| 1. |
- Guzman, Laura Melissa, et al.
(author)
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Accounting for temporal change in multiple biodiversity patterns improves the inference of metacommunity processes
- 2022
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In: Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 103:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In metacommunity ecology, a major focus has been on combining observational and analytical approaches to identify the role of critical assembly processes, such as dispersal limitation and environmental filtering, but this work has largely ignored temporal community dynamics. Here, we develop a "virtual ecologist" approach to evaluate assembly processes by simulating metacommunities varying in three main processes: density-independent responses to abiotic conditions, density-dependent biotic interactions, and dispersal. We then calculate a number of commonly used summary statistics of community structure in space and time and use random forests to evaluate their utility for inferring the strength of these three processes. We find that (i) both spatial and temporal data are necessary to disentangle metacommunity processes based on the summary statistics we test, and including statistics that are measured through time increases the explanatory power of random forests by up to 59% compared to cases where only spatial variation is considered; (ii) the three studied processes can be distinguished with different descriptors; and (iii) each summary statistic is differently sensitive to temporal and spatial sampling effort. Including repeated observations of metacommunities over time was essential for inferring the metacommunity processes, particularly dispersal. Some of the most useful statistics include the coefficient of variation of species abundances through time and metrics that incorporate variation in the relative abundances (evenness) of species. We conclude that a combination of methods and summary statistics is probably necessary to understand the processes that underlie metacommunity assembly through space and time, but we recognize that these results will be modified when other processes or summary statistics are used.
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| 2. |
- Ruhi, Albert, et al.
(author)
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Change in biological traits and community structure of macroinvertebrates through primary succession in a man-made Swedish wetland
- 2012
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In: Freshwater Science. - : University of Chicago Press. - 2161-9565 .- 2161-9549. ; 31:1, s. 22-37
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated the successional development of a benthic macrofaunal community in Kalmar Dämme, a man-made wetland in southeastern Sweden, over a 13-y period after construction (1997–2009). We assessed primary succession by monitoring changes in species composition, biological traits, and community structure. Predictable successional changes occurred, and the structure of the community was complex at the advanced phase. Three successional phases were observed, each with typifying species. At the advanced phase, dominant biological traits shifted to favor animals with longer life-cycle durations, aerial dispersal strategies, and certain feeding types (i.e., filter-feeders, fine sediment collectors, predators, and parasites). We selected the Coleoptera assemblage to represent the macroinvertebrate community in an evaluation of the extent to which man-made wetlands in different age classes (<3 y and ≥10 y) were similar to natural wetlands (>50 y). No significant differences in Coleoptera assemblages were found between natural wetlands and man-made wetlands ≥10 y. However, man-made wetlands ≥10 y had significantly higher coleopteran species richness than natural and man-made wetlands <3 y because of the convergence of pioneering species persisting from early successional stages with representative specialized taxa from natural wetlands. Our results suggest that 10 y may be sufficient time for the macrofaunal communities of man-made wetlands to resemble those of natural wetlands.
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| 3. |
- Ruhi, Albert, et al.
(author)
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Man-made Mediterranean temporary ponds as a tool for amphibian conservation
- 2012
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In: Annales de Limnologie. - : EDP Sciences. - 0003-4088 .- 2100-000X. ; 48:1, s. 81-93
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mediterranean temporary ponds (MTPs) are crucial breeding sites for local amphibians; a faunal group in decline in the Mediterranean mainly due to wetland destruction. Although the disappearance of lentic habitats in other regions of the world has been ameliorated by the creation and restoration of wetlands, these tactics remain untested in Mediterranean wetlands. To evaluate the amphibian colonization dynamics of artificial MTPs in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula, we monitored two artificial MTPs (one in a high-diversity area and the other in a low-diversity area) over 2 years. We selected reference wetlands at each area, and amphibian communities of man-made MTPs were compared to those of reference wetlands. We found that, beginning in the first year; artificial MTPs were a valuable habitat for regional amphibian fauna. Posteriorly, we focused on the reproductive success of the natterjack toad, Bufo calamita. Using a drift fence equipped with pit-fall traps, we measured the abundance of both reproductive adults entering the pond and post-metamorphic individuals exiting the pond. Using mark-recapture methods, we analyzed the time and energy costs associated with reproduction in the artificial MTPs. We observed a highly variable colonization dynamics between sites, between hydroperiods, and within hydroperiods, and these dynamics often depended on meteorological factors. Our results suggest that even at a short timescale, native amphibian species such as B. calamita can benefit from wetland creation in the Mediterranean region.
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| 4. |
- Ruhi, Albert Vidal, et al.
(author)
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How do early successional patterns in man-made wetlands differ between cold temperate and Mediterranean regions?
- 2012
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In: Limnologica. - : Elsevier BV. - 0075-9511 .- 1873-5851. ; 42:4, s. 328-339
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The early stages of succession in newly created wetlands should be impacted by the region in which the wetland is located, since climate may have filtered the dominant biological strategies of the taxa leading this process and may condition their dynamics. We studied the early successional patterns of macroinvertebrates within man made ponds, located in cold temperate (Scandinavian Peninsula) and Mediterranean regions (Iberian Peninsula), during the first three years following their creation. We predicted (1) non random subsets of the regional species pool (deterministic assembly) guiding the successional process in cold temperate wetlands, and random (stochastic) assembly in the Mediterranean region; (2) higher successional rates in Mediterranean ponds than in the cold temperate ponds, with contrary episodes of highest and lowest change throughout the year; and (3) a significant difference in the composition of biological traits between regions, due to the dominance of traits adapted to hydrological variability in the Mediterranean region. Hypotheses on community structure (1) and the composition of dominant biological traits (3) were mostly supported - deterministic assembly mechanisms in the cold temperate ponds and stochastic assembly in the Mediterranean ponds; and a dominance of different biological traits between regions, explained by the need to overcome hydrological disturbances in the Mediterranean ponds. The dynamics of succession (2) were explained by climatic factors in the cold temperate region but not in the Mediterranean ponds. We suggest that the intrinsic hydrological variability of Mediterranean lentic systems may be a major factor driving community changes in man-made wetlands in this region. In order to generalize the observed patterns, we performed a meta-analysis of the temporal trends of taxonomic distinctness parameters of other successional studies across a latitudinal gradient in Europe, which supported the differences we had observed between latitudinal extremes.
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