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Vandermeer J, Perfecto I. Combining intransitive and higher-order effects in a coupled oscillator framework: A case study of an ant community. Ecology 2024; 105:e4218. [PMID: 38032663 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of literature recognizes that pairwise species interactions are not necessarily an appropriate metaphorical molecule of community ecology. Two examples are intransitive competition and nonlinear higher-order effects. While these two processes have been discussed extensively, the explicit analysis of how the two of them behave when simultaneously part of the same dynamic system has not yet been explored theoretically. A concrete situation exists on coffee farms in Puerto Rico in which three ant species form an intransitive competitive triplet, and that triplet is strongly influenced, nonlinearly, by a fly parasitoid that modifies the competitive ability of one of the species. Using this arrangement as a template, we explore the dynamical consequences with a simple ordinary differential equation (ODE) model. Results are complicated and include alternative periodic and chaotic attractors. The qualitative structures of those complications, however, may be approximately retrieved from the basic natural history of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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2
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Vandermeer J. Coupled Oscillators in an Agroecosystem: Integrating Direct and Indirect Effects. Am Nat 2023; 202:288-301. [PMID: 37606951 DOI: 10.1086/725439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractAgricultural pests are increasingly appreciated as subjects of ecology. One particular case, a pest in coffee production, is analyzed here using the conceptual framework of complex systems, increasingly acknowledged as having an obvious home in the field of ecology, notorious for its complex structures. The particular case analyzed here arguably falls under the control of the complexity of the ecological system rather than of a simple magic bullet of population regulation. The system, which has been under study in southern Mexico for the past quarter century, is analyzed through the lens of neutral oscillations of the classical nondissipative Lotka-Volterra system. Based on three consumer/resource pairs (populations of [1] an ant, [2] a scale insect, [3] a beetle predator of the scale insect, [4] a fungal pathogen of the scale insect, and [5] a fly parasitoid of the ant), this five-dimensional system is well known qualitatively. Coupling all agents through both direct effects and trait-mediated indirect effects, the behavior of the neutral oscillation form of the system reveals a complex set of behaviors, including harmonized invariant sets, chaos, and/or quasiperiodicity. Such behaviors are well-known subjects in the science of complex systems and, it is argued, are ultimately sufficient to effect a degree of regulation on the pest, independent of explicit density-dependent feedback. Control of the system is thus seen as arguably actuated through its complexity, independent of any classic dissipative force.
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3
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Bhandary S, Banerjee T, Dutta PS. Stability of ecosystems under oscillatory driving with frequency modulation. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:024301. [PMID: 37723677 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.024301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Consumer-resource cycles are widespread in ecosystems, and seasonal forcing is known to influence them profoundly. Typically, seasonal forcing perturbs an ecosystem with time-varying frequency; however, previous studies have explored the dynamics of such systems under oscillatory forcing with constant frequency. Studies of the effect of time-varying frequency on ecosystem stability are lacking. Here we investigate isolated and network models of a cyclic consumer-resource ecosystem with oscillatory driving subjected to frequency modulation. We show that frequency modulation can induce stability in the system in the form of stable synchronized solutions, depending on intrinsic model parameters and extrinsic modulation strength. The stability of synchronous solutions is determined by calculating the maximal Lyapunov exponent, which determines that the fraction of stable synchronous solution increases with an increase in the modulation strength. We also uncover intermittent synchronization when synchronous dynamics are intermingled with episodes of asynchronous dynamics. Using the phase-reduction method for the network model, we reduce the system into a phase equation that clearly distinguishes synchronous, intermittently synchronous, and asynchronous solutions. While investigating the role of network topology, we find that variation in rewiring probability has a negligible effect on the stability of synchronous solutions. This study deepens our understanding of ecosystems under seasonal perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhendu Bhandary
- Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar 140 001, Punjab, India
| | - Tanmoy Banerjee
- Chaos and Complex Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Burdwan, Burdwan 713 104, West Bengal, India
| | - Partha Sharathi Dutta
- Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar 140 001, Punjab, India
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4
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Canelles Q, Aquilué N, Brotons L. Anticipating B. sempervirens viability in front of C. perspectalis outbreaks, fire, and drought disturbances. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 810:151331. [PMID: 34757099 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Forest ecosystems face an increasing pressure of insect pest outbreaks due to changes in land-use, new climatic conditions, and the arrival of new invasive alien species. Also, insect outbreaks may interact with other shifting disturbances such as fire and drought, that eventually may boost the impacts of pests on forest ecosystems. In the case of alien species, the lack of long-term data and their rapid spread challenges their study and require appropriate new management strategies to cope with them. Here we studied the case of boxwoods (Buxus sempervirens) in Southern Pyrenees under the pressure of the invasive insect box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), fire, and drought events. We projected the future of boxwoods through the development of a spatially explicit simulation model and its implementation under different climatic and ecological scenarios. The results showed an initial boxwood decline due to C. perspectalis fast spread but a later stabilization of the population resulting from a fluctuating dynamic. Climate change is expected to reduce overall insect habitat suitability and future negative impacts on boxwoods. Furthermore, boxwood drought-induced mortality and burning will increase under new climatic conditions. Interaction between drought and insect pest conditioning regeneration after defoliation were negligible in our analyses. Boxwood decline was anticipated to be more notorious in locations under 800 m a.s.l. and in habitats where the species dominates the forest understory, while boxwood in open shrub forest types typical of higher elevations will be less endangered. Our results provide valuable information for boxwood and C. perspectalis management in a context of joint disturbance impacts and contribute to a better identification of the role of forest disturbances and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quim Canelles
- InForest Jru (CREAF-CTFC), Crta. de Sant Llorenç de Morunys, Km. 2, 25280 Solsona, Spain.
| | - Núria Aquilué
- InForest Jru (CREAF-CTFC), Crta. de Sant Llorenç de Morunys, Km. 2, 25280 Solsona, Spain; Centre for Forest Research (CFR), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), C.P. 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Lluís Brotons
- InForest Jru (CREAF-CTFC), Crta. de Sant Llorenç de Morunys, Km. 2, 25280 Solsona, Spain; CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain; CSIC, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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5
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Climate warming and dispersal strategies determine species persistence in a metacommunity. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-022-00531-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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6
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Boom-bust population dynamics increase diversity in evolving competitive communities. Commun Biol 2021; 4:502. [PMID: 33893395 PMCID: PMC8065032 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02021-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The processes and mechanisms underlying the origin and maintenance of biological diversity have long been of central importance in ecology and evolution. The competitive exclusion principle states that the number of coexisting species is limited by the number of resources, or by the species’ similarity in resource use. Natural systems such as the extreme diversity of unicellular life in the oceans provide counter examples. It is known that mathematical models incorporating population fluctuations can lead to violations of the exclusion principle. Here we use simple eco-evolutionary models to show that a certain type of population dynamics, boom-bust dynamics, can allow for the evolution of much larger amounts of diversity than would be expected with stable equilibrium dynamics. Boom-bust dynamics are characterized by long periods of almost exponential growth (boom) and a subsequent population crash due to competition (bust). When such ecological dynamics are incorporated into an evolutionary model that allows for adaptive diversification in continuous phenotype spaces, desynchronization of the boom-bust cycles of coexisting species can lead to the maintenance of high levels of diversity. Michael Doebeli et al. introduce a discrete-time competition model with multi-dimensional evolving phenotypes to explore the effect of boom-bust population dynamics on the evolution of diversity. Their models show that long periods of near-exponential growth, followed by a population crash due to competition, can lead to the origin and maintenance of high levels of diversity in competitive communities.
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Vandermeer J, Hajian-Forooshani Z, Medina N, Perfecto I. New forms of structure in ecosystems revealed with the Kuramoto model. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210122. [PMID: 33959373 PMCID: PMC8074911 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ecological systems, as is often noted, are complex. Equally notable is the generalization that complex systems tend to be oscillatory, whether Huygens' simple patterns of pendulum entrainment or the twisted chaotic orbits of Lorenz' convection rolls. The analytics of oscillators may thus provide insight into the structure of ecological systems. One of the most popular analytical tools for such study is the Kuramoto model of coupled oscillators. We apply this model as a stylized vision of the dynamics of a well-studied system of pests and their enemies, to ask whether its actual natural history is reflected in the dynamics of the qualitatively instantiated Kuramoto model. Emerging from the model is a series of synchrony groups generally corresponding to subnetworks of the natural system, with an overlying chimeric structure, depending on the strength of the inter-oscillator coupling. We conclude that the Kuramoto model presents a novel window through which interesting questions about the structure of ecological systems may emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 481090, USA
- Program in the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 481090, USA
| | | | - Nicholas Medina
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 481090, USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- Program in the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 481090, USA
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 481090, USA
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8
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Viewing communities as coupled oscillators: elementary forms from Lotka and Volterra to Kuramoto. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-020-00493-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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9
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Stabilization of extensive fine-scale diversity by ecologically driven spatiotemporal chaos. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:14572-14583. [PMID: 32518107 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1915313117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
It has recently become apparent that the diversity of microbial life extends far below the species level to the finest scales of genetic differences. Remarkably, extensive fine-scale diversity can coexist spatially. How is this diversity stable on long timescales, despite selective or ecological differences and other evolutionary processes? Most work has focused on stable coexistence or assumed ecological neutrality. We present an alternative: extensive diversity maintained by ecologically driven spatiotemporal chaos, with no assumptions about niches or other specialist differences between strains. We study generalized Lotka-Volterra models with antisymmetric correlations in the interactions inspired by multiple pathogen strains infecting multiple host strains. Generally, these exhibit chaos with increasingly wild population fluctuations driving extinctions. But the simplest spatial structure, many identical islands with migration between them, stabilizes a diverse chaotic state. Some strains (subspecies) go globally extinct, but many persist for times exponentially long in the number of islands. All persistent strains have episodic local blooms to high abundance, crucial for their persistence as, for many, their average population growth rate is negative. Snapshots of the abundance distribution show a power law at intermediate abundances that is essentially indistinguishable from the neutral theory of ecology. But the dynamics of the large populations are much faster than birth-death fluctuations. We argue that this spatiotemporally chaotic "phase" should exist in a wide range of models, and that even in rapidly mixed systems, longer-lived spores could similarly stabilize a diverse chaotic phase.
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10
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Karakoç C, Clark AT, Chatzinotas A. Diversity and coexistence are influenced by time-dependent species interactions in a predator-prey system. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:983-993. [PMID: 32243074 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although numerous studies show that communities are jointly influenced by predation and competitive interactions, few have resolved how temporal variability in these interactions influences community assembly and stability. Here, we addressed this challenge in experimental microbial microcosms by employing empirical dynamic modelling tools to: (1) detect causal interactions between prey species in the absence and presence of a predator; (2) quantify the time-varying strength of these interactions and (3) explore stability in the resulting communities. Our findings show that predators boost the number of causal interactions among community members, and lead to reduced dynamic stability, but higher coexistence among prey species. These results correspond to time-varying changes in species interactions, including emergence of morphological characteristics that appeared to reduce predation, and indirectly facilitate growth of predator-susceptible species. Jointly, our findings suggest that careful consideration of both context and time may be necessary to predict and explain outcomes in multi-trophic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canan Karakoç
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Adam Thomas Clark
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,Synthesis Centre for Biodiversity Sciences (sDiv), Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Antonis Chatzinotas
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Talstrasse 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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11
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Wang L, Tang Y, Wang RW, Shang XY. Re-evaluating the ‘plankton paradox’ using an interlinked empirical data and a food web model. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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12
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Vandermeer J, Jackson D. Stabilizing intransitive loops: self‐organized spatial structure and disjoint time frames in the coffee agroecosystem. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan 48109 USA
| | - Doug Jackson
- Eastern Research Group 110 Hartwell Ave Lexington Massachusetts 02421 USA
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13
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Wilson Rankin EE, Knowlton JL, Gruner DS, Flaspohler DJ, Giardina CP, Leopold DR, Buckardt A, Pitt WC, Fukami T. Vertical foraging shifts in Hawaiian forest birds in response to invasive rat removal. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202869. [PMID: 30248110 PMCID: PMC6152863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, native species increasingly contend with the interacting stressors of habitat fragmentation and invasive species, yet their combined effects have rarely been examined. Direct negative effects of invasive omnivores are well documented, but the indirect effects of resource competition or those caused by predator avoidance are unknown. Here we isolated and examined the independent and interactive effects of invasive omnivorous Black rats (Rattus rattus) and forest fragment size on the interactions between avian predators and their arthropod prey. Our study examines whether invasive omnivores and ecosystem fragment size impact: 1) the vertical distribution of arthropod species composition and abundance, and 2) the vertical profile of foraging behaviors of five native and two non-native bird species found in our study system. We predicted that the reduced edge effects and greater structural complexity and canopy height of larger fragments would limit the total and proportional habitat space frequented by rats and thus limit their impact on both arthropod biomass and birds' foraging behavior. We experimentally removed invasive omnivorous Black rats across a 100-fold (0.1 to 12 ha) size gradient of forest fragments on Hawai'i Island, and paired foraging observations of forest passerines with arthropod sampling in the 16 rat-removed and 18 control fragments. Rat removal was associated with shifts in the vertical distribution of arthropod biomass, irrespective of fragment size. Bird foraging behavior mirrored this shift, and the impact of rat removal was greater for birds that primarily eat fruit and insects compared with those that consume nectar. Evidence from this model study system indicates that invasive rats indirectly alter the feeding behavior of native birds, and consequently impact multiple trophic levels. This study suggests that native species can modify their foraging behavior in response to invasive species removal and presumably arrival through behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Wilson Rankin
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jessie L. Knowlton
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Daniel S. Gruner
- Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David J. Flaspohler
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Christian P. Giardina
- Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service, Hilo, Hawai‛i, United States of America
| | - Devin R. Leopold
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Anna Buckardt
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, United States of America
| | - William C. Pitt
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Tadashi Fukami
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
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14
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van Velzen E, Thieser T, Berendonk T, Weitere M, Gaedke U. Inducible defense destabilizes predator-prey dynamics: the importance of multiple predators. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van Velzen
- Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Modelling, Inst. of Biochemistry and Biology; Univ. of Potsdam; Maulbeerallee 2 DE-14469 Potsdam Germany
| | - Tamara Thieser
- Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Modelling, Inst. of Biochemistry and Biology; Univ. of Potsdam; Maulbeerallee 2 DE-14469 Potsdam Germany
| | - Thomas Berendonk
- Faculty for Environmental Sciences, Inst. for Hydrobiology; Technische Univ. Dresden; Dresden Germany
| | - Markus Weitere
- Dept of River Ecology; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ); Magdeburg Germany
| | - Ursula Gaedke
- Dept of Ecology and Ecosystem Modelling, Inst. of Biochemistry and Biology; Univ. of Potsdam; Maulbeerallee 2 DE-14469 Potsdam Germany
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15
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A graphical method for pre-image population analysis using abundance data series: Implications for management and conservation practices. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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17
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Toyokawa W. Scrounging by foragers can resolve the paradox of enrichment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160830. [PMID: 28405371 PMCID: PMC5383828 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical models of predator-prey systems predict that sufficient enrichment of prey can generate large amplitude limit cycles, paradoxically causing a high risk of extinction (the paradox of enrichment). Although real ecological communities contain many gregarious species, whose foraging behaviour should be influenced by socially transmitted information, few theoretical studies have examined the possibility that social foraging might resolve this paradox. I considered a predator population in which individuals play the producer-scrounger foraging game in one-prey-one-predator and two-prey-one-predator systems. I analysed the stability of a coexisting equilibrium point in the one-prey system and that of non-equilibrium dynamics in the two-prey system. The results revealed that social foraging could stabilize both systems, and thereby resolve the paradox of enrichment when scrounging behaviour (i.e. kleptoparasitism) is prevalent in predators. This suggests a previously neglected mechanism underlying a powerful effect of group-living animals on the sustainability of ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Toyokawa
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
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18
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Arumugam R, Dutta PS, Banerjee T. Environmental coupling in ecosystems: From oscillation quenching to rhythmogenesis. Phys Rev E 2016; 94:022206. [PMID: 27627297 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.94.022206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
How landscape fragmentation affects ecosystems diversity and stability is an important and complex question in ecology with no simple answer, as spatially separated habitats where species live are highly dynamic rather than just static. Taking into account the species dispersal among nearby connected habitats (or patches) through a common dynamic environment, we model the consumer-resource interactions with a ring type coupled network. By characterizing the dynamics of consumer-resource interactions in a coupled ecological system with three fundamental mechanisms such as the interaction within the patch, the interaction between the patches, and the interaction through a common dynamic environment, we report the occurrence of various collective behaviors. We show that the interplay between the dynamic environment and the dispersal among connected patches exhibits the mechanism of generation of oscillations, i.e., rhythmogenesis, as well as suppression of oscillations, i.e., amplitude death and oscillation death. Also, the transition from homogeneous steady state to inhomogeneous steady state occurs through a codimension-2 bifurcation. Emphasizing a network of a spatially extended system, the coupled model exposes the collective behavior of a synchrony-stability relationship with various synchronization occurrences such as in-phase and out-of-phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Arumugam
- Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab 140 001, India
| | - Partha Sharathi Dutta
- Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Punjab 140 001, India
| | - Tanmoy Banerjee
- Chaos and Complex Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Burdwan, West Bengal 713 104, India
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19
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Bansho Y, Furubayashi T, Ichihashi N, Yomo T. Host-parasite oscillation dynamics and evolution in a compartmentalized RNA replication system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:4045-50. [PMID: 27035976 PMCID: PMC4839452 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1524404113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, various cellular functions have been reconstituted in vitro such as self-replication systems using DNA, RNA, and proteins. The next important challenges include the reconstitution of the interactive networks of self-replicating species and investigating how such interactions generate complex ecological behaviors observed in nature. Here, we synthesized a simple replication system composed of two self-replicating host and parasitic RNA species. We found that the parasitic RNA eradicates the host RNA under bulk conditions; however, when the system is compartmentalized, a continuous oscillation pattern in the population dynamics of the two RNAs emerges. The oscillation pattern changed as replication proceeded mainly owing to the evolution of the host RNA. These results demonstrate that a cell-like compartment plays an important role in host-parasite ecological dynamics and suggest that the origin of the host-parasite coevolution might date back to the very early stages of the evolution of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohsuke Bansho
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
| | - Taro Furubayashi
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Norikazu Ichihashi
- Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan; Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Yomo
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan; Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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20
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Rabajante JF, Tubay JM, Uehara T, Morita S, Ebert D, Yoshimura J. Red Queen dynamics in multi-host and multi-parasite interaction system. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10004. [PMID: 25899168 PMCID: PMC4405699 DOI: 10.1038/srep10004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In host-parasite systems, dominant host types are expected to be eventually replaced by other hosts due to the elevated potency of their specific parasites. This leads to changes in the abundance of both hosts and parasites exhibiting cycles of alternating dominance called Red Queen dynamics. Host-parasite models with less than three hosts and parasites have been demonstrated to exhibit Red Queen cycles, but natural host-parasite interactions typically involve many host and parasite types resulting in an intractable system with many parameters. Here we present numerical simulations of Red Queen dynamics with more than ten hosts and specialist parasites under the condition of no super-host nor super-parasite. The parameter region where the Red Queen cycles arise contracts as the number of interacting host and parasite types increases. The interplay between inter-host competition and parasite infectivity influences the condition for the Red Queen dynamics. Relatively large host carrying capacity and intermediate rates of parasite mortality result in never-ending cycles of dominant types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jomar F Rabajante
- 1] Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan [2] Mathematics Division, Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - Jerrold M Tubay
- 1] Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan [2] Mathematics Division, Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines
| | - Takashi Uehara
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan
| | - Satoru Morita
- Department of Mathematical and Systems Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan
| | - Dieter Ebert
- Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, 4059 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jin Yoshimura
- 1] Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan [2] Department of Mathematical and Systems Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, 432-8561, Japan [3] Marine Biosystems Research Center, Chiba University, Uchiura, Kamogawa, Chiba 299-5502, Japan [4] Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 U.S.A
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21
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Warming-induced changes in predation, extinction and invasion in an ectotherm food web. Oecologia 2015; 178:485-96. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Yamamichi M, Yoshida T, Sasaki A. Timing and propagule size of invasion determine its success by a time-varying threshold of demographic regime shift. Ecology 2014; 95:2303-15. [DOI: 10.1890/13-1527.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Guichard F, Gouhier TC. Non-equilibrium spatial dynamics of ecosystems. Math Biosci 2014; 255:1-10. [PMID: 24984261 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2014.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Revised: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Ecological systems show tremendous variability across temporal and spatial scales. It is this variability that ecologists try to predict and that managers attempt to harness in order to mitigate risk. However, the foundations of ecological science and its mainstream agenda focus on equilibrium dynamics to describe the balance of nature. Despite a rich body of literature on non-equilibrium ecological dynamics, we lack a well-developed set of predictions that can relate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of natural systems to their underlying ecological processes. We argue that ecology needs to expand its current toolbox for the study of non-equilibrium ecosystems in order to both understand and manage their spatiotemporal variability. We review current approaches and outstanding questions related to the study of spatial dynamics and its application to natural ecosystems, including the design of reserves networks. We close by emphasizing the importance of ecosystem function as a key component of a non-equilibrium ecological theory, and of spatial synchrony as a central phenomenon for its inference in natural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Guichard
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada.
| | - Tarik C Gouhier
- Marine Science Center, Northeastern University, 430 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01908, USA.
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24
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Bauer B, Vos M, Klauschies T, Gaedke U. Diversity, functional similarity, and top-down control drive synchronization and the reliability of ecosystem function. Am Nat 2014; 183:394-409. [PMID: 24561602 DOI: 10.1086/674906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The concept that diversity promotes reliability of ecosystem function depends on the pattern that community-level biomass shows lower temporal variability than species-level biomasses. However, this pattern is not universal, as it relies on compensatory or independent species dynamics. When in contrast within-trophic level synchronization occurs, variability of community biomass will approach population-level variability. Current knowledge fails to integrate how species richness, functional distance between species, and the relative importance of predation and competition combine to drive synchronization at different trophic levels. Here we clarify these mechanisms. Intense competition promotes compensatory dynamics in prey, but predators may at the same time increasingly synchronize, under increasing species richness and functional similarity. In contrast, predators and prey both show perfect synchronization under strong top-down control, which is promoted by a combination of low functional distance and high net growth potential of predators. Under such conditions, community-level biomass variability peaks, with major negative consequences for reliability of ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Bauer
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, D-14469 Potsdam, Germany
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25
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Struckhoff GC, Livermore JA, Parkin GF. Diversity of the chlorite dismutase gene in low and high organic carbon rhizosphere soil colonized by perchlorate-reducing bacteria. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOREMEDIATION 2013; 15:830-843. [PMID: 23819279 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2012.760517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Chlorite dismutase (cld) is an essential enzyme in the biodegradation of perchlorate. The objective of this study was to determine the change in sequence diversity of the cld gene, and universal bacterial 16S rRNA genes, in soil samples under varying conditions of organic carbon, bioaugmentation, and plant influence. The cld gene diversity was not different between high organic carbon (HOC) and low organic carbon (LOC) soil. Combining results from HOC and LOC soil, diversity of the cld gene was decreased in soil that had been bioaugmented or planted. However, with both bioaugmentation and planting the cld diversity was not decreased. These observations were repeated when focusing on LOC soil. However, in HOC soil the cld diversity was not affected by reactor treatment. General bacterial diversity as measured with 16S rRNA was significantly greater in HOC soil than in LOC soil, but no significant difference was observed between reference soil and planted or bioaugmented soil. Different sequences of the cld gene occur in different species of microorganisms. In LOC soil, combining bioaugmentation and planting results in a highly diverse population of perchlorate degraders. This diverse population will be more resilient and is desirable where perchlorate reduction is a critical remediation process. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of International Journal of Phytoremediation to view the supplemental file.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett C Struckhoff
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Iowa, Seamans Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
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26
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Cabrol L, Malhautier L, Poly F, Lepeuple AS, Fanlo JL. Bacterial dynamics in steady-state biofilters: beyond functional stability. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 79:260-71. [PMID: 22029727 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01213.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial and temporal dynamics of microbial community structure and function were surveyed in duplicated woodchip-biofilters operated under constant conditions for 231 days. The contaminated gaseous stream for treatment was representative of composting emissions, included ammonia, dimethyl disulfide and a mixture of five oxygenated volatile organic compounds. The community structure and diversity were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis on 16S rRNA gene fragments. During the first 42 days, microbial acclimatization revealed the influence of operating conditions and contaminant loading on the biofiltration community structure and diversity, as well as the limited impact of inoculum compared to the greater persistence of the endogenous woodchip community. During long-term operation, a high and stable removal efficiency was maintained despite a highly dynamic microbial community, suggesting the probable functional redundancy of the community. Most of the contaminant removal occurred in the first compartment, near the gas inlet, where the microbial diversity was the highest. The stratification of the microbial structures along the filter bed was statistically correlated to the longitudinal distribution of environmental conditions (selective pressure imposed by contaminant concentrations) and function (contaminant elimination capacity), highlighting the central role of the bacterial community. The reproducibility of microbial succession in replicates suggests that the community changes were presumably driven by a deterministic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Cabrol
- Veolia Environnement Recherche et Innovation, Maisons Laffitte, France
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27
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Fierro MM, Cruz-López L, Sánchez D, Villanueva-Gutiérrez R, Vandame R. Effect of biotic factors on the spatial distribution of stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini) in fragmented neotropical habitats. NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2012; 41:95-104. [PMID: 23950022 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-011-0009-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We recorded stingless bee colony abundance and nesting habits in three sites with different anthropogenic activities in the Soconusco region of Chiapas, Mexico: (1) agroforestry (7 hacacao crop), (2) grassland (12 ha), and (3) urban area (3 ha). A total of 67 nests were found, representing five stingless bee species, Tetragonisca angustula angustula (Lepeletier), Trigona fulviventris (Guérin), Scaptotrigona mexicana (Guérin), Scaptotrigona pectoralis (Dalla Torre), and Oxytrigona mediorufa (Cockerell). The most abundant stingless bee in each site was T. angustula angustula (>50%). The primary tree species used by the bees were Ficus spp. (Moraceae, 37.8%) and Cordia alliodora (Boraginaceae, 13.5%). The nest entrance height of T. angustula angustula (96 ± 19 cm) was different than the other species, and this bee was the only one that used all different nesting sites. Volatiles analyzed by gas chromatography from pollen collected by the stingless bees differed between bee species, but were highly similar in respect to the fragrances of the pollen collected by the same species at any site. Our data indicate that T. angustula angustula experienced low heterospecific and high intraspecific foraging overlap especially in the urban site. We observed cluster spatial distribution in grassland and in agroforestry sites. In the urban site, T. angustula angustula presented random distribution tended to disperse. Trigona fulviventris was the only overdispersed and solitary species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Fierro
- El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Tapachula, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, Tapachula, CP 30700, Chiapas, Mexico
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28
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Suzuki K, Yoshida T. Non-random spatial coupling induces desynchronization, chaos and multistability in a predator-prey-resource system. J Theor Biol 2012; 300:81-90. [PMID: 22266124 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The metacommunity perspective has attracted much attention recently, but the understanding of how dispersal between local communities alters their ecological dynamics is still limited, especially regarding the effect of non-random, unequal dispersal of organisms. This is a study of a three-trophic-level (predator-prey-resource) system that is connected by different manners of dispersal. The model is based on a well-studied experimental system cultured in chemostats (continuous flow-through culture), which consists of rotifer predator, algal prey and nutrient. In the model, nutrient dispersal can give rise to multistability when the two systems are connected by nutrient dispersal, whereas three-trophic-level systems tend to show a rich dynamical behavior, e.g. antisynchronous or asynchronous oscillations including chaos. Although the existence of multistability was already known in two-trophic-level (predator-prey) systems, it was confined to a small range of dispersal rate. In contrast, the multistability in the three-trophic-level system is found in a broader range of dispersal rate. The results suggest that, in three-trophic-level systems, the dispersal of nutrient not only alters population dynamics of local systems but can also cause regime shifts such as a transition to different oscillation phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Suzuki
- Department of General Systems Sciences, The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.
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29
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Peleg M, Corradini MG. Theoretical effects of monotonically changing and fluctuating temperature on oscillating biological systems. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2010.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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30
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Tirok K, Gaedke U. Internally driven alternation of functional traits in a multispecies predator-prey system. Ecology 2010; 91:1748-62. [PMID: 20583716 DOI: 10.1890/09-1052.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The individual functional traits of different species play a key role for ecosystem function in aquatic and terrestrial systems. We modeled a multispecies predator-prey system with functionally different predator and prey species based on observations of the community dynamics of ciliates and their algal prey in Lake Constance. The model accounted for differences in predator feeding preferences and prey susceptibility to predation, and for the respective trade-offs. A low food demand of the predator was connected to a high food selectivity, and a high growth rate of the prey was connected to a high vulnerability to grazing. The data and the model did not show standard uniform predator-prey cycles, but revealed both complex dynamics and a coexistence of predator and prey at high biomass levels. These dynamics resulted from internally driven alternations in species densities and involved compensatory dynamics between functionally different species. Functional diversity allowed for ongoing adaptation of the predator and prey communities to changing environmental conditions such as food composition and grazing pressure. The trade-offs determined whether compensatory or synchronous dynamics occurred which influence the variability at the community level. Compensatory dynamics were promoted by a joint carrying capacity linking the different prey species which is particularly relevant at high prey biomasses, i.e., when grazers are less efficient. In contrast, synchronization was enhanced by the coupling of the different predator and prey species via common feeding links, e.g., by a high grazing pressure of a nonselective predator. The communities had to be functionally diverse in terms of their trade-offs and their traits to yield compensatory dynamics. Rather similar predator species tended to cycle synchronously, whereas profoundly different species did not coexist. Compensatory dynamics at the community level thus required intermediately strong tradeoffs for functional traits in both predators and their prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Tirok
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Am Neuen Palais 10, 14469 Potsdam, Germany.
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31
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Walker RED, Pastor J, Dewey BW. Litter Quantity and Nitrogen Immobilization Cause Oscillations in Productivity of Wild Rice (Zizania palustris L.) in Northern Minnesota. Ecosystems 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-010-9333-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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32
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Gouhier TC, Guichard F, Gonzalez A. Synchrony and stability of food webs in metacommunities. Am Nat 2010; 175:E16-34. [PMID: 20059366 DOI: 10.1086/649579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Synchrony has fundamental but conflicting implications for the persistence and stability of food webs at local and regional scales. In a constant environment, compensatory dynamics between species can maintain food web stability, but factors that synchronize population fluctuations within and between communities are expected to be destabilizing. We studied the dynamics of a food web in a metacommunity to determine how environmental variability and dispersal affect stability by altering compensatory dynamics and average species abundance. When dispersal rate is high, weak correlated environmental fluctuations promote food web stability by reducing the amplitude of compensatory dynamics. However, when dispersal rate is low, weak environmental fluctuations reduce food web stability by inducing intraspecific synchrony across communities. Irrespective of dispersal rate, strong environmental fluctuations disrupt compensatory dynamics and decrease stability by inducing intermittent correlated fluctuations between consumers in local food webs, which reduce both total consumer abundance and predator abundance. Strong correlated environmental fluctuations lead to (i) spatially asynchronous and highly correlated local consumer dynamics when dispersal is low and (ii) spatially synchronous but intermediate local consumer correlation when dispersal is high. By controlling intraspecific synchrony, dispersal mediates the capacity of strong environmental fluctuations to disrupt compensatory dynamics at both local and metacommunity scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarik C Gouhier
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada.
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33
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Gonzalez A, Loreau M. The Causes and Consequences of Compensatory Dynamics in Ecological Communities. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2009. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 327] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B1, Canada; ,
| | - Michel Loreau
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1B1, Canada; ,
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34
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Benincà E, Jöhnk KD, Heerkloss R, Huisman J. Coupled predator-prey oscillations in a chaotic food web. Ecol Lett 2009; 12:1367-78. [PMID: 19845726 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01391.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Coupling of several predator-prey oscillations can generate intriguing patterns of synchronization and chaos. Theory predicts that prey species will fluctuate in phase if predator-prey cycles are coupled through generalist predators, whereas they will fluctuate in anti-phase if predator-prey cycles are coupled through competition between prey species. Here, we investigate predator-prey oscillations in a long-term experiment with a marine plankton community. Wavelet analysis of the species fluctuations reveals two predator-prey cycles that fluctuate largely in anti-phase. The phase angles point at strong competition between the phytoplankton species, but relatively little prey overlap among the zooplankton species. This food web architecture is consistent with the size structure of the plankton community, and generates highly dynamic food webs. Continued alternations in species dominance enable coexistence of the prey species through a non-equilibrium 'killing-the-winner' mechanism, as the system shifts back and forth between the two predator-prey cycles in a chaotic fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Benincà
- Aquatic Microbiology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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35
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Dobson A. Food-web structure and ecosystem services: insights from the Serengeti. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:1665-82. [PMID: 19451118 PMCID: PMC2685430 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The central organizing theme of this paper is to discuss the dynamics of the Serengeti grassland ecosystem from the perspective of recent developments in food-web theory. The seasonal rainfall patterns that characterize the East African climate create an annually oscillating, large-scale, spatial mosaic of feeding opportunities for the larger ungulates in the Serengeti; this in turn creates a significant annual variation in the food available for their predators. At a smaller spatial scale, periodic fires during the dry season create patches of highly nutritious grazing that are eaten in preference to the surrounding older patches of less palatable vegetation. The species interactions between herbivores and plants, and carnivores and herbivores, are hierarchically nested in the Serengeti food web, with the largest bodied consumers on each trophic level having the broadest diets that include species from a large variety of different habitats in the ecosystem. The different major habitats of the Serengeti are also used in a nested fashion; the highly nutritious forage of the short grass plains is available only to the larger migratory species for a few months each year. The longer grass areas, the woodlands and kopjes (large partially wooded rocky islands in the surrounding mosaic of grassland) contain species that are resident throughout the year; these species often have smaller body size and more specialized diets than the migratory species. Only the larger herbivores and carnivores obtain their nutrition from all the different major habitat types in the ecosystem. The net effect of this is to create a nested hierarchy of subchains of energy flow within the larger Serengeti food web; these flows are seasonally forced by rainfall and operate at different rates in different major branches of the web. The nested structure that couples sequential trophic levels together interacts with annual seasonal variation in the fast and slow chains of nutrient flow in a way that is likely to be central to the stability of the whole web. If the Serengeti is to be successfully conserved as a fully functioning ecosystem, then it is essential that the full diversity of natural habitats be maintained within the greater Serengeti ecosystem. The best way to do this is by controlling the external forces that threaten the boundaries of the ecosystem and by balancing the economic services the park provides between local, national and international needs. I conclude by discussing how the ecosystem services provided by the Serengeti are driven by species on different trophic levels. Tourism provides the largest financial revenue to the national economy, but it could be better organized to provide more sustained revenue to the park. Ultimately, ecotourism needs to be developed in ways that take lessons from the structure of the Serengeti food webs, and in ways that provide tangible benefits to people living around the park while also improving the experience of all visitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 8544-1003, USA.
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36
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Modelling invasibility in endogenously oscillating tree populations: timing of invasion matters. Biol Invasions 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-009-9444-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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37
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Mougi A, Nishimura K. Enrichment can damp population cycles: a balance of inflexible and flexible interactions. OIKOS 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16688.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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38
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The importance of matrix quality in fragmented landscapes: Understanding ecosystem collapse through a combination of deterministic and stochastic forces. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2008.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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39
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Mougi A, Nishimura K. Enrichment can damp population cycles: a balance of inflexible and flexible interactions. OIKOS 2008. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0030-1299.2008.16688.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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40
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Caplat P, Anand M, Bauch C. Symmetric competition causes population oscillations in an individual-based model of forest dynamics. Ecol Modell 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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41
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Behmer ST, Joern A. Coexisting generalist herbivores occupy unique nutritional feeding niches. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:1977-82. [PMID: 18238894 PMCID: PMC2538867 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0711870105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A mainstay of ecological theory and practice is that coexisting species use different resources, leading to the local development of biodiversity. However, a problem arises for understanding coexistence of multiple species if they share critical resources too generally. Here, we employ an experimental framework grounded in nutritional physiology to show that closely related, cooccurring and generalist-feeding herbivores (seven grasshopper species in the genus Melanoplus; Orthoptera: Acrididae) eat protein and carbohydrate in different absolute amounts and ratios even if they eat the same plant taxa. The existence of species-specific nutritional niches provides a cryptic mechanism that helps explain how generalist herbivores with broadly overlapping diets might coexist. We also show that performance by grasshoppers allowed to mix their diets and thus regulate their protein-carbohydrate intake matched optimal performance peaks generated from no-choice treatments. These results indicate the active nature of diet selection to achieve balanced diets and provide buffering capacity in the face of variable food quality. Our empirical findings and experimental approach can be extended to generate and test predictions concerning the intensity of biotic interactions between species, the relative abundance of species, yearly fluctuations in population size, and the nature of interactions with natural enemies in tritrophic niche space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer T Behmer
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475, USA.
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42
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Abrams P, Nakajima M. Does Competition between Resources Change the Competition between Their Consumers to Mutualism? Variations on Two Themes by Vandermeer. Am Nat 2007; 170:744-57. [DOI: 10.1086/522056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2007] [Accepted: 07/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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43
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McMahon KD, Martin HG, Hugenholtz P. Integrating ecology into biotechnology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2007; 18:287-92. [PMID: 17509863 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2007.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2007] [Revised: 04/09/2007] [Accepted: 04/19/2007] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
New high-throughput culture-independent molecular tools are allowing the scientific community to characterize and understand the microbial communities underpinning environmental biotechnology processes in unprecedented ways. By creatively leveraging these new data sources, microbial ecology has the potential to transition from a purely descriptive to a predictive framework, in which ecological principles are integrated and exploited to engineer systems that are biologically optimized for the desired goal. But to achieve this goal, ecology, engineering and microbiology curricula need to be changed from the very root to better promote interdisciplinarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D McMahon
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI, USA.
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