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Zhou K, Yin D, Liu C, Sun R. Investigating the role of poly-γ-glutamic acid in Pennisetum giganteum phytoextraction of mercury-contaminated soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 944:173707. [PMID: 38866170 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173707] [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: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Farmland mercury (Hg) pollution poses a significant threat to human health, but there is a lack of highly efficient phytoextraction for its remediation at present. This study investigates the impact of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) on the phytoextraction capabilities of Pennisetum giganteum (P. giganteum) in Hg-contaminated soil. Our research indicates that amending γ-PGA to soil markedly enhances the assimilation of soil Hg by P. giganteum and transformation of Hg within itself, with observed increases in Hg concentrations in roots, stems, and leaves by 1.1, 4.3, and 18.9 times, respectively, compared to the control. This enhancement is attributed to that γ-PGA can facilitate the hydrophilic and bioavailable of soil Hg. Besides, γ-PGA can stimulate the abundance of Hg-resistance bacteria Proteobacteria in the rhizosphere of P. giganteum, thus increasing the mobility and uptake of soil Hg by P. giganteum roots. Moreover, the hydrophilic nature of Hg-γ-PGA complexes supports their transport via the apoplastic pathway, across the epidermis, and through the Casparian strip, eventually leading to immobilization in the mesophyll tissues. This study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of Hg phytoextraction, demonstrating that γ-PGA significantly enhances the effectiveness of P. giganteum in Hg uptake and translocation. The findings suggest a promising approach for the remediation of Hg-contaminated soil, offering a sustainable and efficient strategy for environmental management and health risk mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Zhou
- Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, PR China
| | - Deliang Yin
- Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment (Guizhou University), Ministry of Education, Guiyang 550025, PR China
| | - Chen Liu
- Guizhou Key Laboratory for Mountainous Environmental Information and Ecological Protection, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, PR China
| | - Rongguo Sun
- Guizhou Key Laboratory for Mountainous Environmental Information and Ecological Protection, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, PR China.
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2
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Bastien GE, Cable RN, Batterbee C, Wing AJ, Zaman L, Duhaime MB. Virus-host interactions predictor (VHIP): Machine learning approach to resolve microbial virus-host interaction networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011649. [PMID: 39292721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Viruses of microbes are ubiquitous biological entities that reprogram their hosts' metabolisms during infection in order to produce viral progeny, impacting the ecology and evolution of microbiomes with broad implications for human and environmental health. Advances in genome sequencing have led to the discovery of millions of novel viruses and an appreciation for the great diversity of viruses on Earth. Yet, with knowledge of only "who is there?" we fall short in our ability to infer the impacts of viruses on microbes at population, community, and ecosystem-scales. To do this, we need a more explicit understanding "who do they infect?" Here, we developed a novel machine learning model (ML), Virus-Host Interaction Predictor (VHIP), to predict virus-host interactions (infection/non-infection) from input virus and host genomes. This ML model was trained and tested on a high-value manually curated set of 8849 virus-host pairs and their corresponding sequence data. The resulting dataset, 'Virus Host Range network' (VHRnet), is core to VHIP functionality. Each data point that underlies the VHIP training and testing represents a lab-tested virus-host pair in VHRnet, from which meaningful signals of viral adaptation to host were computed from genomic sequences. VHIP departs from existing virus-host prediction models in its ability to predict multiple interactions rather than predicting a single most likely host or host clade. As a result, VHIP is able to infer the complexity of virus-host networks in natural systems. VHIP has an 87.8% accuracy rate at predicting interactions between virus-host pairs at the species level and can be applied to novel viral and host population genomes reconstructed from metagenomic datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Eric Bastien
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Rachel N Cable
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Cecelia Batterbee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - A J Wing
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Luis Zaman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Melissa B Duhaime
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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3
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Xie G, Zhang Y, Gong Y, Luo W, Tang X. Extreme trophic tales: deciphering bacterial diversity and potential functions in oligotrophic and hypereutrophic lakes. BMC Microbiol 2024; 24:348. [PMID: 39277721 PMCID: PMC11401395 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-024-03488-x] [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: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oligotrophy and hypereutrophy represent the two extremes of lake trophic states, and understanding the distribution of bacterial communities across these contrasting conditions is crucial for advancing aquatic microbial research. Despite the significance of these extreme trophic states, bacterial community characteristics and co-occurrence patterns in such environments have been scarcely interpreted. To bridge this knowledge gap, we collected 60 water samples from Lake Fuxian (oligotrophic) and Lake Xingyun (hypereutrophic) during different hydrological periods. RESULTS Employing 16S rRNA gene sequencing, our findings revealed distinct community structures and metabolic potentials in bacterial communities of hypereutrophic and oligotrophic lake ecosystems. The hypereutrophic ecosystem exhibited higher bacterial α- and β-diversity compared to the oligotrophic ecosystem. Actinobacteria dominated the oligotrophic Lake Fuxian, while Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were more prevalent in the hypereutrophic Lake Xingyun. Functions associated with methanol oxidation, methylotrophy, fermentation, aromatic compound degradation, nitrogen/nitrate respiration, and nitrogen/nitrate denitrification were enriched in the oligotrophic lake, underscoring the vital role of bacteria in carbon and nitrogen cycling. In contrast, functions related to ureolysis, human pathogens, animal parasites or symbionts, and phototrophy were enriched in the hypereutrophic lake, highlighting human activity-related disturbances and potential pathogenic risks. Co-occurrence network analysis unveiled a more complex and stable bacterial network in the hypereutrophic lake compared to the oligotrophic lake. CONCLUSION Our study provides insights into the intricate relationships between trophic states and bacterial community structure, emphasizing significant differences in diversity, community composition, and network characteristics between extreme states of oligotrophy and hypereutrophy. Additionally, it explores the nuanced responses of bacterial communities to environmental conditions in these two contrasting trophic states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guijuan Xie
- College of Biology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, West Anhui University, Lu'an, 237012, China
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yuqing Zhang
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- The Third Construction Company of CCCC second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd, Zhenjiang, 212000, China
| | - Yi Gong
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Wenlei Luo
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China
- The Fuxianhu Station of Plateau Deep Lake Field Scientific Observation and Research, Yunnan, 653100, Yuxi, China
| | - Xiangming Tang
- Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research, State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
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4
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Bielčik M, Schlägel UE, Schäfer M, Aguilar-Trigueros CA, Lakovic M, Sosa-Hernández MA, Hammer EC, Jeltsch F, Rillig MC. Aligning spatial ecological theory with the study of clonal organisms: the case of fungal coexistence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024. [PMID: 39073180 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Established ecological theory has focused on unitary organisms, and thus its concepts have matured into a form that often hinders rather than facilitates the ecological study of modular organisms. Here, we use the example of filamentous fungi to develop concepts that enable integration of non-unitary (modular) organisms into the established community ecology theory, with particular focus on its spatial aspects. In doing so, we provide a link between fungal community ecology and modern coexistence theory (MCT). We first show how community processes and predictions made by MCT can be used to define meaningful scales in fungal ecology. This leads to the novel concept of the unit of community interactions (UCI), a promising conceptual tool for applying MCT to communities of modular organisms with indeterminate clonal growth and hierarchical individuality. We outline plausible coexistence mechanisms structuring fungal communities, and show at what spatial scales and in what habitats they are most likely to act. We end by describing challenges and opportunities for empirical and theoretical research in fungal competitive coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miloš Bielčik
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Microbial Biogeochemistry, Research Area Landscape Functioning, Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Str.84, Müncheberg, 15374, Germany
| | - Ulrike E Schlägel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Am Mühlenberg 3, House 60, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Merlin Schäfer
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Am Mühlenberg 3, House 60, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Alte Messe 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Carlos A Aguilar-Trigueros
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Building R2, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, New South Wales, 2751, Australia
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, Seminaarinkatu 15, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland
| | - Milica Lakovic
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Moisés A Sosa-Hernández
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Edith C Hammer
- Department of Biology, Microbial Ecology, Lund University, Ekologihuset, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 22362, Sweden
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Am Mühlenberg 3, House 60, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Matthias C Rillig
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr. 6, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Altensteinstr.34, Berlin, 14195, Germany
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5
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Gallien L, Cavaliere MC, Grange MC, Munoz F, Münkemüller T. Intransitive Stability Collapses Under the Influence of Dominant Competitors. Am Nat 2024; 204:E1-E10. [PMID: 38857345 DOI: 10.1086/730297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
AbstractIntransitive competition has received much attention over the past decade. Indeed, these cyclic arrangements of species interactions have the potential to promote and stabilize species coexistence. However, the importance of intransitive interactions in real-world species-rich communities containing a mixture of hierarchic and intransitive interactions remains unknown. Here, using simulations, we explore the behavior of intransitive loops when they interact with outer competitors, as would be expected in real-world communities. Our results show that dominant competitors often cancel the beneficial effects of intransitive loops of inferior competitors. These results call for caution when inferring beneficial effects of intransitivity on species coexistence. Although intransitive loops are a frequent motif in competition networks, their positive effects on species coexistence may be less important than previously thought. The specific properties of a subnetwork-such as stabilization by intransitive loops-should thus not be interpreted independently of the global network.
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6
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Vandermaesen J, Daly AJ, Mawarda PC, Baetens JM, De Baets B, Boon N, Springael D. Cooperative interactions between invader and resident microbial community members weaken the negative diversity-invasion relationship. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14433. [PMID: 38712704 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14433] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The negative diversity-invasion relationship observed in microbial invasion studies is commonly explained by competition between the invader and resident populations. However, whether this relationship is affected by invader-resident cooperative interactions is unknown. Using ecological and mathematical approaches, we examined the survival and functionality of Aminobacter niigataensis MSH1 to mineralize 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM), a groundwater micropollutant affecting drinking water production, in sand microcosms when inoculated together with synthetic assemblies of resident bacteria. The assemblies varied in richness and in strains that interacted pairwise with MSH1, including cooperative and competitive interactions. While overall, the negative diversity-invasion relationship was retained, residents engaging in cooperative interactions with the invader had a positive impact on MSH1 survival and functionality, highlighting the dependency of invasion success on community composition. No correlation existed between community richness and the delay in BAM mineralization by MSH1. The findings suggest that the presence of cooperative residents can alleviate the negative diversity-invasion relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aisling J Daly
- Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Panji Cahya Mawarda
- Division of Soil and Water Management, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
- Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency Republic of Indonesia (BRIN), Bandung, Indonesia
| | - Jan M Baetens
- Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Bernard De Baets
- Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modelling, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Dirk Springael
- Division of Soil and Water Management, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
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7
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Yang J, Wang X, Carmona CP, Wang X, Shen G. Inverse relationship between species competitiveness and intraspecific trait variability may enable species coexistence in experimental seedling communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2895. [PMID: 38570481 PMCID: PMC10991546 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47295-4] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Theory suggests that intraspecific trait variability may promote species coexistence when competitively inferior species have higher intraspecific trait variability than their superior competitors. Here, we provide empirical evidence for this phenomenon in tree seedlings. We evaluated intraspecific variability and plastic response of ten traits in 6750 seedlings of ten species in a three-year greenhouse experiment. While we observed no relationship between intraspecific trait variability and species competitiveness in competition-free homogeneous environments, an inverse relationship emerged under interspecific competition and in spatially heterogeneous environments. We showed that this relationship is driven by the plastic response of the competitively inferior species: Compared to their competitively superior counterparts, they exhibited a greater increase in trait variability, particularly in fine-root traits, in response to competition, environmental heterogeneity and their combination. Our findings contribute to understanding how interspecific competition and intraspecific trait variability together structure plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xiya Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Xihua Wang
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Guochun Shen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1515 North Zhongshan Rd. (No.2), Shanghai, 200092, China.
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8
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Dekaj E, Gjini E. Pneumococcus and the stress-gradient hypothesis: A trade-off links R 0 and susceptibility to co-colonization across countries. Theor Popul Biol 2024; 156:77-92. [PMID: 38331222 DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Modern molecular technologies have revolutionized our understanding of bacterial epidemiology, but reported data across studies and different geographic endemic settings remain under-integrated in common theoretical frameworks. Pneumococcus serotype co-colonization, caused by the polymorphic bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, has been increasingly investigated and reported in recent years. While the global genomic diversity and serotype distribution of S. pneumoniae have been well-characterized, there is limited information on how co-colonization patterns vary globally, critical for understanding the evolution and transmission dynamics of the bacteria. Gathering a rich dataset of cross-sectional pneumococcal colonization studies in the literature, we quantified patterns of transmission intensity and co-colonization prevalence variation in children populations across 17 geographic locations. Linking these data to an SIS model with cocolonization under the assumption of quasi-neutrality among multiple interacting strains, our analysis reveals strong patterns of negative co-variation between transmission intensity (R0) and susceptibility to co-colonization (k). In line with expectations from the stress-gradient-hypothesis in ecology (SGH), pneumococcus serotypes appear to compete more in co-colonization in high-transmission settings and compete less in low-transmission settings, a trade-off which ultimately leads to a conserved ratio of single to co-colonization μ=1/(R0-1)k. From the mathematical model's behavior, such conservation suggests preservation of 'stability-diversity-complexity' regimes in coexistence of similar co-colonizing strains. We find no major differences in serotype compositions across studies, pointing to adaptation of the same set of serotypes across variable environments as an explanation for their differential interaction in different transmission settings. Our work highlights that the understanding of transmission patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae from global scale epidemiological data can benefit from simple analytical approaches that account for quasi-neutrality among strains, co-colonization, as well as variable environmental adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermanda Dekaj
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Erida Gjini
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
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9
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Buche L, Bartomeus I, Godoy O. Multitrophic Higher-Order Interactions Modulate Species Persistence. Am Nat 2024; 203:458-472. [PMID: 38489780 DOI: 10.1086/729222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractEcologists increasingly recognize that interactions between two species can be affected by the density of a third species. How these higher-order interactions (HOIs) affect species persistence remains poorly understood. To explore the effect of HOIs stemming from multiple trophic layers on a plant community composition, we experimentally built a mesocosm with three plants and three pollinator species arranged in a fully nested and modified network structure. We estimated pairwise interactions among plants and between plants and pollinators, as well as HOIs initiated by a plant or a pollinator affecting plant species pairs. Using a structuralist approach, we evaluated the consequences of the statistically supported HOIs on the persistence probability of each of the three competing plant species and their combinations. HOIs substantially redistribute the strength and sign of pairwise interactions between plant species, promoting the opportunities for multispecies communities to persist compared with a non-HOI scenario. However, the physical elimination of a plant-pollinator link in the modified network structure promotes changes in per capita pairwise interactions and HOIs, resulting in a single-species community. Our study provides empirical evidence of the joint importance of HOIs and network structure in determining species persistence within diverse communities.
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10
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Ranjan R, Koffel T, Klausmeier CA. The three-species problem: Incorporating competitive asymmetry and intransitivity in modern coexistence theory. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14426. [PMID: 38603592 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14426] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
While natural communities can contain hundreds of species, modern coexistence theory focuses primarily on species pairs. Alternatively, the structural stability approach considers the feasibility of equilibria, gaining scalability to larger communities but sacrificing information about dynamic stability. Three-species competitive communities are a bridge to more-diverse communities. They display novel phenomena while remaining amenable to mathematical analysis, but remain incompletely understood. Here, we combine these approaches to identify the key quantities that determine three-species competition outcomes. We show that pairwise niche overlap and fitness differences are insufficient to completely characterize competitive outcomes, which requires a strictly triplet-wise quantity: cyclic asymmetry, which underlies intransitivity. Low pairwise niche overlap stabilizes the triplet, while high fitness differences promote competitive exclusion. The effect of cyclic asymmetry on stability is complex and depends on pairwise niche overlap. In summary, we elucidate how pairwise niche overlap, fitness differences and cyclic asymmetry determine three-species competition outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Ranjan
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study, Delmenhorst, Germany
| | - Thomas Koffel
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Christopher A Klausmeier
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, Michigan, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California, USA
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11
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Daniel C, Allan E, Saiz H, Godoy O. Fast-slow traits predict competition network structure and its response to resources and enemies. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14425. [PMID: 38577899 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14425] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Plants interact in complex networks but how network structure depends on resources, natural enemies and species resource-use strategy remains poorly understood. Here, we quantified competition networks among 18 plants varying in fast-slow strategy, by testing how increased nutrient availability and reduced foliar pathogens affected intra- and inter-specific interactions. Our results show that nitrogen and pathogens altered several aspects of network structure, often in unexpected ways due to fast and slow growing species responding differently. Nitrogen addition increased competition asymmetry in slow growing networks, as expected, but decreased it in fast growing networks. Pathogen reduction made networks more even and less skewed because pathogens targeted weaker competitors. Surprisingly, pathogens and nitrogen dampened each other's effect. Our results show that plant growth strategy is key to understand how competition respond to resources and enemies, a prediction from classic theories which has rarely been tested by linking functional traits to competition networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Daniel
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
- Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hugo Saiz
- Institute for Plant Sciences (IPS), Bern University, Bern, Switzerland
- Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y Medio Natural, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón (IUCA), Universidad de Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
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12
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Mougi A. Dual species interaction and ecological community stability. Ecology 2024; 105:e4251. [PMID: 38272678 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
How diverse species coexist in nature remains a challenging issue that is not yet resolved in ecology. The traditional approach to tackling this problem uses an ecological community network comprising various biological interaction links between species, such as predator-prey, mutualism, and competition. However, in nature, the interaction between any species pair is not limited to a singular interaction; instead, various interactions occur mostly in two ways, such as competition/facilitation in plants, mutualism/antagonism in consumer-resource mutualisms, and reciprocal predation. Here, using an ecological community model, I show that such so-called dual interactions play a key role in stabilizing ecological communities. Theory predicts that dual interactions can stabilize ecological communities through the balance of positive and negative effects, which behave as if the interactions disappear. Communities with dual interactions are inherently more stable than a classical random community with multiple types of singular interactions, suggesting that dual interactions are more widespread than expected in nature and help to maintain ecological communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiko Mougi
- Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Academic Assembly, Shimane University, Matsue, Japan
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13
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Vandermeer J, Perfecto I. Combining intransitive and higher-order effects in a coupled oscillator framework: A case study of an ant community. Ecology 2024; 105:e4218. [PMID: 38032663 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of literature recognizes that pairwise species interactions are not necessarily an appropriate metaphorical molecule of community ecology. Two examples are intransitive competition and nonlinear higher-order effects. While these two processes have been discussed extensively, the explicit analysis of how the two of them behave when simultaneously part of the same dynamic system has not yet been explored theoretically. A concrete situation exists on coffee farms in Puerto Rico in which three ant species form an intransitive competitive triplet, and that triplet is strongly influenced, nonlinearly, by a fly parasitoid that modifies the competitive ability of one of the species. Using this arrangement as a template, we explore the dynamical consequences with a simple ordinary differential equation (ODE) model. Results are complicated and include alternative periodic and chaotic attractors. The qualitative structures of those complications, however, may be approximately retrieved from the basic natural history of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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14
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Verdú M, Alcántara JM, Navarro-Cano JA, Goberna M. Transitivity and intransitivity in soil bacterial networks. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2135-2139. [PMID: 37857708 PMCID: PMC10689798 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01540-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Competition can lead to the exclusion of bacterial taxa when there is a transitive relationship among competitors with a hierarchy of competitive success. However, competition may not prevent bacterial coexistence if competitors form intransitive loops, in which none is able to outcompete all the rest. Both transitive and intransitive competition have been demonstrated in bacterial model systems. However, in natural soil microbial assemblages competition is typically understood as a dominance relationship leading to the exclusion of weak competitors. Here, we argue that transitive and intransitive interactions concurrently determine the structure of soil microbial communities. We explain why pairwise interactions cannot depict competition correctly in complex communities, and propose an alternative through the detection of strongly connected components (SCCs) in microbial networks. We finally analyse the existence of SCCs in soil bacterial communities in two Mediterranean ecosystems, for illustrative purposes only (rather than with the aim of providing a methodological tool) due to current limitations, and discuss future avenues to experimentally test the existence of SCCs in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Verdú
- Centro de Investigaciones Sobre Desertificación (CIDE), CSIC-UV-GV, Moncada, Spain
| | - Julio M Alcántara
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación del Sistema Tierra en Andalucía, Granada, Spain
| | - Jose A Navarro-Cano
- Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Agronomía, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Goberna
- Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Agronomía, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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15
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Nicoletti G, Padmanabha P, Azaele S, Suweis S, Rinaldo A, Maritan A. Emergent encoding of dispersal network topologies in spatial metapopulation models. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2311548120. [PMID: 37931096 PMCID: PMC10655566 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311548120] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We address a generalization of the concept of metapopulation capacity for trees and networks acting as the template for ecological interactions. The original measure had been derived from an insightful phenomenological model and is based on the leading eigenvalue of a suitable landscape matrix. It yields a versatile predictor of metapopulation persistence through a threshold value of the eigenvalue determined by ecological features of the focal species. Here, we present an analytical solution to a fundamental microscopic model that incorporates key ingredients of metapopulation dynamics and explicitly distinguishes between individuals comprising the "settled population" and "explorers" seeking colonization. Our approach accounts for general network characteristics (in particular graph-driven directional dispersal which is known to significantly constrain many ecological estimates) and yields a generalized version of the original model, to which it reduces for particular cases. Through examples, including real landscapes used as the template, we compare the predictions from our approach with those of the standard model. Results suggest that in several cases of practical interest, differences are significant. We also examine, with both models, how changes in habitat fragmentation, including removal, addition, or alteration in size, affect metapopulation persistence. The current approach demonstrates a high level of flexibility, enabling the incorporation of diverse "microscopic" elements and their impact on the resulting biodiversity landscape pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Nicoletti
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Department of Mathematics “T. Levi-Civita”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Prajwal Padmanabha
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Sandro Azaele
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo90133, Italy
| | - Samir Suweis
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Andrea Rinaldo
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne1015, Switzerland
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
| | - Amos Maritan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei”, University of Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova35131, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo90133, Italy
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16
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Spaak JW, Schreiber SJ. Building modern coexistence theory from the ground up: The role of community assembly. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:1840-1861. [PMID: 37747362 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14302] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Modern coexistence theory (MCT) is one of the leading methods to understand species coexistence. It uses invasion growth rates-the average, per-capita growth rate of a rare species-to identify when and why species coexist. Despite significant advances in dissecting coexistence mechanisms when coexistence occurs, MCT relies on a 'mutual invasibility' condition designed for two-species communities but poorly defined for species-rich communities. Here, we review well-known issues with this component of MCT and propose a solution based on recent mathematical advances. We propose a clear framework for expanding MCT to species-rich communities and for understanding invasion resistance as well as coexistence, especially for communities that could not be analysed with MCT so far. Using two data-driven community models from the literature, we illustrate the utility of our framework and highlight the opportunities for bridging the fields of community assembly and species coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurg W Spaak
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Institute for Environmental Sciences, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Univerität Kaiserslautern-Landau, Landau, Germany
| | - Sebastian J Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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17
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Gjini E, Madec S. Towards a mathematical understanding of invasion resistance in multispecies communities. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231034. [PMID: 38026034 PMCID: PMC10646464 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Multispecies community composition and dynamics are key to health and disease across biological systems, a prominent example being microbial ecosystems. Explaining the forces that govern diversity and resilience in the microbial consortia making up our body's defences remains a challenge. In this, theoretical models are crucial, to bridge the gap between species dynamics and underlying mechanisms and to develop analytic insight. Here we propose a replicator equation framework to model multispecies dynamics where an explicit notion of invasion resistance of a system emerges and can be studied explicitly. For illustration, we derive the conceptual link between such replicator equation and N microbial species' growth and interaction traits, stemming from micro-scale environmental modification. Within this replicator framework, mean invasion fitness arises, evolves dynamically, and may undergo critical predictable shifts with global environmental changes. This mathematical approach clarifies the key role of this resident system trait for invader success, and highlights interaction principles among N species that optimize their collective resistance to invasion. We propose this model based on the replicator equation as a powerful new avenue to study, test and validate mechanisms of invasion resistance and colonization in multispecies microbial ecosystems and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erida Gjini
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sten Madec
- Laboratory of Mathematics, University of Tours, Tours, France
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18
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Huang Z, Li Y, Wang W, Li B, Luo W, Wang Y, Chu C. The unimodal intransitivity-fertility relationship is not mediated by demographic trade-offs in a subtropical forest. Ecology 2023; 104:e4172. [PMID: 37768319 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Intransitive competition has long been acknowledged as a potential mechanism favoring species coexistence. However, its prevalence, variance along environmental gradients, and possible underlying mechanisms (trade-offs) in plant communities (especially in forests) has seldom been examined. A recently developed "reverse-engineering" approach based on Markov Chain allowed us to estimate the competitive transition matrices and competitive intransitivity from observational abundance data. Using this approach, we estimated competitive intransitivity of five dominant species in a subtropical forest and then related it to soil fertility (soil organic matter and soil pH) and demographic trade-offs (growth-survival and stature-recruitment trade-offs). In our forest plot, intransitive competition was common among the dominant species and peaked at the intermediate level of soil organic matter. Neither the growth-survival trade-off nor the stature-recruitment trade-off was positively related to competitive intransitivity. Our study for the first time empirically supported the unimodal intransitivity-fertility relationship in forests, which, however, was not mediated by the two demographic trade-offs in our plot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengliang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanzhi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Weitao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Buhang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Youshi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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19
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Lee H, Bloxham B, Gore J. Resource competition can explain simplicity in microbial community assembly. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212113120. [PMID: 37603734 PMCID: PMC10469513 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212113120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Predicting the composition and diversity of communities is a central goal in ecology. While community assembly is considered hard to predict, laboratory microcosms often follow a simple assembly rule based on the outcome of pairwise competitions. This assembly rule predicts that a species that is excluded by another species in pairwise competition cannot survive in a multispecies community with that species. Despite the empirical success of this bottom-up prediction, its mechanistic origin has remained elusive. In this study, we elucidate how this simple pattern in community assembly can emerge from resource competition. Our geometric analysis of a consumer-resource model shows that trio community assembly is always predictable from pairwise outcomes when one species grows faster than another species on every resource. We also identify all possible trio assembly outcomes under three resources and find that only two outcomes violate the assembly rule. Simulations demonstrate that pairwise competitions accurately predict trio assembly with up to 100 resources and the assembly of larger communities containing up to twelve species. We then further demonstrate accurate quantitative prediction of community composition using the harmonic mean of pairwise fractions. Finally, we show that cross-feeding between species does not decrease assembly rule prediction accuracy. Our findings highlight that simple community assembly can emerge even in ecosystems with complex underlying dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunseok Lee
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Blox Bloxham
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Jeff Gore
- Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
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20
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Le TMT, Gjini E, Madec S. Quasi-neutral dynamics in a coinfection system with N strains and asymmetries along multiple traits. J Math Biol 2023; 87:48. [PMID: 37640832 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-023-01977-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the interplay of different traits in a co-infection system with multiple strains has many applications in ecology and epidemiology. Because of high dimensionality and complex feedback between traits manifested in infection and co-infection, the study of such systems remains a challenge. In the case where strains are similar (quasi-neutrality assumption), we can model trait variation as perturbations in parameters, which simplifies analysis. Here, we apply singular perturbation theory to many strain parameters simultaneously and advance analytically to obtain their explicit collective dynamics. We consider and study such a quasi-neutral model of susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) dynamics among N strains, which vary in 5 fitness dimensions: transmissibility, clearance rate of single- and co-infection, transmission probability from mixed coinfection, and co-colonization vulnerability factors encompassing cooperation and competition. This quasi-neutral system is analyzed with a singular perturbation method through an appropriate slow-fast decomposition. The fast dynamics correspond to the embedded neutral system, while the slow dynamics are governed by an N-dimensional replicator equation, describing the time evolution of strain frequencies. The coefficients of this replicator system are pairwise invasion fitnesses between strains, which, in our model, are an explicit weighted sum of pairwise asymmetries along all trait dimensions. Remarkably these weights depend only on the parameters of the neutral system. Such model reduction highlights the centrality of the neutral system for dynamics at the edge of neutrality and exposes critical features for the maintenance of diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Minh Thao Le
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Erida Gjini
- Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sten Madec
- Laboratory of Mathematics, Institut Denis Poisson, University of Tours, Tours, France.
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21
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Zou HX, Rudolf VHW. Priority Effects Determine How Dispersal Affects Biodiversity in Seasonal Metacommunities. Am Nat 2023; 202:140-151. [PMID: 37531275 DOI: 10.1086/725039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe arrival order of species frequently determines the outcome of their interactions. This phenomenon, called the priority effect, is ubiquitous in nature and determines local community structure, but we know surprisingly little about how it influences biodiversity across different spatial scales. Here, we use a seasonal metacommunity model to show that biodiversity patterns and the homogenizing effect of high dispersal depend on the specific mechanisms underlying priority effects. When priority effects are driven only by positive frequency dependence, dispersal-diversity relationships are sensitive to initial conditions but generally show a hump-shaped relationship: biodiversity declines when dispersal rates become high and allow the dominant competitor to exclude other species across patches. When spatiotemporal variation in phenological differences alters species' interaction strengths (trait-dependent priority effects), local, regional, and temporal diversity are surprisingly insensitive to variation in dispersal, regardless of the initial numeric advantage. Thus, trait-dependent priority effects can strongly reduce the effect of dispersal on biodiversity, preventing the homogenization of metacommunities. Our results suggest an alternative mechanism that maintains local and regional diversity without environmental heterogeneity, highlighting that accounting for the mechanisms underlying priority effects is fundamental to understanding patterns of biodiversity.
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22
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Chang CY, Bajić D, Vila JCC, Estrela S, Sanchez A. Emergent coexistence in multispecies microbial communities. Science 2023; 381:343-348. [PMID: 37471535 DOI: 10.1126/science.adg0727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms that maintain microbial biodiversity is a critical aspiration in ecology. Past work on microbial coexistence has largely focused on species pairs, but it is unclear whether pairwise coexistence in isolation is required for coexistence in a multispecies community. To address this question, we conducted hundreds of pairwise competition experiments among the stably coexisting members of 12 different enrichment communities in vitro. To determine the outcomes of these experiments, we developed an automated image analysis pipeline to quantify species abundances. We found that competitive exclusion was the most common outcome, and it was strongly hierarchical and transitive. Because many species that coexist within a stable multispecies community fail to coexist in pairwise co-culture under identical conditions, we concluded that multispecies coexistence is an emergent phenomenon. This work highlights the importance of community context for understanding the origins of coexistence in complex ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Yu Chang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Djordje Bajić
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Jean C C Vila
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sylvie Estrela
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alvaro Sanchez
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología - CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
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23
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Koch F, Neutel AM, Barnes DKA, Tielbӧrger K, Zarfl C, Allhoff KT. Competitive hierarchies in bryozoan assemblages mitigate network instability by keeping short and long feedback loops weak. Commun Biol 2023; 6:690. [PMID: 37402788 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05060-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Competitive hierarchies in diverse ecological communities have long been thought to lead to instability and prevent coexistence. However, system stability has never been tested, and the relation between hierarchy and instability has never been explained in complex competition networks parameterised with data from direct observation. Here we test model stability of 30 multispecies bryozoan assemblages, using estimates of energy loss from observed interference competition to parameterise both the inter- and intraspecific interactions in the competition networks. We find that all competition networks are unstable. However, instability is mitigated considerably by asymmetries in the energy loss rates brought about by hierarchies of strong and weak competitors. This asymmetric organisation results in asymmetries in the interaction strengths, which reduces instability by keeping the weight of short (positive) and longer (positive and negative) feedback loops low. Our results support the idea that interference competition leads to instability and exclusion but demonstrate that this is not because of, but despite, competitive hierarchy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Koch
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | - Korinna T Allhoff
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
- KomBioTa - Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy, University of Hohenheim & State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany.
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24
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Sun P, Wang M, Zheng W, Li S, Zhu X, Chai X, Zhao S. Unbalanced diets enhance the complexity of gut microbial network but destabilize its stability and resistance. STRESS BIOLOGY 2023; 3:20. [PMID: 37676325 PMCID: PMC10441997 DOI: 10.1007/s44154-023-00098-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Stability is a fundamental ecological property of the gut microbiota and is associated with host health. Numerous studies have shown that unbalanced dietary components disturb the gut microbial composition and thereby contribute to the onset and progression of disease. However, the impact of unbalanced diets on the stability of the gut microbiota is poorly understood. In the present study, four-week-old mice were fed a plant-based diet high in refined carbohydrates or a high-fat diet for four weeks to simulate a persistent unbalanced diet. We found that persistent unbalanced diets significantly reduced the gut bacterial richness and increased the complexity of bacterial co-occurrence networks. Furthermore, the gut bacterial response to unbalanced diets was phylogenetically conserved, which reduced network modularity and enhanced the proportion of positive associations between community taxon, thereby amplifying the co-oscillation of perturbations among community species to destabilize gut microbial communities. The disturbance test revealed that the gut microbiota of mice fed with unbalanced diets was less resistant to antibiotic perturbation and pathogenic bacteria invasion. This study may fill a gap in the mechanistic understanding of the gut microbiota stability in response to diet and provide new insights into the gut microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penghao Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Mengli Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Wei Zheng
- College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Shuzhen Li
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiaoyan Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
| | - Xuejun Chai
- College of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Shanting Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
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25
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Paik J, Griffin C. Completely integrable replicator dynamics associated to competitive networks. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:L052202. [PMID: 37328978 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.l052202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The replicator equations are a family of ordinary differential equations that arise in evolutionary game theory, and are closely related to Lotka-Volterra. We produce an infinite family of replicator equations which are Liouville-Arnold integrable. We show this by explicitly providing conserved quantities and a Poisson structure. As a corollary, we classify all tournament replicators up to dimension 6 and most of dimension 7. As an application, we show that Fig. 1 of Allesina and Levine [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 108, 5638 (2011)10.1073/pnas.1014428108] produces quasiperiodic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Paik
- Department of Mathematics. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Christopher Griffin
- Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
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26
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Grilli J. Keystone intransitive loops. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2304170120. [PMID: 37068257 PMCID: PMC10151457 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304170120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Grilli
- Quantitative Life Sciences, The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, 34014Trieste, Italy
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27
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Vandermeer J, Perfecto I. Intransitivity as a dynamic assembly engine of competitive communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217372120. [PMID: 37014861 PMCID: PMC10104487 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217372120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Historically, those ecological communities thought to be dominated by competitive interactions among their component species have been assumed to exhibit transitive competition, that is, a hierarchy of competitive strength from most dominant to most submissive. A surge of recent literature takes issue with this assumption and notes that some species in some communities are intransitive, where a rock/scissors/paper arrangement characterizes some components of some communities. We here propose a merging of these two ideas, wherein an intransitive subgroup of species connects with a distinct subcomponent that is organized hierarchically, such that the expected eventual takeover by the dominant competitor in the hierarchy is thwarted, and the entire community can be sustained. This means that the combination of transitive and intransitive structures can maintain many species even when competition is strong. Here, we develop this theoretical framework using a simple variant on the Lotka-Volterra competition equations to illustrate the process. We also present data for the ant community in a coffee agroecosystem in Puerto Rico, that appears to be organized in this way. A detailed study on one typical coffee farm illustrates an intransitive loop of three species that seems to maintain a distinct competitive community of at least 13 additional species.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Ivette Perfecto
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
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28
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Senthilnathan A, D'Andrea R. Niche theory for positive plant-soil feedbacks. Ecology 2023; 104:e3993. [PMID: 36788733 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between plants and the soil are an important ecological process in terrestrial ecosystems as they affect plant community structure: when and where we find different plant species. Those interactions are typically thought of as one-directional: local soil conditions filter through dispersing species to produce a community of locally adapted plants. However, plants can modify local physicochemical soil conditions via their roots and associations with soil microbes. These may in turn affect the local fitness of other plants, making plant-soil interactions bidirectional. In order to understand how they differ from other ecological processes that structure plant communities, we need a theory connecting these individual-level plant-soil feedbacks to community-level patterns. Here, we build this theory with a mathematical model of plant community dynamics in which soil conditioning is explicitly modeled over time and depends on the density of the plants. We analyze this model to describe the long-term composition and spatial distribution of the plant community. Our main result is that positive plant-soil feedbacks will create clustering of species with similar soil preferences. The composition of these clusters is further influenced by niche width and conditioning strength. In contrast with competitive dynamics driven by niche overlap, only species belonging to the same cluster can maintain high relative abundance in the community. Spatial heterogeneity in the form of an environmental gradient generates patches, each representing a single cluster. However, such patchiness is disfavored when species differ in dispersal ability. We show that stronger dispersers cannot take over the habitat as long as an exogenous driver favors soil conditions that benefit the other species. If exogenous drivers supersede soil conditioning by plants, we retrieve classic habitat filtering, where species are selected based on their suitability to the local environment. Overall, we provide a novel mathematical model for positive plant-soil feedback that we use to describe the spatial patterns of plant abundance and traits related to soil preference and conditioning ability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rafael D'Andrea
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
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29
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Predator-mediated diversity of stream fish assemblages in a boreal river basin, China. Sci Rep 2023; 13:561. [PMID: 36631629 PMCID: PMC9834282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27854-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Predator-prey interactions are critical for understanding species composition and community assembly; however, there is still limited research on whether and how the prey species composition or community assembly in natural communities are mediated by predators. To address this question, we performed a field investigation to examine the influence of the presence of Lutra lutra on the diversity of fish communities of the Hunchun River Basin, Jilin Province, China. Our results indicate that L. lutra, as a potential umbrella species and generalist predator in the stream ecosystem, promotes the coexistence of a vast variety of fish taxa, which emphasizes the importance of top-down control in the ecological community. We suggest that L. lutra regulates the fish community assembly likely through the stochastic process. Although this was a pilot study regarding predator-prey interactions, the results highlight the effects of predators on the prey community assembly, and emphasize the role of predators on the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Future conservation decisions involving ecosystem biodiversity should require the inclusion of predation intensity. The inclusion of scientific research and protection of umbrella species would thus constitute an additional and important step in biodiversity conservation.
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30
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Iven H, Walker TWN, Anthony M. Biotic Interactions in Soil are Underestimated Drivers of Microbial Carbon Use Efficiency. Curr Microbiol 2022; 80:13. [PMID: 36459292 PMCID: PMC9718865 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-022-02979-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE)-the balance between microbial growth and respiration-strongly impacts microbial mediated soil carbon storage and is sensitive to many well-studied abiotic environmental factors. However, surprisingly, little work has examined how biotic interactions in soil may impact CUE. Here, we review the theoretical and empirical lines of evidence exploring how biotic interactions affect CUE through the lens of life history strategies. Fundamentally, the CUE of a microbial population is constrained by population density and carrying capacity, which, when reached, causes species to grow more quickly and less efficiently. When microbes engage in interspecific competition, they accelerate growth rates to acquire limited resources and release secondary chemicals toxic to competitors. Such processes are not anabolic and thus constrain CUE. In turn, antagonists may activate one of a number of stress responses that also do not involve biomass production, potentially further reducing CUE. In contrast, facilitation can increase CUE by expanding species realized niches, mitigating environmental stress and reducing production costs of extracellular enzymes. Microbial interactions at higher trophic levels also influence CUE. For instance, predation on microbes can positively or negatively impact CUE by changing microbial density and the outcomes of interspecific competition. Finally, we discuss how plants select for more or less efficient microbes under different contexts. In short, this review demonstrates the potential for biotic interactions to be a strong regulator of microbial CUE and additionally provides a blueprint for future research to address key knowledge gaps of ecological and applied importance for carbon sequestration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Iven
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Tom W N Walker
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark Anthony
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland
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31
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Guo G, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Bearup D, Liao J. Contrasting effects of dispersal network heterogeneity on ecosystem stability in rock-paper-scissors games. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1068830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Intransitive competition, typically represented by the classic rock-paper-scissors game, provides an endogenous mechanism promoting species coexistence. As well known, species dispersal and interaction in nature might occur on complex patch networks, with species interacting in diverse ways. However, the effects of different interaction modes, combined with spatial heterogeneity in patch connectivities, have not been well integrated into our general understanding of how stable coexistence emerges in cyclic competition. We thus incorporate network heterogeneity into the classic rock-paper-scissors game, in order to compare ecosystem stability under two typical modes of interaction: species compete to fill empty sites, and species seize each other’s colony sites. On lattice-structured regular networks, the two interaction modes produce similar stability patterns through forming conspecific clusters to reduce interspecific competition. However, for heterogeneous networks, the interaction modes have contrasting effects on ecosystem stability. Specifically, if species compete for colony sites, increasing network heterogeneity stabilizes competitive dynamics. When species compete to fill empty sites, an increase in network heterogeneity leads to larger population fluctuations and therefore a higher risk of stochastic extinctions, in stark contrast to current knowledge. Our findings strongly suggest that particular attention should be devoted to testing which mode of interaction is more appropriate for modeling a given system.
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32
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Gibbs T, Levin SA, Levine JM. Coexistence in diverse communities with higher-order interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205063119. [PMID: 36252042 PMCID: PMC9618036 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205063119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A central assumption in most ecological models is that the interactions in a community operate only between pairs of species. However, two species may interactively affect the growth of a focal species. Although interactions among three or more species, called higher-order interactions, have the potential to modify our theoretical understanding of coexistence, ecologists lack clear expectations for how these interactions shape community structure. Here we analytically predict and numerically confirm how the variability and strength of higher-order interactions affect species coexistence. We found that as higher-order interaction strengths became more variable across species, fewer species could coexist, echoing the behavior of pairwise models. If interspecific higher-order interactions became too harmful relative to self-regulation, coexistence in diverse communities was destabilized, but coexistence was also lost when these interactions were too weak and mutualistic higher-order effects became prevalent. This behavior depended on the functional form of the interactions as the destabilizing effects of the mutualistic higher-order interactions were ameliorated when their strength saturated with species' densities. Last, we showed that more species-rich communities structured by higher-order interactions lose species more readily than their species-poor counterparts, generalizing classic results for community stability. Our work provides needed theoretical expectations for how higher-order interactions impact species coexistence in diverse communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo Gibbs
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Simon A. Levin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Jonathan M. Levine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
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33
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Chatterjee S, Nag Chowdhury S, Ghosh D, Hens C. Controlling species densities in structurally perturbed intransitive cycles with higher-order interactions. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2022; 32:103122. [PMID: 36319275 DOI: 10.1063/5.0102599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The persistence of biodiversity of species is a challenging proposition in ecological communities in the face of Darwinian selection. The present article investigates beyond the pairwise competitive interactions and provides a novel perspective for understanding the influence of higher-order interactions on the evolution of social phenotypes. Our simple model yields a prosperous outlook to demonstrate the impact of perturbations on intransitive competitive higher-order interactions. Using a mathematical technique, we show how alone the perturbed interaction network can quickly determine the coexistence equilibrium of competing species instead of solving a large system of ordinary differential equations. It is possible to split the system into multiple feasible cluster states depending on the number of perturbations. Our analysis also reveals that the ratio between the unperturbed and perturbed species is inversely proportional to the amount of employed perturbation. Our results suggest that nonlinear dynamical systems and interaction topologies can be interplayed to comprehend species' coexistence under adverse conditions. Particularly, our findings signify that less competition between two species increases their abundance and outperforms others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sourin Chatterjee
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, West Bengal 741246, India
| | - Sayantan Nag Chowdhury
- Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata 700108, India
| | - Dibakar Ghosh
- Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata 700108, India
| | - Chittaranjan Hens
- Physics and Applied Mathematics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata 700108, India
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34
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LiDAR Reveals the Process of Vision-Mediated Predator–Prey Relationships. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14153730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Exploring the processes of interspecific relationships is crucial to understanding the mechanisms of biodiversity maintenance. Visually detecting interspecies relationships of large mammals is limited by the reconstruction accuracy of the environmental structure and the timely detection of animal behavior. Hence, we used backpack laser scanning (BLS) to reconstruct the high-resolution three-dimensional environmental structure to simulate the process of a predator approaching its prey, indicating that predator tigers would reduce their visibility by changing their behavior. Wild boars will nibble off about 5m of branches around the nest in order to create better visibility around the nest, adopting an anti-predation strategy to detect possible predators in advance. Our study not only points out how predator–prey relationships are affected by visibility as the environment mediates it, but also provides an operable framework for exploring interspecific relationships from a more complex dimension. Finally, this study provides a new perspective for exploring the mechanisms of biodiversity maintenance.
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35
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Lorusso NS, Faillace CA. Indirect facilitation between prey promotes asymmetric apparent competition. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1869-1879. [PMID: 35765925 PMCID: PMC9544837 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Apparent competition is one mechanism that can contribute to the complex dynamics observed in natural systems, yet it remains understudied in empirical systems. Understanding the dynamics that shape the outcome of processes like apparent competition is vital for appreciating how they influence natural systems. We empirically evaluated the role of indirect trophic interactions in driving apparent competition in a model laboratory system. Our experimental system was designed to let us evaluate combined direct and indirect interactions among species. Here we describe the results of a factorial experiment using two noncompeting prey (Colpidium kleini, a heterotroph, and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, an autotroph) consumed by a generalist predator Euplotes eurystomus to explore the dynamics of apparent competition. To gain intuition into the potential mechanism driving the asymmetry in the observed results, we further explored the system using structural equation modelling. Our results show an important role of positive interactions and indirect effects contributing to apparent competition in this system with a marked asymmetrical outcome favouring one prey, Chlamydomonas. The selected structural equation supports a role of indirect facilitation; although Chlamydomonas (a photoautotroph) and Colpidium (a bacterivore) use different resources and therefor do not directly compete, Colpidium reduces bacteria that may compete with Chlamydomonas. In addition, formation of colonies by Chlamydomonas in response to predation by Euplotes provides an antipredator defence not available to Colpidium. Asymmetric apparent competition may be more common in natural systems than the symmetric interaction originally proposed in classic theory, suggesting that exploration of the mechanisms driving the asymmetry of the interaction can be a fruitful area of further research to better our understanding of interspecific interactions and community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas S Lorusso
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, Jersey.,Current Institution: Department of Life Sciences, University of North Texas at Dallas, 7500 University Hills Blvd, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Cara A Faillace
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, Jersey.,Current Institution: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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36
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Weiss‐Lehman CP, Werner CM, Bowler CH, Hallett L, Mayfield MM, Godoy O, Aoyama L, Barabás G, Chu C, Ladouceur E, Larios L, Shoemaker L. Disentangling key species interactions in diverse and heterogeneous communities: A Bayesian sparse modelling approach. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1263-1276. [PMID: 35106910 PMCID: PMC9543015 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Modelling species interactions in diverse communities traditionally requires a prohibitively large number of species-interaction coefficients, especially when considering environmental dependence of parameters. We implemented Bayesian variable selection via sparsity-inducing priors on non-linear species abundance models to determine which species interactions should be retained and which can be represented as an average heterospecific interaction term, reducing the number of model parameters. We evaluated model performance using simulated communities, computing out-of-sample predictive accuracy and parameter recovery across different input sample sizes. We applied our method to a diverse empirical community, allowing us to disentangle the direct role of environmental gradients on species' intrinsic growth rates from indirect effects via competitive interactions. We also identified a few neighbouring species from the diverse community that had non-generic interactions with our focal species. This sparse modelling approach facilitates exploration of species interactions in diverse communities while maintaining a manageable number of parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Catherine H. Bowler
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Lauren M. Hallett
- Biology DepartmentUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
| | - Margaret M. Mayfield
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de BiologíaInstituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR)Universidad de CádizPuerto RealSpain
| | - Lina Aoyama
- Biology DepartmentUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
- Environmental Studies ProgramUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
| | - György Barabás
- Division of Theoretical BiologyDepartment of IFMLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Chengjin Chu
- Department of EcologyState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Emma Ladouceur
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig‐Halle‐JenaLeipzigGermany
- Department of Physiological DiversityHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ‐UFZLeipzigGermany
| | - Loralee Larios
- Department of Botany and Plant SciencesUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCaliforniaUSA
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37
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Wu J, Zhang Q. 非传递性竞争在物种共存中的作用. CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN-CHINESE 2022. [DOI: 10.1360/tb-2022-0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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38
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Simha A, Hoz CPDL, Carley L. Moving beyond the “diversity paradox”: the limitations of competition-based frameworks in understanding species diversity. Am Nat 2022; 200:89-100. [DOI: 10.1086/720002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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39
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Chang CW, Miki T, Ye H, Souissi S, Adrian R, Anneville O, Agasild H, Ban S, Be'eri-Shlevin Y, Chiang YR, Feuchtmayr H, Gal G, Ichise S, Kagami M, Kumagai M, Liu X, Matsuzaki SIS, Manca MM, Nõges P, Piscia R, Rogora M, Shiah FK, Thackeray SJ, Widdicombe CE, Wu JT, Zohary T, Hsieh CH. Causal networks of phytoplankton diversity and biomass are modulated by environmental context. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1140. [PMID: 35241667 PMCID: PMC8894464 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28761-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Untangling causal links and feedbacks among biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and environmental factors is challenging due to their complex and context-dependent interactions (e.g., a nutrient-dependent relationship between diversity and biomass). Consequently, studies that only consider separable, unidirectional effects can produce divergent conclusions and equivocal ecological implications. To address this complexity, we use empirical dynamic modeling to assemble causal networks for 19 natural aquatic ecosystems (N24◦~N58◦) and quantified strengths of feedbacks among phytoplankton diversity, phytoplankton biomass, and environmental factors. Through a cross-system comparison, we identify macroecological patterns; in more diverse, oligotrophic ecosystems, biodiversity effects are more important than environmental effects (nutrients and temperature) as drivers of biomass. Furthermore, feedback strengths vary with productivity. In warm, productive systems, strong nitrate-mediated feedbacks usually prevail, whereas there are strong, phosphate-mediated feedbacks in cold, less productive systems. Our findings, based on recovered feedbacks, highlight the importance of a network view in future ecosystem management. Disentangling causal interactions among biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and environmental factors is key to understanding how ecosystems respond to changing environment. This study presents a global scale analysis quantifying causal interactions and feedbacks among phytoplankton diversity, biomass and nutrients along environmental gradients of aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Wei Chang
- National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.,Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Takeshi Miki
- Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2194, Japan.,Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.,Center for Biodiversity Science, Ryukoku University, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2194, Japan
| | - Hao Ye
- Health Science Center Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Sami Souissi
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Univ, Littoral Côte D'Opale, IRD, UMR 8187, LOG- Laboratoire D'Océanologie et de Géosciences, Station Marine de Wimereux, F- 59000, Lille, France
| | - Rita Adrian
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, IGB, 12587, Berlin, Germany.,Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Orlane Anneville
- National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), CARRTEL, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, 74200, Thonon les Bains, France
| | - Helen Agasild
- Centre for Limnology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5D, 51014, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Syuhei Ban
- Department of Ecosystem Studies, School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone, 522-8533, Shiga, Japan
| | - Yaron Be'eri-Shlevin
- Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O. Box 447, 14950, Migdal, Israel
| | - Yin-Ru Chiang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Heidrun Feuchtmayr
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Gideon Gal
- Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O. Box 447, 14950, Migdal, Israel
| | - Satoshi Ichise
- Lake Biwa Environmental Research Institute, Otsu, 520-0022, Japan
| | - Maiko Kagami
- Faculty of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, 240-8502, Kanagawa, Japan.,Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba, 274-8510, Japan
| | - Michio Kumagai
- Lake Biwa Environmental Research Institute, Otsu, 520-0022, Japan.,Research Center for Lake Biwa & Environmental Innovation, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, 525-0058, Shiga, Japan
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Ecosystem Studies, School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone, 522-8533, Shiga, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichiro S Matsuzaki
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Marina M Manca
- CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), L.go Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania, Pallanza, Italy
| | - Peeter Nõges
- Centre for Limnology, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 5D, 51014, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Roberta Piscia
- CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), L.go Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania, Pallanza, Italy
| | - Michela Rogora
- CNR Water Research Institute (IRSA), L.go Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania, Pallanza, Italy
| | - Fuh-Kwo Shiah
- Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.,Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Stephen J Thackeray
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4AP, UK
| | | | - Jiunn-Tzong Wu
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Tamar Zohary
- Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, P.O. Box 447, 14950, Migdal, Israel
| | - Chih-Hao Hsieh
- National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. .,Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan. .,Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. .,Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
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40
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Liao J, Barabás G, Bearup D. Competition-colonization dynamics and multimodality in diversity-disturbance relationships. Ecology 2022; 103:e3672. [PMID: 35233766 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Disturbance has long been recognized as a critical driver of species diversity in community ecology. Recently, it has been found that the well-known intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which predicts a unimodal diversity-disturbance relationship (DDR), fails to describe numerous experimental observations, as empirical DDRs are diverse. Consequently, the precise form of the DDR remains a topic of debate. Here we develop a simple yet comprehensive metacommunity framework that can account for complex competition patterns. Using both numerical simulations and analytical arguments, we show that strongly multimodal DDRs arise naturally, and this multimodality is quite robust to changing parameters or relaxing the assumption of a strict competitive hierarchy. Having multimodality as a robust property of DDRs in competition models suggests that much of the noise observed in empirical DDRs could be a critical signature of the underlying competitive dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinbao Liao
- Research Center for Theoretical Ecology, Jiangxi Normal University, Ziyang Road 99, Nanchang, China
| | - György Barabás
- Division of Theoretical Biology, Department IFM, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Pázmány Péter sétány 1A, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Daniel Bearup
- University of Kent, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Parkwood Road, Canterbury, UK
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41
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Michalska-Smith M, Song Z, Spawn-Lee SA, Hansen ZA, Johnson M, May G, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Kinkel LL. Network structure of resource use and niche overlap within the endophytic microbiome. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:435-446. [PMID: 34413476 PMCID: PMC8776778 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01080-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Endophytes often have dramatic effects on their host plants. Characterizing the relationships among members of these communities has focused on identifying the effects of single microbes on their host, but has generally overlooked interactions among the myriad microbes in natural communities as well as potential higher-order interactions. Network analyses offer a powerful means for characterizing patterns of interaction among microbial members of the phytobiome that may be crucial to mediating its assembly and function. We sampled twelve endophytic communities, comparing patterns of niche overlap between coexisting bacteria and fungi to evaluate the effect of nutrient supplementation on local and global competitive network structure. We found that, despite differences in the degree distribution, there were few significant differences in the global network structure of niche-overlap networks following persistent nutrient amendment. Likewise, we found idiosyncratic and weak evidence for higher-order interactions regardless of nutrient treatment. This work provides a first-time characterization of niche-overlap network structure in endophytic communities and serves as a framework for higher-resolution analyses of microbial interaction networks as a consequence and a cause of ecological variation in microbiome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Michalska-Smith
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
| | - Zewei Song
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Seth A Spawn-Lee
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Zoe A Hansen
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mitch Johnson
- Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Georgiana May
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, USA
| | - Linda L Kinkel
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
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Miller ZR, Allesina S. Metapopulations with habitat modification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2109896118. [PMID: 34857638 PMCID: PMC8670473 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109896118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Across the tree of life, organisms modify their local environment, rendering it more or less hospitable for other species. Despite the ubiquity of these processes, simple models that can be used to develop intuitions about the consequences of widespread habitat modification are lacking. Here, we extend the classic Levins metapopulation model to a setting where each of n species can colonize patches connected by dispersal, and when patches are vacated via local extinction, they retain a "memory" of the previous occupant-modeling habitat modification. While this model can exhibit a wide range of dynamics, we draw several overarching conclusions about the effects of modification and memory. In particular, we find that any number of species may potentially coexist, provided that each is at a disadvantage when colonizing patches vacated by a conspecific. This notion is made precise through a quantitative stability condition, which provides a way to unify and formalize existing conceptual models. We also show that when patch memory facilitates coexistence, it generically induces a positive relationship between diversity and robustness (tolerance of disturbance). Our simple model provides a portable, tractable framework for studying systems where species modify and react to a shared landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R Miller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637;
| | - Stefano Allesina
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
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Arancibia PA, Morin PJ. Network topology and patch connectivity affect dynamics in experimental and model metapopulations. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:496-505. [PMID: 34873688 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Biological populations are rarely isolated in space and instead interact with others via dispersal in metapopulations. Theory predicts that network connectivity patterns can have critical effects on network robustness, as certain topologies, such as scale-free networks, are more tolerant to disturbances than other patterns. However, at present, experimental evidence of how these topologies affect population dynamics in a metapopulation framework is lacking. We used experimental metapopulations of the aquatic protist Paramecium tetraurelia to determine how network topology influences occupation patterns. We created metapopulations engineered to be comparable in linkage density, but differing in their degree distribution. We compared random networks to scale-free networks by evaluating local population occupancy and abundance throughout 18-30 protist generations. In parallel, we used simulations to explore differences in patch occupation patterns among topologies. Our experimental results highlighted the importance of the balance between dispersal and extinction in the interaction with spatial network topology. Under low dispersal conditions, random metapopulations of P. tetraurelia reached higher abundance and higher occupancy (proportion of occupied patches) compared to scale-free systems in both experimental and simulated systems. Under high dispersal conditions, we did not detect differences between types of metapopulations. Increasing patch degree (i.e. number of connections per patch) reduced the probability of extinction of local populations in both types of networks. We suggest the interaction between colonization/extinction rates and network topology alters the likelihood of rescue effects which results in differential patterns of occupancy and abundance in metapopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina A Arancibia
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Peter J Morin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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44
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Civantos-Gómez I, García-Algarra J, García-Callejas D, Galeano J, Godoy O, Bartomeus I. Fine scale prediction of ecological community composition using a two-step sequential Machine Learning ensemble. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008906. [PMID: 34871304 PMCID: PMC8675934 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prediction is one of the last frontiers in ecology. Indeed, predicting fine-scale species composition in natural systems is a complex challenge as multiple abiotic and biotic processes operate simultaneously to determine local species abundances. On the one hand, species intrinsic performance and their tolerance limits to different abiotic pressures modulate species abundances. On the other hand, there is growing recognition that species interactions play an equally important role in limiting or promoting such abundances within ecological communities. Here, we present a joint effort between ecologists and data scientists to use data-driven models to predict species abundances using reasonably easy to obtain data. We propose a sequential data-driven modeling approach that in a first step predicts the potential species abundances based on abiotic variables, and in a second step uses these predictions to model the realized abundances once accounting for species competition. Using a curated data set over five years we predict fine-scale species abundances in a highly diverse annual plant community. Our models show a remarkable spatial predictive accuracy using only easy-to-measure variables in the field, yet such predictive power is lost when temporal dynamics are taken into account. This result suggests that predicting future abundances requires longer time series analysis to capture enough variability. In addition, we show that these data-driven models can also suggest how to improve mechanistic models by adding missing variables that affect species performance such as particular soil conditions (e.g. carbonate availability in our case). Robust models for predicting fine-scale species composition informed by the mechanistic understanding of the underlying abiotic and biotic processes can be a pivotal tool for conservation, especially given the human-induced rapid environmental changes we are experiencing. This objective can be achieved by promoting the knowledge gained with classic modelling approaches in ecology and recently developed data-driven models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Icíar Civantos-Gómez
- Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Madrid, Spain
- Complex Systems Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - David García-Callejas
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Javier Galeano
- Complex Systems Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain
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46
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Trevenen EJ, Veneklaas EJ, Teste FP, Dobrowolski M, Mucina L, Renton M. Positive heterospecific interactions can increase long‐term diversity of plant communities more than negative conspecific interactions alone. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J. Trevenen
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
| | - Erik J. Veneklaas
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
- School of Agriculture and Environment The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
| | - François P. Teste
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
- Grupo de Estudios Ambientales IMASL‐CONICET & Universidad Nacional de San Luis San Luis Argentina
- Swift Current Research and Development Centre Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada Swift Current SK Canada
| | - Mark P. Dobrowolski
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
- Iluka Resources Limited Perth WA Australia
- Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth WA Australia
| | - Ladislav Mucina
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
- Harry Butler Institute Murdoch University Perth WA Australia
- Department of Geography & Environmental Studies Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch South Africa
| | - Michael Renton
- School of Biological Sciences The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
- School of Agriculture and Environment The University of Western Australia Perth WA Australia
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47
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Kinlock NL, Munch SB. Interaction network structure and spatial patterns influence invasiveness and invasibility in a stochastic model of plant communities. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Kinlock
- Dept of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook Univ. Stony Brook NY USA
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Santa Cruz CA USA
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48
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Sun Q, Yang J, Wang S, Yang F, Zhang G, Wei C, Han X, Li J. Nitrogen enrichment affects the competition network of aboveground species on the Inner Mongolia steppe. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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García-Callejas D, Bartomeus I, Godoy O. The spatial configuration of biotic interactions shapes coexistence-area relationships in an annual plant community. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6192. [PMID: 34702825 PMCID: PMC8548393 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase of species richness with area is a universal phenomenon on Earth. However, this observation contrasts with our poor understanding of how these species-area relationships (SARs) emerge from the collective effects of area, spatial heterogeneity, and local interactions. By combining a structuralist approach with five years of empirical observations in a highly-diverse Mediterranean grassland, we show that spatial heterogeneity plays a little role in the accumulation of species richness with area in our system. Instead, as we increase the sampled area more species combinations are realized, and they coexist mainly due to direct pairwise interactions rather than by changes in single-species dominance or by indirect interactions. We also identify a small set of transient species with small population sizes that are consistently found across spatial scales. These findings empirically support the importance of the architecture of species interactions together with stochastic events for driving coexistence- and species-area relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- David García-Callejas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, E-11510, Puerto Real, Spain.
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, C/Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Oscar Godoy
- Departamento de Biología, Instituto Universitario de Investigación Marina (INMAR), Universidad de Cádiz, E-11510, Puerto Real, Spain
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50
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Li G, Wang M, Ma C, Tao R, Hou F, Liu Y. Effects of Soil Heterogeneity and Species on Plant Interactions. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.756344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant interactions are central in driving the composition and structure of plant populations and communities. Soil heterogeneity and species identity can modulate such interactions, yet require more studies. Thus, a manipulative experiment was done where three soil heterogeneity levels were developed by mixing local soil and sand in three different ratios (i.e., soil:sand ratio = 2:8, 5:5, and 8:2), and three typical species (i.e., Festuca elata, Bromus inermis, and Elymus breviaristatus) were used in different combinations. Soil heterogeneity was assumed to affect plant interactions, which were in turn modified by species. Plant height was applied as an indicator for plant interactions. Relative competition intensity (RCI) was used to quantify plant interactions, where RCI was applied as a ratio of monoculture and mixture performance. Results showed that soil heterogeneity and soil heterogeneity × species significantly affected the RCI in mixtures compared with plant individuals growing alone (i.e., RCI1). However, species as a single factor did not affect RCI1. Moreover, species and soil heterogeneity × species significantly affected the RCI in mixtures compared with two individuals growing together (i.e., RCI2), and the difference between RCI1 and RCI2 (i.e., RCIdiff). Soil heterogeneity significantly affected RCI2 of F. elata. This study suggests that soil heterogeneity could buffer the stability of plant populations by modifying plant interactions, which would subsequently drive plant establishment. To explore the underlying mechanisms of such patterns, further studies considering more species and plant traits are needed.
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