1
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McMillan JR, Chaves LF, Armstrong PM. Ecological predictors of mosquito population and arbovirus transmission synchrony estimates. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:564-574. [PMID: 36964697 PMCID: PMC10179454 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying synchrony in species population fluctuations and determining its driving factors can inform multiple aspects of ecological and epidemiological research and policy decisions. We examined seasonal mosquito and arbovirus surveillance data collected in Connecticut, United States from 2001 to 2020 to quantify spatial relationships in 19 mosquito species and 7 arboviruses timeseries accounting for environmental factors such as climate and land cover characteristics. We determined that mosquito collections, on average, were significantly correlated up to 10 km though highly variable among the examined species. Few arboviruses displayed any synchrony and significant maximum correlated distances never exceeded 5 km. After accounting for distance, mixed effects models showed that mosquito or arbovirus identity explained more variance in synchrony estimates than climate or land cover factors. Correlated mosquito collections up to 10-20 km suggest that mosquito control operations for nuisance and disease vectors alike must expand treatment zones to regional scales for operations to have population-level impacts. Species identity matters as well, and some mosquito species will require much larger treatment zones than others. The much shorter correlated detection distances for arboviruses reinforce the notion that focal-level processes drive vector-borne pathogen transmission dynamics and risk of spillover into human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R McMillan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Luis Fernando Chaves
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Philip M Armstrong
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
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2
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McMillan JR, Olson MM, Petruff T, Shepard JJ, Armstrong PM. Impacts of Lysinibacillus sphaericus on mosquito larval community composition and larval competition between Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18013. [PMID: 36289303 PMCID: PMC9606275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21939-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Effectiveness of mosquito larvicide active ingredients (AI), such as Lysinibacillus sphaericus, varies between species, yet little is known regarding how differential effectiveness manifests in larval communities in applied settings. To examine how differential effectiveness of L. sphaericus influences larval community dynamics, we performed two experiments. We performed a field experiment in which containers were seeded with a standardized nutrient treatment, mosquitoes colonized the containers, and then containers received one of three L. sphaericus applications. We then performed competition assays between Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus in low nutrient environments using multiple interspecific ratios and the presence/absence of a low dose of L. sphaericus. Field results demonstrated elimination of Culex spp. from treated containers while container breeding Aedes spp. proliferated across all treatments. Lysinibacillus sphaericus did not influence competition between Cx. pipiens and Ae. albopictus, and the L. sphaericus application eliminated Cx. pipiens in all treatment replicates while survival of Ae. albopictus was similar between treated and untreated containers across interspecific ratios. Lysinibacillus sphaericus is an effective AI for control of Culex spp. However, different AIs should be utilized in habitats containing non-Culex genera while a mix of AIs should be utilized where coexistence of multiple genera is expected or confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R McMillan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St., Rm 212, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Michael M Olson
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tanya Petruff
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John J Shepard
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Philip M Armstrong
- Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
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3
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Petermann JS, Gossner MM. Aquatic islands in the sky: 100 years of research on water-filled tree holes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9206. [PMID: 35983173 PMCID: PMC9374645 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Water-filled tree holes are unique ecosystems that may occur high up in tree crowns and are essentially aquatic islands in the sky. Insect larvae, mesofauna, and other organisms colonize the waterbodies and feed on the accumulating detritus. Water-filled tree holes are not only important habitats for these species but have been used as model systems in ecology. Here, we review more than 100 years of research on tree-hole inhabiting organisms and show that most studies focus on selected or even single species (most of which are mosquitoes), whereas only few studies examine groups other than insects, especially in the tropics. Using a vote counting of results and a meta-analysis of community studies, we show that the effects of tree-hole size and resources on abundance and richness were investigated most frequently. Both were found to have a positive effect, but effect sizes were modulated by site-specific environmental variables such as temperature or precipitation. We also show that parameters such as the height of the tree holes above ground, tree-hole density, predation, and detritus type can be important drivers of organism abundance or richness but are less often tested. We identify several important research gaps and potential avenues for future research. Specifically, future studies should investigate the structure, functions, and temporal dynamics of tree-hole food webs and their cross-system interactions, for example, with terrestrial predators that act as a connection to their terrestrial surroundings in meta-ecosystems. Global observational or experimental tree-hole studies could contribute pivotal information on spatial variation of community structure and environmental drivers of community assembly. With a better understanding of these unique aquatic habitats in terrestrial ecosystems, natural and artificial tree holes can not only serve as model systems for addressing fundamental ecological questions but also serve as indicator systems of the impacts of environmental change on ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana S. Petermann
- Department of Environment and BiodiversityUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Forest EntomologySwiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- ETH Zurich, Department of Environmental Systems ScienceInstitute of Terrestrial EcosystemsZurichSwitzerland
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4
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Krasnov BR, Korallo-Vinarskaya N, Vinarski MV, Khokhlova IS. Temporal variation of metacommunity structure in arthropod ectoparasites harboured by small mammals: the effects of scale and climatic fluctuations. Parasitol Res 2022; 121:537-549. [PMID: 35076775 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07416-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We applied the elements of metacommunity structure (EMS) approach and studied the temporal dynamics of metacommunity structure in arthropod ectoparasites (fleas, gamasid mites and ixodid ticks) harboured by six small mammalian hosts sampled for three decades in the same locality in Western Siberia at three hierarchical scales (inframetacommunities, component metacommunities and a compound metacommunity). All metacommunities were positively coherent. Inframetacommunity structures varied across sampling periods in all host species. The main structural pattern in an inframetacommunity of the same host varied across sampling times but was mostly characterized by clumped species distributions (Clementsian, Gleasonian and their quasi-versions). Component metacommunities in five of the six host species were characterized by either a Clementsian or a quasi-Clementsian distribution. In four of the six host species, this pattern was driven by mite distribution. The temporal structure of compound metacommunity was characterized by a Clementsian pattern. In contrast to the majority of component metacommunities, this pattern was driven by fleas, whereas the temporal structure of gamasid mite compound metacommunities demonstrated a Gleasonian distribution. The temporal gradient in infracommunity composition was not associated with temporal changes in either air temperature or precipitation, whereas the precipitation gradient was positively correlated with the structure of component (in five host species) and compound metacommunities. In conclusion, the best-fit metacommunity structure of ectoparasites varies temporally due to temporal changes in distribution patterns that can be associated with year-to-year climatic variation, affecting both hosts and parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
| | - Natalia Korallo-Vinarskaya
- Laboratory of Arthropod-Borne Viral Infections, Omsk Research Institute of Natural Foci Infections, Mira str. 7, 644080, Omsk, Russia.,Omsk State Pedagogical University, Tukhachevskogo Emb. 14, 644099, Omsk, Russia
| | - Maxim V Vinarski
- Laboratory of Macroecology and Biogeography of Invertebrates, Saint-Petersburg State University, University Emb. 7/9, 199034, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.,Omsk State University, Neftezavodskaya Str. 11, 644053, Omsk, Russia
| | - Irina S Khokhlova
- Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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5
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Holyoak M, Caspi T, Redosh LW. Integrating Disturbance, Seasonality, Multi-Year Temporal Dynamics, and Dormancy Into the Dynamics and Conservation of Metacommunities. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.571130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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6
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Juliano SA, Yee DA, Alto BW, Reiskind MH. Papers From a Workshop on Mosquito Ecology and Evolution Inspired by the Career of L. Philip Lounibos. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:299-302. [PMID: 30668777 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjy146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Juliano
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
| | - Donald A Yee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
| | - Barry W Alto
- Department of Entomology & Nematology, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, Vero Beach, FL
| | - Michael H Reiskind
- Department of Plant Pathology and Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
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7
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Toju H, Vannette RL, Gauthier MPL, Dhami MK, Fukami T. Priority effects can persist across floral generations in nectar microbial metacommunities. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hirokazu Toju
- Dept of Biology; Stanford Univ.; Stanford CA 94305-5020 USA
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto Univ.; Otsu Shiga Japan
| | - Rachel L. Vannette
- Dept of Biology; Stanford Univ.; Stanford CA 94305-5020 USA
- Dept of Entomology and Nematology; Univ. of California Davis; Davis CA USA
| | - Marie-Pierre L. Gauthier
- Dept of Biology; Stanford Univ.; Stanford CA 94305-5020 USA
- Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Univ. of Florida; Gainesville FL USA
| | | | - Tadashi Fukami
- Dept of Biology; Stanford Univ.; Stanford CA 94305-5020 USA
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8
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Lindh MV, Sjöstedt J, Casini M, Andersson A, Legrand C, Pinhassi J. Local Environmental Conditions Shape Generalist But Not Specialist Components of Microbial Metacommunities in the Baltic Sea. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:2078. [PMID: 28066392 PMCID: PMC5180196 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.02078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine microbes exhibit biogeographical patterns linked with fluxes of matter and energy. Yet, knowledge of the mechanisms shaping bacterioplankton community assembly across temporal scales remains poor. We examined bacterioplankton 16S rRNA gene fragments obtained from Baltic Sea transects to determine phylogenetic relatedness and assembly processes coupled with niche breadth. Communities were phylogenetically more related over time than expected by chance, albeit with considerable temporal variation. Hence, habitat filtering, i.e., local environmental conditions, rather than competition structured bacterioplankton communities in summer but not in spring or autumn. Species sorting (SS) was the dominant assembly process, but temporal and taxonomical variation in mechanisms was observed. For May communities, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria exhibited SS while Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia were assembled by SS and mass effect. Concomitantly, Gammaproteobacteria were assembled by the neutral model and patch dynamics. Temporal variation in habitat filtering and dispersal highlights the impact of seasonally driven reorganization of microbial communities. Typically abundant Baltic Sea populations such as the NS3a marine group (Bacteroidetes) and the SAR86 and SAR11 clade had the highest niche breadth. The verrucomicrobial Spartobacteria population also exhibited high niche breadth. Surprisingly, variation in bacterioplankton community composition was regulated by environmental factors for generalist taxa but not specialists. Our results suggest that generalists such as NS3a, SAR86, and SAR11 are reorganized to a greater extent by changes in the environment compared to specialists and contribute more strongly to determining overall biogeographical patterns of marine bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus V Lindh
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Johanna Sjöstedt
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Michele Casini
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Marine Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Lysekil, Sweden
| | - Agneta Andersson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden
| | - Catherine Legrand
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Jarone Pinhassi
- Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, Linnaeus University Kalmar, Sweden
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9
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Aranda R, Graciolli G. Environmental Heterogeneity in Parasitoid-Host Interaction for Mutillidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita). ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 45:1146-1153. [PMID: 27555643 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvw098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Environmental heterogeneity is a major factor influencing the spatial distribution of organisms. Due to intimate relationships with their hosts, parasitic insects are inclined to be even more sensitive to variations. This study aimed to verify the relationship between spatial distribution of Mutillidae, potential hosts, and the effect of heterogeneity in the distribution of both, testing the hypotheses: i) the spatial distribution of mutillids depends on the distribution of hosts and ii) variation in environmental heterogeneity affects the distribution of both. Sampling was conducted in four fragments of the Cerrado. We collected Hymenopteran specimens from 25 plots of one hectare using 18 Malaise traps throughout one year, totalizing 32,400 trap-hours. Female Mutillidae were hand collected at all sampling points, for a total of 450 man-hours. At each hectare plot, we obtained the environmental variables from nine plots of 25 m2 A total of 1,089 individuals were collected (Apidae: 311; Crabronidae: 165; Shpecidae: 84; Vespidae: 229) belonging to 127 species of potential hosts (bees and wasps) and 300 individuals (42 species) of Mutillidae. Leaf-litter depths showed significant relation in host-parasitoid distribution. The spatiotemporal distribution followed the predator-prey model for Mutillidae, and environmental heterogeneity was a factor that determined the structure of the host-parasitoid community. The results suggest an intense relationship between the Mutillidae and Crabronidae, as well as Sphecidae and two Apidae subfamilies (Halictinae and Colletinae). These families and subfamilies present behavior in which they build nests in aggregations even each female being solitary. Crabronidae is considered the best potential host for Mutillidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Aranda
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde - Cidade Universitária s/n - CEP: 79070900, Caixa Postal 549, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
| | - G Graciolli
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde - Cidade Universitária s/n - CEP: 79070900, Caixa Postal 549, Campo Grande, MS, Brasil
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10
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Shoemaker LG, Melbourne BA. Linking metacommunity paradigms to spatial coexistence mechanisms. Ecology 2016; 97:2436-2446. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren G. Shoemaker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado at Boulder UCB 334, Ramaley Hall Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
| | - Brett A. Melbourne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Colorado at Boulder UCB 334, Ramaley Hall Boulder Colorado 80309 USA
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11
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Pandit SN, Cottenie K, Enders EC, Kolasa J. The role of local and regional processes on population synchrony along the gradients of habitat specialization. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shubha N. Pandit
- Department of Biology McMaster University 1280 Main St. West Hamilton Ontario L8S 4K1 Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute 501 University Crescent Winnipeg Manitoba R3T 2N6 Canada
| | - Karl Cottenie
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Ontario N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Eva C. Enders
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute 501 University Crescent Winnipeg Manitoba R3T 2N6 Canada
| | - Jurek Kolasa
- Department of Biology McMaster University 1280 Main St. West Hamilton Ontario L8S 4K1 Canada
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12
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Walker ED. Toxicity of Sulfide and Ammonium to Aedes triseriatus Larvae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Water-Filled Tree Holes and Tires. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 53:577-583. [PMID: 27049027 PMCID: PMC5853678 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjw032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ammonium and sulfide in water of tree hole and tire habitats of Aedes triseriatus Say larvae could accumulate to toxic levels, limiting growth and production of larvae and adults. Both ions were detected in water samples taken in longitudinal series over 11 dates from 10 habitats of each type during the larval growth season, at concentrations suggestive of reducing conditions in these habitats. Ammonium was more concentrated overall in water of both habitat types, while sulfide was more concentrated in tires than in tree holes. Water of tree holes was more acidic, whereas water in tires tended to be more basic, an important difference relative to the tendency of ammonium to form the more toxic ammonia moiety under basic conditions. Oxygen saturation was low in both habitat types, indicative of hypoxic conditions such that aerobic respiration would be limited. First-and fourth-instar larvae were sensitive to ammonium and sulfide in acute dose-response assays, but LC50 values were above maximum concentrations observed under field conditions, suggesting that toxic effects of ammonium and sulfide on larvae are not acute, but could be chronic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Walker
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 ,
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, and
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13
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Leibold MA, Loeuille N. Species sorting and patch dynamics in harlequin metacommunities affect the relative importance of environment and space. Ecology 2016; 96:3227-33. [PMID: 26909428 DOI: 10.1890/14-2354.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Metacommunity theory indicates that variation in local community structure can be partitioned into components including those related to local environmental conditions vs. spatial effects and that these can be quantified using statistical methods based on variation partitioning. It has been hypothesized that joint associations of community composition with environment and space could be due to patch dynamics involving colonization-extinction processes in environmentally heterogeneous landscapes but this has yet to be theoretically shown. We develop a two-patch, type-two, species competition model in such a "harlequin" landscape (where different patches have different environments) to evaluate how composition is related to environmental and spatial effects as a function of background extinction rate. Using spatially implicit analytical models, we find that the environmental association of community composition declines with extinction rate as expected. Using spatially explicit simulation models, we further find that there is an increase in the spatial structure with extinction due to spatial patterning into clusters that are not related to environmental conditions but that this increase is limited. Natural metacommunities often show both environment and spatial determination even under conditions of relatively high isolation and these could be more easily explained by our model than alternative metacommunity models.
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14
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Gossner MM, Lade P, Rohland A, Sichardt N, Kahl T, Bauhus J, Weisser WW, Petermann JS. Effects of management on aquatic tree-hole communities in temperate forests are mediated by detritus amount and water chemistry. J Anim Ecol 2015; 85:213-26. [PMID: 26332767 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Arthropod communities in water-filled tree holes may be sensitive to impacts of forest management, for example via changes in environmental conditions such as resource input. We hypothesized that increasing forest management intensity (ForMI) negatively affects arthropod abundance and richness and shifts community composition and trophic structure of tree hole communities. We predicted that this shift is caused by reduced habitat and resource availability at the forest stand scale as well as reduced tree hole size, detritus amount and changed water chemistry at the tree holes scale. We mapped 910 water-filled tree holes in two regions in Germany and studied 199 tree hole inhabiting arthropod communities. We found that increasing ForMI indeed significantly reduced arthropod abundance and richness in water-filled tree holes. The most important indirect effects of management intensity on tree hole community structure were the reduced amounts of detritus for the tree hole inhabiting organisms and changed water chemistry at the tree hole scale, both of which seem to act as a habitat filter. Although habitat availability at the forest stand scale decreased with increasing management intensity, this unexpectedly increased local arthropod abundance in individual tree holes. However, regional species richness in tree holes significantly decreased with increasing management intensity, most likely due to decreased habitat diversity. We did not find that the management-driven increase in plant diversity at the forest stand scale affected communities of individual tree holes, for example via resource availability for adults. Our results suggest that management of temperate forests has to target a number of factors at different scales to conserve diverse arthropod communities in water-filled tree holes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin M Gossner
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Peggy Lade
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Anja Rohland
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Nora Sichardt
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Tiemo Kahl
- Chair of Silviculture, Institute of Forest Sciences, Freiburg University, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, Institute of Forest Sciences, Freiburg University, 79085, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang W Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jana S Petermann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.,Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), 14195, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Christian N, Whitaker BK, Clay K. Microbiomes: unifying animal and plant systems through the lens of community ecology theory. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:869. [PMID: 26441846 PMCID: PMC4561359 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of microbiome research is arguably one of the fastest growing in biology. Bacteria feature prominently in studies on animal health, but fungi appear to be the more prominent functional symbionts for plants. Despite the similarities in the ecological organization and evolutionary importance of animal-bacterial and plant-fungal microbiomes, there is a general failure across disciplines to integrate the advances made in each system. Researchers studying bacterial symbionts in animals benefit from greater access to efficient sequencing pipelines and taxonomic reference databases, perhaps due to high medical and veterinary interest. However, researchers studying plant-fungal symbionts benefit from the relative tractability of fungi under laboratory conditions and ease of cultivation. Thus each system has strengths to offer, but both suffer from the lack of a common conceptual framework. We argue that community ecology best illuminates complex species interactions across space and time. In this synthesis we compare and contrast the animal-bacterial and plant-fungal microbiomes using six core theories in community ecology (i.e., succession, community assembly, metacommunities, multi-trophic interactions, disturbance, restoration). The examples and questions raised are meant to spark discussion amongst biologists and lead to the integration of these two systems, as well as more informative, manipulatory experiments on microbiomes research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Christian
- *Correspondence: Natalie Christian and Briana K. Whitaker, Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Program, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Jordan Hall, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA, ;
| | - Briana K. Whitaker
- *Correspondence: Natalie Christian and Briana K. Whitaker, Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Program, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Jordan Hall, 1001 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA, ;
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16
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Bara JJ, Muturi EJ. Container Type Influences the Relative Abundance, Body Size, and Susceptibility of Ochlerotatus triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) to La Crosse Virus. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 52:452-460. [PMID: 26334821 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjv025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Ochlerotatus triseriatus (Say), the primary vector of La Crosse virus (LAC), develops in a variety of natural and artificial aquatic containers where it often co-occurs with larvae of other mosquito species. We conducted a field study at two woodlots (South Farms and Trelease Woods) in Urbana, IL, to examine how container type influences vector abundance, body size, and susceptibility to LAC. Mosquito pupae were collected from tree holes, plastic bins, and waste tires, and eclosing adults were identified to species morphologically. Oc. triseriatus and Ochlerotatus japonicus (Theobald) females were orally challenged with LAC and midgut infection rate, disseminated infection rate, and body titer were determined by reverse-transcriptase real-time PCR. Oc. triseriatus was the dominant species collected in tree holes while Oc. japonicus and Culex restuans (Theobald) were mostly dominant in artificial containers. Female Oc. triseriatus and Oc. japonicus collected from plastic bins were significantly larger than those collected from tree holes or waste tires. Oc. japonicus females from South Farms were also significantly larger than those from Trelease Woods. Oc. triseriatus females collected from plastic bins and waste tires were significantly more susceptible to LAC infection relative to females collected from tree holes. In addition, Oc. triseriatus females from waste tires had significantly higher LAC titer relative to Oc. triseriatus from tree holes. For each container type and study site, wing length was not correlated to infection or dissemination rates. These findings suggest that the container type in which Oc.triseriatus develop may contribute to the spatial and temporal dynamics of LAC transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Bara
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61820.
| | - Ephantus J Muturi
- Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61820
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Stoffels RJ, Clarke KR, Linklater DS. Temporal dynamics of a local fish community are strongly affected by immigration from the surrounding metacommunity. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:200-12. [PMID: 25628877 PMCID: PMC4298447 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Revised: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
A 5-year time series of annual censuses was collected from a large floodplain lake to determine how dynamics of the local fish community were affected by changes in hydrological connectivity with the surrounding metacommunity. The lake was disconnected from the metacommunity for 1 year prior to our study and remained disconnected until 3 months before our third annual census, when a flood reconnected the lake to the metacommunity. We determined how changes in connectivity affected temporal dynamics of (1) local community composition and (2) the population composition, condition, and growth of catfish, to shed light on how immigration of other species might affect local population dynamics. Before reconnection, the community was likely shaped by interactions between the local environment and species traits. The reconnection caused significant immigration and change in community composition and correlated with a significant and abrupt decline in catfish condition, growth, and abundance; effects likely due to the immigration of a competitor with a similar trophic niche: carp. The community was slow to return to its preconnection state, which may be due to dispersal traits of the fishes, and a time-lag in the recovery of the local catfish population following transient intensification of species interactions. The dynamics observed were concordant with the species sorting and mass-effects perspectives of metacommunity theory. Floods cause episodic dispersal in floodplain fish metacommunities, and so, flood frequency determines the relative importance of regional and local processes. Local processes may be particularly important to certain species, but these species may need sufficient time between floods for population increase, before the next flood-induced dispersal episode brings competitors and predators that might cause population decline. Accordingly, species coexistence in these metacommunities may be facilitated by spatiotemporal storage effects, which may in turn be regulated by flood frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick J Stoffels
- The Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, CSIRO Land and WaterWodonga, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Danielle S Linklater
- The Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, La Trobe UniversityMildura, Victoria, Australia
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Moritz C, Meynard CN, Devictor V, Guizien K, Labrune C, Guarini JM, Mouquet N. Disentangling the role of connectivity, environmental filtering, and spatial structure on metacommunity dynamics. OIKOS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00377.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Göthe E, Angeler DG, Sandin L. Metacommunity structure in a small boreal stream network. J Anim Ecol 2012; 82:449-58. [PMID: 23163593 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 09/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Current ecological frameworks emphasize the relative importance of local and regional drivers for structuring species communities. However, most research has been carried out in systems with discrete habitat boundaries and a clear insular structure. Stream networks deviate from the insular structure and can serve as excellent model systems for studying hierarchical community dynamics over different temporal and spatial extents. We used benthic invertebrate data from streams in a small northern Swedish catchment to test whether metacommunity dynamics change between seasons, across spatial hierarchies (i.e. at the whole catchment scale vs. the scales of first-order and second/third-order sites within the catchment) and between stream-order groups. We assessed metacommunity structure as a function of three relevant dispersal dimensions (directional downstream processes, along-stream dispersal and overland dispersal). These dispersal dimensions were related to species groups with relevant dispersal traits (flying capacity, drift propensity) and dispersal capacities (weak vs. strong) to elucidate whether the observed spatial signals were due to dispersal limitation or mass effects. Results showed complex community organization that varied between seasons, with the scale of observation, and with stream order. The importance of spatial factors and specific dispersal dimensions was highly dependent on the time of sampling and the scale of observation. The importance of environmental factors was more consistent in our analyses, but their effect on species community structure peaked at first-order sites. Our analyses of species dispersal traits were not unequivocal, but indicated that both mass effects and dispersal limitation could simultaneously contribute to the spatial signal at the scale of the whole catchment through different dispersal pathways. We conclude that the study of hierarchically organized ecosystems uncovers complex patterns of metacommunity organization that may deviate substantially from those of systems with insular structure and discrete habitat boundaries. Moreover, we show that dispersal constraints imposed by the dendritic structure of stream networks and distinct dispersal mechanisms (e.g. dispersal limitation) may be evident also at very small spatial extents. Thus, even at this small scale, a landscape management approach that takes the dendritic nature of stream networks into account is needed to effectively conserve stream biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Göthe
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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The rise of the invasives and decline of the natives: insights revealed from adult populations of container-inhabiting Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in temperate North America. Biol Invasions 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-012-0345-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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21
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Farjalla VF, Srivastava DS, Marino NAC, Azevedo FD, Dib V, Lopes PM, Rosado AS, Bozelli RL, Esteves FA. Ecological determinism increases with organism size. Ecology 2012; 93:1752-9. [PMID: 22919920 DOI: 10.1890/11-1144.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
After much debate, there is an emerging consensus that the composition of many ecological communities is determined both by species traits, as proposed by niche theory, as well as by chance events. A critical question for ecology is, therefore, which attributes of species predict the dominance of deterministic or stochastic processes. We outline two hypotheses by which organism size could determine which processes structure ecological communities, and we test these hypotheses by comparing the community structure in bromeliad phytotelmata of three groups of organisms (bacteria, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates) that encompass a 10 000-fold gradient in body size, but live in the same habitat. Bacteria had no habitat associations, as would be expected from trait-neutral stochastic processes, but still showed exclusion among species pairs, as would be expected from niche-based processes. Macroinvertebrates had strong habitat and species associations, indicating niche-based processes. Zooplankton, with body size between bacteria and macroinvertebrates, showed intermediate habitat associations. We concluded that a key niche process, habitat filtering, strengthened with organism size, possibly because larger organisms are both less plastic in their fundamental niches and more able to be selective in dispersal. These results suggest that the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic processes may be predictable from organism size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius F Farjalla
- Department of Ecology, Biology Institute, P.O. Box 68020, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Pandit SN, Kolasa J, Cottenie K. Population synchrony decreases with richness and increases with environmental fluctuations in an experimental metacommunity. Oecologia 2012; 171:237-47. [PMID: 22791133 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-012-2407-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Fluctuations of local but connected populations may show correlation or synchrony whenever they experience significant dispersal or correlated environmental biotic and abiotic variability. Synchrony may be an important variable in multispecies systems, but its nature and implications have not been explicitly examined. Because the number of locally coexisting species (richness) affects the population variability of community members, we manipulated richness under different regimes of environmental fluctuation (EF). We predicted that the temporal synchrony of populations in a species should decline with increasing richness of the metacommunity they live in. Additionally, we predicted that specialist species that are sensitive to a specific environmental factor would show higher synchronization when EF increases. We thus created experimental communities with varied richness, EF, and species specialization to examine the synchronizing effects of these factors on three aquatic invertebrate species. We created four levels of richness and three levels of EF by manipulating the salinity of the culture media. Monocultures exhibited higher population synchrony than metacommunities of 2-4 species. Furthermore, we found that species responded differently to EF treatments: high EF enhanced population synchrony for the specialist and intermediate species, but not for the generalist species. Our findings emphasize that the magnitude of EF and species richness both contribute to determine population synchrony, and importantly, our results suggest that biotic diversity may actually stabilize metacommunities by disrupting synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubha N Pandit
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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Costello EK, Stagaman K, Dethlefsen L, Bohannan BJM, Relman DA. The application of ecological theory toward an understanding of the human microbiome. Science 2012; 336:1255-62. [PMID: 22674335 DOI: 10.1126/science.1224203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 917] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The human-microbial ecosystem plays a variety of important roles in human health and disease. Each person can be viewed as an island-like "patch" of habitat occupied by microbial assemblages formed by the fundamental processes of community ecology: dispersal, local diversification, environmental selection, and ecological drift. Community assembly theory, and metacommunity theory in particular, provides a framework for understanding the ecological dynamics of the human microbiome, such as compositional variability within and between hosts. We explore three core scenarios of human microbiome assembly: development in infants, representing assembly in previously unoccupied habitats; recovery from antibiotics, representing assembly after disturbance; and invasion by pathogens, representing assembly in the context of invasive species. Judicious application of ecological theory may lead to improved strategies for restoring and maintaining the microbiota and the crucial health-associated ecosystem services that it provides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Costello
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Logue JB, Mouquet N, Peter H, Hillebrand H. Empirical approaches to metacommunities: a review and comparison with theory. Trends Ecol Evol 2011; 26:482-91. [PMID: 21641673 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 289] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2010] [Revised: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Local factors determine plant community structure on closely neighbored islands. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19762. [PMID: 21572960 PMCID: PMC3091879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Accepted: 04/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the recent popularity of the metacommunity concept, ecologists have not evaluated the applicability of different metacommunity frameworks to insular organisms. We surveyed 50 closely spaced islands in the Thousand-Island Lake of China to examine the role of local (environmental) and regional (dispersal) factors in structuring woody plant assemblages (tree and shrub species) on these islands. By partitioning the variation in plant community structure into local and regional causes, we showed that local environmental conditions, specifically island morphometric characteristics, accounted for the majority of the variation in plant community structure among the studied islands. Spatial variables, representing the potential importance of species dispersal, explained little variation. We conclude that one metacommunity framework–species sorting–best characterizes these plant communities. This result reinforces the idea that the traditional approach of emphasizing the local perspective when studying ecological communities continues to hold its value.
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Jacob BG, Morris JA, Caamano EX, Griffith DA, Novak RJ. Geomapping generalized eigenvalue frequency distributions for predicting prolific Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus habitats based on spatiotemporal field-sampled count data. Acta Trop 2011; 117:61-8. [PMID: 20969828 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2010.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2010] [Revised: 09/01/2010] [Accepted: 10/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Marked spatiotemporal variabilities in mosquito infection of arboviruses require adaptive strategies for determining optimal field-sampling timeframes, pool screening, and data analyses. In particular, the error distribution and aggregation patterns of adult arboviral mosquitoes can vary significantly by species, which can statistically bias analyses of spatiotemporal-sampled predictor variables generating misinterpretation of prolific habitat surveillance locations. Currently, there is a lack of reliable and consistent measures of risk exposure based on field-sampled georeferenced explanatory covariates which can compromise quantitative predictions generated from arboviral mosquito surveillance models for implementing larval control strategies targeting productive habitats. In this research we used spatial statistics and QuickBird visible and near-infra-red data for determining trapping sites that were related to Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus species abundance and distribution in Birmingham, Alabama. Initially, a Land Use Land Cover (LULC) model was constructed from multiple spatiotemporal-sampled georeferenced predictors and the QuickBird data. A Poisson regression model with a non-homogenous, gamma-distributed mean then decomposed the data into positive and negative spatial filter eigenvectors. An autoregressive process in the error term then was used to derive the sample distribution of the Moran's I statistic for determining latent autocorrelation components in the model. Spatial filter algorithms established means, variances, distributional functions, and pairwise correlations for the predictor variables. In doing so, the eigenfunction spatial filter quantified the residual autocorrelation error in the mean response term of the model as a linear combination of various distinct Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus habitat map patterns. The analyses revealed 18-27% redundant information in the data. Prolific habitats of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus can be accurately spatially targeted based on georeferenced field-sampled count data using QuickBird data, LULC explanatory covariates, robust negative binomial regression estimates and space-time eigenfunctions.
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Positive interactions and the emergence of community structure in metacommunities. J Theor Biol 2010; 266:419-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2009] [Revised: 06/09/2010] [Accepted: 07/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Keith SA, Newton AC, Morecroft MD, Golicher DJ, Bullock JM. Plant metacommunity structure remains unchanged during biodiversity loss in English woodlands. OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18775.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Pandit SN, Kolasa J, Cottenie K. Contrasts between habitat generalists and specialists: an empirical extension to the basic metacommunity framework. Ecology 2009; 90:2253-62. [DOI: 10.1890/08-0851.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 330] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Driscoll DA, Lindenmayer DB. Empirical tests of metacommunity theory using an isolation gradient. ECOL MONOGR 2009. [DOI: 10.1890/08-1114.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Paradise CJ, Blue JD, Burkhart JQ, Goldberg J, Harshaw L, Hawkins KD, Kegan B, Krentz T, Smith L, Villalpando S. Local and regional factors influence the structure of treehole metacommunities. BMC Ecol 2008; 8:22. [PMID: 19099587 PMCID: PMC2628885 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6785-8-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2008] [Accepted: 12/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Abiotic and biotic factors in a local habitat may strongly impact the community residing within, but spatially structured metacommunities are also influenced by regional factors such as immigration and colonization. We used three years of monthly treehole census data to evaluate the relative influence of local and regional factors on our study system. Results Every species responded to at least one of three local environmental factors measured: water volume, leaf litter mass, and presence of a top predator. Several species were affected by water volume, and a non-exclusive group of species were influenced by leaf litter mass. Relative abundance of Aedes triseriatus was higher in treeholes with higher volumes of water, and relative abundances of three out of six other species were lower in treeholes with higher volumes of water. Leaf litter mass positively affected densities of Aedes triseriatus and relative abundance of several dipteran species. The density of the top predator, Toxorhynchites rutilus, affected the relative abundance of the two most common species, A. triseriatus and Culicoides guttipennis. Treeholes with T. rutilus had an average of two more species than treeholes without T. rutilus. We found little evidence of synchrony between pairs of treeholes, either spatially or temporally. There were high levels of spatial and temporal turnover, and spatial turnover increased with distance between patches. Conclusion The strong effects of water volume, leaf litter mass, and presence of a top predator, along with the high temporal turnover strongly suggest that species presence and density are determined by local factors and changes in those factors over time. Both low water volume and high predator densities can eliminate populations in local patches, and those populations can recolonize patches when rain refills or predators exit treeholes. Population densities of the same species were not matched between pairs of treeholes, suggesting variation in local factors and limited dispersal. Distance effects on spatial turnover also support limitations to dispersal in the metacommunity, and we conclude that the weight of evidence favors a strong influence of local factors relative to regional factors.
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Abstract
The growth of metacommunity ecology as a subdiscipline has increased interest in how processes at different spatial scales structure communities. However, there is still a significant knowledge gap with respect to relating the action of niche- and dispersal-assembly mechanisms to observed species distributions across gradients. Surveys of the larval dragonfly community (Odonata: Anisoptera) in 57 lakes and ponds in southeast Michigan were used to evaluate hypotheses about the processes regulating community structure in this system. We considered the roles of both niche- and dispersal-assembly processes in determining patterns of species richness and composition across a habitat gradient involving changes in the extent of habitat permanence, canopy cover, area, and top predator type. We compared observed richness patterns and species distributions in this system to patterns predicted by four general community models: species sorting related to adaptive trade-offs, a developmental constraints hypothesis, dispersal assembly, and a neutral community assemblage. Our results supported neither the developmental constraints nor the neutral-assemblage models. Observed patterns of richness and species distributions were consistent with patterns expected when adaptive tradeoffs and dispersal-assembly mechanisms affect community structure. Adaptive trade-offs appeared to be important in limiting the distributions of species which segregate across the habitat gradient. However, dispersal was important in shaping the distributions of species that utilize habitats with a broad range of hydroperiods and alternative top predator types. Our results also suggest that the relative importance of these mechanisms may change across this habitat gradient and that a metacommunity perspective which incorporates both niche- and dispersal-assembly processes is necessary to understand how communities are organized.
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Loeuille N, Leibold M. Evolution in Metacommunities: On the Relative Importance of Species Sorting and Monopolization in Structuring Communities. Am Nat 2008; 171:788-99. [DOI: 10.1086/587745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Lounibos LP, Escher RL. Sex ratios of mosquitoes from long-term censuses of Florida tree holes. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION 2008; 24:11-15. [PMID: 18437808 PMCID: PMC2577382 DOI: 10.2987/5656.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Pupal sexes of the most common mosquito species were determined in the course of biweekly censuses (with replacement) of the contents of 3-7 tree holes from 1980-2003 in Vero Beach, FL. A significant (P < 0.001) male bias was detected over this period for the most abundant species, Aedes triseriatus. No significant deviation from a 1:1 sex ratio was detected among pupae of Toxorhynchites rutilus or Ae. albopictus, the latter species occurring in this community only since 1991. Although pupae of Ae. triseriatus were recorded during every month of the year, significant male biases were detected only in February-May, August, and December. These results are interpreted in the context of multivoltinism and the previously documented differential sensitivity of male and female eggs of this species to hatching stimuli. Sex-specific responses to hatching stimuli are judged to be present but less pronounced in eggs of Ae. albopictus. Male biases in container Aedes are likely associated with sexual selection, which may also explain seasonal changes in sex ratios, whereby early males compete to mate with high-fecundity females. The overproduction of Ae. triseriatus males may be counterbalanced by increased fitness of females, which are known to predominate in delayed hatches.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Philip Lounibos
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida, 200 9th Street SE, Vero Beach, FL 32962, USA
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Cadotte MW. Concurrent niche and neutral processes in the competition-colonization model of species coexistence. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:2739-44. [PMID: 17711831 PMCID: PMC2279221 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of neutral dynamics is contentiously debated in the ecological literature. This debate focuses on neutral theory's assumption of fitness equivalency among individuals, which conflicts with stabilizing fitness that promotes coexistence through niche differentiation. I take advantage of competition-colonization trade-offs between species of aquatic micro-organisms (protozoans and rotifers) to show that equalizing and stabilizing mechanisms can operate simultaneously. Competition trials between species with similar colonization abilities were less likely to result in competitive exclusion than for species further apart. While the stabilizing mechanism (colonization differences) facilitates coexistence at large spatial scales, species with similar colonization abilities also exhibited local coexistence probably due to fitness similarities allowing weak stabilizing mechanisms to operate. These results suggest that neutral- and niche-based mechanisms of coexistence can simultaneously operate at differing temporal and spatial scales, and such a spatially explicit view of coexistence may be one way to reconcile niche and neutral dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc William Cadotte
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 725 State Street, Suite 300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA.
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