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Chen X, Li Z, Boda P, Fernandes IM, Xie Z, Zhang E. Environmental filtering in the dry season and spatial structuring in the wet: different fish community assembly rules revealed in a large subtropical floodplain lake. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:69875-69887. [PMID: 35578083 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20529-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although environmental filtering and spatial structuring are commonly regarded as two key factors shaping community dynamics, their relative contribution remains unknown for numerous aquatic ecosystems, particularly highly dynamic floodplain lakes. This issue is here addressed by examining the seasonal metacommunity dynamics of freshwater fishes in Lake Dongting, a large subtropical lake of the middle Chang-Jiang basin in southern China. Physicochemical variables and fish assemblages were recorded at 20 sampling sites during the wet, normal, and dry seasons. Distance-based redundancy analysis and associated variation partitioning were used to examine the relative role of environmental variables and spatial factors in fish community assembly in each season. Analysis results demonstrated that the relative contribution of environmental filtering and spatial structuring varied depending on environmental features and the extent of hydrological connectivity in different seasons. Intensified physicochemical parameters in the dry season convinced the enhanced environmental filtering, whereas high hydrological connectivity in the wet season favored the stronger spatial process. Specifically, the community assembly processes were temporally dynamic; spatial structuring (or mass effects), resulting from excessively high dispersal rates, was dominant during the flooding season, and environmental filtering was stronger than spatial structuring (or dispersal limitation) during the non-flooding season. These findings highlight the importance of conserving local habitats of Lake Dongting during the dry and normal seasons, and maintaining of the flood pulse of the lake and its natural variability during the wet season. Apparently, the construction of a water-level regulation project at the Chenglingji Channel, the outlet watercourse of Lake Dongting, is not supported because it will change the flood pulse of this lake and thus impact habitat heterogeneity or variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengfei Li
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Pál Boda
- Centre for Ecological Research, Department of Tisza Research, Danube Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Izaias Médice Fernandes
- Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil
| | - Zhicai Xie
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - E Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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Peterson K, Ruffley M, Parent CE. Phylogenetic diversity and community assembly in a naturally fragmented system. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:18066-18080. [PMID: 35003658 PMCID: PMC8717291 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We sought to assess effects of fragmentation and quantify the contribution of ecological processes to community assembly by measuring species richness, phylogenetic, and phenotypic diversity of species found in local and regional plant communities. Specifically, our fragmented system is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho, USA. CRMO is characterized by vegetated islands, kipukas, that are isolated in a matrix of lava. We used floristic surveys of vascular plants in 19 kipukas to create a local species list to compare traditional dispersion metrics, mean pairwise distance, and mean nearest taxon distance (MPD and MNTD), to a regional species list with phenotypic and phylogenetic data. We combined phylogenetic and functional trait data in a novel machine-learning model selection approach, Community Assembly Model Inference (CAMI), to infer probability associated with different models of community assembly given the data. Finally, we used linear regression to explore whether the geography of kipukas explained estimated support for community assembly models. Using traditional metrics of MPD and MNTD neutral processes received the most support when comparing kipuka species to regional species. Individually no kipukas showed significant support for overdispersion. Rather, five kipukas showed significant support for phylogenetic clustering using MPD and two kipukas using MNTD. Using CAMI, we inferred neutral and filtering models structured the kipuka plant community for our trait of interest. Finally, we found as species richness in kipukas increases, model support for competition decreases and lower elevation kipukas show more support for habitat filtering models. While traditional phylogenetic community approaches suggest neutral assembly dynamics, recently developed approaches utilizing machine learning and model choice revealed joint influences of assembly processes to form the kipuka plant communities. Understanding ecological processes at play in naturally fragmented systems will aid in guiding our understanding of how fragmentation impacts future changes in landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Peterson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | - Megan Ruffley
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
- Department of Plant BiologyCarnegie Institution for ScienceStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Christine E. Parent
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
- Institute for Interdisiplinary Data SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
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Widmer L, Heule E, Colombo M, Rueegg A, Indermaur A, Ronco F, Salzburger W. Point-Combination Transect (PCT): Incorporation of small underwater cameras to study fish communities. Methods Ecol Evol 2019; 10:891-901. [PMID: 31244987 PMCID: PMC6582616 DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Available underwater visual census (UVC) methods such as line transects or point count observations are widely used to obtain community data of underwater species assemblages, despite their known pit-falls. As interest in the community structure of aquatic life is growing, there is need for more standardized and replicable methods for acquiring underwater census data.Here, we propose a novel approach, Point-Combination Transect (PCT), which makes use of automated image recording by small digital cameras to eliminate observer and identification biases associated with available UVC methods. We conducted a pilot study at Lake Tanganyika, demonstrating the applicability of PCT on a taxonomically and phenotypically highly diverse assemblage of fishes, the Tanganyikan cichlid species-flock.We conducted 17 PCTs consisting of five GoPro cameras each and identified 22,867 individual cichlids belonging to 61 species on the recorded images. These data were then used to evaluate our method and to compare it to traditional line transect studies conducted in close proximity to our study site at Lake Tanganyika.We show that the analysis of the second hour of PCT image recordings (equivalent to 360 images per camera) leads to reliable estimates of the benthic cichlid community composition in Lake Tanganyika according to species accumulation curves, while minimizing the effect of disturbance of the fish through SCUBA divers. We further show that PCT is robust against observer biases and outperforms traditional line transect methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Widmer
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Elia Heule
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Marco Colombo
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Attila Rueegg
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Adrian Indermaur
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Fabrizia Ronco
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Walter Salzburger
- Department of Environmental SciencesZoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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Henckel L, Meynard CN, Devictor V, Mouquet N, Bretagnolle V. On the relative importance of space and environment in farmland bird community assembly. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213360. [PMID: 30856193 PMCID: PMC6411160 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative contribution of ecological processes in shaping metacommunity dynamics in heavily managed landscapes is still unclear. Here we used two complementary approaches to disentangle the role of environment and spatial effect in farmland bird community assembly in an intensive agro-ecosystem. We hypothesized that the interaction between habitat patches and dispersal should play a major role in such unstable and unpredictable environments. First, we used a metacommunity patterns analysis to characterize species co-occurrences and identify the main drivers of community assembly; secondly, variation partitioning was used to disentangle environmental and geographical factors (such as dispersal limitation) on community structure and composition. We used high spatial resolution data on bird community structure and composition distributed among 260 plots in an agricultural landscape. Species were partitioned into functional classes, and point count stations were classified according to landscape characteristics before applying metacommunity and partitioning analyses within each. Overall we could explain around 20% of the variance in species composition in our system, revealing that stochasticity remains very important at this scale. However, this proportion varies depending on the scale of analysis, and reveals potentially important contributions of environmental filtering and dispersal. These conclusions are further reinforced when the analysis was deconstructed by bird functional classes or by landscape habitat classes, underlining trait-related filters, thus reinforcing the idea that wooded areas in these agroecosystems may represent important sources for a specific group of bird species. Our analysis shows that deconstructing the species assemblages into separate functional groups and types of landscapes, along with a combination of analysis strategies, can help in understanding the mechanisms driving community assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Henckel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS & Université de La Rochelle, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
| | - Christine N. Meynard
- CBGP, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Vincent Devictor
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Place Eugène Bataillon, Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Nicolas Mouquet
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Vincent Bretagnolle
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS & Université de La Rochelle, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
- LTSER “Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre”, Beauvoir sur Niort, France
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Raffini F, Fruciano C, Meyer A. Morphological and genetic correlates in the left–right asymmetric scale-eating cichlid fish of Lake Tanganyika. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Raffini
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse, Konstanz, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Carmelo Fruciano
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse, Konstanz, Germany
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Axel Meyer
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse, Konstanz, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Radcliffe Institute for Advance Study, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Janzen T, Alzate A, Muschick M, Maan ME, van der Plas F, Etienne RS. Community assembly in Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish: quantifying the contributions of both niche-based and neutral processes. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1057-1067. [PMID: 28303177 PMCID: PMC5306054 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The cichlid family features some of the most spectacular examples of adaptive radiation. Evolutionary studies have highlighted the importance of both trophic adaptation and sexual selection in cichlid speciation. However, it is poorly understood what processes drive the composition and diversity of local cichlid species assemblages on relatively short, ecological timescales. Here, we investigate the relative importance of niche-based and neutral processes in determining the composition and diversity of cichlid communities inhabiting various environmental conditions in the littoral zone of Lake Tanganyika, Zambia. We collected data on cichlid abundance, morphometrics, and local environments. We analyzed relationships between mean trait values, community composition, and environmental variation, and used a recently developed modeling technique (STEPCAM) to estimate the contributions of niche-based and neutral processes to community assembly. Contrary to our expectations, our results show that stochastic processes, and not niche-based processes, were responsible for the majority of cichlid community assembly. We also found that the relative importance of niche-based and neutral processes was constant across environments. However, we found significant relationships between environmental variation, community trait means, and community composition. These relationships were caused by niche-based processes, as they disappeared in simulated, purely neutrally assembled communities. Importantly, these results can potentially reconcile seemingly contrasting findings in the literature about the importance of either niche-based or neutral-based processes in community assembly, as we show that significant trait relationships can already be found in nearly (but not completely) neutrally assembled communities; that is, even a small deviation from neutrality can have major effects on community patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thijs Janzen
- Department of Evolutionary TheoryMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary BiologyPlönGermany
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Adriana Alzate
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
- Terrestrial Ecology UnitUniversity of GhentGhentBelgium
- Fundacion EcomaresCaliColombia
| | - Moritz Muschick
- Zoological InstituteUniversity of BaselBaselSwitzerland
- Department of Fish Ecology & EvolutionEAWAG Centre for EcologyKastanienbaumSwitzerland
| | - Martine E. Maan
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Fons van der Plas
- Institute of Plant SciencesUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
- Biodiversity and Climate Research CentreSenckenberg Gesellschaft für NaturforschungFrankfurtGermany
| | - Rampal S. Etienne
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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