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A keystone mutualism underpins resilience of a coastal ecosystem to drought.


ABSTRACT: Droughts are increasing in severity and frequency, yet the mechanisms that strengthen ecosystem resilience to this stress remain poorly understood. Here, we test whether positive interactions in the form of a mutualism between mussels and dominant cordgrass in salt marshes enhance ecosystem resistance to and recovery from drought. Surveys spanning 250?km of southeastern US coastline reveal spatially dispersed mussel mounds increased cordgrass survival during severe drought by 5- to 25-times. Surveys and mussel addition experiments indicate this positive effect of mussels on cordgrass was due to mounds enhancing water storage and reducing soil salinity stress. Observations and models then demonstrate that surviving cordgrass patches associated with mussels function as nuclei for vegetative re-growth and, despite covering only 0.1-12% of die-offs, markedly shorten marsh recovery periods. These results indicate that mutualisms, in supporting stress-resistant patches, can play a disproportionately large, keystone role in enhancing ecosystem resilience to climatic extremes.

SUBMITTER: Angelini C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4992128 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A keystone mutualism underpins resilience of a coastal ecosystem to drought.

Angelini Christine C   Griffin John N JN   van de Koppel Johan J   Lamers Leon P M LPM   Smolders Alfons J P AJP   Derksen-Hooijberg Marlous M   van der Heide Tjisse T   Silliman Brian R BR  

Nature communications 20160818


Droughts are increasing in severity and frequency, yet the mechanisms that strengthen ecosystem resilience to this stress remain poorly understood. Here, we test whether positive interactions in the form of a mutualism between mussels and dominant cordgrass in salt marshes enhance ecosystem resistance to and recovery from drought. Surveys spanning 250 km of southeastern US coastline reveal spatially dispersed mussel mounds increased cordgrass survival during severe drought by 5- to 25-times. Sur  ...[more]

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