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opencc-zeroMar 2022View details →

Supplementary material 2 from: Biessy L, Pearman JK, Waters S, Vandergoes MJ, Wood SA (2022) Metagenomic insights to the functional potential of sediment microbial communities in freshwater lakes. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 6: e79265. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.6.79265

Tables S1, S2

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Can functional genomic diversity provide novel insights into mechanisms of community assembly? A pilot-study from an invaded alpine streambed

An important focus of community ecology, including invasion biology, is to investigate functional trait diversity patterns to disentangle the effects of environmental and biotic interactions. However, a notable limitation is that studies usually rely on a small and easy to measure set of functional traits, which might not immediately reflect ongoing ecological responses to changing abiotic or biotic conditions, including those that occur at a molecular or physiological level. We explored the potential of using the diversity of expressed genes—functional genomic diversity (FGD)—to understand ecological dynamics of a recent and ongoing alpine invasion. We quantified FGD based on transcriptome data measured for 26 plant species occurring along adjacent invaded and pristine streambeds. We used an RNA-seq approach to summarize the overall number of expressed transcripts and their annotations to functional categories, and contrasted this with functional trait diversity (FTD) measured from a suite of characters that have been traditionally considered in plant ecology. We found greater FGD and FTD in the invaded community, independent of differences in species richness. However, the magnitude of functional dispersion was greater from the perspective of FGD than from FTD. Comparing FGD between congeneric alien-native species pairs, we did not find many significant differences in the proportion of genes whose annotations matched functional categories. Still, native species with a greater relative abundance in the invaded community compared with the pristine tended to express a greater fraction of genes at significant levels in the invaded community, suggesting that changes in FGD may relate to shifts in community composition. Comparisons of diversity patterns from the community- to the species-level offer complementary insights into processes and mechanisms driving invasion dynamics. FGD has the potential to illuminate cryptic changes in ecological diversity, and we foresee promising avenues for future extensions across taxonomic levels and macro-ecosystems.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Taxonomic and functional diversity covary in rock pool microalgal communities despite their different drivers - Environmental and diatom data

We sampled 30 brackish‐watered, isolated rock pools once a month (17 May, 22 June, and 22 July) in 2016 on a granitic outcrop in the western island of Pihlajasaari (66°68′449″N, 38°40′48″E), ca. 2 km south of Helsinki, Finland on the coast of the northern Baltic Sea. We examined the drivers and covariance of taxonomic and functional diversity among the rock pool communities. We measured water pH, conductivity, and temperature in the field, and pool morphometrics (i.e., max depth, length, and width) to the nearest centimeter, and calculated pool area (length * width). We collected a 0.5 L water sample from each pool for the determination of total P (SFS‐EN ISO 2004). We estimated pool X and Y coordinates (based on the perpendicular pool distance from the shore and the horizontal pool distance from the map origin in the southern end parallel to the shoreline, respectively) and mean isolation as a mean Euclidean distance (i.e., the sum of distances to five closest pools divided by five; Vanschoenwinkel et al. 2007) for each pool from a drawn grid map of the study area showing the relative location of the sampled pools to each other and to the seashore. We sampled benthic diatoms by collecting epilithic samples (ca. 25 cm2) from each pool bottom with a toothbrush, following EN 13946 standard (2003). A total of 500 valves per sample were counted and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (mostly species level) with a light microscope. We created a taxonomic site‐species matrix based on species relative abundances. The identified diatom species were classified into 21 partly overlapping functional groups. We first divided the species into five size classes after their biovolume (determined by cell length, width, thickness, and shape) and 14 life‐form categories after interspecific morphological adaptations to physical and chemical disturbance (i.e., cell motility, posture, and type of adhesion) following Rimet & Bouchez (2012). A single taxon may have various successive life forms and may thus be classified into multiple life‐form categories. We further classified the species after their preferences for nutrient concentration and physical disturbance into four ecological guilds (high profile, low profile, motile and planktonic) after Passy (2007) and Rimet & Bouchez (2012). Finally, we separated between acid‐tolerant (acidobiontic or acidophilus species with pH optimum <7 in Van Dam et al. (1994), and nitrogen‐fixing species (with cyanobacterial endosymbionts capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen). In the species‐trait matrix, each species belonging to a given guild (other than continuous biovolume guild on a scale 1–5) was given a value of 1; otherwise, the value was set to 0. Each species could be characterized by multiple traits and could thus belong to more than only one guild.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Species traits and CWM data: Recent warming causes functional borealization and diversity loss in deep fish communities east of Greenland

Aim: We asessed whether functional turnover in east Greenland fish driven by increased occurrence of boreal species compensates for the climate-driven loss of species thereby maintaining functional diversity and ecological function. Location: The study region encompasses a shelf and slope area located offshore between 63° N and 66° N, east of Greenland. Methods: We investigated spatio-temporal changes in fish communities based on a unique dataset covering a depth range of 1500m over 18 years combined with a demersal fish trait dataset. We analyzed the species by trait matrix using principal component analysis (PCA). To investigate trait patterns across the communities (sites), community weighted mean (CWM) traits were calculated and analysed using PCA. The CWM traits matrix was further analysed by redundancy analysis (RDA) with depth-strata and year as explanatory variables. Results: We found signs of a taxonomic and functional borealization, associated with a loss in functional diversity, down to 1000m, characterized by an increase in mobile generalists, and a decrease in bottom dwelling benthivores. The functional turnover brought about by boreal species was not sufficient to compensate for the loss of Arctic species traits, hence the loss in functional diversity. Main conclusions: The functional turnover brought about by boreal species was not sufficient to compensate for the loss of Arctic species traits that may negatively affect ecosystem robustness to environmental change. These observations are most likely not unique to this study area, and calls for the inclusion of the deep sea in climate adaptation of management strategies.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Data for: Effects of biotic interactions on plant fecundity depend on spatial and functional structure of communities and time since disturbance

Biotic interactions in plant communities affect individual fitness and community dynamics. Interactions between plants vary in space, over time and with organisational complexity. Yet it is challenging to quantify temporal, spatial and functional determinants of different types of interactions between long-lived perennial plant species and their effect on lifetime fecundity. We studied how plant-plant, pollinator- and seed predator-mediated interactions affect year-to-year variation in three fecundity components (cone production, seed set and seed survival) during post-fire recovery. Age-stratified data on the three fecundity components were collected in 19 even-aged communities comprising 20 serotinous Protea shrub species in the South African Fynbos. We analyse data on these fecundity components with neighbourhood models to infer the sign and strength of interactions throughout post-disturbance recovery, the neighbour plant traits that shape them and the spatial scale at which interactions take place. For each fecundity component, these models describe how neighbourhood effects change over time and with spatial distance between plants. For each focal plant, we then predicted neighbourhood effects on individual fecundity components and cumulative reproductive output at different post-fire stand ages. Competitive effects on cone production and seed set increased with post-fire stand age as biomass and floral resources for pollinators build up. In contrast, neighbourhood effects on seed survival were weak throughout post-disturbance recovery. Plant-plant interactions were shaped by neighbour traits related to resource acquisition, whereas animal-mediated interactions depended on neighbour traits related to resource availability for pollinators and seed predators. The spatial scale of the interactions increased from plant-plant over predator-mediated to pollinator-mediated interactions. The joint effect of these interactions on cumulative reproductive output caused the proportion of focal plants experiencing competition to increase with time since fire. We show that temporal changes in biotic interactions throughout post-disturbance recovery of perennial plant communities depend on functional traits and can be integrated to neighbourhood effects on lifetime fecundity. Studying the temporal, spatial and functional determinants of neighbourhood effects on lifetime fecundity is important for predicting not only individual plant fitness, but also population and community dynamics in changing environments.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2024View details →

DATA and CODE for External and internal driving forces of community and functional group stability

Data and code

Supplementary material 1 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

: Data type: species data

Supplementary material 2 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

: Data type: species data

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2019View details →

Figure 2 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

Figure 2 The final path model showing the causal relationships between the landscape variables and both the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in the coastal lakes of the Tramandaí River Basin in Southern Brazil. Dotted line = not significant (p > 0.05). The curved double-headed arrows in grey depict correlated errors among variables.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2019View details →

Figure 1 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

Figure 1 Hypothetical framework used to build the path model, with plausible causal connections between the landscape variables and both the taxonomic and functional diversity of the fish communities of the coastal lakes of the Tramandaí River Basin in Southern Brazil

Supplementary material 3 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

: Data type: species data

Supplementary material 4 from: Hartz SM, Rocha EA, Brum FT, Luza AL, Guimarães TFR, Becker FG (2019) Influences of the area, shape and connectivity of coastal lakes on the taxonomic and functional diversity of fish communities in Southern Brazil. Zoologia 36: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/zoologia.36.e23539

: Data type: species data

Supplementary material 1 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Detailed design of the Field Experiment

Supplementary material 2 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Brief description of the Field Experiment

Figure 1 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Figure 1 A. Conceptual diagram of the mechanistic approach of the planned Research Unit. B. Conceptual scheme of the proposed evolutionary niche shifts in plant monocultures and mixtures. This idea feeds into our understanding of how evolutionary history influences the ecological interactions of species that compete for growth factors, ultimately defining biotope space (gray rectangle; Hutchinson 1978). Graphically depicted, species (ellipses) in mixture will show increasing niche differentiation over time due to competition (niche overlap). Thus, history of selection in diverse communities is expected to result in greater interspecific differences (less overlap of ellipses) and more specialization (smaller ellipses) than a history of isolation (monocultures). In monocultures, species will experience strong selection pressure by accumulating soil-borne pathogens, and species may invest energy in chemical and morphological defense traits (depicted by ellipses shifting towards the same corner of the habitat space). Plants in mixtures together may exploit more available biotope space than single monocultures, causing increasing diversity effects on ecosystem functions over time. However, there is limited support for this assumption for traits related to light (e.g., Lipowsky et al. 2015, Roscher et al. 2015) and resource use (Jesch et al. 2018) so far.

Figure 4 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Figure 4 Experimental design and hypotheses of the Ecotron Experiment. Briefly, four treatments will be established based on monoliths from a selection of the 9-year old Trait-Based Experiment (TBE; Ebeling et al. 2014) and from bare ground plots of the Jena Experiment as well as two seed sources: the respective plots and the original seed material that was used for the set-up of the TBE. (1) With plot-specific plant history and with plot-specific soil history; (2) without plot-specific plant history and with plot-specific soil history; (3) with plot-specific plant history and without plot-specific soil history; and (4) without plot-specific plant history and without plot-specific soil history. We expect the biodiversity–ecosystem function relationships to differ among the four treatments (see main text for details).

Figure 3 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Figure 3 Hypothesized slope of BEF relationships in the different treatments of the Field Experiment (see main text for details). Note that the 'with plant history, with soil history' only serves as a control in the Field Experiment, and effects of plant history can only be tested in the planned Ecotron Experiment. Redrawn after Vogel et al. (2019). '+', with; '-', without.

Supplementary material 4 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Detailed design of the Ecotron Experiment

Supplementary material 5 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Brief description of the Ecotron Experiment

Figure 2 from: Eisenhauer N, Bonkowski M, Brose U, Buscot F, Durka W, Ebeling A, Fischer M, Gleixner G, Heintz-Buschart A, Hines J, Jesch A, Lange M, Meyer S, Roscher C, Scheu S, Schielzeth H, Schloter M, Schulz S, Unsicker S, van Dam NM, Weigelt A, Weisser WW, Wirth C, Wolf J, Schmid B (2019) Biotic interactions, community assembly, and eco-evolutionary dynamics as drivers of long-term biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships. Research Ideas and Outcomes 5: e47042. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.5.e47042

Figure 2 Structure of the proposed Research Unit. Three complementary experimental approaches are envisaged to study long-term biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF) relationships, and how these are influenced by plant history and soil history. BEF patterns are studied in the Field Experiment with long-term plant diversity plots and manipulations of soil-history effects. BEF mechanisms are studied in the Ecotron Experiment and in Microcosm Experiments. In the Ecotron Experiment, plant history and soil history are independently crossed and detailed process measurements are possible. The Microcosm Experiments zoom in on focal interactions. In the Field Experiment and in the Ecotron Experiment, studies are conducted at the community level as well as at the plant individual level (magnifier; see detailed design of studies in the Appendices). Subprojects' (SPs') participation in experiments are illustrated with lines. The SPs of the proposed Research Unit fall into two tightly linked main categories (in gray) with two research areas each that aim at exploring variation in community assembly processes, micro-evolutionary changes, and resulting differences in biotic interactions as determinants of the long-term BEF relationship. Subprojects under "Microbial community assembly" (blue) and "Assembly and functions of animal communities" (red) mostly focus on plant diversity effects on the assembly of communities and their feedback effects on biotic interactions and ecosystem functions, while subprojects under "Mediators of plant-biotic interactions" (orange) and "Intraspecific diversity and micro-evolutionary changes" (green) mostly focus on plant diversity effects on plant trait expression and micro-evolution. PIs with requested personnel are underlined.