Size spectra and abundance of planktonic ciliates within various habitats in a macrophyte-dominated lake (Eastern Poland)

AbstractBody size, community structure, abundance and biomass of ciliates were compared in various stands of macrophytes in a macrophyte-abundant shallow lake in Eastern Poland. Samples were collected in belts of Phragmites, Typha, Ceratophyllum, Elodea, Stratiotes and Chara. Additionally, protozooplankton was collected from the open water zone surrounding the vegetation belts. Differences in numbers of ciliate taxa between micro-sites were statistically significant. The highest numbers were found in Chara and Ceratophyllum stands, lower numbers in Stratiotes and Elodea stands and the lowest in the open water, Phragmites and Typha areas. Ciliate biomass was, like density, significantly higher in submerged macrophytes than in emergent macrophytes and open water zones. Based on differences in macrophyte structure, two groups of habitats with similar patterns of size-related ciliate distribution were distinguished. The first group consisted of two vegetated zones of sparse stem structure (Phragmites and Typha) and the open water zone, the second group comprised submerged macrophyte species, which were more dense and complex. Generally, the abundance of ciliates correlated positively with total suspension solid (TSS) and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations. In the Chara and Ceratophyllum stands, relations between ciliate numbers, TSS and TOC were stronger.

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Size-based approaches to aquatic ecosystems and fisheries science: a symposium in honour of Rob Peters

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2016-0100 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 471-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Henrique C. Giacomini ◽

Brian J. Shuter ◽

Julia K. Baum

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Body Size ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Ecosystem Dynamics ◽

Future Research ◽

Size Spectrum ◽

Ecological Change ◽

Size Spectra ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Fisheries Science

This special issue honours Rob Peters’ outstanding contributions to the field of aquatic ecology. It focuses on the size spectrum approach — in which individual organisms, rather than species, are the most basic biological unit — and highlights applications of this approach to fisheries management. The 21 papers in this issue cover three subject areas: (i) the use of size spectra to characterize variation in community structure, (ii) the development of size-based models of ecosystem dynamics to address fisheries questions, and (iii) applications of size-based theory to examine the consequences of variation in predator–prey size relationships, body size – trophic level relationships, and body size – life history relationships. The empirical studies herein demonstrate the utility of size spectra as indicators of population or community structure and for detecting impacts associated with environmental change. Future research focused on refining size-based sampling methods, standardizing metrics and analytical methods, understanding model sensitivity to the underlying assumptions, and comparative studies across ecosystems will enhance our ability to reliably interpret changes in size spectrum characteristics, thus facilitating their use as indicators of ecological change.

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Annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions: a case study in Jiaozhou Bay, northern China

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315412001075 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 93 (1) ◽

pp. 47-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Henglong Xu ◽

Yong Jiang ◽

Wei Zhang ◽

Mingzhuang Zhu ◽

Khaled A. S. Al-Rasheid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Water Temperature ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Jiaozhou Bay ◽

Northern China ◽

The Body ◽

The Yellow Sea ◽

Size Spectra ◽

Annual Variations ◽

Planktonic Ciliate

The annual variations in body-size spectra of planktonic ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions were studied based on a 12-month dataset (June 2007 to May 2008) from Jiaozhou Bay on the Yellow Sea coast of northern China. Based on the dataset, the body sizes of the ciliates, expressed as equivalent spherical diameters, included five ranks: S1 (5–35 μm); S2 (35–55 μm); S3 (55–75 μm); S4 (75–100 μm); and S5 (100–350 μm). These body-size ranks showed a clear temporal succession of dominance in the order of S2 (January–April) → S1 (May–July) → S4 (August–September) → S3 (October–December). Multivariate analyses showed that the temporal variations in their body-size patterns were significantly correlated with changes in environmental conditions, especially water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) and nutrients. In terms of abundance, rank S2 was significantly correlated with water temperature, DO and nutrients, whereas ranks S4 and S5 were correlated with the salinity and nutrients respectively (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the body-size patterns of planktonic ciliate communities showed a clear temporal pattern during an annual cycle and significantly associated with environmental conditions in marine ecosystems.

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Distribution pattern of epiphytic microcrustaceans in relation to different macrophyte microhabitats in a shallow wetland (Upo wetlands, South Korea)

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies ◽

10.1515/ohs-2015-0015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jong-Yun Choi ◽

Seong-Ki Kim ◽

Kwang-Seuk Jeong ◽

Gea-Jae Joo

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Particulate Organic Matter ◽

Submerged Macrophytes ◽

Submerged Macrophyte ◽

Ceratophyllum Demersum ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Seasonal Growth ◽

Spirodela Polyrhiza ◽

Macrophyte Species ◽

Salvinia Natans

AbstractMacrophytes determine the physical complexity of aquatic environments and provide a suitable habitat for colonization by microcrustaceans. We evaluated the effects of a seasonal growth pattern and structure of macrophyte species on epiphytic microcrustaceans collected from macrophyte surfaces (stems and leaves) in shallow wetlands from May 2011 to October 2012. In 2011, epiphytic microcrustaceans that preferred free-floating macrophytes (Spirodela polyrhiza and Salvinia natans) and submerged macrophytes (Potamogeton crispus and Ceratophyllum demersum) were affected by the seasonal growth of these species. Epiphytic microcrustaceans were abundant on the surface of Spirodela polyrhiza in June and August and on Salvinia natans in September and October. In 2012, epiphytic microcrustaceans preferred submerged macrophyte species over the free-floating ones. The results of stable isotope analysis showed that epiphytic microcrustaceans depend on epiphytic particulate organic matter (EPOM) from each macrophyte species rather than on suspended particulate organic matter. Small species (Coronatella rectangula, Pleuroxus laevis, and Chydorus sphaericus) used EPOM (dominated by epiphytic algae) on free-floating and submerged macrophyte species; however, relatively larger species (Ilyocryptus spinifer and Macrothrix rosea) used EPOM only from submerged macrophytes. Based on these findings, we conclude that the distribution of epiphytic microcrustaceans is determined by seasonal characteristics, morphology of macrophyte species, and abundance of food resources.

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Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.5662 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e5662

Author(s):

Joanna Pakulnicka ◽

Andrzej Zawal

Keyword(s):

Fractal Dimension ◽

Body Size ◽

Fractal Structure ◽

Lake Management ◽

Open Water ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

The Body ◽

Water Beetles ◽

Water Surface Area ◽

Depth Analysis

Dystrophic lakes undergo natural disharmonic succession, in the course of which an increasingly complex and diverse, mosaic-like pattern of habitats evolves. In the final seral stage, the most important role is played by a spreading Sphagnum mat, which gradually reduces the lake’s open water surface area. Long-term transformations in the primary structure of lakes cause changes in the structure of lake-dwelling fauna assemblages. Knowledge of the succession mechanisms in lake fauna is essential for proper lake management. The use of fractal concepts helps to explain the character of fauna in relation to other aspects of the changing complexity of habitats. Our 12-year-long study into the succession of water beetles has covered habitats of 40 selected lakes which are diverse in terms of the fractal dimension. The taxonomic diversity and density of lake beetles increase parallel to an increase in the fractal dimension. An in-depth analysis of the fractal structure proved to be helpful in explaining the directional changes in fauna induced by the natural succession of lakes. Negative correlations appear between the body size and abundance. An increase in the density of beetles within the higher dimension fractals is counterbalanced by a change in the size of individual organisms. As a result, the biomass is constant, regardless of the fractal dimension.

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Perch Selection by Three Cooccurring Species ofCelithemis(Odonata: Libellulidae): Testing for a Competitive Hierarchy among Similar Species

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2016/9028105 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Wade B. Worthen ◽

Parker H. Morrow

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Niche Partitioning ◽

Open Water ◽

The Other ◽

Similar Species ◽

Male Body ◽

Size Dependent ◽

Anatomical Characters ◽

Relative Abundances ◽

Imagej Software

In many communities of perching dragonflies (Odonata: Libellulidae), a size-dependent competitive hierarchy creates a positive relationship between male body size and perch height. We tested for this pattern among three similar-sized species:Celithemis elisa,C. fasciata, andC. ornata.Males were caught and photographed from May to July 2015 at Ashmore Heritage Preserve, Greenville County, SC, USA, and perch heights and perch distance to open water were measured. Five indices of body size were measured with ImageJ software: abdomen length, forewing length, hindwing length, area of forewing, and area of hindwing.Celithemis fasciatawas significantly larger than the other two species for all five anatomical characters and used perches that were significantly taller and closer to open water than the other species, though these differences changed over the summer. Aggressive interactions between and within species were tallied and compared to expected distributions based on mean relative abundances derived from hourly abundance counts. Patterns of interspecific aggression were also consistent with a size-dependent hierarchy: the largeC. fasciatawas attacked less frequently, and the smallC. ornatamore frequently, than predicted by their relative abundances. We conclude that even small differences in body size may contribute to niche partitioning in perch selection.

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Examining predator–prey body size, trophic level and body mass across marine and terrestrial mammals

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2014.2103 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 281 (1797) ◽

pp. 20142103 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Marlee A. Tucker ◽

Tracey L. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Body Size ◽

Body Mass ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Trophic Level ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Terrestrial Mammals

Predator–prey relationships and trophic levels are indicators of community structure, and are important for monitoring ecosystem changes. Mammals colonized the marine environment on seven separate occasions, which resulted in differences in species' physiology, morphology and behaviour. It is likely that these changes have had a major effect upon predator–prey relationships and trophic position; however, the effect of environment is yet to be clarified. We compiled a dataset, based on the literature, to explore the relationship between body mass, trophic level and predator–prey ratio across terrestrial ( n = 51) and marine ( n = 56) mammals. We did not find the expected positive relationship between trophic level and body mass, but we did find that marine carnivores sit 1.3 trophic levels higher than terrestrial carnivores. Also, marine mammals are largely carnivorous and have significantly larger predator–prey ratios compared with their terrestrial counterparts. We propose that primary productivity, and its availability, is important for mammalian trophic structure and body size. Also, energy flow and community structure in the marine environment are influenced by differences in energy efficiency and increased food web stability. Enhancing our knowledge of feeding ecology in mammals has the potential to provide insights into the structure and functioning of marine and terrestrial communities.

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Aquatic macrophytes of Itaipu Reservoir, Brazil: survey of species and ecological considerations

Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology ◽

10.1590/s1516-89131999000100003 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Sidinei Magela Thomaz ◽

Luis Maurício Bini ◽

Maria Conceição de Souza ◽

Kazue Kawakita Kita ◽

Antonio Fernando Monteiro Camargo

Keyword(s):

Eichhornia Crassipes ◽

Aquatic Macrophytes ◽

Submerged Macrophytes ◽

Pistia Stratiotes ◽

Light Penetration ◽

Nutrient Input ◽

Emergent Macrophytes ◽

Nuisance Species ◽

Shallow Area ◽

Egeria Najas

In a survey of the aquatic macrophytes of the Itaipu Reservoir, we identified 62 taxa in 25 families and 42 genera. The highest number taxa was observed for the emergent macrophytes (40 taxa). Reduced fluctuation in water level, increased light penetration, and sediment enrichment by nutrients and organic matter following the formation of the reservoir favored the appearance of a species-rich community of submerged macrophytes (23% of the taxa identified). The aquatic macrophytes were found mainly near the mouths of the main tributaries of the reservoir, in shallow area of depth less than 2 meters. In addition to the shallow depth, the greater nutrient input from the tributaries and relative protection from wind explained this distribution. Among the species found, Egeria najas merits mention for its occurrence in all localities sampled, with biomass values varying between 98 and 186 gDW/m². Some potential nuisance species such as Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia auriculata, and Pistia stratiotes also deserve attention, since they were also observed to be covering large areas of Itaipu Reservoir.

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Species body size distribution patterns of marine benthic macrofauna assemblages from contrasting sediment types

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315499000971 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 79 (5) ◽

pp. 793-801 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

David M. Parry ◽

Michael A. Kendall ◽

Ashley A. Rowden ◽

Stephen Widdicombe

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Distribution Patterns ◽

Benthic Macrofauna ◽

Size Spectrum ◽

Size Spectra ◽

Β Diversity ◽

Sediment Types ◽

Geometric Size

Species body size spectra have been constructed for macrofauna assemblages from four sites with contrasting sediment granulometry and heterogeneity in and around Plymouth Sound. The number of species and species turnover (β diversity) were higher on coarse sediment. While the fauna were distinct between sites, the median geometric size-class was conservative (class 14; 0.153–0.305 mg dry blotted weight). Only one site had significantly lower heterogeneity within the species size spectrum, yet this was the most heterogeneous sediment. As such, we were unable to reject the null hypothesis that species body size distribution patterns are conservative despite differences in sediment granulometry and heterogeneity.

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