scholarly journals Long-term resource addition to a detrital food web yields a pattern of responses more complex than pervasive bottom-up control

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra L. Lawrence ◽  
David H Wise
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Background. Theory predicts strong bottom-up control in detritus-based food webs, yet field experiments with detritus-based terrestrial systems have uncovered contradictory evidence regarding the strength and pervasiveness of bottom-up control processes. Two factors likely leading to contradictory results are experiment duration, which influences exposure to temporal variation in abiotic factors such as rainfall and affects the likelihood of detecting approach to a new equilibrium; and openness of the experimental units to immigration and migration. To investigate the contribution of these two factors, we conducted a long-term experiment with open and fenced plots in the forest that was the site of an earlier, short-term experiment (3.5 months) with open plots (Chen & Wise 1999) that produced evidence of strong bottom-up control for 14 taxonomic groupings of primary consumers of litter and fungi (microbi-detritivores) and their predators. Methods. We added artificial high-quality detritus to ten 2 x 2-m forest-floor plots at bi-weekly intervals from April through September in three consecutive years (Supplemented treatment). Ten comparable Ambient plots were controls. Half of the Supplemented and Ambient plots were enclosed by metal fencing. Results. Arthropod community structure (based upon 18 response variables) diverged over time between Supplemented and Ambient treatments, with no effect of Fencing on the multivariate response pattern. Fencing possibly influenced only ca. 20% of the subsequent univariate analyses. Multi- and univariate analyses revealed bottom-up control by fall of Year 1 of some, but not all, microbi-detritivores and predators. During the following two years the pattern of responses became more complex than that observed by Chen & Wise (1999). Some taxa showed consistent bottom-up control whereas many did not. Variation across years could not be explained completely by differences in rainfall because some taxa exhibited negative, not positive, responses to detrital supplementation. Discussion. Our 3-yr experiment did not confirm the conclusion of strong, pervasive bottom-up control of microbi-detritivores and predators reported by Chen and Wise (1999). Our longer-term experiment revealed a more complex pattern of responses, a pattern much closer to the range of outcomes reported in the literature for many short-term experiments. Much of the variation in responses across studies likely reflects variation in factors such as rainfall and the quality of added detritus. Nevertheless, it is also possible that long-term resource enhancement can drive a community towards a new equilibrium state that differs from what would have been predicted from the initial short-term responses exhibited by primary and secondary consumers.

scholarly journals Long-term resource addition to a detrital food web yields a pattern of responses more complex than pervasive bottom-up control

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra L. Lawrence ◽  
David H. Wise
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Background Theory predicts strong bottom-up control in detritus-based food webs, yet field experiments with detritus-based terrestrial systems have uncovered contradictory evidence regarding the strength and pervasiveness of bottom-up control processes. Two factors likely leading to contradictory results are experiment duration, which influences exposure to temporal variation in abiotic factors such as rainfall and affects the likelihood of detecting approach to a new equilibrium; and openness of the experimental units to immigration and emigration. To investigate the contribution of these two factors, we conducted a long-term experiment with open and fenced plots in the forest that was the site of an earlier, short-term experiment (3.5 months) with open plots (Chen & Wise, 1999) that produced evidence of strong bottom-up control for 14 taxonomic groupings of primary consumers of fungi and detritus (microbi-detritivores) and their predators. Methods We added artificial high-quality detritus to ten 2 × 2-m forest-floor plots at bi-weekly intervals from April through September in three consecutive years (Supplemented treatment). Ten comparable Ambient plots were controls. Half of the Supplemented and Ambient plots were enclosed by metal fencing. Results Arthropod community structure (based upon 18 response variables) diverged over time between Supplemented and Ambient treatments, with no effect of Fencing on the multivariate response pattern. Fencing possibly influenced only ca. 30% of the subsequent univariate analyses. Multi- and univariate analyses revealed bottom-up control during Year 1 of some, but not all, microbi-detritivores and predators. During the following two years the pattern of responses became more complex than that observed by Chen & Wise (1999). Some taxa showed consistent bottom-up control whereas others did not. Variation across years could not be explained completely by differences in rainfall because some taxa exhibited negative, not positive, responses to detrital supplementation. Discussion Our 3-year experiment did not confirm the conclusion of strong, pervasive bottom-up control of both microbi-detritivores and predators reported by Chen & Wise (1999). Our longer-term experiment revealed a more complex pattern of responses, a pattern much closer to the range of outcomes reported in the literature for many short-term experiments. Much of the variation in responses across studies likely reflects variation in abiotic and biotic factors and the quality of added detritus. Nevertheless, it is also possible that long-term resource enhancement can drive a community towards a new equilibrium state that differs from what would have been predicted from the initial short-term responses exhibited by primary and secondary consumers.

scholarly journals Long-term resource addition to a detrital food web yields a pattern of responses more complex than pervasive bottom-up control

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra L. Lawrence ◽  
David H Wise
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Univariate Analyses

Background. Theory predicts strong bottom-up control in detritus-based food webs, yet field experiments with detritus-based terrestrial systems have uncovered contradictory evidence regarding the strength and pervasiveness of bottom-up control processes. Two factors likely leading to contradictory results are experiment duration, which influences exposure to temporal variation in abiotic factors such as rainfall and affects the likelihood of detecting approach to a new equilibrium; and openness of the experimental units to immigration and migration. To investigate the contribution of these two factors, we conducted a long-term experiment with open and fenced plots in the forest that was the site of an earlier, short-term experiment (3.5 months) with open plots (Chen & Wise 1999) that produced evidence of strong bottom-up control for 14 taxonomic groupings of primary consumers of litter and fungi (microbi-detritivores) and their predators. Methods. We added artificial high-quality detritus to ten 2 x 2-m forest-floor plots at bi-weekly intervals from April through September in three consecutive years (Supplemented treatment). Ten comparable Ambient plots were controls. Half of the Supplemented and Ambient plots were enclosed by metal fencing. Results. Arthropod community structure (based upon 18 response variables) diverged over time between Supplemented and Ambient treatments, with no effect of Fencing on the multivariate response pattern. Fencing possibly influenced only ca. 20% of the subsequent univariate analyses. Multi- and univariate analyses revealed bottom-up control by fall of Year 1 of some, but not all, microbi-detritivores and predators. During the following two years the pattern of responses became more complex than that observed by Chen & Wise (1999). Some taxa showed consistent bottom-up control whereas many did not. Variation across years could not be explained completely by differences in rainfall because some taxa exhibited negative, not positive, responses to detrital supplementation. Discussion. Our 3-yr experiment did not confirm the conclusion of strong, pervasive bottom-up control of microbi-detritivores and predators reported by Chen and Wise (1999). Our longer-term experiment revealed a more complex pattern of responses, a pattern much closer to the range of outcomes reported in the literature for many short-term experiments. Much of the variation in responses across studies likely reflects variation in factors such as rainfall and the quality of added detritus. Nevertheless, it is also possible that long-term resource enhancement can drive a community towards a new equilibrium state that differs from what would have been predicted from the initial short-term responses exhibited by primary and secondary consumers.

Long / Short Term Experimental Study on Chloride Penetration in Cracked Concrete

2009 ◽  
Vol 417-418 ◽  
pp. 765-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
In Seok Yoon ◽  
Erik Schlangen
Keyword(s):  
Chloride Penetration ◽  
Crack Healing ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cracked Concrete ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Penetration Behaviour

This study is focused on examining the effect of cracks on chloride penetration into concrete. In order to get reliable results, short-term and long term experiments were set up and chloride penetration behaviour through cracks was examined. It was noticed that chloride penetration through cracks tends to decrease with time. One of the explanations is crack-healing. Especially, this trend was obvious in concrete samples with larger crack width. However, measuring the border between chloride contaminated zone and healthy zone was clear in concrete of short-term experiment, while it was ambiguous in long term experiment.

scholarly journals Effects of NaCl-salinity on growth and inorganic solute accumulation in young cashew plants

2001 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo A. Viégas ◽  
Joaquim A. G. da Silveira ◽  
Adeildo R. de Lima Junior ◽  
José E. Queiroz ◽  
Maria J. M. Fausto
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Mass ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Tissue Concentrations ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Solute Accumulation ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment ◽  
Hydroponically Grown

The NaCl effects on the growth and inorganic solute accumulation were studied on 30-day-old cashew plants (Anacardium occidentale L.) hydroponically grown for 8 days (short term) and 40 days (long-term) with NaCl at different levels. The shoot fresh mass yielded after 40 days, in response to 50 and 100 mol m-3 NaCl, decreased by 25 and 75%, respectively. This decrease was markedly low in root fresh mass, which did not change under 50 mol m-3 NaCl and decreased nearly to 30% under 100 mol m-3 NaCl, as compared to control plants. In short-term experiment, salinity induced only slight changes of K+ tissue concentrations in the whole plant. In the long-term experiment, K+ tissue concentrations were substantially decreased, particularly in roots. In response to time and increasing levels of salinity, Na+ and Cl- ions concentrations reached toxic levels in leaves. Thus, cashew plants already from the 4th day of salinity stress exhibited earlier symptoms of ionic toxicity, and therefore they were not able to regulate metabolic and physiological functions under these harmful conditions.

Food intake, milk yield and live-weight gain of dairy cows given increased amounts of calcium-saponified fatty acids of palm acid oil

1990 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Hermansen
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Milk Fat ◽  
Milk Protein ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Fat Yield ◽  
Short Term Experiment

ABSTRACTA long-term experiment (first 24 weeks of lactation) with Danish Black and White cows and a short-term experiment with Jersey cows (experiment periods of 6 weeks) were carried out. In the long-term experiment, the effect of supplementing a normal dairy ration with 0·5 kg calcium (Ca) soap, 10 kg Ca-soap or 2 kg rolled barley was investigated in two herds, where silage was given ad libitum. The daily intakes of fatty acids in the diets were approximately 625, 1000, 1400 or 650 g respectively. Energy intake increased markedly by the supplementation, but not differently between soap or barley supplementation. The effect on milk production was not consistent in the two herds. In one herd, the soap supplement tended to increase milk fat yield (80 g/day) but not more than the barley supplementation which, in contrast to the fat supplementation, also increased milk protein yield. The effect of the fat was consistent over the first 6 months of lactation. In the other herd, only small differences in milk production were obtained with either supplements. In the short-term experiment carried out in mid lactation, a supplement of 0·8 kg Ca-soap increased daily intake of fatty acids from 730 to 1280 g per cow daily. Total food intake, milk and milk fat yield were not affected by the supplement but milk protein yield and live-weight gain were significantly reduced.

scholarly journals Alley Cropping Increases Land Use Efficiency and Economic Profitability Across the Combination Cultivation Period

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huasen Xu ◽  
Huaxing Bi ◽  
Lubo Gao ◽  
Lei Yun
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Alley Cropping ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Land Use Efficiency ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Short Term Experiment

Alley cropping allows the famer to effectively use available resources and yield more benefits. Choosing suitable associated crop and mitigating the competition between trees and crops are crucial for designing the alley cropping systems. We conducted a long-term experiment, including apple (Malus pumila)/peanut (Arachis hypogaea), apple/millet (Setaria italica) and apple/maize (Zea mays) alley cropping systems with conventional intercropping distance, and corresponding monocultures (Exp.1), and a short-term experiment with improved intercropping distance in the same three combinations (Exp.2) in the Loess Plateau, China. The results showed crop yields in three alley cropping systems were lower than the corresponding monocultures. Apple yields were significantly constrained by millet and maize in the alley cropping systems, but not sensitive to the presence of peanut. Land equivalent ratios (LERs) ranged from 0.44 to 0.89 before the tree bore fruit. The LERs were greater than 1.0 after the tree bore fruit, and the apple trees made a decisive contribution to the land use advantage. Net present values of three alley cropping systems were on average 60.1% higher than the corresponding monocultures across the alley cropping period. The maximum annual present value in the first–fifth, sixth and seventh–ninth years after the alley cropping establishment was observed in the apple/maize, apple/millet and apple/peanut system, respectively. These results highlight that choosing the optimal alley cropping management and suitable associated crops at different years after establishment may allow farmers to increase the land use efficiency and economic profitability.

Predicting isoproturon long-term mineralization from short-term experiment: Can this be a suitable approach?

Chemosphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 312-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Wang ◽  
Ulrike Dörfler ◽  
Xin Jiang ◽  
Reiner Schroll
Keyword(s):  
Short Term ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment

Implications of climate change for Daphnia in alpine lakes: predictions from long-term dynamics, spatial distribution, and a short-term experiment

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 676 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet M. Fischer ◽  
Mark H. Olson ◽  
Craig E. Williamson ◽  
Jennifer C. Everhart ◽  
Paula J. Hogan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Alpine Lakes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Short Term Experiment

scholarly journals Evolutionary rescue of a green alga kept in the dark

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20120823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Bell
Keyword(s):  
Short Term ◽  
Term Experiment ◽  
Evolutionary Rescue ◽  
Extreme Phenotypes ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Sexual Histories ◽  
Dark Conditions ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Asexual Populations

Chlamydomonas (Chlorophyta) can grow as a heterotroph on medium supplemented with acetate in the dark. A long-term experiment to investigate adaptation to dark conditions was set up with hundreds of replicate lines. Growth was initially slow, and most lines became extinct when transferred every few weeks. Some lines survived through the expansion of lineages derived from cells with extreme phenotypes and exhibited a U-shaped curve of collapse and recovery. Two short-term experiments were set up to evaluate the effect of sex on the frequency of ‘evolutionary rescue’ by deriving replicate lines from ancestral populations with contrasting sexual histories that had been cultured in the light for hundreds of generations. When transferred to dark conditions of growth, lines derived from obligately sexual populations survived more often than lines derived from facultatively sexual or asexual populations. This reflected the higher initial frequency of cells able to grow in the dark, due to greater genetic diversity supported by sexual fusion and recombination. The greater probability of evolutionary rescue suggests a general reason for the prevalence of sexual species.

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