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Gilbert KJ, Bittleston LS, Naive MAK, Kiszewski AE, Buenavente PAC, Lohman DJ, Pierce NE. Investigation of an Elevational Gradient Reveals Strong Differences Between Bacterial and Eukaryotic Communities Coinhabiting Nepenthes Phytotelmata. Microb Ecol 2020; 80:334-349. [PMID: 32291478 PMCID: PMC7371667 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01503-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Elevation is an important determinant of ecological community composition. It integrates several abiotic features and leads to strong, repeatable patterns of community structure, including changes in the abundance and richness of numerous taxa. However, the influence of elevational gradients on microbes is understudied relative to plants and animals. To compare the influence of elevation on multiple taxa simultaneously, we sampled phytotelm communities within a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes mindanaoensis) along a gradient from 400 to 1200 m a.s.l. We use a combination of metabarcoding and physical counts to assess diversity and richness of bacteria, micro-eukaryotes, and arthropods, and compare the effect of elevation on community structure to that of regulation by a number of plant factors. Patterns of community structure differed between bacteria and eukaryotes, despite their living together in the same aquatic microhabitats. Elevation influences community composition of eukaryotes to a significantly greater degree than it does bacteria. When examining pitcher characteristics, pitcher dimorphism has an effect on eukaryotes but not bacteria, while variation in pH levels strongly influences both taxa. Consistent with previous ecological studies, arthropod abundance in phytotelmata decreases with elevation, but some patterns of abundance differ between living inquilines and prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kadeem J Gilbert
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, 501 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Leonora S Bittleston
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 1-290, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 1910 W University Dr, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
| | - Mark Arcebal K Naive
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Andres Bonifacio Ave, 9200, Iligan, Lanao del Norte, Philippines
| | - Anthony E Kiszewski
- Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Bentley University, 175 Forest Street, Waltham, MA, 02452, USA
| | | | - David J Lohman
- Entomology Section, National Museum of Natural History, Manila, Philippines
- Biology Department, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Ph.D. Program in Biology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Naomi E Pierce
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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