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Chen J, Chen X, Qian L, Zhang Y, Li B, Shi H, Sun L, Schöb C, Sun H. Degeneration of foundation cushion species induced by ecological constraints can cause massive changes in alpine plant communities. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:789-802. [PMID: 38057621 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2383-6] [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: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Foundational cushion plants can re-organize community structures and sustain a prominent proportion of alpine biodiversity, but they are sensitive to climate change. The loss of cushion species can have broad consequences for associated biota. The potential plant community changes with the population dynamics of cushion plants remain, however, unclear. Using eight plant communities along a climatic and community successional gradient, we assessed cushion population dynamics, the underlying ecological constraints and hence associated plant community changes in alpine communities dominated by the foundational cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides. The population dynamics of Arenaria are attributed to ecological constraints at a series of life history stages. Reproductive functions are constrained by increasing associated beneficiary plants; subsequent seedling establishment is constrained by temperature, water and light availability, extreme climate events, and interspecific competition; strong competitive exclusion may accelerate mortality and degeneration of cushion populations. Along with cushion dynamics, species composition, abundance and community structure gradually change. Once cushion plants completely degenerate, previously cushion-dominated communities shift to relatively stable communities that are overwhelmingly dominated by sedges. Climate warming may accelerate the degeneration process of A. polytrichoides. Degeneration of this foundational cushion plant will possibly induce massive changes in alpine plant communities and hence ecosystem functions in alpine ecosystems. The assessment of the population dynamics of foundation species is critical for an effective conservation of alpine biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Xufang Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lishen Qian
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yazhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Bo Li
- College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Honghua Shi
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Christian Schöb
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Spain.
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China.
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Chen X, Zhang Y, Qian L, Zhou R, Sun H, Chen J. Sex-specific facilitation and reproduction of the gynodioecious cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on the Himalaya-Hengduan mountains, SW China. PLANT DIVERSITY 2024; 46:247-255. [PMID: 38807903 PMCID: PMC11128911 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
When benefiting other beneficiaries, cushion plants may reciprocally receive feedback effects. The feedback effects on different sex morphs, however, remains unclear. In this study, taking the gynodioecious Arenaria polytrichiodes as a model species, we aimed to assess the sex-specific facilitation intensity of cushion plant by measuring the beneficiary cover ratio, and to assess the potential costs in cushion reproductive functions by measuring the flower and fruit cover ratios. The total beneficiary cover ratio was similar between females and hermaphrodites. Females produced much less flowers but more fruits than hermaphrodites. These results suggested that females and hermaphrodites possess similar facilitation intensity, and female cushion A. polytrichoides may allocate more resources saved from pollen production to seed production, while hermaphrodites possibly allocate more resources to pollen production hence reducing seed production. The surface areas covered by beneficiaries produced less flowers and fruits than areas without beneficiaries. In addition, strong negative correlations between beneficiary cover and flower cover were detected for both females and hermaphrodites, but the correlation strength were similar for these two sex morphs. However, the correlation between beneficiary cover and fruit cover was only significantly negative for females, suggesting that beneficiary plants negatively affect fruit reproduction of females while have neutral effects on hermaphrodites. All the results suggest that to facilitate other beneficiaries can induce reproductive costs on cushion A. polytrichoides, with females possibly suffering greater cost than hermaphrodites. Such differentiation in reproductive costs between sex morphs, in long-term perspective, may imply sex imbalance in population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yazhou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Lishen Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Renyu Zhou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Wetland Conservation, Restoration and Ecological Services, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jianguo Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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3
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Liu Z, Michalet R, Wang C, Wang Y, Chen J, Cui H, Song H, Wang J, Yang Z, An L, Xiao S, Chen S. Contrasting effects of two phenotypes of an alpine cushion plant on understory species drive community assembly. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160154. [PMID: 36375548 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160154] [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: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In alpine systems, cushion plants act as foundation species by ameliorating local environmental conditions. Empirical studies indicate that contrasting phenotypes of alpine cushion species have different effects on understory plant species, either facilitative or competitive. Furthermore, dependent species within each community type might also exhibit different responses to each cushion phenotype, which can be clustered into several "response groups". Additionally, these species-groups specific responses to alpine cushion species phenotypes could alter community assembly. However, very few studies have assessed responses of dependent communities at species-group levels, in particular for both above- and below-ground communities. Here, we selected a loose and a tight phenotype of the alpine cushion species Thylacospermum caespitosum in two sites of northwest China, and use the relative intensity of interactions index to quantify cushion plant effects on subordinate communities of plants and soil fungi and bacteria. We assessed variations in responses of both above- and below-ground organisms to cushion plant effects at species-group level. Species-group level analyses showed that the effects of the phenotype varied among groups of each of the three community types, and different species-groups were composed by unique taxa. Additionally, we found that loose cushions enhanced stochastic processes in community assembly, for plants and soil fungi but not for soil bacteria. These variations of phenotypic effects on different species-group induced contrasting taxonomic composition between groups, and alter community assembly thereby. Our study highlights the occurrence of contrasting effects of two phenotypes of a foundation cushion plant on understory plants, soil fungi and bacteria community composition, but not necessarily on their richness. We also showed that assessing responses of understory species at the species-group level allows a more realistic and mechanistic understanding of biotic interactions both for above- and below-ground communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Richard Michalet
- Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Chenyue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yajun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingwei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanwen Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongxian Song
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Lizhe An
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Sa Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Liancourt P, Doležal J. Overgrowth competition or facilitation from cushion plants: Implication for the role of plant-plant interactions. Ecology 2023; 104:e3989. [PMID: 36756970 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Liancourt
- Botany Department, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.,Plant Ecology Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jiri Doležal
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Pruhonice, Czech Republic.,Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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5
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Lozada A, Bertin A. Spatial autocorrelation signatures of ecological determinants on plant community characteristics in high Andean wetlands. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13770. [PMID: 35962032 PMCID: PMC9374769 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how biological communities are shaped is a central tenet of community ecology. Recent evidence highlights the potential of decoupling diversity spatial autocorrelation into its positive and negative components to reveal community assembly processes that would otherwise remain undetected, as well as to improve understanding of their impacts on different facets of diversity. Yet, such approaches have only been implemented to investigate the effects of a few assembly drivers on a small number of diversity components. Here, we used high Andean wetland plant communities over a strong latitudinal gradient to investigate the effects of various ecological factors on spatial autocorrelation patterns of nine community metrics with different informative values, including measures of richness, dominance, evenness and beta-diversity. By combining Moran's Eigenvector Maps, partial least squares structural equation modeling, and regression analyses, we revealed two groups of community parameters presenting contrasting spatial patterns due to specific sensitivities to ecological factors. While environmental variation and wetland connectivity increased positive spatial autocorrelation in richness and dominance-related parameters, species co-occurrence promoted negative spatial autocorrelation in evenness-related parameters. These results offer new insights regarding both how ecological processes affect species assembly, as well as the information captured by classical taxonomic parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Lozada
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena, Chile
| | - Angéline Bertin
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena, Chile.
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6
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Zhang YZ, Qian LS, Chen XF, Sun L, Sun H, Chen JG. Diversity patterns of cushion plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A basic study for future conservation efforts on alpine ecosystems. PLANT DIVERSITY 2022; 44:231-242. [PMID: 35769589 PMCID: PMC9209862 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is an important cushion plant hotspot. However, the distribution of cushion plants on the QTP is unknown, as are the factors that drive cushion plant distribution, limiting our understanding of the evolution of cushion species in the region. In this study, we assessed spatial patterns of total cushion plant diversity (including taxonomic and phylogenetic) over the entire QTP and compared patterns of diversity of cushion plants with different typologies (i.e., compact vs. loose). We also examined how these patterns were related to climatic features. Our results indicate that the southern QTP hosts the highest total cushion plant richness, especially in the south-central Hengduan Mountains subregion. The total number of cushion species declines from south to north and from southeast to northwest. Compact cushion plants exhibit similar patterns as the total cushion plant richness, whereas loose cushion plants show random distribution. Cushion plant phylogenetic diversity showed a similar pattern as that of the total cushion plant richness. In addition, cushion plant phylogenetic community structure was clustered in the eastern and southwestern QTP, whereas random or overdispersed in other areas. Climatic features represented by annual energy and water trends, seasonality and extreme environmental factors, had significant effects on cushion plant diversity patterns but limited effects on the phylogenetic community structure, suggesting that climatic features indeed promote the formation of cushion plants. Because cushion plants play vital roles in alpine ecosystems, our findings not only promote our understanding of the evolution and formation of alpine cushion plant diversity but also provide an indispensable foundation for future studies on cushion plant functions and thus alpine ecosystem sustainability in the entire QTP region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Zhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Shen Qian
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Xu-Fang Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Jian-Guo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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7
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Gefei Z, Zhao W, Xiaofen W. The importance of facilitation on community assembly disappears under severe drought stress. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhang Gefei
- Linze Inland River Basin Research Station Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences CN‐730000 Lanzhou China
| | - Wenzhi Zhao
- Linze Inland River Basin Research Station Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences CN‐730000 Lanzhou China
| | - Wang Xiaofen
- Prata cultural College Gansu Agricultural University CN‐730000 Lanzhou China
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8
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Parajuli R, O'Brien MJ, Timilsina B, Pugnaire FI, Schöb C, Ghimire SK. Facilitation by a dwarf shrub enhances plant diversity of human-valued species at high elevations in the Himalayas of Nepal. Basic Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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9
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Network motifs involving both competition and facilitation predict biodiversity in alpine plant communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2005759118. [PMID: 33526655 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2005759118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological diversity depends on multiple, cooccurring ecological interactions. However, most studies focus on one interaction type at a time, leaving community ecologists unsure of how positive and negative associations among species combine to influence biodiversity patterns. Using surveys of plant populations in alpine communities worldwide, we explore patterns of positive and negative associations among triads of species (modules) and their relationship to local biodiversity. Three modules, each incorporating both positive and negative associations, were overrepresented, thus acting as "network motifs." Furthermore, the overrepresentation of these network motifs is positively linked to species diversity globally. A theoretical model illustrates that these network motifs, based on competition between facilitated species or facilitation between inferior competitors, increase local persistence. Our findings suggest that the interplay of competition and facilitation is crucial for maintaining biodiversity.
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10
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Chen J, Zhang Y, Zhang H, Schöb C, Wang S, Chang S, Sun H. The positive effects of the alpine cushion plant Arenaria polytrichoides on insect dynamics are determined by both physical and biotic factors. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143091. [PMID: 33213902 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cushion plants' significant role for alpine biodiversity has been demonstrated in particular through their positive effects on plant diversity. However, their effects on higher trophic levels (e.g. insects) remain largely unclear. In this study, by field sampling in the Hengduan Mountains (HDM) in southwestern China, we evaluated the effects of an alpine gynodioecious cushion species, Arenaria polytrichoides (Carophyllaceae), on insect richness, abundance and population dynamics at two different elevations (4427 m vs. 4732 m) separately at two time periods (day vs. night) and in two growing seasons (early vs. late). The results showed that the total insect diversity decreases from low to high elevation sites. Some insect species were exclusively detected within A. polytrichoides cushions, leading to an increase in local insect richness from 7% to 35%. The positive effects of cushions on insect diversity could be attributed to unique biotic properties provided by cushions. Firstly, the effects were determined by the sexual dimorphism of the cushion with hermaphroditic cushions supporting higher insect diversity than female cushions. This could be because hermaphroditic cushions provide more resources, such as nectar and pollen grains, for insects than female cushions. Secondly, the cushions' associated beneficiary plants can also provide extra resources for attracting more insects, but this effect was mediated by the micro-environmental conditions. Finally, the magnitude of cushions' positive effects on insect dynamics were stronger under higher than under lower environmental stress. This study confirmed that facilitation by A. polytrichoides cushions in HDM plays an important role in constructing the alpine insect community and further regulating its dynamics. Moreover, the positive effects of cushions on insect dynamics increase with increasing environmental stress. Therefore, the distribution range of insects would quite possibly be expanded into higher elevation under future climate changes, which will induce new challenges for the local alpine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianguo Chen
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
| | - Yazhou Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Hongrui Zhang
- College of Plant Protection, Yunnan Agriculture University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Christian Schöb
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Songwei Wang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China; School of life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Shuai Chang
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
| | - Hang Sun
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
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11
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Losapio G, Schmid B, Bascompte J, Michalet R, Cerretti P, Germann C, Haenni JP, Neumeyer R, Ortiz-Sánchez FJ, Pont AC, Rousse P, Schmid J, Sommaggio D, Schöb C. An experimental approach to assessing the impact of ecosystem engineers on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Ecology 2020; 102:e03243. [PMID: 33190225 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Plants acting as ecosystem engineers create habitats and facilitate biodiversity maintenance within plant communities. Furthermore, biodiversity research has demonstrated that plant diversity enhances the productivity and functioning of ecosystems. However, these two fields of research developed in parallel and independent from one another, with the consequence that little is known about the role of ecosystem engineers in the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning across trophic levels. Here, we present an experimental framework to study this relationship. We combine facilitation by plants acting as ecosystem engineers with plant-insect interaction analysis and variance partitioning of biodiversity effects. We present a case-study experiment in which facilitation by a cushion-plant species and a dwarf-shrub species as ecosystem engineers increases positive effects of plant functional diversity (ecosystem engineers and associated plants) on ecosystem functioning (flower visitation rate). The experiment, conducted in the field during a single alpine flowering season, included the following treatments: (1) removal of plant species associated with ecosystem engineers, (2) exclusion (covering) of ecosystem engineer flowers, and (3) control, i.e., natural patches of ecosystem engineers and associated plant species. We found both positive and negative associational effects between plants depending on ecosystem engineer identity, indicating both pollination facilitation and interference. In both cases, patches supported by ecosystem engineers increased phylogenetic and functional diversity of flower visitors. Furthermore, complementarity effects between engineers and associated plants were positive for flower visitation rates. Our study reveals that plant facilitation can enhance the strength of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships, with complementarity between plants for attracting more and diverse flower visitors being the likely driver. A potential mechanism is that synergy and complementarity between engineers and associated plants increase attractiveness for shared visitors and widen pollination niches. In synthesis, facilitation among plants can scale up to a full network, supporting ecosystem functioning both directly via microhabitat amelioration and indirectly via diversity effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianalberto Losapio
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Zurich, 8092, Switzerland.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.,Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Jordi Bascompte
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Richard Michalet
- University of Bordeaux, UMR 5805 EPOC, Talence cedex, 33405, France
| | - Pierfilippo Cerretti
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | | | - Jean-Paul Haenni
- Muséum d'histoire Naturelle, Entomologie, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Rainer Neumeyer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | | | - Adrian C Pont
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, OX1 3PW, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal Rousse
- Unité Expertise-Risques Biologiques, Laboratoire de la Santé des Végétaux, ANSES, Angers, 49000, France
| | - Jürg Schmid
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Sommaggio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40127, Italy
| | - Christian Schöb
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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12
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Weng YM, Kavanaugh DH, Schoville SD. Drainage basins serve as multiple glacial refugia for alpine habitats in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:826-843. [PMID: 33270315 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary histories of alpine species are often directly associated with responses to glaciation. Deep divergence among populations and complex patterns of genetic variation have been inferred as consequences of persistence within glacier boundaries (i.e., on nunataks), while shallow divergence and limited genetic variation are assumed to result from expansion from large refugia at the edge of ice shields (i.e., massifs de refuge). However, for some species, dependence on specific microhabitats could profoundly influence their spatial and demographic response to glaciation, and such a simple dichotomy may obscure the localization of actual refugia. In this study, we use the Nebria ingens complex (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a water-affiliated ground beetle lineage, to test how drainage basins are linked to their observed population structure. By analysing mitochondrial COI gene sequences and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms, we find that the major drainage systems of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California best explain the population structure of the N. ingens complex. In addition, we find that an intermediate morphotype within the N. ingens complex is the product of historical hybridization of N. riversi and N. ingens in the San Joaquin basin during glaciation. This study highlights the importance of considering ecological preferences in how species respond to climate fluctuations and provides an explanation for discordances that are often observed in comparative phylogeographical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ming Weng
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David H Kavanaugh
- Department of Entomology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sean D Schoville
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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13
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Danet A, Schneider FD, Anthelme F, Kéfi S. Indirect facilitation drives species composition and stability in drylands. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-020-00489-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Lamy T, Koenigs C, Holbrook SJ, Miller RJ, Stier AC, Reed DC. Foundation species promote community stability by increasing diversity in a giant kelp forest. Ecology 2020; 101:e02987. [PMID: 31960414 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Foundation species structure communities, promote biodiversity, and stabilize ecosystem processes by creating locally stable environmental conditions. Despite their critical importance, the role of foundation species in stabilizing natural communities has seldom been quantified. In theory, the stability of a foundation species should promote community stability by enhancing species richness, altering the population fluctuations of individual species, or both. Here we tested the hypothesis that the stability of a marine foundation species, the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, increased the stability of the aggregate biomass of a phylogenetically diverse assemblage of understory algae and sessile invertebrates that compete for space beneath the giant kelp canopy. To achieve this goal, we analyzed an 18-yr time series of the biomass of giant kelp and its associated benthic community collected from 32 plots distributed among nine shallow reefs in the Santa Barbara Channel, USA. We showed that the stability of understory algae and sessile invertebrates was positively and indirectly related to the stability of giant kelp, which primarily resulted from giant kelp's direct positive association with species richness. The stability of all community types was positively related to species richness via increased species stability and species asynchrony. The stabilizing effects of richness were three to four times stronger when algae and invertebrates were considered separately rather than in combination. Our finding that diversity-stability relationships were stronger in communities consisting of species with similar resource requirements suggests that competition for shared resources rather than differential responses to environmental conditions played a more important role in stabilizing the community. Increasing threats to structure-forming foundation species worldwide necessitates a detailed understanding of how they influence their associated community. This study is among the first to show that dampened temporal fluctuations in the biomass of a foundation species is an important determinant of the stability of the complex communities it supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lamy
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Craig Koenigs
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Sally J Holbrook
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Robert J Miller
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Adrian C Stier
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Daniel C Reed
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
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15
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Zhao RM, Zhang H, An LZ. Spatial patterns and interspecific relationships of two dominant cushion plants at three elevations on the Kunlun Mountain, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:17339-17349. [PMID: 32157543 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08324-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
One of the most important ecological processes is the formation of interspecific relationships in relation to spatial patterns among alpine cushion plants in extreme environmental habitats. However, such relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the spatial patterns of alpine cushion plants along an altitudinal gradient of environmental severity and the interspecific relationship between two cushion species (Thylacospermum caespitosum and Androsace tangulashanensis) on the eastern Kunlun Mountain of China. Our results showed that the two species were highly aggregated within a distance of 2.5-5 m at the mid (S2) altitude, whereas they were randomly distributed at the low (S1) and high (S3) altitudes. A positive spatial interaction between the two species was observed over shorter distances at the mid (S2) altitude, and the spatial patterns were related to the size of individuals of the two species. Moreover, the impact of A. tangulashanensis on T. caespitosum (RIIT. caespitosum) was negative in all the study plots, and a positive impact of T. caespitosum on A. tangulashanensis (RIIA. tangulashanensis) was only observed at the mid (S2) altitude. Together, these results demonstrated that the spatial patterns of these two cushions varied with environmental severity, since the outcome of the interactions were different, to some extent, at the three altitudes. Plant size is the main factor affecting the spatial correlation and interspecific relationship between two cushions. Therefore, its potential influence should be considered when discussing interspecific relationships among cushions and their community construction at small scales in alpine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ming Zhao
- College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, No. 1 Yingmen Village, Anning District, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China.
| | - Hua Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Li-Zhe An
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
- Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Tsinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China.
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16
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Losapio G, Fortuna MA, Bascompte J, Schmid B, Michalet R, Neumeyer R, Castro L, Cerretti P, Germann C, Haenni JP, Klopfstein S, Ortiz-Sanchez FJ, Pont AC, Rousse P, Schmid J, Sommaggio D, Schöb C. Plant interactions shape pollination networks via nonadditive effects. Ecology 2019; 100:e02619. [PMID: 30636292 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Plants grow in communities where they interact with other plants and with other living organisms such as pollinators. On the one hand, studies of plant-plant interactions rarely consider how plants interact with other trophic levels such as pollinators. On the other, studies of plant-animal interactions rarely deal with interactions within trophic levels such as plant-plant competition and facilitation. Thus, to what degree plant interactions affect biodiversity and ecological networks across trophic levels is poorly understood. We manipulated plant communities driven by foundation species facilitation and sampled plant-pollinator networks at fine spatial scale in a field experiment in Sierra Nevada, Spain. We found that plant-plant facilitation shaped pollinator diversity and structured pollination networks. Nonadditive effects of plant interactions on pollinator diversity and interaction diversity were synergistic in one foundation species networks while they were additive in another foundation species. Nonadditive effects of plant interactions were due to rewiring of pollination interactions. In addition, plant facilitation had negative effects on the structure of pollination networks likely due to increase in plant competition for pollination. Our results empirically demonstrate how different network types are coupled, revealing pervasive consequences of interaction chains in diverse communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianalberto Losapio
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Biocommunication Group, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Miguel A Fortuna
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Jordi Bascompte
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Bernhard Schmid
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Richard Michalet
- UMR 5805 EPOC, University of Bordeaux, Avenue des Facultés, Talence, 33405, France
| | - Rainer Neumeyer
- University of Zurich, Probsteistrasse 89, Zurich, 8051, Switzerland
| | - Leopoldo Castro
- I.E.S. Vega del Turia, Avenida Sanz Gadea 9, Teruel, 44002, Spain
| | - Pierfilippo Cerretti
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Viale dell'università 32, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | | | - Jean-Paul Haenni
- Muséum d'histoire Naturelle, Entomologie, Rue des Terreaux 14, Neuchâtel, 2000, Switzerland
| | - Seraina Klopfstein
- Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern, WL, Bernastrasse 15, Bern, 3005, Switzerland
| | | | - Adrian C Pont
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PW, United Kingdom
| | - Pascal Rousse
- Unité Expertise-Risques Biologiques, Laboratoire de la Santé des Végétaux, ANSES, 7 rue Jean Dixméras 49000, Angers, France
| | - Jürg Schmid
- University of Zurich, Poststrasse 3, Ilanz, 7130, Switzerland
| | - Daniele Sommaggio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, Bologna, 40127, Italy
| | - Christian Schöb
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.,Department of Environmental Systems Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Tannenstrasse 1, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
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17
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18
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Isolation and cross-amplification of the first set of polymorphic microsatellite markers of two high-Andean cushion plants. J Genet 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s12041-018-0999-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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19
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Zhao RM, Zhang H, An LZ. Thylacospermum caespitosum population structure and cushion species community diversity along an altitudinal gradient. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:28998-29005. [PMID: 30109682 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-2893-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
As alpine plants, cushion species are particularly susceptible to environment changes. Thus, understanding population structure and community diversity variation of cushion plants along elevational gradients is crucial for estimating their response to predicted climate changes. In this study, Thylacospermum caespitosum populations from three elevations (low, medium, and high) in three climate zones of China (the Kunlun, Qilian, and Tianshan Mountains) were selected to evaluate the effect of elevation on the structure of T. caespitosum populations and species diversity of cushion communities. Results showed that elevation substantially influenced T. caespitosum populations (size structure, density, and death rate), as well as richness (α-diversity) and microhabitat species pool (species pool) of cushion communities. In the low elevations, T. caespitosum populations were in decline due to a lower ratio of small plants and higher mortality compared with populations at medium and high elevations. The α-diversity and species pool in cushion communities were significantly increased with decreased elevation, but the importance value of T. caespitosum decreased accordingly. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between elevation and relative importance value (the importance of one species in the community) of T. caespitosum (r = 0.883; P < 0.01). Elevation was significantly negatively correlated with the mortality rate of T. caespitosum (r = - 0.855; P < 0.01), α-diversity (r = - 0.933; P < 0.001), and species pool (r = - 0.885; P < 0.01). The declining characters of T. caespitosum population structure were obvious in low elevation populations. This decline may directly or indirectly relate to environmental change. Effects of elevation can provide an early indication of range contractions and population declines of cushion species with future climate warming. We call for more mechanistic studies of climate change impacts on cushion populations, particularly in alpine systems near the snow line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ming Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Chemistry of Northwestern Plant Resources and Key Laboratory for Natural Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Tianshui Middle Road 18, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
| | - Hua Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Li-Zhe An
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road 222, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
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20
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Crotty SM, Sharp SJ, Bersoza AC, Prince KD, Cronk K, Johnson EE, Angelini C. Foundation species patch configuration mediates salt marsh biodiversity, stability and multifunctionality. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1681-1692. [PMID: 30141246 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Foundation species enhance biodiversity and multifunctionality across many systems; however, whether foundation species patch configuration mediates their ecological effects is unknown. In a 6-month field experiment, we test which attributes of foundation species patch configuration - i.e. patch size, total patch area, perimeter, area-perimeter ratio, or connectivity - control biodiversity, stability and multifunctionality by adding a standardised density of mussel foundation species in patches of 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, 90 or 180 individuals to a southeastern US salt marsh. Over 67% of response variables increased with clustering of mussels, responses that were driven by increases in area-perimeter ratio (33%), decreases in perimeter (29%), or increases in patch size (5%), suggesting sensitivity to external stressors and/or dependence on foundation species-derived niche availability and segregation. Thus, mussel configuration - by controlling the relative distribution of multidimensional patch interior and edge niche space - critically modulates this foundation species' effects on ecosystem structure, stability and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinéad M Crotty
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Sean J Sharp
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Ada C Bersoza
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Kimberly D Prince
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Katheryne Cronk
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Emma E Johnson
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Christine Angelini
- Environmental Engineering Sciences, Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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21
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López-Angulo J, Pescador DS, Sánchez AM, Mihoč MAK, Cavieres LA, Escudero A. Determinants of high mountain plant diversity in the Chilean Andes: From regional to local spatial scales. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200216. [PMID: 29979767 PMCID: PMC6034847 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mountains are considered excellent natural laboratories for studying the determinants of plant diversity at contrasting spatial scales. To gain insights into how plant diversity is structured at different spatial scales, we surveyed high mountain plant communities in the Chilean Andes where man-driven perturbations are rare. This was done along elevational gradients located at different latitudes taking into account factors that act at fine scales, including abiotic (potential solar radiation and soil quality) and biotic (species interactions) factors, and considering multiple spatial scales. Species richness, inverse of Simpson's concentration (Dequiv), beta-diversity and plant cover were estimated using the percentage of cover per species recorded in 34 sites in the different regions with contrasted climates. Overall, plant species richness, Dequiv and plant cover were lower in sites located at higher latitudes. We found a unimodal relationship between species richness and elevation and this pattern was constant independently of the regional climatic conditions. Soil quality decreased the beta-diversity among the plots in each massif and increased the richness, the Dequiv and cover. Segregated patterns of species co-occurrence were related to increases in richness, Dequiv and plant cover at finer scales. Our results showed that elevation patterns of alpine plant diversity remained constant along the regions although the mechanisms underlying these diversity patterns may differ among climatic regions. They also suggested that the patterns of plant diversity in alpine ecosystems respond to a series of factors (abiotic and biotic) that act jointly at different spatial scale determining the assemblages of local communities, but their importance can only be assessed using a multi-scale spatial approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús López-Angulo
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - David S. Pescador
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana M. Sánchez
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Lohengrin A. Cavieres
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Chile
| | - Adrián Escudero
- Departamento de Biología, Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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22
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Losapio G, Pugnaire FI, O'Brien MJ, Schöb C. Plant life history stage and nurse age change the development of ecological networks in an arid ecosystem. OIKOS 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianalberto Losapio
- Dep. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Univ. of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Inst. of Technology, ETH Zurich; Dept of Environmental Systems Science, Inst. of Agricultural Sciences; Zurich Switzerland
| | - Francisco I. Pugnaire
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, La Cañada; Almería Spain
| | - Michael J. O'Brien
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, La Cañada; Almería Spain
| | - Christian Schöb
- Dep. of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Univ. of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Inst. of Technology, ETH Zurich; Dept of Environmental Systems Science, Inst. of Agricultural Sciences; Zurich Switzerland
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23
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Danet A, Kéfi S, Meneses RI, Anthelme F. Nurse species and indirect facilitation through grazing drive plant community functional traits in tropical alpine peatlands. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:11265-11276. [PMID: 29299299 PMCID: PMC5743694 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Facilitation among plants mediated by grazers occurs when an unpalatable plant extends its protection against grazing to another plant. This type of indirect facilitation impacts species coexistence and ecosystem functioning in a large array of ecosystems worldwide. It has nonetheless generally been understudied so far in comparison with the role played by direct facilitation among plants. We aimed at providing original data on indirect facilitation at the community scale to determine the extent to which indirect facilitation mediated by grazers can shape plant communities. Such experimental data are expected to contribute to refining the conceptual framework on plant–plant–herbivore interactions in stressful environments. We set up a 2‐year grazing exclusion experiment in tropical alpine peatlands in Bolivia. Those ecosystems depend entirely on a few, structuring cushion‐forming plants (hereafter referred to as “nurse” species), in which associated plant communities develop. Fences have been set over two nurse species with different strategies to cope with grazing (direct vs. indirect defenses), which are expected to lead to different intensities of indirect facilitation for the associated communities. We collected functional traits which are known to vary according to grazing pressure (LDMC, leaf thickness, and maximum height), on both the nurse and their associated plant communities in grazed (and therefore indirect facilitation as well) and ungrazed conditions. We found that the effect of indirectly facilitated on the associated plant communities depended on the functional trait considered. Indirect facilitation decreased the effects of grazing on species relative abundance, mean LDMC, and the convergence of the maximum height distribution of the associated communities, but did not affect mean height or cover. The identity of the nurse species and grazing jointly affected the structure of the associated plant community through indirect facilitation. Our results together with the existing literature suggest that the “grazer–nurse–beneficiary” interaction module can be more complex than expected when evaluated in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Danet
- AMAP CIRAD IRD CNRS INRA Université de Montpellier Montpellier France.,ISEM CNRS Université de Montpellier, IRD EPHEMontpellier France
| | - Sonia Kéfi
- ISEM CNRS Université de Montpellier, IRD EPHEMontpellier France
| | - Rosa I Meneses
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Herbario Nacional de Bolivia Cota Cota La Paz Bolivia.,Inst. de Ecologìa Univ. Mayor San Andrés Cota Cota La Paz Bolivia
| | - Fabien Anthelme
- AMAP CIRAD IRD CNRS INRA Université de Montpellier Montpellier France.,Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Herbario Nacional de Bolivia Cota Cota La Paz Bolivia.,Inst. de Ecologìa Univ. Mayor San Andrés Cota Cota La Paz Bolivia
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24
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Anthelme F, Meneses RI, Valero NNH, Pozo P, Dangles O. Fine nurse variations explain discrepancies in the stress-interaction relationship in alpine regions. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Anthelme
- Valero, AMAP, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Univ. Montpellier; Montpellier France
| | - Rosa I. Meneses
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Cota Cota; La Paz Bolivia
| | | | - Paola Pozo
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Cota Cota; La Paz Bolivia
- Inst. de Ecología, Univ. Mayor San Andrés, Cota Cota; La Paz Bolivia
| | - Olivier Dangles
- IRD, UMR Evolution Génome Comportement et Ecologie, Univ. Paris-Sud CNRS-Paris-Saclay; Gif-sur-Yvette France
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Univ. Católica del Ecuador; Quito Ecuador
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25
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Asmelash F, Bekele T, Birhane E. The Potential Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in the Restoration of Degraded Lands. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1095. [PMID: 27507960 PMCID: PMC4960231 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiences worldwide reveal that degraded lands restoration projects achieve little success or fail. Hence, understanding the underlying causes and accordingly, devising appropriate restoration mechanisms is crucial. In doing so, the ever-increasing aspiration and global commitments in degraded lands restoration could be realized. Here we explain that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) biotechnology is a potential mechanism to significantly improve the restoration success of degraded lands. There are abundant scientific evidences to demonstrate that AMF significantly improve soil attributes, increase above and belowground biodiversity, significantly improve tree/shrub seedlings survival, growth and establishment on moisture and nutrient stressed soils. AMF have also been shown to drive plant succession and may prevent invasion by alien species. The very few conditions where infective AMF are low in abundance and diversity is when the soil erodes, is disturbed and is devoid of vegetation cover. These are all common features of degraded lands. Meanwhile, degraded lands harbor low levels of infective AMF abundance and diversity. Therefore, the successful restoration of infective AMF can potentially improve the restoration success of degraded lands. Better AMF inoculation effects result when inocula are composed of native fungi instead of exotics, early seral instead of late seral fungi, and are consortia instead of few or single species. Future research efforts should focus on AMF effect on plant community primary productivity and plant competition. Further investigation focusing on forest ecosystems, and carried out at the field condition is highly recommended. Devising cheap and ethically widely accepted inocula production methods and better ways of AMF in situ management for effective restoration of degraded lands will also remain to be important research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fisseha Asmelash
- Forest and Range Land Biodiversity Conservation Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity InstituteAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa UniversityAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tamrat Bekele
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa UniversityAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Emiru Birhane
- Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle UniversityMekelle, Ethiopia
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life SciencesÅs, Norway
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26
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Foundation Species Loss and Biodiversity of the Herbaceous Layer in New England Forests. FORESTS 2015. [DOI: 10.3390/f7010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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