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Dai Q, Cao Y, Chu ML, Larson ER, Suski CD. Agricultural conservation may not help Midwestern US freshwater biodiversity in a changing climate. Sci Total Environ 2023; 872:162143. [PMID: 36773923 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Global climate change and agricultural disturbance often drive freshwater biodiversity changes at the regional level, particularly in the Midwestern US. Agricultural conservation practices have been implemented to reduce sediment and nutrient loading (e.g., crop rotation, cover crops, reduced tillage, and modified fertilizer application) for long-term economic sustainability and environmental resilience. However, the effectiveness of these efforts on freshwater biodiversity is not conclusive. In this study, we used the Kaskaskia River Watershed, Illinois as an example to evaluate how agricultural conservation practices affects both taxonomic and functional diversity under climate changes. The measures of trait-based functional diversity provide mechanistic explanations of biological changes. In specific, we model and predict 1) species richness (SR), 2) functional dispersion (FDis), and 3) functional evenness (FEve). FDis and FEve were based on ecology (life history, habitat preference, and trophic level) and physiology (thermal preference, swimming preference, etc.). The best random-forest regression models showed that flow, temperature, nitrate, and the watershed area were among the top predictors of the three biodiversity measures. We then used the models to predict the changes of SR and FDis under RCP8.5 climate change scenarios. SR and FDis were predicted to decrease in most sites, up to 20 % and 4 % by 2099, respectively. When agricultural conservation practices were considered together with climate changes, the decreasing trends of SR and FDis remained, suggesting climate change outweighed potential agriculture conservation efforts. Thus, climate-change effects on temperature and flow regimes need to be incorporated into the design of agricultural practices for freshwater biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihong Dai
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America.
| | - Yong Cao
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States of America
| | - Maria L Chu
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Eric R Larson
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Cory D Suski
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
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2
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Progênio M, Antiqueira PAP, Oliveira FR, Meira BR, Lansac‐Tôha FM, Rodrigues LC, Romero GQ, Nash LN, Kratina P, Velho LFM. Effects of warming on the structure of aquatic communities in tropical bromeliad microecosystems. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9824. [PMID: 36844665 PMCID: PMC9944163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Freshwaters are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate warming, with projected temperature increases over the coming decades leading to significant losses of aquatic biodiversity. Experimental studies that directly warm entire natural ecosystems in the tropics are needed, for understanding the disturbances on aquatic communities. Therefore, we conducted an experiment to test the impacts of predicted future warming on density, alpha diversity, and beta diversity of freshwater aquatic communities, inhabiting natural microecosystems-Neotropical tank bromeliads. Aquatic communities within the tanks bromeliads were experimentally exposed to warming, with temperatures ranging from 23.58 to 31.72°C. Linear regression analysis was used to test the impacts of warming. Next, distance-based redundancy analysis was performed to assess how warming might alter total beta diversity and its components. This experiment was conducted across a gradient of habitat size (bromeliad water volume) and availability of detrital basal resources. A combination of the highest detritus biomass and higher experimental temperatures resulted in the greatest density of flagellates. However, the density of flagellates declined in bromeliads with higher water volume and lower detritus biomass. Moreover, the combination of the highest water volume and high temperature reduced density of copepods. Finally, warming changed microfauna species composition, mostly through species substitution (β repl component of total beta-diversity). These findings indicate that warming strongly structures freshwater communities by reducing or increasing densities of different aquatic communities groups. It also enhances beta-diversity, and many of these effects are modulated by habitat size or detrital resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Progênio
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil
| | - Pablo A. P. Antiqueira
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia (IB)Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)CampinasSão PauloBrazil
| | - Felipe R. Oliveira
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil
| | - Bianca R. Meira
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil,Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e AmbienteUniversidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP)Ouro PretoMinas GeraisBrazil
| | - Fernando M. Lansac‐Tôha
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil
| | - Luzia C. Rodrigues
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil,Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e AquiculturaUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia (IB)Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)CampinasSão PauloBrazil
| | - Liam N. Nash
- School of Biological and Behavioural SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Behavioural SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Luiz F. M. Velho
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos ContinentaisUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil,Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e AquiculturaUniversidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM)MaringáParanáBrazil
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3
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Alfaro-tapia A, Alvarez-baca JK, Tougeron K, van Baaren J, Lavandero B, Le Lann C. Composition and structure of winter aphid–parasitoid food webs along a latitudinal gradient in Chile. Oecologia 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05270-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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4
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Kroth N, Rezende R, Dal Magro J, Albeny‐Simões D. Top‐down effects on aquatic communities in subtropical lentic microhabitats. AUSTRAL ECOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nádia Kroth
- Laboratório de Entomologia Ecológica, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó Servidão Anjo da Guarda, n° 295‐D, Bairro Efapi Chapecó Brazil
| | - Renan Rezende
- Laboratório de Entomologia Ecológica, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó Servidão Anjo da Guarda, n° 295‐D, Bairro Efapi Chapecó Brazil
| | - Jacir Dal Magro
- Laboratório de Entomologia Ecológica, Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó Servidão Anjo da Guarda, n° 295‐D, Bairro Efapi Chapecó Brazil
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5
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Ruiz T, Carrias JF, Bonhomme C, Farjalla VF, Jassey VEJ, Leflaive J, Compin A, Leroy C, Corbara B, Srivastava DS, Céréghino R. Asynchronous recovery of predators and prey conditions resilience to drought in a neotropical ecosystem. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8392. [PMID: 35589855 PMCID: PMC9120075 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12537-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The predicted increase in the intensity and frequency of drought events associated with global climate change will impose severe hydrological stress to freshwater ecosystems, potentially altering their structure and function. Unlike freshwater communities' direct response to drought, their post-drought recovery capacities remain understudied despite being an essential component driving ecosystem resilience. Here we used tank bromeliad as model ecosystem to emulate droughts of different duration and then assess the recovery capacities of ecosystem structure and function. We followed macroinvertebrate predator and prey biomass to characterize the recovery dynamics of trophic structure (i.e. predator-prey biomass ratio) during the post-drought rewetting phase. We showed that drought significantly affects the trophic structure of macroinvertebrates by reducing the predator-prey biomass ratio. The asynchronous recovery of predator and prey biomass appeared as a critical driver of the post-drought recovery trajectory of trophic structure. Litter decomposition rate, which is an essential ecosystem function, remained stable after drought events, indicating the presence of compensatory effects between detritivores biomass and detritivores feeding activity. We conclude that, in a context of global change, the asynchrony in post-drought recovery of different trophic levels may impact the overall drought resilience of small freshwater ecosystems in a more complex way than expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ruiz
- Laboratoire Microorganismes, Génome Et Environnement, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Jean-François Carrias
- Laboratoire Microorganismes, Génome Et Environnement, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Camille Bonhomme
- Departamento de Ecología, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha Do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,AMAP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Vinicius F Farjalla
- Departamento de Ecología, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha Do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vincent E J Jassey
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle Et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Joséphine Leflaive
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle Et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Arthur Compin
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle Et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
| | - Céline Leroy
- AMAP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Montpellier, France.,ECOFOG, CNRS, CIRAD, INRAE, Université Des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Bruno Corbara
- Laboratoire Microorganismes, Génome Et Environnement, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Régis Céréghino
- Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle Et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse INP, Université Toulouse 3-Paul Sabatier (UT3), Toulouse, France
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6
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Medeiros ÍLS, de Melo AL, de Melo M. Aquatic invertebrate diversity in tank bromeliads in an enclaved wet forest in Brazil’s semiarid region. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2022.2053459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Íttalo Luã Silva Medeiros
- Serra Talhada Academic Unit - UAST, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Serra Talhada, Brazil
- Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Recife, Brazil
| | - André Laurênio de Melo
- Serra Talhada Academic Unit - UAST, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Serra Talhada, Brazil
| | - Mauro de Melo
- Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Recife, Brazil
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7
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Laviski BFDS, Monteiro ÍDM, Pinho LC, Baptista RLC, Mayhé‐Nunes AJ, Racca‐Filho F, Nunes‐Freitas AF. Bromeliad habitat regulates the richness of associated terrestrial and aquatic fauna. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Ferreira da Silva Laviski
- Laboratório de Ecologia Conservação e Mirmecologia Departamento de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro BR‐465, Km 7CEP 23980‐000Seropédica RJBrazil
| | - Ícaro de Moraes Monteiro
- Departamento de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro SeropédicaBrazil
| | - Luiz Carlos Pinho
- Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina FlorianópolisBrazil
| | | | | | - Francisco Racca‐Filho
- Departamento de Entomologia e Fitopatologia Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro Seropédica Brazil
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8
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Nash LN, Antiqueira PAP, Romero GQ, de Omena PM, Kratina P. Warming of aquatic ecosystems disrupts aquatic-terrestrial linkages in the tropics. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:1623-1634. [PMID: 33955003 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems are tightly linked to terrestrial ecosystems by exchanges of resources, which influence species interactions, community dynamics and functioning in both ecosystem types. However, our understanding of how this coupling responds to climate warming is restricted to temperate, boreal and arctic regions, with limited knowledge from tropical ecosystems. We investigated how warming aquatic ecosystems impact cross-ecosystem exchanges in the tropics, through the export of aquatic resources into the terrestrial environment and the breakdown of terrestrial resources within the aquatic environment. We experimentally heated 50 naturally assembled aquatic communities, contained within different-sized tank-bromeliads, to a 23.5-32°C gradient of mean water temperatures. The biomass, abundance and richness of aquatic insects emerging into the terrestrial environment all declined with rising temperatures over a 45-day experiment. Structural equation and linear mixed effects modelling suggested that these impacts were driven by deleterious effects of warming on insect development and survival, rather than being mediated by aquatic predation, nutrient availability or reduced body size. Decomposition was primarily driven by microbial activity. However, total decomposition by both microbes and macroinvertebrates increased with temperature in all but the largest ecosystems, where it decreased. Thus, warming decoupled aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, by reducing the flux of aquatic resources to terrestrial ecosystems but variably enhancing or reducing terrestrial resource breakdown in aquatic ecosystems. In contrast with increased emergence observed in warmed temperate ecosystems, future climate change is likely to reduce connectivity between tropical terrestrial and aquatic habitats, potentially impacting consumers in both ecosystem types. As tropical ectotherms live closer to their thermal tolerance limits compared to temperate species, warming can disrupt cross-ecosystem dynamics in an interconnected tropical landscape and should be considered when investigating ecosystem-level consequences of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam N Nash
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Pablo A P Antiqueira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Paula M de Omena
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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9
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Hayford B, Förster T, Patel VN, Chaboo CS. Aquatic flies (Diptera) in phytotelmata of Neotropical Zingiberales plants. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1871522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Hayford
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Department of Invertebrate Taxonomy, Rhithron Associates, Inc, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Timo Förster
- Allgemeine Und Systematische Zoologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitaet, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Vivek N. Patel
- Snow Entomological Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
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10
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Romero GQ, Marino NAC, MacDonald AAM, Céréghino R, Trzcinski MK, Mercado DA, Leroy C, Corbara B, Farjalla VF, Barberis IM, Dézerald O, Hammill E, Atwood TB, Piccoli GCO, Bautista FO, Carrias JF, Leal JS, Montero G, Antiqueira PAP, Freire R, Realpe E, Amundrud SL, de Omena PM, Campos ABA, Kratina P, O'Gorman EJ, Srivastava DS. Extreme rainfall events alter the trophic structure in bromeliad tanks across the Neotropics. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3215. [PMID: 32587246 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17036-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in global and regional precipitation regimes are among the most pervasive components of climate change. Intensification of rainfall cycles, ranging from frequent downpours to severe droughts, could cause widespread, but largely unknown, alterations to trophic structure and ecosystem function. We conducted multi-site coordinated experiments to show how variation in the quantity and evenness of rainfall modulates trophic structure in 210 natural freshwater microcosms (tank bromeliads) across Central and South America (18°N to 29°S). The biomass of smaller organisms (detritivores) was higher under more stable hydrological conditions. Conversely, the biomass of predators was highest when rainfall was uneven, resulting in top-heavy biomass pyramids. These results illustrate how extremes of precipitation, resulting in localized droughts or flooding, can erode the base of freshwater food webs, with negative implications for the stability of trophic dynamics. The amount and frequency of rainfall structures aquatic food webs. Here the authors show that in tropical tank bromeliads, lower trophic levels are more abundant in stable rainfall conditions, while biomass pyramids are inverted in conditions with periodic droughts.
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11
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Turner B, Trekels H, Vandromme M, Vanschoenwinkel B. Prey colonization in freshwater landscapes can be stimulated or inhibited by the proximity of remote predators. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1766-1774. [PMID: 32324914 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that the colonization of habitat patches may be affected by the quality of surrounding patches. For instance, patches that lack predators may be avoided when located near others with predators, a pattern known as risk contagion. Alternatively, predator avoidance might also redirect dispersal towards nearby predator-free patches resulting in so-called habitat compression. However, it is largely unknown how predators continue to influence these habitat selection behaviours at increasing distances from outside of their own habitat patch. In addition, current information is derived from artificial mesocosm experiments, while support from natural ecosystems is lacking. This study used bromeliad landscapes as a natural model system to study how oviposition habitat selection of Diptera responds to the cues of a distant predator, the carnivorous elephant mosquito larva. We established landscapes containing predator-free bromeliad habitat patches placed at increasing distances from a predator-containing patch, along with replicate control landscapes. These patches were then left to be colonized by ovipositing bromeliad insects. We found that distance to predators modulates habitat selection decisions. Moreover, different dipteran families had different responses suggesting different habitat selection strategies. In some families, predator-free patches at certain distances from the predator patch were avoided, confirming risk contagion. In other families, these patches received higher numbers of colonists providing evidence of predator-induced habitat compression. We confirm that effects of predators in a natural ecosystem can extend beyond the patch in which the predator is present and that the presence or absence of remote predator effects on habitat selection depends on the distance to predators. The notion that perceived habitat quality can depend on conditions in neighbouring patches forces habitat selection studies to adopt a landscape perspective and account for the effects of both present and remote predators when explaining community assembly in metacommunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Turner
- Community Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hendrik Trekels
- Community Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mathil Vandromme
- Community Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bram Vanschoenwinkel
- Community Ecology Lab, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.,Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
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12
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Srivastava DS, Céréghino R, Trzcinski MK, MacDonald AAM, Marino NAC, Mercado DA, Leroy C, Corbara B, Romero GQ, Farjalla VF, Barberis IM, Dézerald O, Hammill E, Atwood TB, Piccoli GCO, Ospina-Bautista F, Carrias JF, Leal JS, Montero G, Antiqueira PAP, Freire R, Realpe E, Amundrud SL, de Omena PM, Campos ABA. Ecological response to altered rainfall differs across the Neotropics. Ecology 2020; 101:e02984. [PMID: 31958151 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
There is growing recognition that ecosystems may be more impacted by infrequent extreme climatic events than by changes in mean climatic conditions. This has led to calls for experiments that explore the sensitivity of ecosystems over broad ranges of climatic parameter space. However, because such response surface experiments have so far been limited in geographic and biological scope, it is not clear if differences between studies reflect geographic location or the ecosystem component considered. In this study, we manipulated rainfall entering tank bromeliads in seven sites across the Neotropics, and characterized the response of the aquatic ecosystem in terms of invertebrate functional composition, biological stocks (total invertebrate biomass, bacterial density) and ecosystem fluxes (decomposition, carbon, nitrogen). Of these response types, invertebrate functional composition was the most sensitive, even though, in some sites, the species pool had a high proportion of drought-tolerant families. Total invertebrate biomass was universally insensitive to rainfall change because of statistical averaging of divergent responses between functional groups. The response of invertebrate functional composition to rain differed between geographical locations because (1) the effect of rainfall on bromeliad hydrology differed between sites, and invertebrates directly experience hydrology not rainfall and (2) the taxonomic composition of some functional groups differed between sites, and families differed in their response to bromeliad hydrology. These findings suggest that it will be difficult to establish thresholds of "safe ecosystem functioning" when ecosystem components differ in their sensitivity to climatic variables, and such thresholds may not be broadly applicable over geographic space. In particular, ecological forecast horizons for climate change may be spatially restricted in systems where habitat properties mediate climatic impacts, and those, like the tropics, with high spatial turnover in species composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane S Srivastava
- Departmetn of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Régis Céréghino
- Ecolab, Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, CNRS, UPS, INPT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, 21941-901, France
| | - M Kurtis Trzcinski
- Ecolab, Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, CNRS, UPS, INPT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, 21941-901, France
| | - A Andrew M MacDonald
- Departmetn of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Ecolab, Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, CNRS, UPS, INPT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, 21941-901, France
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dimaris Acosta Mercado
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus, Mayaguez, 00681, Puerto Rico, USA
| | - Céline Leroy
- AMAP, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, CEDEX-5, 34095, France.,ECOFOG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles), 97379, Kourou, France
| | - Bruno Corbara
- CNRS, LMGE (Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement), Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-862, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Vinicius F Farjalla
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ignacio M Barberis
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, IICAR-CONICET-UNR, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- ECOFOG (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles), 97379, Kourou, France.,Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC)-CNRS UMR 7360, Université de Lorraine, Campus Bridoux, 57070, Metz, France.,INRA, Agrocampus-Ouest, Ecology and Ecosystem Health, 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc, F-35042, Rennes, France
| | - Edd Hammill
- Departmetn of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, 84322, USA
| | - Trisha B Atwood
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, 84322, USA.,Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Gustavo C O Piccoli
- Department of Zoology and Botany, University of São Paulo State (UNESP/IBILCE), 15054 - 000, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Fabiola Ospina-Bautista
- Department of Biological Sciences, Andes University, Bogotá, 111711, Colombia.,Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Caldas, Caldas, 170001, Colombia
| | - Jean-François Carrias
- CNRS, LMGE (Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement), Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Juliana S Leal
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Guillermo Montero
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, IICAR-CONICET-UNR, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Pablo A P Antiqueira
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-862, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Freire
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Agrarias de Rosario, IICAR-CONICET-UNR, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, S2125ZAA, Zavalla, Argentina
| | - Emilio Realpe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Andes University, Bogotá, 111711, Colombia
| | - Sarah L Amundrud
- Departmetn of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Paula M de Omena
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), 13083-862, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Alice B A Campos
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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13
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Abstract
The modified-leaf pitchers of Nepenthes rafflesiana pitcher plants are aquatic, allochthonous ecosystems that are inhabited by specialist inquilines and sustained by the input of invertebrate prey. Detritivorous inquilines are known to increase the nutrient-cycling efficiency (NCE) of pitchers but it is unclear whether predatory inquilines that prey on these detritivores decrease the NCE of pitchers by reducing detritivore populations or increase the NCE of pitchers by processing nutrients that may otherwise be locked up in detritivore biomass. Nepenthosyrphus is a small and poorly studied genus of hoverflies and the larvae of one such species is a facultatively detritivorous predator that inhabits the pitchers of N. rafflesiana. We fitted a consumer-resource model to experimental data collected from this system. Simulations showed that systems containing the predator at equilibrium almost always had higher NCEs than those containing only prey (detritivore) species. We showed using a combination of simulated predator/prey exclusions that the processing of the resource through multiple pathways and trophic levels in this system is more efficient than that accomplished through fewer pathways and trophic levels. Our results thus support the vertical diversity hypothesis, which predicts that greater diversity across trophic levels results in greater ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weng Ngai Lam
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ying Yi Chou
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Republic of Singapore
| | - Felicia Wei Shan Leong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hugh Tiang Wah Tan
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Republic of Singapore
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14
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15
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Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ, Mega ACG, Silva FR. Are
Cecropia
trees ecosystem engineers? The effect of decomposing
Cecropia
leaves on arthropod communities. Biotropica 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo B. Breviglieri
- Departamento de Biologia Animal Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal Instituto de BiologiaUniversidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas São Paulo Brazil
| | - Augusto César G. Mega
- Laboratório de Ecologia Teórica: Integrando Tempo Biologia e Espaço (LET.IT.BE) Departamento de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal de São Carlos ‐ UFSCar Sorocaba São Paulo Brazil
| | - Fernando R. Silva
- Laboratório de Ecologia Teórica: Integrando Tempo Biologia e Espaço (LET.IT.BE) Departamento de Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal de São Carlos ‐ UFSCar Sorocaba São Paulo Brazil
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16
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Busse A, Schoreisz JJ, Petermann JS. Predators and priority effects suggested as potential drivers of microfauna communities in a community transplantation experiment along an elevational gradient. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.05894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annika Busse
- Dept of Biosciences, Univ. of Salzburg Hellbrunner Straße 34, AT‐5020 Salzburg Austria
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany. – J. J. Schoreisz, Inst. of Biology, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Jeremias J. Schoreisz
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany. – J. J. Schoreisz, Inst. of Biology, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Jana S. Petermann
- Dept of Biosciences, Univ. of Salzburg Hellbrunner Straße 34, AT‐5020 Salzburg Austria
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Inst. of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany. – J. J. Schoreisz, Inst. of Biology, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
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17
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Ladino G, Ospina‐Bautista F, Estévez Varón J, Jerabkova L, Kratina P. Ecosystem services provided by bromeliad plants: A systematic review. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:7360-7372. [PMID: 31380056 PMCID: PMC6662323 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The unprecedented loss of biological diversity has negative impacts on ecosystems and the associated benefits which they provide to humans. Bromeliads have high diversity throughout the Neotropics, but they have been negatively affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, and commercialization for ornamental purpose. These plants provide direct benefits to the human society, and they also form microecosystems in which accumulated water and nutrients support the communities of aquatic and terrestrial species, thus maintaining local diversity. We performed a systematic review of the contribution of bromeliads to ecosystem services across their native geographical distribution. We showed that bromeliads provide a range of ecosystem services such as maintenance of biodiversity, community structure, nutrient cycling, and the provisioning of food and water. Moreover, bromeliads can regulate the spread of diseases, and water and carbon cycling, and they have the potential to become important sources of chemical and pharmaceutical products. The majority of this research was performed in Brazil, but future research from other Neotropical countries with a high diversity of bromeliads would fill the current knowledge gaps and increase the generality of these findings. This systematic review identified that future research should focus on provisioning, regulating, and cultural services that have been currently overlooked. This would enhance our understanding of how bromeliad diversity contributes to human welfare, and the negative consequences that loss of bromeliad plants can have on communities of other species and the healthy functioning of the entire ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Ladino
- Departamento de Ciencias BiológicasUniversidad de CaldasManizalesColombia
| | | | | | | | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
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18
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Weathered J, Hammill E. Adaptation to agricultural pesticides may allow mosquitoes to avoid predators and colonize novel ecosystems. Oecologia 2019; 190:219-227. [PMID: 31098774 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04403-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human activities such as the application of agrochemicals may detrimentally disturb natural ecosystems, generating novel selection pressures. Here we examine how pesticides may influence community composition using the aquatic communities within bromeliad phytotelmata, and how adaptive responses to pesticides may influence community-level patterns. We first quantified the composition of macroinvertebrate communities from pesticide-free and pesticide-exposed locations. Complementary manipulative experiments where bromeliads were transplanted between pesticide-free and pesticide-exposed sites were then performed. Finally, pesticide bioassays on the most common predators (Mecistogaster modesta damselflies) and prey (Wyeomyia abebela mosquitoes) assessed a potential evolutionary mechanism that may influence community compositional differences. Our field survey revealed differences in W. abebela and M. modesta abundances between pesticide-free and pesticide-exposed areas. Our transplant experiment suggested compositional differences were not due to physical differences between bromeliads from different locations. Pesticide bioassays revealed that M. modesta from pesticide-free locations had higher innate pesticide tolerances than W. abebela from pesticide-free areas, but M. modesta larvae showed no evidence of adapted resistance as none were found where pesticides were used. Conversely, W. abebela larvae from pesticide-exposed locations had higher pesticide tolerances than individuals from pesticide-free sites, suggesting an adaptive response. This evolved resistance to pesticides may, therefore, allow W. abebela to colonize habitats free of the dominant predator in the system, explaining the higher W. abebela abundances in pesticide-exposed areas than in pesticide-free locations. We suggest that the total effect of novel stressors is driven by interactions between ecological and evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Weathered
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84341, USA
| | - Edd Hammill
- Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84341, USA.
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19
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de Omena PM, Srivastava DS, Romero GQ. Consumptive effects and mismatch in predator-prey turnover rates cause inversion of biomass pyramids. Oecologia 2019; 190:159-68. [PMID: 30923907 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04394-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The mismatch between the turnover rates of predators and prey is one of the oldest explanations for the existence of inverted trophic pyramids. To date, the hypotheses regarding trophic pyramids have all been based on consumptive trophic links between predators and prey, and the relative contribution of non-consumptive effects is still unknown. In this study, we investigated if the inversion of pyramids in bromeliad ecosystems is driven by (i) a rapid colonization of organisms having short cohort interval production (CPI), and (ii) the prevalence of consumptive or non-consumptive effects of top predators. We used a manipulative experiment to investigate the patterns of prey colonization and to partition the net effects of the dominant predator (damselfly larvae) on biomass pyramids into consumptive (uncaged damselfly larvae) and non-consumptive effects (caged damselfly larvae). Consumptive effects of damselflies strengthened the inversion of trophic pyramids. Non-consumptive effects, however, did not affect the shape of biomass pyramids. Instead, the rapid colonization of organisms with predominantly short CPI sustained the large biomass of top predators found in natural bromeliad ecosystems. Prey colonized bromeliads rapidly, but this high production was never visible as standing stock because damselflies reduce prey densities by more than a magnitude through direct consumption. Our study adds to the growing evidence that there are a variety of possible ways that biomass can be trophically structured. Moreover, we suggest that the strength of biomass pyramids inversion may change with the time of ecological succession as prey communities become more equitable.
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20
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LeCraw RM, Srivastava DS. Biogeographic context dependence of trophic cascade strength in bromeliad food webs. Ecology 2019; 100:e02692. [PMID: 30868556 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem functions and the biomass of lower trophic levels are frequently controlled by predators. The strength of top-down control in these trophic cascades can be affected by the identity and diversity of predators, prey, and resources, as well as environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture, and nutrient loading, which can all impact interaction strength between trophic levels. Few studies have been able to replicate a complete community over a large geographic area to compare the full trophic cascade in a manipulative experiment. Here, we identify geographic dependency in trophic cascade strength, and the driving factors and specific mechanisms behind it, by combining geographically replicated experiments with a novel approach of community analogues of common garden and transplant experiments. We studied a predator-detritivore-detritus food web in bromeliads in Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and Brazil. We found that interaction strengths between resources, consumers, and predators were strongly site-specific, but the exact mechanism differed between trophic levels. Large bodied predators created strong interaction strengths between predator and consumer trophic levels, reducing consumer abundance regardless of the geographic location, whereas small-bodied predators created weak interactions with no impact on consumer abundances in any site. In contrast, the interaction strength between consumers and resources varied among sites, depending on the dominant species of leaf detritus. More labile leaf species in Costa Rica created a strong consumer-resource interaction and therefore strong trophic cascade, whereas tougher leaf species in Brazil created a weak consumer-resource interaction, and an overall weaker trophic cascade. Our study highlights the importance of replicating experiments over geographic scales to understand general patterns of ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin M LeCraw
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T1Z4, Canada
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21
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Guzman LM, Vanschoenwinkel B, Farjalla VF, Poon A, Srivastava DS. A precipitation gradient drives change in macroinvertebrate composition and interactions within bromeliads. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200179. [PMID: 30485263 PMCID: PMC6261388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological communities change across spatial and environmental gradients due to (i) changes in species composition, (ii) changes in the frequency or strength of interactions or (iii) changes in the presence of the interactions. Here we use the communities of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting clusters of bromeliad phytotelms along the Brazilian coast as a model system for examining variation in multi-trophic communities. We first document the variation in the species pools of sites across a geographical climate gradient. Using the same sites, we also explored the geographic variation in species interaction strength using a Markov network approach. We found that community composition differed along a gradient of water volume within bromeliads due to the spatial turnover of some species. From the Markov network analysis, we found that the interactions of certain predators differed due to differences in bromeliad water volume. Overall, this study illustrates how a multi-trophic community can change across an environmental gradient through changes in both species and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Melissa Guzman
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Department of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Anita Poon
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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22
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Farjalla VF, González AL, Céréghino R, Dézerald O, Marino NAC, Piccoli GCO, Richardson BA, Richardson MJ, Romero GQ, Srivastava DS. Terrestrial support of aquatic food webs depends on light inputs: a geographically-replicated test using tank bromeliads. Ecology 2018; 97:2147-2156. [PMID: 27859200 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Food webs of freshwater ecosystems can be subsidized by allochthonous resources. However, it is still unknown which environmental factors regulate the relative consumption of allochthonous resources in relation to autochthonous resources. Here, we evaluated the importance of allochthonous resources (litterfall) for the aquatic food webs in Neotropical tank bromeliads, a naturally replicated aquatic microcosm. Aquatic invertebrates were sampled in more than 100 bromeliads within either open or shaded habitats and within five geographically distinct sites located in four different countries. Using stable isotope analyses, we determined that allochthonous sources comprised 74% (±17%) of the food resources of aquatic invertebrates. However, the allochthonous contribution to aquatic invertebrates strongly decreased from shaded to open habitats, as light incidence increased in the tanks. The density of detritus in the tanks had no impact on the importance of allochthonous sources to aquatic invertebrates. This overall pattern held for all invertebrates, irrespective of the taxonomic or functional group to which they belonged. We concluded that, over a broad geographic range, aquatic food webs of tank bromeliads are mostly allochthonous-based, but the relative importance of allochthonous subsidies decreases when light incidence favors autochthonous primary production. These results suggest that, for other freshwater systems, some of the between-study variation in the importance of allochthonous subsidies may similarly be driven by the relative availability of autochthonous resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinicius F Farjalla
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil
| | - Angélica L González
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada.,Biology Department and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Rutgers, The State University of NJ, Camden, New Jersey, 08103, USA
| | - Régis Céréghino
- Ecolab (UMR-CNRS 5245), Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- CNRS, Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (UMR-CNRS 8172), Campus Agronomique, F-97379, Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Ilha do Fundão, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil
| | - Gustavo C O Piccoli
- Graduate Program in Animal Biology, IBILCE, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto-SP, Brazil
| | - Barbara A Richardson
- 165 Braid Road, Edinburgh, EH10 6JE, UK.,Luquillo LTER, Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, P.O. Box 70377, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936-8377, USA
| | - Michael J Richardson
- 165 Braid Road, Edinburgh, EH10 6JE, UK.,Luquillo LTER, Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, P.O. Box 70377, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00936-8377, USA
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), PO Box 6109, Campinas-SP, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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23
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Antiqueira PAP, Petchey OL, Dos Santos VP, de Oliveira VM, Romero GQ. Environmental change and predator diversity drive alpha and beta diversity in freshwater macro and microorganisms. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:3715-3728. [PMID: 29772087 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Global biodiversity is eroding due to anthropogenic causes, such as climate change, habitat loss, and trophic simplification of biological communities. Most studies address only isolated causes within a single group of organisms; however, biological groups of different trophic levels may respond in particular ways to different environmental impacts. Our study used natural microcosms to investigate the predicted individual and interactive effects of warming, changes in top predator diversity, and habitat size on the alpha and beta diversity of macrofauna, microfauna, and bacteria. Alpha diversity (i.e., richness within each bromeliad) generally explained a larger proportion of the gamma diversity (partitioned in alpha and beta diversity). Overall, dissimilarity between communities occurred due to species turnover and not species loss (nestedness). Nevertheless, the three biological groups responded differently to each environmental stressor. Microfauna were the most sensitive group, with alpha and beta diversity being affected by environmental changes (warming and habitat size) and trophic structure (diversity of top predators). Macrofauna alpha and beta diversity was sensitive to changes in predator diversity and habitat size, but not warming. In contrast, the bacterial community was not influenced by the treatments. The community of each biological group was not mutually concordant with the environmental and trophic changes. Our results demonstrate that distinct anthropogenic impacts differentially affect the components of macro and microorganism diversity through direct and indirect effects (i.e., bottom-up and top-down effects). Therefore, a multitrophic and multispecies approach is necessary to assess the effects of different anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Augusto P Antiqueira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Owen L Petchey
- Department for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Viviane Piccin Dos Santos
- Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), University of Campinas, Paulínia, SP, Brazil
| | - Valéria Maia de Oliveira
- Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), University of Campinas, Paulínia, SP, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
- Brazilian Research Network on Climate Change (Rede Clima), São Paulo, Brazil
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24
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Bernabé TN, de Omena PM, Santos VPD, de Siqueira VM, de Oliveira VM, Romero GQ. Warming weakens facilitative interactions between decomposers and detritivores, and modifies freshwater ecosystem functioning. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:3170-3186. [PMID: 29485732 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Warming is among the major drivers of changes in biotic interactions and, in turn, ecosystem functioning. The decomposition process occurs in a chain of facilitative interactions between detritivores and microorganisms. It remains unclear, however, what effect warming may have on the interrelations between detritivores and microorganisms, and the consequences for the functioning of natural freshwater ecosystems. To address these gaps, we performed a field experiment using tank bromeliads and their associated aquatic fauna. We manipulated the presence of bacteria and detritivorous macroinvertebrates (control, "bacteria," and "bacteria + macroinvertebrates") under ambient and warming scenarios, and analyzed the effects on the microorganisms and ecosystem functioning (detritus mass loss, colored dissolved organic matter, and nitrogen flux). We applied antibiotic solution to eliminate or reduce bacteria from control bromeliads. After 60 days incubation, bacterial density was higher in the presence than in the absence of macroinvertebrates. In the absence of macroinvertebrates, temperature did not influence bacterial density. However, in the presence of macroinvertebrates, bacterial density decreased by 54% with warming. The magnitude of the effects of organisms on ecosystem functioning was higher in the combined presence of bacteria and macroinvertebrates. However, warming reduced the overall positive effects of detritivores on bacterial density, which in turn, cascaded down to ecosystem functioning by decreasing decomposition and nitrogen flux. These results show the existence of facilitative mechanisms between bacteria and detritivores in the decomposition process, which might collapse due to warming. Detritivores seem to contribute to nutrient cycling as they facilitate bacterial populations, probably by increasing nutrient input (feces) in the ecosystem. However, increased temperature mitigated these beneficial effects. Our results add to a growing research body that shows that warming can affect the structure of aquatic communities, and highlight the importance of considering the interactive effects between facilitation and climatic drivers on the functioning of freshwater ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago N Bernabé
- Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brasil
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO), Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Paula M de Omena
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO), Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Viviane Piccin Dos Santos
- Microbial Resources Division, Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Virgínia M de Siqueira
- Microbial Resources Division, Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Valéria M de Oliveira
- Microbial Resources Division, Research Center for Chemistry, Biology and Agriculture (CPQBA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Q Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO), Department of Animal Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
- Brazilian Research Network on Climate Change (Rede Clima), São Paulo, Brazil
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25
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McIntosh AR, McHugh PA, Plank MJ, Jellyman PG, Warburton HJ, Greig HS. Capacity to support predators scales with habitat size. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaap7523. [PMID: 29978038 PMCID: PMC6031369 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aap7523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Habitat reduction could drive biodiversity loss if the capacity of food webs to support predators is undermined by habitat-size constraints on predator body size. Assuming that (i) available space restricts predator body size, (ii) mass-specific energy needs of predators scale with their body size, and (iii) energy availability scales with prey biomass, we predicted that predator biomass per unit area would scale with habitat size (quarter-power exponent) and prey biomass (three-quarter-power exponent). We found that total predator biomass scaled with habitat size and prey resources as expected across 29 New Zealand rivers, such that a unit of habitat in a small ecosystem supported less predator biomass than an equivalent unit in a large ecosystem. The lower energetic costs of large body size likely mean that a unit of prey resource supports more biomass of large-bodied predators compared to small-bodied predators. Thus, contracting habitat size reduces the predator mass that can be supported because of constraints on predator body size, and this may be a powerful mechanism exacerbating reductions in biodiversity due to habitat loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus R. McIntosh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Peter A. McHugh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Michael J. Plank
- Te Pūnaha Matatini and School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Phillip G. Jellyman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Helen J. Warburton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Hamish S. Greig
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Céréghino R, Pillar VD, Srivastava DS, Omena PM, MacDonald AAM, Barberis IM, Corbara B, Guzman LM, Leroy C, Ospina Bautista F, Romero GQ, Trzcinski MK, Kratina P, Debastiani VJ, Gonçalves AZ, Marino NAC, Farjalla VF, Richardson BA, Richardson MJ, Dézerald O, Gilbert B, Petermann J, Talaga S, Piccoli GCO, Jocqué M, Montero G. Constraints on the functional trait space of aquatic invertebrates in bromeliads. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Valério D. Pillar
- Department of Ecology and Graduate Program in EcologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Paula M. Omena
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and BiodiversityDepartment of Animal BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas Campinas SP Brazil
| | - A. Andrew M. MacDonald
- ECOLABCNRSUniversité de Toulouse Toulouse France
- Centre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB‐FRB) Aix‐en‐Provence France
| | - Ignacio M. Barberis
- Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasInstituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias AgrariasUniversidad Nacional de Rosario Zavalla Argentina
| | - Bruno Corbara
- Laboratoire Microorganismes, Génome et EnvironnementUniversité Clermont Auvergne Aubière France
| | - Laura M. Guzman
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Céline Leroy
- AMAPIRDCIRADCNRSINRAUniversité de Montpellier Montpellier France
- ECOFOG, Campus Agronomique Kourou France
| | | | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and BiodiversityDepartment of Animal BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas Campinas SP Brazil
| | - M. Kurtis Trzcinski
- Department of Forest and Conservation SciencesUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Vanderlei J. Debastiani
- Department of Ecology and Graduate Program in EcologyUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Porto Alegre RS Brazil
| | - Ana Z. Gonçalves
- Department of BotanyBiosciences InstituteUniversity of São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | - Nicholas A. C. Marino
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em EcologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Barbara A. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTERInstitute for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesUniversity of Puerto Rico San Juan Puerto Rico
| | - Michael J. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTERInstitute for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesUniversity of Puerto Rico San Juan Puerto Rico
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements ContinentauxCNRSUniversité de Lorraine Metz France
| | - Benjamin Gilbert
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Toronto Toronto ON Canada
| | - Jana Petermann
- Berlin‐Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research Berlin Germany
- Department of BiosciencesUniversity of Salzburg Salzburg Austria
| | - Stanislas Talaga
- Institut Pasteur de la GuyaneUnité d'Entomologie Médicale Cayenne France
| | - Gustavo C. O. Piccoli
- Department of Zoology and BotanyUniversity of São Paulo State São José do Rio Preto SP Brazil
| | - Merlijn Jocqué
- Aquatic and Terrestrial EcologyRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium
| | - Guillermo Montero
- Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasUniversidad Nacional de Rosario Zavalla Argentina
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27
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Dézerald O, Srivastava DS, Céréghino R, Carrias J, Corbara B, Farjalla VF, Leroy C, Marino NAC, Piccoli GCO, Richardson BA, Richardson MJ, Romero GQ, González AL. Functional traits and environmental conditions predict community isotopic niches and energy pathways across spatial scales. Funct Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Dézerald
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative BiologyRutgers, The State University of NJ Camden New Jersey
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC)‐CNRS UMR 7360Université de Lorraine Metz France
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Department of Zoology & Biodiversity Research CentreUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Régis Céréghino
- EcolabLaboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et EnvironnementCNRSUniversité de Toulouse Toulouse France
| | - Jean‐François Carrias
- CNRSLMGE (Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement)Université Clermont Auvergne Clermont‐Ferrand France
- CNRS, UMR 6023, LMGECampus Universitaire des Cézeaux Aubière Cedex France
| | - Bruno Corbara
- CNRSLMGE (Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement)Université Clermont Auvergne Clermont‐Ferrand France
- CNRS, UMR 6023, LMGECampus Universitaire des Cézeaux Aubière Cedex France
| | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Céline Leroy
- AMAP, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAUniversité Montpellier Montpellier France
- UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (AgroParisTech, CIRAD, CNRS, INRA, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles) Kourou cedex France
| | - Nicholas A. C. Marino
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de BiologiaUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Gustavo C. O. Piccoli
- Graduate Program in Animal BiologyIBILCEState University of São Paulo (UNESP) São José do Rio Preto SP Brazil
- Department of Animal BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas SP Brazil
| | - Barbara A. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTERInstitute for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesCollege of Natural SciencesUniversity of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras San Juan Puerto Rico
| | - Michael J. Richardson
- Edinburgh UK
- Luquillo LTERInstitute for Tropical Ecosystem StudiesCollege of Natural SciencesUniversity of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras San Juan Puerto Rico
| | - Gustavo Q. Romero
- Department of Animal BiologyInstitute of BiologyUniversity of Campinas (UNICAMP) Campinas SP Brazil
| | - Angélica L. González
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational and Integrative BiologyRutgers, The State University of NJ Camden New Jersey
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28
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Fernandez-Fournier P, Avilés L. Environmental filtering and dispersal as drivers of metacommunity composition: complex spider webs as habitat patches. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Fernandez-Fournier
- Department of Zoology; University of British Columbia; 6270 University Blvd V6T 1Z4 Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Leticia Avilés
- Department of Zoology; University of British Columbia; 6270 University Blvd V6T 1Z4 Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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29
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Hausmann SL, Tietjen B, Rillig MC. Solving the puzzle of yeast survival in ephemeral nectar systems: exponential growth is not enough. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2017; 93:4587904. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Schuler MS, Chase JM, Knight TM. Habitat patch size alters the importance of dispersal for species diversity in an experimental freshwater community. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:5774-5783. [PMID: 28808548 PMCID: PMC5551274 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased dispersal of individuals among discrete habitat patches should increase the average number of species present in each local habitat patch. However, experimental studies have found variable effects of dispersal on local species richness. Priority effects, predators, and habitat heterogeneity have been proposed as mechanisms that limit the effect of dispersal on species richness. However, the size of a habitat patch could affect how dispersal regulates the number of species able to persist. We investigated whether habitat size interacted with dispersal rate to affect the number of species present in local habitats. We hypothesized that increased dispersal rates would positively affect local species richness more in small habitats than in large habitats, because rare species would be protected from demographic extinction. To test the interaction between dispersal rate and habitat size, we factorially manipulated the size of experimental ponds and dispersal rates, using a model community of freshwater zooplankton. We found that high-dispersal rates enhanced local species richness in small experimental ponds, but had no effect in large experimental ponds. Our results suggest that there is a trade-off between patch connectivity (a mediator of dispersal rates) and patch size, providing context for understanding the variability observed in dispersal effects among natural communities, as well as for developing conservation and management plans in an increasingly fragmented world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Schuler
- Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis MO USA.,Present address: Darrin Fresh Water Institute Department of Biology Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY 12180
| | - Jonathan M Chase
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Germany.,Institute for Computer Science Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Germany.,Institute of Biology Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Halle Germany.,Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ Halle Germany
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31
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Westby KM, Juliano SA. No detectable role for predators mediating effects of aquatic habitat size and permanence on populations and communities of container‐dwelling mosquitoes. Ecol Entomol 2017; 42:439-448. [PMID: 28959086 PMCID: PMC5612503 DOI: 10.1111/een.12405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
General theory from aquatic ecology predicts that smaller aquatic habitats have shorter hydroperiods favouring species that are better resource competitors and complete development quickly. Larger habitats are predicted to have longer hydroperiods enabling longer-lived predators to persist. Habitats with long hydroperiods and predators are predicted to favour slower-developing, predator resistant species, rather than competitive species.In a field experiment, we manipulated independently habitat size and hydroperiod in water-filled containers, to test these hypotheses about processes structuring aquatic communities. We used human-made containers that are dominated by mosquitoes that vary in desiccation resistance, competitive ability, and predation resistance.Habitat size and drying had significant effects on abundances of larvae of the common species in these communities. There was sorting of species by habitat size and by drying, with species that are better competitors relatively more abundant in smaller, more ephemeral habitats, and predator resistant, slower-developing species relatively more abundant in larger or permanently flooded habitats. There were no detectable effects of habitat size or drying on the dominant predator.Habitat size and its interaction with drying affected inputs of eggs to containers. Habitat size also affected relative abundances of the two dominant species in the egg population.Although habitat size and hydroperiod significantly affected composition of these communities, these impacts did not appear to be mediated through effects on predator abundance. Species specific differences in habitat size and drying regime preferences, and habitat-dependent larval performance appear to be the main forces shaping these communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M. Westby
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
61790-4120
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, Illinois
State University, Campus Box 4120, Normal, IL 61790, Phone: (309) 438-5278, Fax:
(309) 438-3722,
| | - Steven A. Juliano
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
61790-4120
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32
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Breviglieri CPB, Romero GQ. Terrestrial vertebrate predators drive the structure and functioning of aquatic food webs. Ecology 2017; 98:2069-2080. [PMID: 28464251 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Predators that forage at boundaries between ecosystems can affect prey from adjacent ecosystems, thereby triggering consumptive and non-consumptive cascading effects, which may affect diversity and food web structure across ecosystems. In the present study, we manipulated the access of insectivorous birds, lizards, and anurans to tank bromeliads in scrub vegetation in southern Brazil. We measured cascading effects on the community structure of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting bromeliad leaves and on the ecosystem processes of decomposition rate and bromeliad growth. The exclusion of terrestrial vertebrate predators increased the biomass of Odonate and Tabanid apex predators, which shifted the body size structure of the assemblage and generated inverted biomass pyramids that were top-heavy. Within bromeliads with larger aquatic predators, the species composition and abundance of other aquatic invertebrates also changed, resulting in higher abundance of mesopredators and scrapers, and lower abundance of shredders. Under those conditions, the detritus decomposition rate decreased, and bromeliads produced more leaves, perhaps because of the higher deposition of nitrogenous waste by mesopredators. Our results highlight that the effects of terrestrial vertebrate predators can propagate across aquatic ecosystems, altering species composition, body size structure, food web organization, and ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Crasso Paulo Bosco Breviglieri
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, Sao Paulo, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Quevedo Romero
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, Campinas, Sao Paulo, CEP 13083-970, Brazil
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33
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Abstract
Climate change and biodiversity loss have been reported as major disturbances in the biosphere which can trigger changes in the structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. Nonetheless, empirical studies demonstrating how both factors interact to affect shifts in aquatic ecosystems are still unexplored. Here, we experimentally test how changes in rainfall distribution and litter diversity affect the occurrence of the algae-dominated condition in tank bromeliad ecosystems. Tank bromeliads are miniature aquatic ecosystems shaped by the rainwater and allochthonous detritus accumulated in the bases of their leaves. Here, we demonstrated that changes in the rainfall distribution were able to reduce the chlorophyll-a concentration in the water of bromeliad tanks affecting significantly the occurrence of algae-dominated conditions. On the other hand, litter diversity did not affect the algae dominance irrespective to the rainfall scenario. We suggest that rainfall changes may compromise important self-reinforcing mechanisms responsible for maintaining high levels of algae on tank bromeliads ecosystems. We summarized these results into a theoretical model which suggests that tank bromeliads may show two different regimes, determined by the bromeliad ability in taking up nutrients from the water and by the total amount of light entering the tank. We concluded that predicted climate changes might promote regime shifts in tropical aquatic ecosystems by shaping their structure and the relative importance of other regulating factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliny Patricia Flauzino Pires
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Fundação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Brazilian Research Network on Climate Change—Rede Clima, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana da Silva Leal
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Edwin T. H. M. Peeters
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Breviglieri CPB, Oliveira PS, Romero GQ. Fear Mediates Trophic Cascades: Nonconsumptive Effects of Predators Drive Aquatic Ecosystem Function. Am Nat 2017; 189:490-500. [PMID: 28410025 DOI: 10.1086/691262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Predators control prey populations and influence communities and the functioning of ecosystems through a combination of consumptive and nonconsumptive effects. These effects can be locally confined to one ecosystem but can also be extended to neighboring ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the nonconsumptive effects of terrestrial avian predators on the communities of aquatic invertebrates inhabiting bromeliads and on the functioning of these natural ecosystems. Bromeliads with stuffed birds placed nearby showed a decrease in aquatic damselfly larvae abundance and biomass, and we can infer that these changes were caused by antipredator responses. These larvae, which are top predators in bromeliad ecosystems, changed the composition of the entire aquatic invertebrate community. While total species richness, mesopredator richness, and shredder abundance increased in the presence of birds, scraper biomass decreased, possibly as a consequence of the increase in mesopredator richness. High scraper biomass in the absence of birds may have accelerated detrital decomposition, making more nutrients available for bromeliads, which grew more. These results show that nonconsumptive effects triggered by terrestrial predators can cascade down to lower trophic levels and dramatically affect the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, which can in turn alter nutrient provision to terrestrial ecosystems.
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35
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Kratina P, Petermann JS, Marino NAC, MacDonald AAM, Srivastava DS. Environmental control of the microfaunal community structure in tropical bromeliads. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1627-1634. [PMID: 28261471 PMCID: PMC5330903 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological communities hosted within phytotelmata (plant compartments filled with water) provide an excellent opportunity to test ecological theory and to advance our understanding of how local and global environmental changes affect ecosystems. However, insights from bromeliad phytotelmata communities are currently limited by scarce accounts of microfauna assemblages, even though these assemblages are critical in transferring, recycling, and releasing nutrients in these model ecosystems. Here, we analyzed natural microfaunal communities in leaf compartments of 43 bromeliads to identify the key environmental filters underlying their community structures. We found that microfaunal community richness and abundance were negatively related to canopy openness and vertical height above the ground. These associations were primarily driven by the composition of amoebae and flagellate assemblages and indicate the importance of bottom‐up control of microfauna in bromeliads. Taxonomic richness of all functional groups followed a unimodal relationship with water temperature, peaking at 23–25°C and declining below and above this relatively narrow thermal range. This suggests that relatively small changes in water temperature under expected future climate warming may alter taxonomic richness and ecological structure of these communities. Our findings improve the understanding of this unstudied but crucial component of bromeliad ecosystems and reveal important environmental filters that likely contribute to overall bromeliad community structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Kratina
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK; Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Jana S Petermann
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada; Department of Ecology and Evolution University of Salzburg Salzburg Austria
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Departmento de Ecologia Instituto de Biologia Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Andrew A M MacDonald
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Zoology University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
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36
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Marino NAC, Srivastava DS, MacDonald AAM, Leal JS, Campos ABA, Farjalla VF. Rainfall and hydrological stability alter the impact of top predators on food web structure and function. Glob Chang Biol 2017; 23:673-685. [PMID: 27344007 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Climate change will alter the distribution of rainfall, with potential consequences for the hydrological dynamics of aquatic habitats. Hydrological stability can be an important determinant of diversity in temporary aquatic habitats, affecting species persistence and the importance of predation on community dynamics. As such, prey are not only affected by drought-induced mortality but also the risk of predation [a non-consumptive effect (NCE)] and actual consumption by predators [a consumptive effect (CE)]. Climate-induced changes in rainfall may directly, or via altered hydrological stability, affect predator-prey interactions and their cascading effects on the food web, but this has rarely been explored, especially in natural food webs. To address this question, we performed a field experiment using tank bromeliads and their aquatic food web, composed of predatory damselfly larvae, macroinvertebrate prey and bacteria. We manipulated the presence and consumption ability of damselfly larvae under three rainfall scenarios (ambient, few large rainfall events and several small rainfall events), recorded the hydrological dynamics within bromeliads and examined the effects on macroinvertebrate colonization, nutrient cycling and bacterial biomass and turnover. Despite our large perturbations of rainfall, rainfall scenario had no effect on the hydrological dynamics of bromeliads. As a result, macroinvertebrate colonization and nutrient cycling depended on the hydrological stability of bromeliads, with no direct effect of rainfall or predation. In contrast, rainfall scenario determined the direction of the indirect effects of predators on bacteria, driven by both predator CEs and NCEs. These results suggest that rainfall and the hydrological stability of bromeliads had indirect effects on the food web through changes in the CEs and NCEs of predators. We suggest that future studies should consider the importance of the variability in hydrological dynamics among habitats as well as the biological mechanisms underlying the ecological responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A C Marino
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - A Andrew M MacDonald
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Juliana S Leal
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alice B A Campos
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Vinicius F Farjalla
- Laboratório de Limnologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, PO Box 68020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratorio Internacional en Cambio Global (LINCGlobal)
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37
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Romero GQ, Piccoli GCO, de Omena PM, Gonçalves-Souza T. Food web structure shaped by habitat size and climate across a latitudinal gradient. Ecology 2016; 97:2705-2715. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Q. Romero
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO); Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); CP 6109 Campinas SP 13083-970 Brazil
- Brazilian Research Network on Climate Change (Rede Clima)
| | - Gustavo C. O. Piccoli
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO); Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); CP 6109 Campinas SP 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Paula M. de Omena
- Laboratory of Multitrophic Interactions and Biodiversity (LIMBIO); Department of Animal Biology; Institute of Biology; University of Campinas (UNICAMP); CP 6109 Campinas SP 13083-970 Brazil
| | - Thiago Gonçalves-Souza
- Laboratory of Phylogenetic and Functional Ecology (ECOFFUN); Department of Biology; Area of Ecology; Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE); R. Dom Manoel de Medeiros s/n Recife PE 52171-900 Brazil
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Pires APF, Marino NAC, Srivastava DS, Farjalla VF. Predicted rainfall changes disrupt trophic interactions in a tropical aquatic ecosystem. Ecology 2016; 97:2750-2759. [PMID: 27859129 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the distribution of rainfall and the occurrence of extreme rain events will alter the size and persistence of aquatic ecosystems. Such alterations may affect the structure of local aquatic communities in terms of species composition, and by altering species interactions. In many aquatic ecosystems, leaf litter sustains detrital food webs and could regulate the responses of communities to changes in rainfall. Few empirical studies have focused on how rainfall changes will affect aquatic communities and none have evaluated if basal resource diversity can increase resistance to such rainfall effects. In this study, we used water-holding terrestrial bromeliads, a tropical aquatic ecosystem, to test how predicted rainfall changes and litter diversity may affect community composition and trophic interactions. We used structural equation modeling to investigate the combined effects of rainfall changes and litter diversity on trophic interactions. We demonstrated that changes in rainfall disrupted trophic relationships, even though there were only minor direct effects on species abundance, richness, and community composition. Litter diversity was not able to reduce the impact of changes in rainfall on trophic interactions. We suggest that changes in rainfall can alter the way in which species interact with each other, decreasing the linkages among trophic groups. Such reductions in biotic interactions under climate change will have critical consequences for the functioning of tropical aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aliny P F Pires
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nicholas A C Marino
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology, Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Vinicius F Farjalla
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratorio Internacional en Cambio Global - LINCGlobal
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Trzcinski MK, Srivastava DS, Corbara B, Dézerald O, Leroy C, Carrias JF, Dejean A, Céréghino R. The effects of food web structure on ecosystem function exceeds those of precipitation. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1147-60. [PMID: 27120013 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ecosystems are being stressed by climate change, but few studies have tested food web responses to changes in precipitation patterns and the consequences to ecosystem function. Fewer still have considered whether results from one geographic region can be applied to other regions, given the degree of community change over large biogeographic gradients. We assembled, in one field site, three types of macroinvertebrate communities within water-filled bromeliads. Two represented food webs containing both a fast filter feeder-microbial and slow detritivore energy channels found in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, and one represented the structurally simpler food webs in French Guiana, which only contained the fast filter feeder-microbial channel. We manipulated the amount and distribution of rain entering bromeliads and examined how food web structure mediated ecosystem responses to changes in the quantity and temporal distribution of precipitation. Food web structure affected the survival of functional groups in general and ecosystem functions such as decomposition and the production of fine particulate organic matter. Ecosystem processes were more affected by decreased precipitation than were the abundance of micro-organisms and metazoans. In our experiments, the sensitivity of the ecosystem to precipitation change was primarily revealed in the food web dominated by the single filter feeder-microbial channel because other top-down and bottom-up processes were weak or absent. Our results show stronger effects of food web structure than precipitation change per se on the functioning of bromeliad ecosystems. Consequently, we predict that ecosystem function in bromeliads throughout the Americas will be more sensitive to changes in the distribution of species, rather than to the direct effects caused by changes in precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kurtis Trzcinski
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB), INP, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France.,ECOLAB (UMR-CNRS 5245), CNRS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Diane S Srivastava
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, #2370-6240 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Bruno Corbara
- Université Blaise Pascal, Université Clermont Auvergne, BP 10448, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.,Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (UMR-CNRS 6023), CNRS, 63177, Aubière, France
| | - Olivier Dézerald
- Écologie des Forêts de Guyane (UMR 8172), Campus Agronomique, 97379, Kourou Cedex, France
| | - Céline Leroy
- Boulevard de la Lironde, IRD, botAnique et bioinforMatique de l'Architecture des Plantes (UMR-IRD 123), TA A-51/PS2, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Jean-François Carrias
- Université Blaise Pascal, Université Clermont Auvergne, BP 10448, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.,Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (UMR-CNRS 6023), CNRS, 63177, Aubière, France
| | - Alain Dejean
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB), INP, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France.,ECOLAB (UMR-CNRS 5245), CNRS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Régis Céréghino
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB), INP, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France.,ECOLAB (UMR-CNRS 5245), CNRS, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse, France
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Petermann JS, Rohland A, Sichardt N, Lade P, Guidetti B, Weisser WW, Gossner MM. Forest Management Intensity Affects Aquatic Communities in Artificial Tree Holes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155549. [PMID: 27187741 PMCID: PMC4871352 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest management could potentially affect organisms in all forest habitats. However, aquatic communities in water-filled tree-holes may be especially sensitive because of small population sizes, the risk of drought and potential dispersal limitation. We set up artificial tree holes in forest stands subject to different management intensities in two regions in Germany and assessed the influence of local environmental properties (tree-hole opening type, tree diameter, water volume and water temperature) as well as regional drivers (forest management intensity, tree-hole density) on tree-hole insect communities (not considering other organisms such as nematodes or rotifers), detritus content, oxygen and nutrient concentrations. In addition, we compared data from artificial tree holes with data from natural tree holes in the same area to evaluate the methodological approach of using tree-hole analogues. We found that forest management had strong effects on communities in artificial tree holes in both regions and across the season. Abundance and species richness declined, community composition shifted and detritus content declined with increasing forest management intensity. Environmental variables, such as tree-hole density and tree diameter partly explained these changes. However, dispersal limitation, indicated by effects of tree-hole density, generally showed rather weak impacts on communities. Artificial tree holes had higher water temperatures (on average 2°C higher) and oxygen concentrations (on average 25% higher) than natural tree holes. The abundance of organisms was higher but species richness was lower in artificial tree holes. Community composition differed between artificial and natural tree holes. Negative management effects were detectable in both tree-hole systems, despite their abiotic and biotic differences. Our results indicate that forest management has substantial and pervasive effects on tree-hole communities and may alter their structure and functioning. We furthermore conclude that artificial tree-hole analogues represent a useful experimental alternative to test effects of changes in forest management on natural communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana S. Petermann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail: (JSP); (MMG)
| | - Anja Rohland
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Nora Sichardt
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Peggy Lade
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Brenda Guidetti
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfgang W. Weisser
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- * E-mail: (JSP); (MMG)
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. C. Marino
- Lab. de Limnologia, Depto de Ecologia; Inst. de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro; PO Box 68020 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Diane S. Srivastava
- Dept of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre; Univ. of British Columbia; 6270 University Boulevard Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
| | - Vinicius F. Farjalla
- Lab. de Limnologia, Depto de Ecologia; Inst. de Biologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Univ. Federal do Rio de Janeiro; PO Box 68020 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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