1
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Gibbs TL, Levine JM, Turcotte MM. Competitor-induced plasticity modifies the interactions and predicted competitive outcomes between annual plants. Ecology 2025; 106:e70085. [PMID: 40331241 PMCID: PMC12056694 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.70085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2024] [Revised: 01/28/2025] [Accepted: 02/19/2025] [Indexed: 05/08/2025]
Abstract
The competitive effect of one individual on another can have impacts beyond just reductions in performance. Because species plastically respond to their environment, competition can also induce changes in species traits, and in turn, these modified traits can then affect interactions with yet other individuals. In this context, plasticity is often argued to favor species coexistence by increasing the niche differentiation between species, though experimental evidence for this hypothesis that explicitly projects competitive outcomes is largely lacking. Here, we transiently subjected four annual plant species to early-season intraspecific or interspecific competition to explicitly induce plastic responses and then examined the response of these individuals to competitors faced later in life. Competing with nearby individuals early in the growing season tended to amplify the sensitivity of individuals to competition, and particularly so for interspecific competition, but the strength of this effect depended on the identity of the focal species. This increase in interspecific relative to intraspecific competition caused plasticity to decrease the predicted likelihood of pairwise coexistence. By combining recent theory with a new experimental approach, we provide a pathway toward integrating phenotypic plasticity into our quantitative understanding of coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo L. Gibbs
- Lewis‐Sigler Institute for Integrative GenomicsPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Jonathan M. Levine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Martin M. Turcotte
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
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2
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Wang Q, Kong M, Wang J, Gao B, Ping X. The Specific Impacts of Allelopathy and Resource Competition from Artemisia frigida on the Growth of Three Plant Species in Northern China. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:3286. [PMID: 39683079 DOI: 10.3390/plants13233286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2024] [Revised: 10/30/2024] [Accepted: 11/20/2024] [Indexed: 12/18/2024]
Abstract
Plant interference is a key factor influencing plant coexistence and species composition. The two primary forms of plant interference-allelopathy and resource competition-are often difficult to separate. This study conducted an outdoor pot experiment to quantify the distinct contributions of resource competition and allelopathy of Artemisia frigida on seedling growth of three species: Leymus chinensis, Cleistogenes squarrosa, and Potentilla acaulis. The index of relative neighbor effect (RNE) was used to quantify the overall effect of plant interference, while the inhibition rates (IRs) of resource competition and allelopathy were utilized to determine the specific contributions of allelopathy and resource competition from A. frigida on the growth of target plant species. The interference effect of A. frigida was found to be species-specific. The allelopathic effect of A. frigida played a major role in inhibiting the belowground biomass of L. chinensis (23.97%) and C. squarrosa (58.27%), while allelopathy and resource competition from A. frigida promoted the belowground biomass (45.12%) and aboveground biomass (46.63%) of P. acaulis, respectively. The combined effect of allelopathy and resource competition from A. frigida significantly affected the aboveground biomass of C. squarrosa and P. acaulis, as well as the belowground biomass of L. chinensis and C. squarrosa. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the patterns and mechanisms of plant species composition and its relationship with grazing intensity in this grassland ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Wang
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Mengqiao Kong
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Junwen Wang
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Bin Gao
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiaoyan Ping
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, No. 35 Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
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3
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Morita K, Yamamichi M. Character displacement or priority effects: immigration timing can affect community assembly with rapid evolution. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20242145. [PMID: 39561793 PMCID: PMC11576115 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2024] [Accepted: 09/26/2024] [Indexed: 11/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding how biological communities assemble in the presence of rapid evolution is becoming an important topic in ecology. Previous studies demonstrated that community assembly can be affected by two types of eco-evolutionary dynamics: evolution-mediated priority effect (EPE) and ecological character displacement (ECD). In EPE, early-arriving species prevent colonization of late-arriving species via local adaptation (i.e. community monopolization), whereas ECD promotes species coexistence by niche partitioning. Researchers tended to discuss the two processes separately, but it should be possible for those processes to operate in the same system depending on various conditions. Here, we developed a theoretical framework that integrates the two processes by using a simple two-species competition model with eco-evolutionary feedback. We revealed that, when an early-arriving species evolves, the difference in immigration timing between the early-arriving and a late-arriving species can be a key parameter. When the difference is small, ECD occurs because insufficient local adaptation of the early-arriving species allows colonization of the late-arriving species. When the difference is large, however, EPE occurs because niche pre-emption by local adaptation of the early-arriving species prevents colonization of the late-arriving species. Further theoretical and empirical studies will be important to better understand eco-evolutionary community assembly with ECD and EPE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiichi Morita
- Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo153-8902, Japan
| | - Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland4072, Australia
- Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki852-8523, Japan
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4
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Rivera-Estay V, Córdova-Lepe F, Moreno-Gómez FN, Benitez H, Gutiérrez R. Exploring the effects of competition and predation on the success of biological invasion through mathematical modeling. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4416. [PMID: 38388475 PMCID: PMC10883959 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53344-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological invasions are a major cause of species extinction and biodiversity loss. Exotic predators are the type of introduced species that have the greatest negative impact, causing the extinction of hundreds of native species. Despite this, they continue to be intentionally introduced by humans. Understanding the causes that determine the success of these invasions is a challenge within the field of invasion biology. Mathematical models play a crucial role in understanding and predicting the behavior of exotic species in different ecosystems. This study examines the effect of predation and competition on the invasion success of an exotic generalist predator in a native predator-prey system. Considering that the exotic predator both consumes the native prey and competes with the native predator, it is necessary to study the interplay between predation and competition, as one of these interspecific interactions may either counteract or contribute to the impact of the other on the success of a biological invasion. Through a mathematical model, represented by a system of ordinary differential equations, it is possible to describe four different scenarios upon the arrival of the exotic predator in a native predator-prey system. The conditions for each of these scenarios are described analytically and numerically. The numerical simulations are performed considering the American mink (Mustela vison), an invasive generalist predator. The results highlight the importance of considering the interplay between interspecific interactions for understanding biological invasion success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Rivera-Estay
- Doctorado en Modelamiento Matemático Aplicado, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, 3466706, Talca, Chile.
| | - Fernando Córdova-Lepe
- Departamento de Matemática, Física y Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, 3466706, Talca, Chile
| | - Felipe N Moreno-Gómez
- Departamento de Biología y Química, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, 3466706, Talca, Chile
| | - Hugo Benitez
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Morfometría Evolutiva, Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Instituto Milenio Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Antárticos y Subantárticos (BASE), Universidad Católica del Maule, 3466706, Talca, Chile
- Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad (CIRENYS), Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Avenida Viel 1497, 8370993, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo Gutiérrez
- Departamento de Matemática, Física y Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, 3466706, Talca, Chile
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5
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Yamamichi M, Gibbs T, Levine JM. Integrating eco-evolutionary dynamics and modern coexistence theory. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2091-2106. [PMID: 35962483 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Community ecology typically assumes that competitive exclusion and species coexistence are unaffected by evolution on the time scale of ecological dynamics. However, recent studies suggest that rapid evolution operating concurrently with competition may enable species coexistence. Such findings necessitate general theory that incorporates the coexistence contributions of eco-evolutionary processes in parallel with purely ecological mechanisms and provides metrics for quantifying the role of evolution in shaping competitive outcomes in both modelling and empirical contexts. To foster the development of such theory, here we extend the interpretation of the two principal metrics of modern coexistence theory-niche and competitive ability differences-to systems where competitors evolve. We define eco-evolutionary versions of these metrics by considering how invading and resident species adapt to conspecific and heterospecific competitors. We show that the eco-evolutionary niche and competitive ability differences are sums of ecological and evolutionary processes, and that they accurately predict the potential for stable coexistence in previous theoretical studies of eco-evolutionary dynamics. Finally, we show how this theory frames recent empirical assessments of rapid evolution effects on species coexistence, and how empirical work and theory on species coexistence and eco-evolutionary dynamics can be further integrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Theo Gibbs
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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6
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Morita K, Yamamichi M. How does the magnitude of genetic variation affect ecological and reproductive character displacement? POPUL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/1438-390x.12097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keiichi Morita
- Department of General Systems Studies The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
| | - Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine Nagasaki University Nagasaki Japan
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7
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Yamamichi M, Letten AD. Rapid evolution promotes fluctuation-dependent species coexistence. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:812-818. [PMID: 33617685 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that rapid contemporary evolution can play a significant role in regulating population dynamics on ecological timescales. Here we identify a previously unrecognised mode by which rapid evolution can promote species coexistence via temporal fluctuations and a trade-off between competitive ability and the speed of adaptive evolution. We show that this interaction between rapid evolution and temporal fluctuations not only increases the range of coexistence conditions under a gleaner-opportunist trade-off (i.e. low minimum resource requirement [R* ] vs. high maximum growth rate) but also yields stable coexistence in the absence of a classical gleaner-opportunist trade-off. Given the propensity for both oscillatory dynamics and different rates of adaptation between species (including rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity) in the real world, we argue that this expansion of fluctuation-dependent coexistence theory provides an important overlooked solution to the so-called 'paradox of the plankton'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Department of International Health and Medical Anthropology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan
| | - Andrew D Letten
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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8
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Yamamichi M, Kyogoku D, Iritani R, Kobayashi K, Takahashi Y, Tsurui-Sato K, Yamawo A, Dobata S, Tsuji K, Kondoh M. Intraspecific Adaptation Load: A Mechanism for Species Coexistence. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:897-907. [PMID: 32674869 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary ecological theory suggests that selection arising from interactions with conspecifics, such as sexual and kin selection, may result in evolution of intraspecific conflicts and evolutionary 'tragedy of the commons'. Here, we propose that such an evolution of conspecific conflicts may affect population dynamics in a way that enhances species coexistence. Empirical evidence and theoretical models suggest that more abundant species is more susceptible to invasion of 'selfish' individuals that increase their own reproductive success at the expense of population growth (intraspecific adaptation load). The density-dependent intraspecific adaptation load gives rise to a self-regulation mechanism at the population level, and stabilizes species coexistence at the community level by negative frequency-dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Kyogoku
- Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, 1-5 Yokotani, Seta Oe-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2194, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Iritani
- RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazuya Kobayashi
- Hokkaido Forest Research Station, Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, 553 Tawa, Shibecha-cho, Kawakami-gun, Hokkaido 088-2339, Japan
| | - Yuma Takahashi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Kaori Tsurui-Sato
- Center for Strategic Research Project, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Akira Yamawo
- Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, 1 Bunkyo-cho, Hirosaki 036-8560, Japan
| | - Shigeto Dobata
- Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Kazuki Tsuji
- Department of Subtropical Agro-Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Michio Kondoh
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578, Japan.
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9
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Abstract
How biodiversity is maintained in ecosystems is a central issue in ecology. According to the evolutionary theory, heritable variations between individuals are important for the generation of species diversity, linking both intra and interspecific variations. The present food web model shows that intraspecific variations via natural selection also play crucial roles in maintaining the stability of large communities with diverse species. In particular, our computations indicate that larger communities need more intraspecific variation to be maintained and are powerfully stabilized when multiple traits are variable. Consequently, these variations are likely to be maintained in larger communities. Hence, intra and interspecific diversities may support each other during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Mougi
- Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Academic Assembly, Shimane University, Matsue, Japan
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10
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Cortez MH. Genetic variation determines which feedbacks drive and alter predator-prey eco-evolutionary cycles. ECOL MONOGR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael H. Cortez
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Utah State University; Logan Utah 84322 USA
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11
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Felpeto AB, Roy S, Vasconcelos VM. Allelopathy prevents competitive exclusion and promotes phytoplankton biodiversity. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Shovonlal Roy
- CIIMAR, Univ. of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289; PT-4050-123 Porto Portugal
| | - Vitor M. Vasconcelos
- Faculty of Sciences, Porto Univ., Porto, Portugal. - S. Roy, Dept of Geography and Environmental Science, Univ. of Reading; Reading UK
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12
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Cortez MH, Patel S. The Effects of Predator Evolution and Genetic Variation on Predator-Prey Population-Level Dynamics. Bull Math Biol 2017; 79:1510-1538. [PMID: 28639169 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-017-0297-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This paper explores how predator evolution and the magnitude of predator genetic variation alter the population-level dynamics of predator-prey systems. We do this by analyzing a general eco-evolutionary predator-prey model using four methods: Method 1 identifies how eco-evolutionary feedbacks alter system stability in the fast and slow evolution limits; Method 2 identifies how the amount of standing predator genetic variation alters system stability; Method 3 identifies how the phase lags in predator-prey cycles depend on the amount of genetic variation; and Method 4 determines conditions for different cycle shapes in the fast and slow evolution limits using geometric singular perturbation theory. With these four methods, we identify the conditions under which predator evolution alters system stability and shapes of predator-prey cycles, and how those effect depend on the amount of genetic variation in the predator population. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method and the relations between the four methods. This work shows how the four methods can be used in tandem to make general predictions about eco-evolutionary dynamics and feedbacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Cortez
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
| | - Swati Patel
- Faculty of Mathematics, University of Vienna, Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090, Wien, Austria
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13
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Allen JL, Ten-Hage L, Leflaive J. Allelopathic interactions involving benthic phototrophic microorganisms. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2016; 8:752-762. [PMID: 27337369 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
As a way to prevent resource depletion by other species, many phototrophic aquatic microorganisms produce inhibitory compounds. This process, known as allelopathy, has been widely studied in planktonic environments, where it is recognized as being a driving force of planktonic communities. However, in benthic environments, biofilms provide very particular micro-environments. The present review focuses on allelopathic interactions involving benthic phototrophic prokaryotes and micro-eukaryotes ('microalgae'), which generally form biofilms, and includes any interaction involving benthic microalgae either as the emitter or as the target in both marine and freshwater habitats. To support our hypothesis on the importance of allelopathy in biofilms due to the particularities of biofilms, we show that (i) reported allelopathic species and compounds are diverse and numerous in the three major groups of benthic phototrophic microorganisms, (ii) allelopathic benthic species could affect community composition, (iii) allelopathy in biofilms is currently underestimated because of the lack of suitable methods. As benthic primary producers represent an important source of organic carbon in some streams and littoral areas, these interactions could impact the whole ecosystem in these areas, probably more than in areas dominated by planktonic communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joey L Allen
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Loïc Ten-Hage
- ECOLAB, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS, Toulouse, France
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14
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Cortez MH. How the Magnitude of Prey Genetic Variation Alters Predator-Prey Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics. Am Nat 2016; 188:329-41. [DOI: 10.1086/687393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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15
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Klauschies T, Vasseur DA, Gaedke U. Trait adaptation promotes species coexistence in diverse predator and prey communities. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:4141-59. [PMID: 27516870 PMCID: PMC4972238 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Species can adjust their traits in response to selection which may strongly influence species coexistence. Nevertheless, current theory mainly assumes distinct and time-invariant trait values. We examined the combined effects of the range and the speed of trait adaptation on species coexistence using an innovative multispecies predator-prey model. It allows for temporal trait changes of all predator and prey species and thus simultaneous coadaptation within and among trophic levels. We show that very small or slow trait adaptation did not facilitate coexistence because the stabilizing niche differences were not sufficient to offset the fitness differences. In contrast, sufficiently large and fast trait adaptation jointly promoted stable or neutrally stable species coexistence. Continuous trait adjustments in response to selection enabled a temporally variable convergence and divergence of species traits; that is, species became temporally more similar (neutral theory) or dissimilar (niche theory) depending on the selection pressure, resulting over time in a balance between niche differences stabilizing coexistence and fitness differences promoting competitive exclusion. Furthermore, coadaptation allowed prey and predator species to cluster into different functional groups. This equalized the fitness of similar species while maintaining sufficient niche differences among functionally different species delaying or preventing competitive exclusion. In contrast to previous studies, the emergent feedback between biomass and trait dynamics enabled supersaturated coexistence for a broad range of potential trait adaptation and parameters. We conclude that accounting for trait adaptation may explain stable and supersaturated species coexistence for a broad range of environmental conditions in natural systems when the absence of such adaptive changes would preclude it. Small trait changes, coincident with those that may occur within many natural populations, greatly enlarged the number of coexisting species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Klauschies
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Institute for Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Am Neuen Palais 10 D-14469 Potsdam Germany
| | - David A Vasseur
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Ursula Gaedke
- Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Modeling Institute for Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Am Neuen Palais 10 D-14469 Potsdam Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB) D-14195 Berlin Germany
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16
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17
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Yamamichi M, Miner BE. Indirect evolutionary rescue: prey adapts, predator avoids extinction. Evol Appl 2015; 8:787-95. [PMID: 26366196 PMCID: PMC4561568 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have increasingly recognized evolutionary rescue (adaptive evolution that prevents extinction following environmental change) as an important process in evolutionary biology and conservation science. Researchers have concentrated on single species living in isolation, but populations in nature exist within communities of interacting species, so evolutionary rescue should also be investigated in a multispecies context. We argue that the persistence or extinction of a focal species can be determined solely by evolutionary change in an interacting species. We demonstrate that prey adaptive evolution can prevent predator extinction in two-species predator–prey models, and we derive the conditions under which this indirect evolutionary interaction is essential to prevent extinction following environmental change. A nonevolving predator can be rescued from extinction by adaptive evolution of its prey due to a trade-off for the prey between defense against predation and population growth rate. As prey typically have larger populations and shorter generations than their predators, prey evolution can be rapid and have profound effects on predator population dynamics. We suggest that this process, which we term ‘indirect evolutionary rescue’, has the potential to be critically important to the ecological and evolutionary responses of populations and communities to dramatic environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Yamamichi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Brooks E Miner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA
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18
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Effect of allelopathic potential from selected aquatic macrophytes on algal interaction in the polluted water. BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2015.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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19
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Chakraborty S, Ramesh A, Dutta PS. Toxic phytoplankton as a keystone species in aquatic ecosystems: stable coexistence to biodiversity. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Subhendu Chakraborty
- Theoretical Physics/Complex Systems, ICBM, Carl von Ossietzky Univ.; PPF 2503 DE-26111 Oldenburg Germany
- VKR Centre for Ocean Life, National Inst. of Aquatic Resources, DTU Aqua, Technical Univ. of Denmark; Charlottenlund Slot, Jaegersborg Allé 1 DK-2920 Charlottenlund Denmark
| | - A Ramesh
- Dept of Mathematics; Indian Inst. of Technology Ropar; Punjab 140001 India
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