Daily Dynamics of an Ant Community in a Mountaintop Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eloá Gonçalves Calazans ◽  
Fernanda Vieira da Costa ◽  
Maykon Passos Cristiano ◽  
Danon Clemes Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Daily Temperature ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Ant Community ◽  
Soil Temperatures

Abstract Abiotic conditions have a great influence on the structure of biological communities, especially considering ectothermic organisms, such as ants. In this study, we tested whether the daily temporal dynamics of an ant community in a tropical mountainous ecosystem is driven by daily fluctuations of abiotic factors, such as temperature and humidity. We also investigated whether the strong oscillation in daily temperature leads to high heterogeneity in ant species thermal responses. We have found that air and soil temperatures positively influenced the richness and frequency of foraging ants, while air humidity caused the opposite effect. Ant activity followed daily temperature fluctuations, which resulted in subtle differences in foraging patterns featured by heat-tolerant and heat-intolerant species. Moreover, the studied ant community exhibited broad and highly overlapped thermal responses, suggesting a likely resilience under temperature oscillations. Lastly, identifying how species traits are linked to oscillations in abiotic conditions is a necessary step to predict the effects of future climatic changes on biological community dynamics and ecosystem functioning.

scholarly journals Changes in the analysis of temporal community dynamics data: a 29-year literature review

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Buckley ◽  
Nicola J. Day ◽  
Gavin Lear ◽  
Bradley S. Case
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Community Analysis ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Short Time

Background Understanding how biological communities change over time is of increasing importance as Earth moves into the Anthropocene. A wide variety of methods are used for multivariate community analysis and are variously applied to research that aims to characterise temporal dynamics in community composition. Understanding these methods and how they are applied is useful for determining best practice in community ecology. Methodology We reviewed the ecological literature from 1990 to 2018 that used multivariate methods to address questions of temporal community dynamics. For each paper that fulfilled our search criteria, we recorded the types of multivariate analysis used to characterise temporal community dynamics in addition to the research aim, habitat type, location, taxon and the experimental design. Results Most studies had relatively few temporal replicates; the median number was seven time points. Nearly 70% of studies applied more than one analysis method; descriptive methods such as bar graphs and ordination were the most commonly applied methods. Surprisingly, the types of analyses used were only related to the number of temporal replicates, but not to research aim or any other aspects of experimental design such as taxon, or habitat or year of study. Conclusions This review reveals that most studies interested in understanding community dynamics use relatively short time series meaning that several, more sophisticated, temporal analyses are not widely applicable. However, newer methods using multivariate dissimilarities are growing in popularity and many can be applied to time series of any length.

Coral husbandry for ocean futures: leveraging abiotic factors to increase survivorship, growth, and resilience in juvenile Montipora capitata

2021 ◽  
Vol 657 ◽  
pp. 123-133
Author(s):  
JR Hancock ◽  
AR Barrows ◽  
TC Roome ◽  
AS Huffmyer ◽  
SB Matsuda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Larval Rearing ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Montipora Capitata ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
Juvenile Corals ◽  
Bleaching Response ◽  
The Face ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Global And Local

Reef restoration via direct outplanting of sexually propagated juvenile corals is a key strategy in preserving coral reef ecosystem function in the face of global and local stressors (e.g. ocean warming). To advance our capacity to scale and maximize the efficiency of restoration initiatives, we examined how abiotic conditions (i.e. larval rearing temperature, substrate condition, light intensity, and flow rate) interact to enhance post-settlement survival and growth of sexually propagated juvenile Montipora capitata. Larvae were reared at 3 temperatures (high: 28.9°C, ambient: 27.2°C, low: 24.5°C) for 72 h during larval development, and were subsequently settled on aragonite plugs conditioned in seawater (1 or 10 wk) and raised in different light and flow regimes. These juvenile corals underwent a natural bleaching event in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i (USA), in summer 2019, allowing us to opportunistically measure bleaching response in addition to survivorship and growth. This study demonstrates how leveraging light and flow can increase the survivorship and growth of juvenile M. capitata. In contrast, larval preconditioning and substrate conditioning had little overall effect on survivorship, growth, or bleaching response. Importantly, there was no optimal combination of abiotic conditions that maximized survival and growth in addition to bleaching tolerances. This study highlights the ability to tailor sexual reproduction for specific restoration goals by addressing knowledge gaps and incorporating practices that could improve resilience in propagated stocks.

scholarly journals The Effects of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on the Community Dynamics in a Mountain Subtropical Forest

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Tianyang Zhou ◽  
Jiaxin Zhang ◽  
Yunzhi Qin ◽  
Mingxi Jiang ◽  
Xiujuan Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Dynamics ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Subtropical Forest ◽  
Above Ground Biomass ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Services ◽  
Number Of Individuals

From supporting wood production to mitigating climate change, forest ecosystem services are crucial to the well-being of humans. Understanding the mechanisms that drive forest dynamics can help us infer how to maintain forest ecosystem services and how to improve predictions of forest dynamics under climate change. Despite the growing number of studies exploring above ground biomass (AGB) dynamics, questions of dynamics in biodiversity and in number of individuals still remain unclear. Here, we first explored the patterns of community dynamics in different aspects (i.e., AGB, density and biodiversity) based on short-term (five years) data from a 25-ha permanent plot in a subtropical forest in central China. Second, we examined the relationships between community dynamics and biodiversity and functional traits. Third, we identified the key factors affecting different aspects of community dynamics and quantified their relative contributions. We found that in the short term (five years), net above ground biomass change (ΔAGB) and biodiversity increased, while the number of individuals decreased. Resource-conservation traits enhanced the ΔAGB and reduced the loss in individuals, while the resource-acquisition traits had the opposite effect. Furthermore, the community structure contributed the most to ΔAGB; topographic variables and soil nutrients contributed the most to the number of individuals; demographic process contributed the most to biodiversity. Our results indicate that biotic factors mostly affected the community dynamics of ΔAGB and biodiversity, while the number of individuals was mainly shaped by abiotic factors. Our work highlighted that the factors influencing different aspects of community dynamics vary. Therefore, forest management practices should be formulated according to a specific protective purpose.

scholarly journals Spatial distribution and survival rate of waterfrog tadpoles in relation to biotic and abiotic factors: a field experiment

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Thurnheer ◽  
Heinz-Ulrich Reyer
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Rana Esculenta ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Factors ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Shallow Zone ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics

AbstractPredictions about population and community dynamics are usually based on lab experiments. Because the results are difficult to transfer to natural conditions, the major purpose of this study was to test the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on tadpole populations in a natural environment. We stocked six ponds, created the previous year, with known numbers of Rana esculenta and R. lessonae tadpoles and followed their development over several months. When compared among ponds, tadpole density correlated positively with the nitrate:phosphate ratio. This suggests that water chemistry may have affected survival, either directly or indirectly via productivity. Within ponds, both species showed a clear preference for the shallow zone. This behavior probably reflects a preference for warm water close to the surface, rather than avoidance of predators, because relative densities of odonates also increased from deep to shallow zones. This study is one of few that not only considers the distribution of the anuran tadpoles but the distribution of their predators as well.

scholarly journals What drives interaction strengths in complex food webs? A test with feeding rates of a generalist stream predator

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Preston ◽  
Jeremy S. Henderson ◽  
Landon P. Falke ◽  
Leah M. Segui ◽  
Tamara J. Layden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Scaling Laws ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Interaction Strength ◽  
Feeding Rates ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Mass Ratios

AbstractDescribing the mechanisms that drive variation in species interaction strengths is central to understanding, predicting, and managing community dynamics. Multiple factors have been linked to trophic interaction strength variation, including species densities, species traits, and abiotic factors. Yet most empirical tests of the relative roles of multiple mechanisms that drive variation have been limited to simplified experiments that may diverge from the dynamics of natural food webs. Here, we used a field-based observational approach to quantify the roles of prey density, predator density, predator-prey body-mass ratios, prey identity, and abiotic factors in driving variation in feeding rates of reticulate sculpin (Cottus perplexus). We combined data on over 6,000 predator-prey observations with prey identification time functions to estimate 289 prey-specific feeding rates at nine stream sites in Oregon. Feeding rates on 57 prey types showed an approximately log-normal distribution, with few strong and many weak interactions. Model selection indicated that prey density, followed by prey identity, were the two most important predictors of prey-specific sculpin feeding rates. Feeding rates showed a positive, accelerating relationship with prey density that was inconsistent with predator saturation predicted by current functional response models. Feeding rates also exhibited four orders-of-magnitude in variation across prey taxonomic orders, with the lowest feeding rates observed on prey with significant anti-predator defenses. Body-mass ratios were the third most important predictor variable, showing a hump-shaped relationship with the highest feeding rates at intermediate ratios. Sculpin density was negatively correlated with feeding rates, consistent with the presence of intraspecific predator interference. Our results highlight how multiple co-occurring drivers shape trophic interactions in nature and underscore ways in which simplified experiments or reliance on scaling laws alone may lead to biased inferences about the structure and dynamics of species-rich food webs.

scholarly journals Temporal distribution of fruit-feeding butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) in the eastern extreme of the Amazon region

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Elias da Costa ARAUJO ◽  
Lucas Pereira MARTINS ◽  
Marcelo DUARTE ◽  
Gisele Garcia AZEVEDO
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

ABSTRACT Rainfall is one of the most influential factors driving insect seasonality in the Amazon region. However, few studies have analyzed the temporal dynamics of fruit-feeding butterflies in the Brazilian Amazon, specially in its eastern portion. Here, we evaluated the diversity patterns and temporal distribution of fruit-feeding butterflies in a remnant of eastern Amazon forest in the Baixada Maranhense, northeastern Brazil. Specifically, we tested whether fruit-feeding butterflies are temporally structured and whether rainfall influences species richness and abundance. Butterflies were collected with baited traps in both the rainy and dry seasons for two consecutive years. In total, we captured 493 butterflies belonging to 28 species, 15 genera and eight tribes. Three species comprised about half of the overall abundance, and Satyrinae was the most representative subfamily. The fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage showed a strong temporal structure during the second year of sampling, but not during the first year. Species composition and richness did not differ between rainy and dry seasons, and neither abundance nor richness was influenced by rainfall. Our results indicate that seasonality is not a strong environmental filter in this region, and that other biotic and abiotic factors are probably driving the community structure. The predominance of palms in the Baixada Maranhense, which are used as host plants by larvae of several lepidopteran species (specially satyrines) and are available year-round, might have contributed to the observed patterns of temporal diversity.

scholarly journals Lake sedimentary DNA to reveal long-term changes in aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Domaizon
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Aquatic Biodiversity ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics ◽  
Emerging Topics

The emergence of molecular analyses based on the sequencing of sedimentary DNA has opened up many new areas of inquiry in paleolimnology. DNA preserved in sediments (SedDNA) offers the possibility to consider taxa that were traditionally not accessible because they do not leave distinct morphological fossils. Recent applications that considered a diversity of biological groups (including bacteria, protists, zooplankton, fish) illustrate how efficiently SedDNA-based methods complement both classical paleolimnology proxies and limnological data. The knowledge gained from this approach is very diverse in scope, ranging from quantifying natural variability in population and community dynamics to understanding how these biological variables respond to anthropogenic disturbances and climatic change. The use of lake sedimentary DNA to track long-term changes in aquatic biota is a rapidly advancing field of research. Based on recent applications, this presentation illustrates (i) the potential and challenges associated with the study of SedDNA to address critical research questions in lacustrine ecology (ii) the main methodological precautions to be taken into account for implementing these types of DNA analyses (i.e. best practices) and (iii) the emerging topics that could be addressed using sedimentary DNA, in particular to reconstruct the temporal dynamics of lacustrine biodiversity.

Plant-Herbivore Interactions

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Dealing
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Secondary Compounds ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Secondary Chemistry ◽  
Niwot Ridge ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Ultimate Objective ◽  
Plant Herbivore

The alpine provides a tremendous opportunity for studying plant-herbivore interactions at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. For herbivores, variations in topography and microclimate result in a relatively large amount of spatial variation in plant communities within short distances (chapter 6). A large community of herbivores, from nematodes to grasshoppers to elk, occurs on Niwot Ridge. Furthermore, given the low rates of nutrient availability in alpine soils (Fisk and Schmidt 1995; chapter 12) combined with the slow-growing perennial habit of the vegetation, alpine plants should, in theory, invest heavily in defense against herbivores (Coley et al. 1985). The goal of this chapter is to provide: (1) a summary of the feeding behaviors of the herbivores on Niwot Ridge, (2) information on the nutritional and secondary chemistry of plants on Niwot Ridge as it relates to herbivory, and (3) a review of hypotheses on community dynamics of herbivores and plants relevant to the alpine. The ultimate objective is to provide a synthesis of information that will stimulate interest in alpine tundra as a system for studying the dynamics of plant-herbivore interactions at all levels of ecological organization. The flora of Niwot Ridge has been divided into six communities (May and Webber 1982; chapter 6). Regardless of community association, nearly all of the plant species occurring on the ridge are perennials and several are very long lived (May and Webber 1982). Communities can change across small spatial scales (meters), and community origin and maintenance are believed to be largely determined by abiotic factors (Walker et al. 1994; chapter 6). However, several studies suggest that biotic factors such as herbivory may have a significant impact on plant community dynamics (Huntly et al. 1986; Davies 1994). There is significant variation in the nutritional composition of plants on Niwot Ridge. Generally, and in the absence of plant secondary compounds, species that are high in nitrogen and low in fiber are presumed to be the most desirable as forage. Based solely on these nutritional variables, the clover Trifolium parryi is hypothesized to be one of the more-preferred forages, whereas alpine sandwort, Minuartia obtusiloba, should be one of the less-preferred food items.

Plasticity in extended phenotypes: how the antlion Myrmeleon crudelis adjusts the pit traps depending on biotic and abiotic conditions

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 41-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro G. Farji-Brener ◽  
Sabrina Amador-Vargas
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Fine Soil ◽  
Fine Grained Soil ◽  
Trap Size ◽  
Pit Depth ◽  
Pit Design

Abstract The physical structures built by animals are considered extended phenotypes that reflect how organisms make decisions and deal with changes in their biotic and abiotic environment. We summarize the results of several studies on Myrmeleon crudelis, a neuropteran larva that digs pit-traps in the soil to capture small arthropods (mostly ants) in the tropical dry forests of Costa Rica. Specifically, we showed how this species responds to varying biotic and abiotic conditions with changes in the design and/or location of its pit traps. Several experiments and field comparisons indicate that: 1) antlions adjust the pit design according to the abundance and type of prey. When prey is scarce, antlions increased trap diameter, an architectural adjustment that enhances the probability of prey encounter. Antlions that experienced high prey abundance, but the prey easily escaped, then increased pit depth, an adjustment that increases the chance of prey retention; 2) soil compaction strongly reduced pit-trap size and abundance; 3) antlions preferred soils with high proportion of fine-particle size to build pits. In fine-grained soil, pit-traps are larger and more efficient to capture prey than traps in coarse-grained soils; and 4) pit-traps may also be affected through indirect effects of soil structure and vegetation cover. Areas with fine-soil presented less plant cover, and plant cover could be beneficial for antlions because it acts as a shelter against direct sunlight and rainfall, or it may represent a cost because it is a source of leaflitter falling in the pits. The works summarized here how trap-building predators can exhibit considerable flexibility in trap construction in response to various biotic and abiotic factors, emphasizing how the study of extended phenotypes can be a useful approach to better understand the flexibility of foraging behaviors.

scholarly journals Analysis of the phytoplankton community emphasizing cyanobacteria in four cascade reservoirs system of the Iguazu River, Paraná, Brazil

RBRH ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarisse Teixeira Adloff ◽  
Carla Cristina Bem ◽  
Gabriela Reichert ◽  
Júlio César Rodrigues de Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Axis ◽  
Cascade Reservoirs ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Cyanobacteria Blooms ◽  
Ecological Changes ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Intense Process

ABSTRACT Knowing the ecological changes in a reservoir is of great relevance to study environmental impacts and assess water quality. Among these studies, the knowledge about the structure of the phytoplankton community is essential, once they represent a fundamental component of aquatic ecosystems, responding immediately to physical and chemical alterations in water. The objective of this work was to analyze the phytoplankton community and the influence of abiotic factors, along the longitudinal axis in four cascade reservoirs system of the Iguazu River, Paraná, Brazil, emphasizing the importance of cyanobacteria. Foz do Areia, Salto Segredo, Salto Santiago and Salto Caxias reservoirs were the objects of this study. The phytoplankton counting was made tubular sedimentation chamber using an inverted microscope. The results showed that the four reservoirs are under eutrophication processes, presenting intense cyanobacteria blooms, dominated mainly by Microcystis aeruginosa and Sphaerocavum brasiliense. There was no evident longitudinal gradient related to phytoplankton, as expected for reservoirs in a cascade system. The dominance of cyanobacteria shows that the Iguazu River is undergoing an intense process of environmental degradation, threatening the integrity of biological communities and causing serious damage to the ecosystem as a whole.

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