No outbreeding depression at a regional scale for a habitat-forming intertidal alga with limited dispersal

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 655 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. McKenzie ◽  
Alecia Bellgrove

Hormosira banksii is distributed throughout southern Australasia, but dispersal of propagules is thought to be limited. In the present study, the hypothesis that outbreeding depression occurs in H. banksii was tested by assessing fertilisation success and early development of embryos in crosses between populations at local to regional spatial scales. Hierarchical experiments were conducted at three spatial scales with nesting present within each scale: small scale (within a rocky shore population), intermediate scale (regions separated by 70 km) and large scale (450-km separation between two states: Victoria and Tasmania). In each experiment, eggs and sperm were crossed within and between each population located in the spatial scale of interest. There were no consistent patterns of variable fertilisation success and subsequent development within a population or at different spatial scales. It was concluded that outbreeding depression is not detected in analyses of fertilisation success or early development processes in H. banksii. The results suggest one of the following to be likely: (1) H. banksii is capable of longer distance dispersal than previously considered, thus maintaining gene flow between distant populations, (2) gene flow is restricted by limited dispersal, but populations have not been isolated for a sufficient length of time to cause genetic divergence or (3) outbreeding depression is manifested as effects on later life-history stages.

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 5554-5569 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Good ◽  
J. Lowe

Abstract Aspects of model emergent behavior and uncertainty in regional- and small-scale effects of increasing CO2 on seasonal (June–August) precipitation are explored. Nineteen different climate models are studied. New methods of comparing multiple climate models reveal a clearer and more impact-relevant view of precipitation projections for the current century. First, the importance of small spatial scales in multimodel projections is demonstrated. Local trends can be much larger than or even have an opposing sign to the large-scale regional averages used in previous studies. Small-scale effects of increasing CO2 and natural internal variability both play important roles here. These small-scale features make multimodel comparisons difficult for precipitation. New methods that allow information from small spatial scales to be usefully compared across an ensemble of multiple models are presented. The analysis philosophy of this study works with statistical distributions of small-scale variations within climatological regions. A major result of this work is a set of emergent relationships coupling the small- and regional-scale effects of CO2 on precipitation trends. Within each region, a single relationship fits the ensemble of 19 different climate models. Using these relationships, a surprisingly large part of the intermodel variance in small-scale effects of CO2 is explainable simply by the intermodel variance in the regional mean (a form of pattern scaling). Different regions show distinctly different relationships. These relationships imply that regional mean results are still useful, as long as the interregional variation in their relationship with impact-relevant extreme trends is recognized. These relationships are used to present a clear but rich picture of an aspect of model uncertainty, characterized by the intermodel spread in seasonal precipitation trends, including information from small spatial scales.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (19) ◽  
pp. 6236-6241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Neeson ◽  
Michael C. Ferris ◽  
Matthew W. Diebel ◽  
Patrick J. Doran ◽  
Jesse R. O’Hanley ◽  
...  

In many large ecosystems, conservation projects are selected by a diverse set of actors operating independently at spatial scales ranging from local to international. Although small-scale decision making can leverage local expert knowledge, it also may be an inefficient means of achieving large-scale objectives if piecemeal efforts are poorly coordinated. Here, we assess the value of coordinating efforts in both space and time to maximize the restoration of aquatic ecosystem connectivity. Habitat fragmentation is a leading driver of declining biodiversity and ecosystem services in rivers worldwide, and we simultaneously evaluate optimal barrier removal strategies for 661 tributary rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are fragmented by at least 6,692 dams and 232,068 road crossings. We find that coordinating barrier removals across the entire basin is nine times more efficient at reconnecting fish to headwater breeding grounds than optimizing independently for each watershed. Similarly, a one-time pulse of restoration investment is up to 10 times more efficient than annual allocations totaling the same amount. Despite widespread emphasis on dams as key barriers in river networks, improving road culvert passability is also essential for efficiently restoring connectivity to the Great Lakes. Our results highlight the dramatic economic and ecological advantages of coordinating efforts in both space and time during restoration of large ecosystems.


2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1260-1266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik A. Lilleskov ◽  
Philip M. Wargo ◽  
Kristiina A. Vogt ◽  
Daniel J. Vogt

Increased nitrogen (N) input has been found to alter ectomycorrhizal fungal communities over short deposition gradients and in fertilization experiments; however, its effects over larger spatial scales have not been determined. To address this gap, we reanalyzed data from a study originally designed to examine the effects of soil aluminum/calcium (Al/Ca) ratios on the vitality of red spruce fine roots over a regional acid and N deposition gradient in the northeastern USA. We used root N as an indicator of stand N availability and examined its relationship with the abundance of ectomycorrhizal morphotypes. The dominant morphotypes changed in relative abundance as a function of stand N availability. As root N concentrations increased, Piloderma spp. - like, Cenococcum geophilum Fr., and other unidentified mycorrhizal morphotypes declined in abundance, while other smooth-mantled morphotypes increased. Root N concentration in the 1–2 mm diameter class was the best predictor of the abundance of multiple morphotypes. The morphotype responses were consistent with those found in experimental and small-scale studies, suggesting that N availability is altering ectomycorrhizal communities over broad spatial scales in this region. This finding provides an impetus to conduct a more detailed characterization of mycorrhizal community responses to N deposition across large-scale gradients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofer Shamir ◽  
Chen Schwartz ◽  
Chaim Garfinkel ◽  
Nathan Paldor

<p>A yet unexplained feature of the tropical wavenumber-frequency spectrum is its parity distributions, i.e., the distribution of power between the meridionally symmetric and anti-symmetric components of the spectrum. Due to the linearity of the decomposition to symmetric and anti-symmetric components and the Fourier analysis, the total spectral power equals the sum of the power contained in each of these two components. However, the spectral power need not be evenly distributed between the two components. Satellite observations and reanalysis data provide ample evidence that the parity distribution of the tropical wavenumber-frequency spectrum is biased towards its symmetric component. Using an intermediate-complexity model of an idealized moist atmosphere, we find that the parity distribution of the tropical spectrum is nearly insensitive to large-scale forcing, including topography, ocean heat fluxes, and land-sea contrast. On the other hand, by adding a small-scale (stochastic) forcing, we find that the parity distribution of the tropical spectrum is sensitive to asymmetries on small spatial scales compared to the observed large-scale spectrum. Physically, such forcing can be thought of as small-scale convection, which is believed to trigger some of the Tropics' large-scale features via an upscale (inverse) turbulent energy cascade. These results are qualitatively explained by considering the effects of triad interactions on the parity distribution. According to the proposed mechanism, any small-scale asymmetry (symmetric or anti-symmetric) in the forcing leads to symmetric bias in the spectrum, regardless of the source of variability providing the forcing.</p>


Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorrik Stow ◽  
Zeinab Smillie

The distinction between turbidites, contourites and hemipelagites in modern and ancient deep-water systems has long been a matter of controversy. This is partly because the processes themselves show a degree of overlap as part of a continuum, so that the deposit characteristics also overlap. In addition, the three facies types commonly occur within interbedded sequences of continental margin deposits. The nature of these end-member processes and their physical parameters are becoming much better known and are summarised here briefly. Good progress has also been made over the past decade in recognising differences between end-member facies in terms of their sedimentary structures, facies sequences, ichnofacies, sediment textures, composition and microfabric. These characteristics are summarised here in terms of standard facies models and the variations from these models that are typically encountered in natural systems. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that clear distinction is not always possible on the basis of sedimentary characteristics alone, and that uncertainties should be highlighted in any interpretation. A three-scale approach to distinction for all deep-water facies types should be attempted wherever possible, including large-scale (oceanographic and tectonic setting), regional-scale (architecture and association) and small-scale (sediment facies) observations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (16) ◽  
pp. 8757-8763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Nie ◽  
Panxi Dai ◽  
Adam H. Sobel

Responses of extreme precipitation to global warming are of great importance to society and ecosystems. Although observations and climate projections indicate a general intensification of extreme precipitation with warming on global scale, there are significant variations on the regional scale, mainly due to changes in the vertical motion associated with extreme precipitation. Here, we apply quasigeostrophic diagnostics on climate-model simulations to understand the changes in vertical motion, quantifying the roles of dry (large-scale adiabatic flow) and moist (small-scale convection) dynamics in shaping the regional patterns of extreme precipitation sensitivity (EPS). The dry component weakens in the subtropics but strengthens in the middle and high latitudes; the moist component accounts for the positive centers of EPS in the low latitudes and also contributes to the negative centers in the subtropics. A theoretical model depicts a nonlinear relationship between the diabatic heating feedback (α) and precipitable water, indicating high sensitivity of α (thus, EPS) over climatological moist regions. The model also captures the change of α due to competing effects of increases in precipitable water and dry static stability under global warming. Thus, the dry/moist decomposition provides a quantitive and intuitive explanation of the main regional features of EPS.


2000 ◽  
Vol 407 ◽  
pp. 105-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
JACQUES VANNESTE

The effect of a small-scale topography on large-scale, small-amplitude oceanic motion is analysed using a two-dimensional quasi-geostrophic model that includes free-surface and β effects, Ekman friction and viscous (or turbulent) dissipation. The topography is two-dimensional and periodic; its slope is assumed to be much larger than the ratio of the ocean depth to the Earth's radius. An averaged equation of motion is derived for flows with spatial scales that are much larger than the scale of the topography and either (i) much larger than or (ii) comparable to the radius of deformation. Compared to the standard quasi-geostrophic equation, this averaged equation contains an additional dissipative term that results from the interaction between topography and dissipation. In case (i) this term simply represents an additional Ekman friction, whereas in case (ii) it is given by an integral over the history of the large-scale flow. The properties of the additional term are studied in detail. For case (i) in particular, numerical calculations are employed to analyse the dependence of the additional Ekman friction on the structure of the topography and on the strength of the original dissipation mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 2657-2674
Author(s):  
Markus Theel ◽  
Peter Huggenberger ◽  
Kai Zosseder

AbstractThe favorable overall conditions for the utilization of groundwater in fluvioglacial aquifers are impacted by significant heterogeneity in the hydraulic conductivity, which is related to small-scale facies changes. Knowledge of the spatial distribution of hydraulically relevant hydrofacies types (HF-types), derived by sedimentological analysis, helps to determine the hydraulic conductivity distribution and thus contribute to understanding the hydraulic dynamics in fluvioglacial aquifers. In particular, the HF-type “open framework gravel (OW)”, which occurs with the HF-type “bimodal gravel (BM)” in BM/OW couplings, has an intrinsically high hydraulic conductivity and significantly impacts hydrogeological challenges such as planning excavation-pit drainage or the prognosis of plumes. The present study investigates the properties and spatial occurrence of HF-types in fluvioglacial deposits at regional scale to derive spatial distribution trends of HF-types, by analyzing 12 gravel pits in the Munich gravel plain (southern Germany) as analogues for outwash plains. The results are compared to the reevaluation of 542 pumping tests. Analysis of the HF-types and the pumping test data shows similar small-scale heterogeneities of the hydraulic conductivity, superimposing large-scale trends. High-permeability BM/OW couples and their dependence on recognizable discharge types in the sedimentary deposits explain sharp-bounded small-scale heterogeneities in the hydraulic conductivity distribution from 9.1 × 10−3 to 2.2 × 10−4 m/s. It is also shown that high values of hydraulic conductivity can be interpolated on shorter distance compared to lower values. While the results of the HF-analysis can be transferred to other fluvioglacial settings (e.g. braided rivers), regional trends must be examined with respect to the surrounding topography.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiake Li ◽  
Cong Mu ◽  
Chenning Deng ◽  
Menghua Ma

Abstract The storm water management models were established at three spatial scales (large, medium, and small) based on a sponge city pilot area in China to explore the hydrological and environmental effects of rainfall conditions and development modes. Results showed the following. (1) Total runoff reduction rates increased from 26.7% to 53.9% for the rainfall event of a 2-year recurrence period as the scale increased. For 5-year and above recurrence periods, total runoff reduction rates were 19.5–49.4%. These rates increased from the small to medium scale and slightly decreased from the medium to large scale. (2) The runoff coefficients were 0.87–0.29, which decreased from the small to medium scale and were basically constant from the medium to large scale. (3) The peak flow reduction rates decreased with increased recurrence periods. The rates increased initially and then decreased at the small scale, whereas the opposite trend occurred at the medium scale. (4) The reduction rates of pollutants were negatively correlated with recurrence periods under the three spatial scales. The pollution load reduction rates were 19.5–54.7%, which increased from the small to medium scale and were basically constant from the medium to large scale.


1999 ◽  
Vol 394 ◽  
pp. 261-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERTO VERZICCO ◽  
JAVIER JIMÉNEZ

This paper discusses numerical experiments in which an initially uniform columnar vortex is subject to several types of axisymmetric forcing that mimic the strain field of a turbulent flow. The mean value of the strain along the vortex axis is in all cases zero, and the vortex is alternately stretched and compressed. The emphasis is on identifying the parameter range in which the vortex survives indefinitely. This extends previous work in which the effect of steady single-scale non-uniform strains was studied. In a first series of experiments the effect of the unsteadiness of the forcing is analysed, and it is found that the vortex survives as a compact object if the ratio between the oscillation frequency and the strain itself is low enough. A theoretical explanation is given which agrees with the numerical results. The strain is then generalized to include several spatial scales and oscillation frequencies, with characteristics similar to those in turbulent flows. The largest velocities are carried by the large scales, while the highest gradients and faster time scales are associated with the shorter wavelengths. Also in these cases ‘infinitely long’ vortices are obtained which are more or less uniform and compact. Vorticity profiles averaged along their axes are approximately Gaussian. The radii obtained from these profiles are proportional to the Burgers' radius of the r.m.s. (small-scale) axial strain, while the azimuthal velocities are proportional to the maximum (large-scale) axial velocity differences. The study is motivated by previous observations of intense vortex filaments in turbulent flows, and the scalings found in the present experiments are consistent with those found in the turbulent simulations.


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