scholarly journals Environmental Impacts on Zooplankton Functional Diversity in Brackish Semi-Enclosed Gulf

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 1881
Author(s):  
Astra Labuce ◽  
Anda Ikauniece ◽  
Iveta Jurgensone ◽  
Juris Aigars
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Pelagic Ecosystem ◽  
Mesozooplankton Community ◽  
Gulf Of Riga ◽  
Cyanobacterial Dominance

Zooplankton as an essential component in the pelagic food web are directly linked to pelagic ecosystem functioning. Therefore, comprehension of zooplankton functional diversity (FD) and its responses to environmental changes is crucial for ecosystem-based view. To identify FD responses to environmental drivers, we analysed 25 years of summer data on the brackish mesozooplankton community (including rotifers, cladocerans, copepods, and meroplankton) from the eutrophied, shallow Gulf of Riga (Baltic Sea). We established that within the Gulf of Riga, open waters are notably different from coastal regions based on the dynamics of hydrological conditions (temperature, salinity), cyanobacterial dominance, abundance of mesozooplankton functional groups, and mesozooplankton FD indices. Competition over resources in combination with hydrodynamic features and predation by adult herring were seemingly the central structuring mechanism behind the dynamics of FD metrics (richness, evenness, divergence, and dispersion) within coastal mesozooplankton communities. Whereas predation by young herring was an important driver only for the mesozooplankton communities in the open waters. Cyanobacterial dominance, used as a proxy for food quality and availability, had no effect on summer mesozooplankton FD metrics.

scholarly journals Changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of plants in a chronosequence of Eucalyptus grandis plantations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Pairo ◽  
Estela E. Rodriguez ◽  
M. Isabel Bellocq ◽  
Pablo G. Aceñolaza
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Natural Grasslands

AbstractTree plantations have become one of the fastest-growing land uses and their impact on biodiversity was evaluated mainly at the taxonomic level. The aim of this study was to analyze environmental changes after the Eucalyptus plantation in an area originally covered by natural grasslands, taking into account the alpha and beta (taxonomic and functional) diversity of plant communities. We selected nine plantation ages, along a 12 years chronosequence, with three replicates per age and three protected grasslands as the original situation. At each replicate, we established three plots to measure plant species cover, diversity and environmental variables. Results showed that species richness, and all diversity indices, significantly declined with increasing plantation age. Canopy cover, soil pH, and leaf litter were the environmental drivers that drove the decrease in taxonomic and functional diversity of plants through the forest chronosequence. Based on the path analyses results, canopy cover had an indirect effect on plant functional diversity, mediated by leaf litter depth, soil pH, and plant species richness. The high dispersal potential, annual, barochorous, and zoochorous plant species were the functional traits more affected by the eucalypt plantations. We recommend two management practices: reducing forest densities to allow higher light input to the understory and, due to the fact that leaf litter was negatively associated with all diversity facets, we recommend reducing their accumulation or generate heterogeneity in its distribution to enhance biodiversity.

scholarly journals Biological and environmental drivers of deep-sea benthic ecosystem functioning in Canada’s Laurentian Channel Area of Interest (AOI)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Miatta ◽  
Paul V Snelgrove
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Prokaryotic Abundance

Ongoing environmental changes and accelerating biodiversity loss raise concern and interest about the role of environmental factors and biodiversity in determining marine ecosystem functioning. This study aims to identify the main drivers of benthic ecosystem functioning in deep-sea sedimentary habitats in the Laurentian Channel Area of Interest (AOI), and in particular the role of sea pens (Pennatulacea) as potential keystone species in the area. Using the ROV ROPOS we collected sediment cores and measured environmental variables from 6 stations inside the AOI (depths 348–445m) in September 2017. Through 48-hours incubations and flux measurements (oxygen, inorganic nutrients), we estimated organic matter remineralization, a key benthic function. Preliminary analyses show no significant variation in fluxes among stations, despite significant differences in environmental variables However, the presence/absence of Pennatulacea inside the cores indicated some capability to enhance remineralization and particularly nitrification. Ongoing analyses will address sediment properties, macrofaunal biodiversity, prokaryotic abundance, and biological traits as drivers of remineralization. Shedding new light on the primary drivers of ecosystem functioning in the area will inform the design or monitoring strategies proposed for this AOI and offer new perspectives and tools for MPA design.

scholarly journals Alternative plant designs: consequences for community assembly and ecosystem functioning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Tavares Corrêa Dias ◽  
Bruno H P Rosado ◽  
Francesco de Bello ◽  
Nuria Pistón ◽  
Eduardo A de Mattos
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
And Function ◽  
Alternative Designs

Abstract Background Alternative organism designs (i.e., the existence of distinct combinations of traits leading to the same function or performance) are a widespread phenomenon in nature and are considered an important mechanism driving the evolution and maintenance of species trait diversity. However, alternative designs are rarely considered when investigating assembly rules and species effects on ecosystem functioning, assuming that single traits trade-offs affect linearly species fitness and niche differentiation. Scope Here, we first review the concept of alternative designs, and the empirical evidence in plants indicating the importance of the complex effects of multiple traits on fitness. We then discuss how the potential decoupling of single traits with performance and function of species can compromise our ability to detect the mechanisms responsible for species coexistence and the effects of species on ecosystems. Placing traits in the continuum of organism integration level (i.e., traits hierarchically structured ranging from organ-level traits to whole-organism traits) can help in choosing traits more directly related to performance and function. Conclusions We conclude that alternative designs have important implications for the resulting trait patterning expected from different assembly processes. For instance, when only single trade-offs are considered, environmental filtering is expected to result in decreased functional diversity. Alternatively, it may result in increased functional diversity as an outcome of alternative strategies providing different solutions to local conditions and thus supporting coexistence. Additionally, alternative designs can result in higher stability of ecosystem functioning as species filtering due to environmental changes would not result in directional changes in (effect) trait values. Assessing the combined effects of multiple plant traits and their implications for plant functioning and functions will improve our mechanistic inferences about the functional significance of community trait patterning.

scholarly journals Biological and environmental drivers of deep-sea benthic ecosystem functioning in Canada’s Laurentian Channel Area of Interest (AOI)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Miatta ◽  
Paul V Snelgrove
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Prokaryotic Abundance

Ongoing environmental changes and accelerating biodiversity loss raise concern and interest about the role of environmental factors and biodiversity in determining marine ecosystem functioning. This study aims to identify the main drivers of benthic ecosystem functioning in deep-sea sedimentary habitats in the Laurentian Channel Area of Interest (AOI), and in particular the role of sea pens (Pennatulacea) as potential keystone species in the area. Using the ROV ROPOS we collected sediment cores and measured environmental variables from 6 stations inside the AOI (depths 348–445m) in September 2017. Through 48-hours incubations and flux measurements (oxygen, inorganic nutrients), we estimated organic matter remineralization, a key benthic function. Preliminary analyses show no significant variation in fluxes among stations, despite significant differences in environmental variables However, the presence/absence of Pennatulacea inside the cores indicated some capability to enhance remineralization and particularly nitrification. Ongoing analyses will address sediment properties, macrofaunal biodiversity, prokaryotic abundance, and biological traits as drivers of remineralization. Shedding new light on the primary drivers of ecosystem functioning in the area will inform the design or monitoring strategies proposed for this AOI and offer new perspectives and tools for MPA design.

Functional diversity alters the effects of a pulse perturbation on the dynamics of tritrophic food webs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Ceulemans ◽  
Laurie Anne Myriam Wojcik ◽  
Ursula Gaedke
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Nutrient Pulse ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Web Model

Biodiversity decline causes a loss of functional diversity, which threatens ecosystems through a dangerous feedback loop: this loss may hamper ecosystems' ability to buffer environmental changes, leading to further biodiversity losses. In this context, the increasing frequency of climate and human-induced excessive loading of nutrients causes major problems in aquatic systems. Previous studies investigating how functional diversity influences the response of food webs to disturbances have mainly considered systems with at most two functionally diverse trophic levels. Here, we investigate the effects of a nutrient pulse on the resistance, resilience and elasticity of a tritrophic---and thus more realistic---plankton food web model depending on its functional diversity. We compare a non-adaptive food chain with no diversity to a highly diverse food web with three adaptive trophic levels. The species fitness differences are balanced through trade-offs between defense/growth rate for prey and selectivity/half-saturation constant for predators. We showed that the resistance, resilience and elasticity of tritrophic food webs decreased with larger perturbation sizes and depended on the state of the system when the perturbation occured. Importantly, we found that a more diverse food web was generally more resistant, resilient, and elastic. Particularly, functional diversity dampened the probability of a regime shift towards a non-desirable alternative state. In addition, despite the complex influence of the shape and type of the dynamical attractors, the basal-intermediate interaction determined the robustness against a nutrient pulse. This relationship was strongly influenced by the diversity present and the third trophic level. Overall, using a food web model of realistic complexity, this study confirms the destructive potential of the positive feedback loop between biodiversity loss and robustness, by uncovering mechanisms leading to a decrease in resistance, resilience and elasticity as functional diversity declines.

scholarly journals A network-based approach to deciphering a dynamic microbiome’s response to a subtle perturbation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Tzun-Wen Shaw ◽  
An-Chi Liu ◽  
Chieh-Yin Weng ◽  
Yi-Chun Chen ◽  
Cheng-Yu Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Human Society ◽  
The Past ◽  
Environmental Perturbations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Occurrence Patterns

Abstract Over the past decades, one main issue that has emerged in ecological and environmental research is how losses in biodiversity influence ecosystem dynamics and functioning, and consequently human society. Although biodiversity is a common indicator of ecosystem functioning, it is difficult to measure biodiversity in microbial communities exposed to subtle or chronic environmental perturbations. Consequently, there is a need for alternative bioindicators to detect, measure, and monitor gradual changes in microbial communities against these slight, chronic, and continuous perturbations. In this study, microbial networks before and after subtle perturbations by adding S. acidaminiphila showed diverse topological niches and 4-node motifs in which microbes with co-occurrence patterns played the central roles in regulating and adjusting the intertwined relationships among microorganisms in response to the subtle environmental changes. This study demonstrates that microbial networks are a good bioindicator for chronic perturbation and should be applied in a variety of ecological investigations.

scholarly journals Impact of urbanization on functional diversity in macromycete communities along an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12191
Author(s):  
Marko Gómez-Hernández ◽  
Emily Avendaño-Villegas ◽  
María Toledo-Garibaldi ◽  
Etelvina Gándara
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
Urbanization Gradient ◽  
Urbanization Level ◽  
Functional Value ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Available Resources

Macromycetes are a group of fungi characterized by the production of fruit bodies and are highly relevant in most terrestrial ecosystems as pathogens, mutualists, and organic matter decomposers. Habitat transformation can drastically alter macromycete communities and diminish the contribution of these organisms to ecosystem functioning; however, knowledge on the effect of urbanization on macrofungal communities is scarce. Diversity metrics based on functional traits of macromycete species have shown to be valuable tools to predict how species contribute to ecosystem functionality since traits determine the performance of species in ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of species richness, functional diversity, and composition of macrofungi in an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico, and to identify microclimatic, environmental, and urban factors related to these patterns in order to infer the effect of urbanization on macromycete communities. We selected four oak forests along an urbanization gradient and established a permanent sampling area of 0.1 ha at each site. Macromycete sampling was carried out every week from June to October 2017. The indices used to measure functional diversity were functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDig), and functional evenness (FEve). The metric used to assess variation of macrofungal ecological function along the study area was the functional value. We recorded a total of 134 macromycete species and 223 individuals. Our results indicated a decline of species richness with increased urbanization level related mainly to microclimatic variables, and a high turnover of species composition among study sites, which appears to be related to microclimatic and urbanization variables. FRic decreased with urbanization level, indicating that some of the available resources in the niche space within the most urbanized sites are not being utilized. FDig increased with urbanization, which suggests a high degree of niche differentiation among macromycete species within communities in urbanized areas. FEve did not show notable differences along the urbanization gradient, indicating few variations in the distribution of abundances within the occupied sections of the niche space. Similarly, the functional value was markedly higher in the less urbanized site, suggesting greater performance of functional guilds in that area. Our findings suggest that urbanization has led to a loss of macromycete species and a decrease in functional diversity, causing some sections of the niche space to be hardly occupied and available resources to be under-utilized, which could, to a certain extent, affect ecosystem functioning and stability.

scholarly journals Extreme Levels of Ocean Acidification Restructure the Plankton Community and Biogeochemistry of a Temperate Coastal Ecosystem: A Mesocosm Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Spisla ◽  
Jan Taucher ◽  
Lennart T. Bach ◽  
Mathias Haunost ◽  
Tim Boxhammer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Plankton Community ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
Mesozooplankton Community ◽  
Planktonic Food ◽  
Elemental Stoichiometry ◽  
Secondary Consumers ◽  
Induced Changes

The oceans’ uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) decreases seawater pH and alters the inorganic carbon speciation – summarized in the term ocean acidification (OA). Already today, coastal regions experience episodic pH events during which surface layer pH drops below values projected for the surface ocean at the end of the century. Future OA is expected to further enhance the intensity of these coastal extreme pH events. To evaluate the influence of such episodic OA events in coastal regions, we deployed eight pelagic mesocosms for 53 days in Raunefjord, Norway, and enclosed 56–61 m3 of local seawater containing a natural plankton community under nutrient limited post-bloom conditions. Four mesocosms were enriched with CO2 to simulate extreme pCO2 levels of 1978 – 2069 μatm while the other four served as untreated controls. Here, we present results from multivariate analyses on OA-induced changes in the phyto-, micro-, and mesozooplankton community structure. Pronounced differences in the plankton community emerged early in the experiment, and were amplified by enhanced top-down control throughout the study period. The plankton groups responding most profoundly to high CO2 conditions were cyanobacteria (negative), chlorophyceae (negative), auto- and heterotrophic microzooplankton (negative), and a variety of mesozooplanktonic taxa, including copepoda (mixed), appendicularia (positive), hydrozoa (positive), fish larvae (positive), and gastropoda (negative). The restructuring of the community coincided with significant changes in the concentration and elemental stoichiometry of particulate organic matter. Results imply that extreme CO2 events can lead to a substantial reorganization of the planktonic food web, affecting multiple trophic levels from phytoplankton to primary and secondary consumers.

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