHJülich, Germany
| | - Hendrik Poorter
- Plant Sciences, Institute for Bio- and Geosciences-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHJülich, Germany
| | - Vicky M. Temperton
- Plant Sciences, Institute for Bio- and Geosciences-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHJülich, Germany
- Ecosystem Functioning and Services, Institute of Ecology, Leuphana UniversityLüneburg, Germany
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12
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Horváth B, Betancourt AJ, Kalinka AT. A novel method for quantifying the rate of embryogenesis uncovers considerable genetic variation for the duration of embryonic development in Drosophila melanogaster. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:200. [PMID: 27717305 PMCID: PMC5054588 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0776-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Embryogenesis is a highly conserved, canalized process, and variation in the duration of embryogenesis (DOE), i.e., time from egg lay to hatching, has a potentially profound effect on the outcome of within- and between-species competition. There is both intra- and inter-specific variation in this trait, which may provide important fuel for evolutionary processes, particularly adaptation. However, while genetic variation underlying simpler morphological traits, or with large phenotypic effects is well described in the literature, less is known about the underlying genetics of traits, such as DOE, partly due to a lack of tools with which to study them. RESULTS Here, we establish a novel microscope-based assay to survey genetic variation for the duration of embryogenesis (DOE). First, to establish the potential importance of DOE in competitive fitness, we performed a set of experiments where we experimentally manipulated the time until hatching, and show that short hatching times result in priority effect in the form of improved larval competitive ability. We then use our assay to measure DOE for 43 strains from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). Our assay greatly simplifies the measurement of DOE, making it possible to precisely quantify this trait for 59,295 individual embryos (mean ± S.D. of 1103 ± 293 per DGRP strain, and 1002 ± 203 per control). We find extensive genetic variation in DOE, with a 15 % difference in rate between the slowest and fastest strains measured, and 89 % of phenotypic variation due to DGRP strain. Using sequence information from the DGRP, we perform a genome-wide association study, which suggests that some well-known developmental genes affect the speed of embryonic development. CONCLUSIONS We showed that the duration of embryogenesis (DOE) can be efficiently and precisely measured in Drosophila, and that the DGRP strains show remarkable variation in DOE. A genome-wide analysis suggests that some well-known developmental genes are potentially associated with DOE. Further functional assays, or transcriptomic analysis of embryos from the DGRP, can validate the role of our candidates in early developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Horváth
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria. .,Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, Vienna, A-1210, Austria.
| | - Andrea J Betancourt
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alex T Kalinka
- Institut für Populationsgenetik, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210, Vienna, Austria
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Helsen K, Hermy M, Honnay O. A test of priority effect persistence in semi-natural grasslands through the removal of plant functional groups during community assembly. BMC Ecol 2016; 16:22. [PMID: 27118382 PMCID: PMC4847182 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-016-0077-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is known that during plant community assembly, the early colonizing species can affect the establishment, growth or reproductive success of later arriving species, often resulting in unpredictable assembly outcomes. These so called 'priority effects' have recently been hypothesized to work through niche-based processes, with early colonizing species either inhibiting the colonization of other species of the same niche through niche preemption, or affecting the colonization success of species of different niches through niche modification. With most work on priority effects performed in controlled, short-term mesocosm experiments, we have little insight in how niche preemption and niche modification processes interact to shape the community composition of natural vegetations. In this study, we used a functional trait approach to identify potential niche-based priority effects in restored semi-natural grasslands. More specifically, we imposed two treatments that strongly altered the community's functional trait composition; removal of all graminoid species and removal of all legume species, and we compared progressing assembly with unaltered control plots. RESULTS Our results showed that niche preemption effects can be, to a limited extent, relieved by species removal. This relief was observed for competitive grasses and herbs, but not for smaller grassland species. Although competition effects acting within functional groups (niche preemption) occurred for graminoids, there were no such effects for legumes. The removal of legumes mainly affected functionally unrelated competitive species, likely through niche modification effects of nitrogen fixation. On the other hand, and contrary to our expectations, species removal was after 4 years almost completely compensated by recolonization of the same species set, suggesting that priority effects persist after species removal, possibly through soil legacy effects. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that both niche modification and niche preemption priority effects can act together in shaping community composition in a natural grassland system. Although small changes in species composition occurred, the removal of specific functional groups was almost completely compensated by recolonization of the same species. This suggests that once certain species get established, it might prove difficult to neutralize their effect on assembly outcome, since their imposed priority effects might act long after their removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenny Helsen
- />Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven, Arenbergpark 31, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
- />Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Martin Hermy
- />Division Forest, Nature and Landscape Research, Department Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Olivier Honnay
- />Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven, Arenbergpark 31, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
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