Measuring and Linking the Missing Part of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: The Diversity of Biotic Interactions

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Luna ◽  
Erick J. Corro ◽  
Reuber Antoniazzi ◽  
Wesley Dáttilo
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity

Biotic interactions are part of all ecosystem attributes and play an important role in the structure and stability of biological communities. In this study, we give a brief account of how the threads of biotic interactions are linked and how we can measure such complexity by focusing on mutualistic interactions. We start by explaining that although biotic interactions are fundamental ecological processes, they are also a component of biodiversity with a clear α, β and γ diversity structure which can be measured and used to explain how biotic interactions vary over time and space. Specifically, we explain how to estimate the α-diversity by measuring the properties of species interaction networks. We also untangle the components of the β-diversity and how it can be used to make pairwise comparisons between networks. Moreover, we move forward to explain how local ecological networks are a subset of a regional pool of species and potential interactions, γ-diversity, and how this approach allows assessing the spatial and temporal dynamics of ecological networks. Finally, we propose a new framework for studying interactions and the biodiversity–ecosystem function relationship by identifying the unique and common interactions of local networks over space, time or both together.

scholarly journals A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1931) ◽  
pp. 20200824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inga Leena Angell ◽  
Knut Rudi
Keyword(s):  
Game Theory ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Nutrient Utilization ◽  
Theory Model ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Gut Colonization ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Colonization Patterns ◽  
Expanding Population

Despite the fact that infant gut colonization patterns have been extensively studied, we have limited knowledge about the underlying ecological processes. This particularly relates to the ecological choice of nutrient utilization strategies. The aim of the current study was therefore to compare empirically determined nutrient utilization strategies with that expected from a combinatorial game theory model. Observational analyses for 100 mother–child pairs suggested mother–child transmission of specialists with the potential to use few nutrients. Generalists, on the other hand, with the potential to use many nutrients, peaked at three months of age for the children. The level of generalists was gradually replaced with specialists up to 12 months of age. Game theory simulation revealed a competitive advantage of generalists in an expanding population, while more specialized bacteria were favoured with the maturation of the population. This suggests that the observed increase in generalists in the three-month-old children could be due to an immature, expanding gut microbiota population while the increase of specialists at 12 months could be due to population maturation. The simulated and empirical data also correspond with respect to an increased α diversity and a decreased β diversity with the number of simulations and age, respectively. Taken together, game theory simulation of nutrient utilization strategies can therefore provide novel insight into the maturation of the human gut microbiota during infancy.

scholarly journals Microbiome assembly predictably shapes diversity across a range of disturbance frequencies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezequiel Santillan ◽  
Stefan Wuertz
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Deterministic Processes ◽  
Specialized Function ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
And Function ◽  
Microbiome Assembly

Diversity is frequently linked to the functional stability of ecological communities. However, its association with assembly mechanisms remains largely unknown, particularly under fluctuating disturbances. Here, we subjected complex bacterial communities in bioreactor microcosms to different frequencies of organic loading shocks, tracking temporal dynamics in their assembly, structure and function. Null modelling revealed a stronger role of stochasticity at intermediate disturbance frequencies, preceding the formation of a peak in α-diversity. Communities at extreme ends of the disturbance range had the lowest α-diversity and highest within-treatment similarity in terms of β-diversity, with stronger deterministic assembly. Stochasticity prevailed during the initial successional stages, coinciding with better specialized function (nitrogen removal). In contrast, general functions (carbon removal and microbial aggregate settleability) benefited from stronger deterministic processes. We showed that changes in assembly processes predictably precede changes in diversity under a gradient of disturbance frequencies, advancing our understanding of the mechanisms behind disturbance-diversity-function relationships.

scholarly journals Gender differences in traditional knowledge of useful plants in a Brazilian community

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253820
Author(s):  
Fernanda Vieira da Costa ◽  
Mariana Fernandes Monteiro Guimarães ◽  
Maria Cristina Teixeira Braga Messias
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Plant Knowledge ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Α Diversity

Genders differ in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) about plants, but how gender influences TEK sharing is still poorly understood. Here, we examined how gender is associated with the diversity, transmission, and structure of TEK. We tested whether women and men differ in terms of plant knowledge (species richness, α-diversity), knowledge heterogeneity (β-diversity), and in the structure of social-ecological networks they form. The study was carried out in a suburban community in the city of Ouro Preto, Southeastern, Brazil. Using the snow-ball technique, semi-structured interviews, guided tours, and participant observation, we gathered information from 33 women and 33 men in the community. We collected information about their culture, social-economic profiles, and plant knowledge from which we identified 291 plant species in 10 use categories. Overall, our results indicated that the cognition and sharing of ethnobotanical knowledge are structured by gender. Women rated better in their plant knowledge repertory (greater α-diversity), while plant knowledge among men was more heterogeneous (greater β-diversity), suggesting less information sharing among them. We observed that the network among women is more connected, exhibited greater information sharing, with a greater number of central individuals, who likely provide the cohesion and maintenance of TEK in the community. Our findings indicate how social-ecological networks can provide insights and information to unveil social patterns of knowledge transmission. Understanding how TEK is fostered and shared among community members will favor better planning of ethnobotanical studies, as well as inform decision-makers about strategies for the conservation of plant TEK.

scholarly journals Dissimilarity of species interaction networks: quantifying the effect of turnover and rewiring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothée Poisot
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Relative Effect ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Mathematical Arguments ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Fit For Purpose

Despite having established its usefulness in the last ten years, the decomposition of ecological networks in components allowing to measure their β-diversity retains some methodological ambiguities. Notably, how to quantify the relative effect of mechanisms tied to interaction rewiring vs. species turnover has been interpreted differently by different authors. In this contribution, I present mathematical arguments and numerical experiments that should (i) establish that the decomposition of networks as it is currently done is indeed fit for purpose, and (ii) provide guidelines to interpret the values of the components tied to turnover and rewiring.

Spatial heterogeneity of the planktonic protistan community in a semi-closed eutrophic bay, China

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Du ◽  
Zhi B Jiang ◽  
Yong M Wang ◽  
Peng Qian ◽  
Han J Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Heterogeneity ◽  
Structural Variation ◽  
Water Mass ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Rdna Sequencing ◽  
Total Community

AbstractWe examined the planktonic protistan community in Xiangshan Bay during spring 2015 using 18S rDNA sequencing. We found significant spatial heterogeneity in α-diversity, β-diversity (Bray–Curtis and Jaccard indices) and the relative abundance of dominant taxa. The spatial heterogeneity of the protistan community was due more to variation in species (operational taxonomic units) than abundance, and the spatial variation in species was dominated by variation in rare biota. Salinity was the most important driver of spatial heterogeneity in the total community and the abundant subcommunity, but environmental factors could not explain the variation in the rare subcommunity. For α-diversity, spatial heterogeneity was mainly associated with the rare biota; α-diversity was positively correlated with water mass complexity but negatively correlated with temperature and nutrients. Of the dominant protistan phyla, the more abundant Cryptophyta, Chlorophyta and Haptophyta were correlated with lower salinity and higher nutrient concentrations, while the more abundant mixotrophs (e.g. Dinoflagellata and Protalveolata) were associated with lower nutrient concentration. Our study suggests that rare taxa are important for preserving the spatial heterogeneity of the protistan community, whose structural variation might be influenced by biotic interactions.

scholarly journals Divergent Co-occurrence Patterns and Assembly Processes Structure the Abundant and Rare Bacterial Communities in a Salt Marsh Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shicong Du ◽  
Francisco Dini-Andreote ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Chunling Liang ◽  
Zhiyuan Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Species Interaction ◽  
Hangzhou Bay ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Rare Taxa ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Occurrence Patterns ◽  
Dynamic Interplay

ABSTRACT Understanding how species interaction and assembly processes structure the abundant and rare bacterial biospheres in soils is crucial for predicting how biodiversity influences ecosystem functioning. Here, we profiled the bacterial communities across a salt marsh ecosystem gradient to investigate the co-occurrence patterns across taxa and the relative influence of ecological processes mediating the assembly of the abundant and rare biospheres in soil. Our results revealed abundant taxa to be ubiquitous across all sites, whereas the distributions of the rare taxa were relatively more site specific. The α-diversity indices and β-diversity of rare subcommunities were significantly higher than those of the abundant subcommunities. Besides, both the taxonomic and functional composition of soil bacterial communities differed significantly between the two biospheres. Furthermore, the influence of stochasticity differed in each subcommunity. In particular, stochastic processes were relatively more important in constraining the assembly of rare taxa. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that a few abundant taxa occupy central nodes within the networks, possibly indicating crucial roles as keystone taxa. Collectively, these findings suggest that abundant and rare bacterial biospheres have distinct distributions underpinned by a dynamic interplay of ecological processes and taxon co-occurrence patterns. IMPORTANCE Estuarine salt marshes are highly productive ecosystems subjected to regular disturbances by hydrodynamic exchange. However, little is known about how distinct assembly processes and co-occurrence of taxa influence the structure of the abundant and rare bacterial biospheres in these soil systems. This study aims at unravelling these intricacies by studying a typical estuarine salt marsh located in Hangzhou Bay, China. Our study provides important pieces of evidence on the diverse distribution of rare and abundant bacterial biospheres. We show that a few abundant taxa are central nodes in species co-occurrence, potentially playing important roles as keystone species in the system. In addition, we highlight a dynamic interplay of assembly processes structuring these two subcommunities.

Patterns in diversity and composition of the microbenthos of subarctic intertidal beaches with different morphodynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. 19-38
Author(s):  
AI Azovsky ◽  
YA Mazei ◽  
MA Saburova ◽  
PV Sapozhnikov
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Wave Action ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Sediment Properties ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Similar Mode ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Diversity and composition of benthic diatom algae and ciliates were studied at several beaches along the White and Barents seas: from highly exposed, reflective beaches with coarse-grained sands to sheltered, dissipative silty-sandy flats. For diatoms, the epipelic to epipsammic species abundance ratio was significantly correlated with the beach index and mean particle size, while neither α-diversity measures nor mean cell length were related to beach properties. In contrast, most of the characteristics of ciliate assemblages (diversity, total abundance and biomass, mean individual weight and percentage of karyorelictids) demonstrated a strong correlation to beach properties, remaining low at exposed beaches but increasing sharply in more sheltered conditions. β-diversity did not correlate with beach properties for either diatoms or ciliates. We suggest that wave action and sediment properties are the main drivers controlling the diversity and composition of the intertidal microbenthos. Diatoms and ciliates, however, demonstrated divergent response to these factors. Epipelic and epipsammic diatoms exhibited 2 different strategies to adapt to their environments and therefore were complementarily distributed along the environmental gradient and compensated for each other in diversity. Most ciliates demonstrated a similar mode of habitat selection but differed in their degree of tolerance. Euryporal (including mesoporal) species were relatively tolerant to wave action and therefore occurred under a wide range of beach conditions, though their abundance and diversity were highest in fine, relatively stable sediments on sheltered beaches, whereas the specific interstitial (i.e. genuine microporal) species were mostly restricted to only these habitats.

scholarly journals Modelling Tree Growth in Monospecific Forests from Forest Inventory Data

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 753
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Sáez-Cano ◽  
Marcos Marvá ◽  
Paloma Ruiz-Benito ◽  
Miguel A. Zavala
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Richards Equation ◽  
Tree Level ◽  
Forest Inventories ◽  
Large Scale Data

The prediction of tree growth is key to further understand the carbon sink role of forests and the short-term forest capacity on climate change mitigation. In this work, we used large-scale data available from three consecutive forest inventories in a Euro-Mediterranean region and the Bertalanffy–Chapman–Richards equation to model up to a decade’s tree size variation in monospecific forests in the growing stages. We showed that a tree-level fitting with ordinary differential equations can be used to forecast tree diameter growth across time and space as function of environmental characteristics and initial size. This modelling approximation was applied at different aggregation levels to monospecific regions with forest inventories to predict trends in aboveground tree biomass stocks. Furthermore, we showed that this model accurately forecasts tree growth temporal dynamics as a function of size and environmental conditions. Further research to provide longer term prediction forest stock dynamics in a wide variety of forests should model regeneration and mortality processes and biotic interactions.

Gut microbiome of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, and its relationship with insect population density

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Mogouong ◽  
Philippe Constant ◽  
Robert Lavallée ◽  
Claude Guertin
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Emerald Ash Borer ◽  
Agrilus Planipennis ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Taxonomic Structure ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity

ABSTRACT The gut microbial communities of beetles play crucial roles in their adaptive capacities. Environmental factors such as temperature or nutrition naturally affect the insect microbiome, but a shift in local conditions like the population density on a host tree could also lead to changes in the microbiota. The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic wood borer that causes environmental and economic damage to ash trees in North America. This study aimed to describe the taxonomic structure of the EAB gut microbiome and explore its potential relationship with borer population size. The number of EAB adults collected per tree through a 75 km transect from an epicenter allowed the creation of distinct classes of population density. The Gammaproteobacteria and Ascomycota predominated in bacterial and fungal communities respectively, as determined by sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and the fungal internal transcribed spacer ITS2. Species richness and diversity of the bacterial community showed significant dependence on population density. Moreover, α-diversity and β-diversity analysis revealed some indicator amplicon sequence variants suggesting that the plasticity of the gut microbiome could be related to the EAB population density in host trees.

scholarly journals Arthropod community structure in pastures of an island archipelago (Azores): looking for local–regional species richness patterns at fine-scales

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A.V. Borges ◽  
V.K. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Richness Patterns

AbstractThe arthropod species richness of pastures in three Azorean islands was used to examine the relationship between local and regional species richness over two years. Two groups of arthropods, spiders and sucking insects, representing two functionally different but common groups of pasture invertebrates were investigated. The local–regional species richness relationship was assessed over relatively fine scales: quadrats (= local scale) and within pastures (= regional scale). Mean plot species richness was used as a measure of local species richness (= α diversity) and regional species richness was estimated at the pasture level (= γ diversity) with the ‘first-order-Jackknife’ estimator. Three related issues were addressed: (i) the role of estimated regional species richness and variables operating at the local scale (vegetation structure and diversity) in determining local species richness; (ii) quantification of the relative contributions of α and β diversity to regional diversity using additive partitioning; and (iii) the occurrence of consistent patterns in different years by analysing independently between-year data. Species assemblages of spiders were saturated at the local scale (similar local species richness and increasing β-diversity in richer regions) and were more dependent on vegetational structure than regional species richness. Sucking insect herbivores, by contrast, exhibited a linear relationship between local and regional species richness, consistent with the proportional sampling model. The patterns were consistent between years. These results imply that for spiders local processes are important, with assemblages in a particular patch being constrained by habitat structure. In contrast, for sucking insects, local processes may be insignificant in structuring communities.

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