Foundation species loss alters multiple ecosystem functions within temperate tidepool communities

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
JB Fields ◽  
NJ Silbiger
Keyword(s):  
Foundation Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Species Loss

scholarly journals Foundation species loss affects vegetation structure more than ecosystem function in a northeastern USA forest

PeerJ ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. e41 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Orwig ◽  
Audrey A. Barker Plotkin ◽  
Eric A. Davidson ◽  
Heidi Lux ◽  
Kathleen E. Savage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Northeastern Usa

scholarly journals An invasive foundation species enhances multifunctionality in a coastal ecosystem

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (32) ◽  
pp. 8580-8585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron P. Ramus ◽  
Brian R. Silliman ◽  
Mads S. Thomsen ◽  
Zachary T. Long
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Coastal Ecosystem ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Positive Density ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Southeastern Us ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Habitat Formers

While invasive species often threaten biodiversity and human well-being, their potential to enhance functioning by offsetting the loss of native habitat has rarely been considered. We manipulated the abundance of the nonnative, habitat-forming seaweed Gracilaria vermiculophylla in large plots (25 m2) on southeastern US intertidal landscapes to assess impacts on multiple ecosystem functions underlying coastal ecosystem services. We document that in the absence of native habitat formers, this invasion has an overall positive, density-dependent impact across a diverse set of ecosystem processes (e.g., abundance and richness of nursery taxa, flow attenuation). Manipulation of invader abundance revealed both thresholds and saturations in the provisioning of ecosystem functions. Taken together, these findings call into question the focus of traditional invasion research and management that assumes negative effects of nonnatives, and emphasize the need to consider context-dependence and integrative measurements when assessing the impact of an invader, including density dependence, multifunctionality, and the status of native habitat formers. This work supports discussion of the idea that where native foundation species have been lost, invasive habitat formers may be considered as sources of valuable ecosystem functions.

scholarly journals Trash-basket epiphytes as secondary foundation species: a review of their distribution and effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Ortega-Solis ◽  
Ivan Diaz ◽  
Daniela Mellado-Mansilla ◽  
Camila Tejo ◽  
Francisco Tello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foundation Species ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Stem Flow ◽  
Cordillera Real ◽  
Soil Accumulation

Background: Secondary foundation species (FS) are organisms that inhabit ecosystems structurally defined by a primary foundation species, providing additional structure to habitats and communities. Trash-basket epiphytes (TBE) are secondary FS that enhance arboreal soil accumulation, providing shelter to animals, and rooting sites for plants. While their importance may vary across biomes, TBE have been overlooked as drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Here, we discuss the prevalence of TBE across biomes, their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and future research directions. Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of articles, books and theses and collated and synthesised information about the taxonomic distribution of TBE, their effects on ecosystem functions, and reports of plant-animal and plant-plant interactions. Then, we analysed the global distribution of TBE using a generalized linear model and summarised two studies to assess their effects on soil invertebrates. Results: We identified 120 publications describing 209 species of TBE. Most TBE belong to Araceae (43%), Polypodiaceae (23%), and Orchidaceae (14%) and occur in all tropical and southern temperate forests. TBE richness peaks in the South-American Pacific mangroves, Eastern Cordillera Real, and the Napo moist forests. TBE effects on ecosystem functions include arboreal soil accumulation, water retention and temperature regulation in the canopy, and nutrient leaching through stem-flow. TBE provide shelter to species in more than 97 animal families, including from invertebrates to mammals, while 72 vascular plants have been reported to root in arboreal soil of TBE. Conclusions: TBE are a compelling group of model organisms that can be used to study ecological processes such as facilitation cascades, niche construction, extended phenotypes, or the effects of secondary FS on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. TBE should also be included in forest management plans to enhance the availability of microhabitats in the canopy supporting its associated flora and fauna.

scholarly journals Inheritance of DNA methylation differences in the mangrove Rhizophora mangle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannie Mounger ◽  
M. Teresa Boquete ◽  
Marc W. Schmid ◽  
Renan Granado ◽  
Marta H. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Rhizophora Mangle ◽  
Genotyping By Sequencing ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Epigenetic Diversity

AbstractThe capacity to respond to environmental challenges ultimately relies on phenotypic variation which manifests from complex interactions of genetic and non-genetic mechanisms through development. While we know something about genetic variation and structure of many species of conservation importance, we know very little about the non-genetic contributions to variation. Rhizophora mangle is a foundation species that occurs in coastal estuarine habitats throughout the neotropics where it provides critical ecosystem functions, and is potentially threatened by climate change. Several studies have documented landscape level patterns of genetic variation in this species, but we know virtually nothing about the inheritance of non-genetic variation. To assess one type of non-genetic variation, we examined the patterns of DNA sequence and DNA methylation in maternal plants and offspring from natural populations of R. mangle from the Gulf Coast of Florida. We used a reduced representation bisulfite sequencing approach (epi-genotyping by sequencing or epiGBS) to address the following questions: a) What are the levels of genetic and epigenetic diversity in natural populations of R. mangle? b) How are genetic and epigenetic variation structured within and among populations? c) How faithfully is epigenetic variation inherited? We found low genetic diversity but high epigenetic diversity from natural populations of maternal plants in the field and that a large portion (up to ~25%) of epigenetic differences among offspring grown in common garden was explained by maternal family. Therefore, epigenetic variation could be an important source of response to challenging environments in the genetically depauperate populations of this foundation species.

scholarly journals Communities and Attachment Networks Associated with Primary, Secondary and Alternative Foundation Species; A Case Study of Stressed and Disturbed Stands of Southern Bull Kelp

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads S. Thomsen ◽  
Paul M. South
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
System Level ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Abundance Patterns ◽  
Control Community ◽  
Ecological Differences

Southern bull kelps (Durvillaea spp., Fucales) are ‘primary’ foundation species that control community structures and ecosystem functions on temperate wave-exposed rocky reefs. However, these large foundation species are threatened by disturbances and stressors, including invasive species, sedimentation and heatwaves. It is unknown whether ‘alternative’ foundation species can replace lost southern bull kelps and its associated communities and networks. We compared community structure (by quantifying abundances of different species) and attachment-interaction networks (by quantifying which species were attached to other species) among plots dominated by Durvillaea spp. and plots where Durvillaea spp. were lost either through long-term repeated experimental removals or by recent stress from a marine heatwave. Long-term experimental removal plots were dominated by ‘alternative’ foundation species, the canopy-forming Cystophora spp. (Fucales), whereas the recent heatwave stressed plots were dominated by the invasive kelp Undaria pinnatifida (Laminariales). A network analysis of attachment interactions showed that communities differed among plots dominated by either Durvillaea spp., Cystophora spp. or U. pinnatifida, with different relationships between the primary, or alternative, foundation species and attached epiphytic ‘secondary’ foundation species. For example, native Cystophora spp. were more important as hosts for secondary foundation species compared to Durvillaea spp. and U. pinnatifida. Instead, Durvillaea spp. facilitated encrusting algae, which in turn provided habitat for gastropods. We conclude that (a) repeated disturbances and strong stressors can reveal ecological differences between primary and alternative foundation species, (b) analyses of abundances and attachment-networks are supplementary methods to identify linkages between primary, alternative and secondary foundation species, and (c) interspersed habitats dominated by different types of foundation species increase system-level biodiversity by supporting different species-abundance patterns and species-attachment networks.

Foundation Species Loss Affects Leaf Breakdown and Aquatic Invertebrate Resource Use in Black Ash Wetlands

Wetlands ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 839-852
Author(s):  
Melissa B. Youngquist ◽  
Chandra Wiley ◽  
Sue L. Eggert ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Aquatic Invertebrate ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Leaf Breakdown ◽  
Black Ash

Potential Effects of Foundation Species Loss on Wetland Communities: A Case Study of Black Ash Wetlands Threatened by Emerald Ash Borer

Wetlands ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa B. Youngquist ◽  
Sue L. Eggert ◽  
Anthony W. D’Amato ◽  
Brian J. Palik ◽  
Robert A. Slesak
Keyword(s):  
Emerald Ash Borer ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Species Loss ◽  
Black Ash

Testing the effects of plant species loss on multiple ecosystem functions based on extinction scenarios

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Yoshihara ◽  
Takehiro Sasaki ◽  
Dashzeveg Nyambayar ◽  
Yu Matsuki ◽  
Yasunori Baba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Species Loss

scholarly journals Why Do We Need to Document and Conserve Foundation Species in Freshwater Wetlands?

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Marazzi ◽  
Evelyn Gaiser ◽  
Maarten Eppinga ◽  
Jay Sah ◽  
Lu Zhai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Benthic Algae ◽  
Freshwater Wetlands ◽  
Foundation Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Wetland Ecosystems ◽  
Bald Cypress ◽  
Primary Producer

Foundation species provide habitat to other organisms and enhance ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage and sequestration, and erosion control. We focus on freshwater wetlands because these ecosystems are often characterized by foundation species; eutrophication and other environmental changes may cause the loss of some of these species, thus severely damaging wetland ecosystems. To better understand how wetland primary producer foundation species support other species and ecosystem functions across environmental gradients, we reviewed ~150 studies in subtropical, boreal, and temperate freshwater wetlands. We look at how the relative dominance of conspicuous and well-documented species (i.e., sawgrass, benthic diatoms and cyanobacteria, Sphagnum mosses, and bald cypress) and the foundational roles they play interact with hydrology, nutrient availability, and exposure to fire and salinity in representative wetlands. Based on the evidence analyzed, we argue that the foundation species concept should be more broadly applied to include organisms that regulate ecosystems at different spatial scales, notably the microscopic benthic algae that critically support associated communities and mediate freshwater wetlands’ ecosystem functioning. We give recommendations on how further research efforts can be prioritized to best inform the conservation of foundation species and of the freshwater wetlands they support.

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