scholarly journals Diet diversification shapes broad-scale distribution patterns in European bats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antton Alberdi ◽  
Orly Razgour ◽  
Ostaizka Aizpurua ◽  
Roberto Novella-Fernandez ◽  
Joxerra Aihartza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Spatial Niche ◽  
Broad Scale

AbstractLarge-scale species’ distributions have been traditionally attributed to physiological traits related to abiotic factors, while behavioural features linked to biotic interactions have received little attention. We tested the relationship between trophic and spatial niche breadths through combining species distribution modelling with dietary DNA metabarcoding of over 400 bats sampled across Europe belonging to seven species. Our results point to a causality cascade between hunting plasticity, trophic niche breadth and spatial niche breadth, and thus indicate that behavioral plasticity and dietary diversification can contribute to shaping broad-scale species distributions.

scholarly journals Diatoms Are Selective Segregators in Global Ocean Planktonic Communities

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Vincent ◽  
Chris Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Microbial Association ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACT Diatoms are a major component of phytoplankton, believed to be responsible for around 20% of the annual primary production on Earth. As abundant and ubiquitous organisms, they are known to establish biotic interactions with many other members of plankton. Through analyses of cooccurrence networks derived from the Tara Oceans expedition that take into account both biotic and abiotic factors in shaping the spatial distributions of species, we show that only 13% of diatom pairwise associations are driven by environmental conditions; the vast majority are independent of abiotic factors. In contrast to most other plankton groups, on a global scale, diatoms display a much higher proportion of negative correlations with other organisms, particularly toward potential predators and parasites, suggesting that their biogeography is constrained by top-down pressure. Genus-level analyses indicate that abundant diatoms are not necessarily the most connected and that species-specific abundance distribution patterns lead to negative associations with other organisms. In order to move forward in the biological interpretation of cooccurrence networks, an open-access extensive literature survey of diatom biotic interactions was compiled, of which 18.5% were recovered in the computed network. This result reveals the extent of what likely remains to be discovered in the field of planktonic biotic interactions, even for one of the best-known organismal groups. IMPORTANCE Diatoms are key phytoplankton in the modern ocean that are involved in numerous biotic interactions, ranging from symbiosis to predation and viral infection, which have considerable effects on global biogeochemical cycles. However, despite recent large-scale studies of plankton, we are still lacking a comprehensive picture of the diversity of diatom biotic interactions in the marine microbial community. Through the ecological interpretation of both inferred microbial association networks and available knowledge on diatom interactions compiled in an open-access database, we propose an ecosystems approach for exploring diatom interactions in the ocean.

scholarly journals Large-scale spatial heterogeneity of macrozooplankton in Lake of Geneva

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1437-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Pinel-Alloul ◽  
Catherine Guay ◽  
Nadine Angeli ◽  
Pierre Legendre ◽  
Pierre Dutilleul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Trophic Groups

Spatial distribution of macrozooplankton was studied during spring in Lake of Geneva to evaluate the influence of abiotic (water temperature and stability, nutrients) and biotic (bacteria, chlorophyll a, fish biomass) factors on macrozooplankton distribution. Mapping and spatial analyses revealed that abiotic factors, as well as crustacean abundances, were structured along a gradient in the great lake basin. Chlorophyll a biomass, bacteria density, cyclopoid abundance, and fish biomass showed more patchy or inshore-offshore distribution patterns. Using canonical analyses, we determined the relative contribution of the spatial and environmental factors to the distribution of macrozooplankton species and of trophic groups based on herbivory and omnivory/carnivory. The distribution of macrozooplankton can be explained by small-scale variations and lake gradients in abiotic and biotic factors, with a dominant contribution of the abiotic factors. Water temperature and stability, as well as ammonium, are the main factors related to macrozooplankton distribution in Lake of Geneva during spring. Chlorophyll a biomass was also related to the distribution of cyclopoids. The canonical models explained 35-72% of the variance in the distribution of total crustaceans, species, and trophic groups. However, 28-65% of the macrozooplankton variance remained unexplained, which may be due to fine-scale variations in other environmental factors.

scholarly journals Diatoms structure the plankton community based on selective segregation in the world’s ocean

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Vincent ◽  
Chris Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Microbial Association ◽  
Biological Interpretation ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACTDiatoms are a major component of phytoplankton, believed to be responsible for around 20% of the annual primary production on Earth. As abundant and ubiquitous organisms, they are known to establish biotic interactions with many other members of the plankton. Through analysis of co-occurrence networks derived from the Tara Oceans expedition that take into account the importance of both biotic and abiotic factors in shaping the spatial distributions of species, we show that only 13% of diatom pairwise associations are driven by environmental conditions, whereas the vast majority are independent of abiotic factors. In contrast to most other plankton groups, at a global scale diatoms display a much higher proportion of negative correlations with other organisms, particularly towards potential predators and parasites, suggesting that their biogeography is constrained by top down pressure. Genus level analyses indicate that abundant diatoms are not necessarily the most connected, and that species-specific abundance distribution patterns lead to negative associations with other organisms. In order to move forward in the biological interpretation of co-occurrence networks, an open access extensive literature survey of diatom biotic interactions was compiled, of which 18.5% were recovered in the computed network. This result reveals the extent of what likely remains to be discovered in the field of planktonic biotic interactions, even for one of the best known organismal groups.ImportanceDiatoms are key phytoplankton in the modern ocean involved in numerous biotic interactions, ranging from symbiosis to predation and viral infection, which have considerable effects on global biogeochemical cycles. However, despite recent large-scale studies of plankton, we are still lacking a comprehensive picture of the diversity of diatom biotic interactions in the marine microbial community. Through the ecological interpretation of both inferred microbial association networks and available knowledge on diatom interactions compiled in an open access database, we propose an eco-systems level understanding of diatom interactions in the ocean.

Large-scale mapping of the catenas vegetation in Subarctic tundra

1995 ◽  
pp. 3-21
Author(s):  
S. S. Kholod
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Block Diagram ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Ecological Barriers ◽  
Functional Zones

One of the most difficult tasks in large-scale vegetation mapping is the clarification of mechanisms of the internal integration of vegetation cover territorial units. Traditional way of searching such mechanisms is the study of ecological factors controlling the space heterogeneity of vegetation cover. In essence, this is autecological analysis of vegetation. We propose another way of searching the mechanisms of territorial integration of vegetation. It is connected with intracoenotic interrelation, in particular, with the changing role of edificator synusium in a community along the altitudinal gradient. This way of searching is illustrated in the model-plot in subarctic tundra of Central Chukotka. Our further suggestion concerns the way of depicting these mechanisms on large-scale vegetation map. As a model object we chose the catena, that is the landscape formation including all geomorphjc positions of a slope, joint by the process of moving the material down the slope. The process of peneplanation of a mountain system for a long geological time favours to the levelling the lower (accumulative) parts of slopes. The colonization of these parts of the slope by the vegetation variants, corresponding to the lowest part of catena is the result of peneplanation. Vegetation of this part of catena makes a certain biogeocoenotic work which is the levelling of the small infralandscape limits and of the boundaries in vegetation cover. This process we name as the continualization on catena. In this process the variants of vegetation in the lower part of catena are being broken into separate synusiums. This is the process of decumbation of layers described by V. B. Sochava. Up to the slope the edificator power of the shrub synusiums sharply decreases. Moss and herb synusium have "to seek" the habitats similar to those under the shrub canopy. The competition between the synusium arises resulting in arrangement of a certain spatial assemblage of vegetation cover elements. In such assemblage the position of each element is determined by both biotic (interrelation with other coenotic elements) and abiotic (presence of appropriate habitats) factors. Taking into account the biogeocoenotic character of the process of continualization on catena we name such spatial assemblage an exolutionary-biogeocoenotic series. The space within each evolutionary-biogeocoenotic series is divided by ecological barriers into some functional zones. In each of the such zones the struggle between synusiums has its individual expression and direction. In the start zone of catena (extensive pediment) the interrelations of synusiums and layers control the mutual spatial arrangement of these elements at the largest extent. Here, as a rule, there predominate edificator synusiums of low and dwarfshrubs. In the first order limit zone (the bend of pediment to the above part of the slope) one-species herb and moss synusiums, oftenly substituting each other in similar habitats, get prevalence. In the zone of active colonization of slope (denudation slope) the coenotic factor has the least role in the spatial distribution of the vegetation cover elements. In particular, phytocoenotic interactions take place only within separate microcoenoses of herbs, mosses and lichens. In the zone of the attenuation of continualization process (the upper most parts of slope, crests) phytocoenotic interactions are almost absent and the spatial distribution of vegetation cover elements depends exclusively on the abiotic factors. The principal scheme of the distribution of vegetation cover elements and the disposition of functional zones on catena are shown on block-diagram (fig. 1).

scholarly journals Temperature and Prey Species Richness Drive the Broad-Scale Distribution of a Generalist Predator

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Danai-Eleni Michailidou ◽  
Maria Lazarina ◽  
Stefanos P. Sgardelis
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Generalist Predator ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
The Future ◽  
Grass Snake ◽  
Broad Scale

The ongoing climate change and the unprecedented rate of biodiversity loss render the need to accurately project future species distributional patterns more critical than ever. Mounting evidence suggests that not only abiotic factors, but also biotic interactions drive broad-scale distributional patterns. Here, we explored the effect of predator-prey interaction on the predator distribution, using as target species the widespread and generalist grass snake (Natrix natrix). We used ensemble Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) to build a model only with abiotic variables (abiotic model) and a biotic one including prey species richness. Then we projected the future grass snake distribution using a modest emission scenario assuming an unhindered and no dispersal scenario. The two models performed equally well, with temperature and prey species richness emerging as the top drivers of species distribution in the abiotic and biotic models, respectively. In the future, a severe range contraction is anticipated in the case of no dispersal, a likely possibility as reptiles are poor dispersers. If the species can disperse freely, an improbable scenario due to habitat loss and fragmentation, it will lose part of its contemporary distribution, but it will expand northwards.

scholarly journals Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Thinandavha C. Munyai ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Fine Scale

AbstractHigh-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.

scholarly journals Temporal variation of the phytoplankton community at short sampling intervals in the Mundaú reservoir, Northeastern Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 970-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ênio Wocyli Dantas ◽  
Ariadne do Nascimento Moura ◽  
Maria do Carmo Bittencourt-Oliveira ◽  
João Dias de Toledo Arruda Neto ◽  
Airlton de Deus C. Cavalcanti
Keyword(s):  
Phytoplankton Community ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Cylindrospermopsis Raciborskii ◽  
Algae Biomass ◽  
Dissolved Phosphorus ◽  
Sampling Intervals ◽  
Abiotic Variables ◽  
Dry And Rainy Seasons

The aim of this study was to determine how abiotic factors drive the phytoplankton community in a water supply reservoir within short sampling intervals. Samples were collected at the subsurface (0.1 m) and bottom of limnetic (8 m) and littoral (2 m) zones in both the dry and rainy seasons. The following abiotic variables were analyzed: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, pH, total nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus and orthophosphate. Phytoplankton biomass was determined from biovolume values. The role abiotic variables play in the dynamics of phytoplankton species was determined by means of Canonical Correspondence Analysis. Algae biomass ranged from 1.17×10(4) to 9.21×10(4) µg.L-1; cyanobacteria had biomass values ranging from 1.07×10(4) to 8.21×10(4) µg.L-1. High availability of phosphorous, nitrogen limitation, alkaline pH and thermal stability all favored cyanobacteria blooms, particularly during the dry season. Temperature, pH, total phosphorous and turbidity were key factors in characterizing the phytoplankton community between sampling times and stations. Of the species studied, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii populations were dominant in the phytoplankton in both the dry and rainy seasons. We conclude that the phytoplankton was strongly influenced by abiotic variables, particularly in relation to seasonal distribution patterns.

scholarly journals Ecology of colonizing populations of the figfly Zaprionus indianus (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil

2005 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norma Machado da Silva ◽  
Carina da Conceição Fantinel ◽  
Vera Lucia da Silva Valente ◽  
Vitor Hugo Valiati
Keyword(s):  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Zaprionus Indianus ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
Substrate Choice ◽  
Oviposition Substrate ◽  
Feeding Substrate

Ecological parameters such as trophic niche overlap and niche breadth were computed from the frequency of all drosophilid species collected in 2001 and 2002, in the urban area of Porto Alegre city, Brazil. Independently of place, drosophilids community composition and components breeding or feeding sites, the highest frequencies of Zaprionus indianus (Gupta, 1970) were obtained during seasons with higher average temperatures, especially during summer. From a total of the 19,146 individuals of Z. indianus sampled, 80% were found in this season. The data of trophic niche breadth suggest a higher opportunism of adult flies in feeding substrate use, but the females are still selective in oviposition substrate choice. For the values of niche overlap, only for some species, did we find any correlation between these and species richness and/or number of resources, and the most of the correlation values considering breeding and feeding sites were positive. The colonization of Z. indianus in Porto Alegre could be leading to adjustments in the survival strategies of the resident species, but it is possible that many species have conditions for coexisting with the invader.

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