1. |
- Dornelas, M., et al.
(author)
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BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene
- 2018
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In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 27:7, s. 760-786
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Motivation: The BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Main types of variables included: The database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record. Spatial location and grain: BioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km(2) (158 cm(2)) to 100 km(2) (1,000,000,000,000 cm(2)). Time period and grainBio: TIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year. Major taxa and level of measurement: BioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.
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2. |
- Lewandowska, A. M., et al.
(author)
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The influence of balanced and imbalanced resource supply on biodiversity-functioning relationship across ecosystems
- 2016
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In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 371:1694
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Numerous studies show that increasing species richness leads to higher ecosystem productivity. This effect is often attributed to more efficient portioning of multiple resources in communities with higher numbers of competing species, indicating the role of resource supply and stoichiometry for biodiversity ecosystern functioning relationships. Here, we merged theory on ecological stoichiometry with a framework of biodiversity ecosystem functioning to understand how resource use transfers into primary production. We applied a structural equation model to define patterns of diversity productivity relationships with respect to available resources. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the findings across ecosystem types ranging from aquatic ecosystems to grasslands and forests. As hypothesized, resource supply increased realized productivity and richness, but we found significant differences between ecosystems and study types. Increased richness was associated with increased productivity, although this effect was not seen in experiments. More even communities had lower productivity, indicating that biomass production is often maintained by a few dominant species, and reduced dominance generally reduced ecosystem productivity. This synthesis, which integrates observational and experimental studies in a variety of ecosystems and geographical regions, exposes common pattems and differences in biodiversity functioning relationships, and increases the mechanistic understanding of changes in ecosystems productivity.
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3. |
- Gilbert, F., et al.
(author)
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Sediment reworking by the burrowing polychaete Hediste diversicolor modulated by environmental and biological factors across the temperate North Atlantic. A tribute to Gaston Desrosiers
- 2021
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In: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-0981. ; 541
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Particle mixing and irrigation of the seabed by benthic fauna (bioturbation) have major impacts on ecosystem functions such as remineralization of organic matter and sediment-water exchange. As a tribute to Prof. Gaston Desrosiers by the Nereis Park association, eighteen laboratories carried out a collaborative experiment to acquire a global snapshot of particle reworking by the polychaete Hediste diversicolor at 16 sites surrounding the Northern Atlantic. Organisms and soft sediments were collected during May - July at different geographical locations and, using a common laboratory protocol, particulate fluorescent tracers (`luminophores') were used to quantify particle transport over a 10-day period. Particle mixing was quantified using the maximum penetration depth of tracers (MPD), particle diffusive coefficients (D-b), and non-local transport coefficients (r). Non-local coefficients (reflecting centimeter scale transport steps) ranged from 0.4 to 15 yr(-1), and were not correlated across sites with any measured biological (biomass, biovolume) or environmental parameters (temperature, grain size, organic matter). Maximum penetration depths (MPD) averaged similar to 10.7 cm (6.5-14.5 cm), and were similar to the global average bioturbation depth inferred from short-lived radiochemical tracers. MPD was also not correlated with measures of size (individual biomass), but increased with grain size and decreased with temperature. Bio-diffusion (D-b) correlated inversely with individual biomass (size) and directly with temperature over the environmental range (Q(10) similar to 1.7; 5-21 degrees C). The transport data were comparable in magnitude to rates reported for localized H. diversicolor populations of similar size, and confirmed some but not all correlations between sediment reworking and biological and environmental variables found in previous studies. The results imply that measures of particle reworking activities of a species from a single location can be generally extrapolated to different populations at similar conditions.
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4. |
- Gaylor, B, et al.
(author)
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Ocean acidification through the lens of ecological theory
- 2015
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In: Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 96:1, s. 3-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ocean acidification, chemical changes to the carbonate system of seawater, is emerging as a key environmental challenge accompanying global warming and other human-induced perturbations. Considerable research seeks to define the scope and character of potential outcomes from this phenomenon, but a crucial impediment persists. Ecological theory, despite its power and utility, has been only peripherally applied to the problem. Here we sketch in broad strokes several areas where fundamental principles of ecology have the capacity to generate insight into ocean acidification's consequences. We focus on conceptual models that, when considered in the context of acidification, yield explicit predictions regarding a spectrum of population- and community-level effects, from narrowing of species ranges and shifts in patterns of demographic connectivity, to modified consumer–resource relationships, to ascendance of weedy taxa and loss of species diversity. Although our coverage represents only a small fraction of the breadth of possible insights achievable from the application of theory, our hope is that this initial foray will spur expanded efforts to blend experiments with theoretical approaches. The result promises to be a deeper and more nuanced understanding of ocean acidification and the ecological changes it portends.
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