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Rostami MA, Frontalini F, Giordano P, Francescangeli F, Alves Martins MV, Dyer L, Spagnoli F. Testing the applicability of random forest modeling to examine benthic foraminiferal responses to multiple environmental parameters. Mar Environ Res 2021; 172:105502. [PMID: 34638002 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The main environmental variables controlling benthic foraminiferal distributions were identified and used to assess their influence on ecological indices developed as predictors of Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) in marine ecosystems. Gradient forest and random forest models were applied to assess the predictive value of a selection of abiotic (environmental) and biotic (foraminifera) variables in a costal marine area in the central Adriatic Sea (Italy). This approach yields evidence that the predictor variables sand, silt, Pollution Load Index, and TN have the greatest influence on the distribution of benthic foraminifera in this area. In addition, we identify thresholds for the most important environmental variables that influence ecological indices. These findings contribute to efforts to determine how to best improve sediment quality and environmental stability for marine conservation. Further application of these approaches represents a useful tool for policymakers to survey the diversity of marine organisms and to improve the ability to protect and restore marine ecosystems by identifying predictors of diversity and identifying key thresholds in these predictors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoud A Rostami
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
| | - Fabrizio Frontalini
- Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", 61029, Urbino, Italy
| | - Patrizia Giordano
- Istituto di Scienze Polari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Francescangeli
- University of Hamburg, Institute for Geology, Centre for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Bundesstraße, 55, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Virginia Alves Martins
- Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), R. São Francisco Xavier, 524, LabMicro 4037F, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, 20550-900, Brazil; Aveiro University, Department of Geosciences, GeoBioTec, Campus de Santiago, 3810-197, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Lee Dyer
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Federico Spagnoli
- Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 60125, Ancona, Italy; School of Science and Technology, Geology division, University of Camerino, 62032, Camerino, Italy
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Harvey JA, Heinen R, Armbrecht I, Basset Y, Baxter-Gilbert JH, Bezemer TM, Böhm M, Bommarco R, Borges PAV, Cardoso P, Clausnitzer V, Cornelisse T, Crone EE, Dicke M, Dijkstra KDB, Dyer L, Ellers J, Fartmann T, Forister ML, Furlong MJ, Garcia-Aguayo A, Gerlach J, Gols R, Goulson D, Habel JC, Haddad NM, Hallmann CA, Henriques S, Herberstein ME, Hochkirch A, Hughes AC, Jepsen S, Jones TH, Kaydan BM, Kleijn D, Klein AM, Latty T, Leather SR, Lewis SM, Lister BC, Losey JE, Lowe EC, Macadam CR, Montoya-Lerma J, Nagano CD, Ogan S, Orr MC, Painting CJ, Pham TH, Potts SG, Rauf A, Roslin TL, Samways MJ, Sanchez-Bayo F, Sar SA, Schultz CB, Soares AO, Thancharoen A, Tscharntke T, Tylianakis JM, Umbers KDL, Vet LEM, Visser ME, Vujic A, Wagner DL, WallisDeVries MF, Westphal C, White TE, Wilkins VL, Williams PH, Wyckhuys KAG, Zhu ZR, de Kroon H. International scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:174-176. [PMID: 31907382 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1079-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A Harvey
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Robin Heinen
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Inge Armbrecht
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Yves Basset
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - T Martijn Bezemer
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Monika Böhm
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Riccardo Bommarco
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Paulo A V Borges
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group, University of Azores, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research (LIBRe), Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | | | - Marcel Dicke
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra
- IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lee Dyer
- Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Jacintha Ellers
- Department of Ecological Sciences, Vrije University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Fartmann
- Department of Biodiversity and Landscape Ecology, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
| | | | - Michael J Furlong
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Justin Gerlach
- IUCN SSC Terrestrial Invertebrate Red List Authority, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rieta Gols
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Jan-Christian Habel
- Evolutionary Zoology, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nick M Haddad
- Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - Caspar A Hallmann
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Marie E Herberstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Axel Hochkirch
- Department of Biogeography, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | - Alice C Hughes
- Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan, China
| | - Sarina Jepsen
- The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Portland, OR, USA
| | - T Hefin Jones
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Bora M Kaydan
- Biotechnology Application and Research Centre, Çukurova University, Balcalı, Adana, Turkey
| | - David Kleijn
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tanya Latty
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Simon R Leather
- Crop & Environment Science, Harper Adams University, Newport, UK
| | - Sara M Lewis
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Bradford C Lister
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - John E Losey
- Entomology Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Lowe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Craig R Macadam
- Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Peterborough, UK
| | | | | | - Sophie Ogan
- Department of Biogeography, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | - Michael C Orr
- Key Laboratory for Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Thai-Hong Pham
- Vietnam National Museum of Nature & Graduate School of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Simon G Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, Reading University, Reading, UK
| | - Aunu Rauf
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Tomas L Roslin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michael J Samways
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | | | - Sim A Sar
- National Agricultural Research Institute, Lae, Papua New Guinea
| | - Cheryl B Schultz
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, British Columbia, USA
| | - António O Soares
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group, University of Azores, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Anchana Thancharoen
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jason M Tylianakis
- Bio-protection Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Kate D L Umbers
- School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Louise E M Vet
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ante Vujic
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - David L Wagner
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Michiel F WallisDeVries
- De Vlinderstichting (Dutch Butterfly Conservation) & Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas E White
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vicky L Wilkins
- IUCN SSC Mid Atlantic Island Invertebrate Specialist Group, IUCN, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Zeng-Rong Zhu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Insect Pests and Diseases, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hans de Kroon
- Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Loudermilk EL, Dyer L, Pokswinski S, Hudak AT, Hornsby B, Richards L, Dell J, Goodrick SL, Hiers JK, O’Brien JJ. Simulating Groundcover Community Assembly in a Frequently Burned Ecosystem Using a Simple Neutral Model. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:1107. [PMID: 31572417 PMCID: PMC6753978 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Fire is a keystone process that drives patterns of biodiversity globally. In frequently burned fire-dependent ecosystems, surface fire regimes allow for the coexistence of high plant diversity at fine scales even where soils are uniform. The mechanisms on how fire impacts groundcover community dynamics are, however, poorly understood. Because fire can act as a stochastic agent of mortality, we hypothesized that a neutral mechanism might be responsible for maintaining plant diversity. We used the demographic parameters of the unified neutral theory of biodiversity (UNTB) as a foundation to model groundcover species richness, using a southeastern US pine woodland as an example. We followed the fate of over 7,000 individuals of 123 plant species for 4 years and two prescribed burns in frequently burned Pinus palustris sites in northwest FL, USA. Using these empirical data and UNTB-based assumptions, we developed two parsimonious autonomous agent models, which were distinct by spatially explicit and implicit local recruitment processes. Using a parameter sensitivity test, we examined how empirical estimates, input species frequency distributions, and community size affected output species richness. We found that dispersal limitation was the most influential parameter, followed by mortality and birth, and that these parameters varied based on scale of the frequency distributions. Overall, these nominal parameters were useful for simulating fine-scale groundcover communities, although further empirical analysis of richness patterns, particularly related to fine-scale burn severity, is needed. This modeling framework can be utilized to examine our premise that localized groundcover assemblages are neutral communities at high fire frequencies, as well as to examine the extent to which niche-based dynamics determine community dynamics when fire frequency is altered.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Louise Loudermilk
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Forest Disturbance Science, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Lee Dyer
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Scott Pokswinski
- Tall Timbers Research Station and Conservancy, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Andrew T. Hudak
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Benjamin Hornsby
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Forest Disturbance Science, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Lora Richards
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Jane Dell
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Scott L. Goodrick
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Forest Disturbance Science, Athens, GA, United States
| | - J. Kevin Hiers
- Tall Timbers Research Station and Conservancy, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Joseph J. O’Brien
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Forest Disturbance Science, Athens, GA, United States
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