Dataset Information

Environmental Controls on River Assemblages at the Regional Scale: An Application of the Elements of Metacommunity Structure Framework.

ABSTRACT: Understanding factors that structure regional biodiversity is important for linking ecological and biogeographic processes. Our objective was to explore regional patterns in riverine benthic invertebrate assemblages in relation to their broad positioning along the river network and examine differences in composition, biodiversity (alpha and beta diversity), and environmental drivers. We up-scaled methods used to examine patterns in metacommunity structure (Elements of Metacommunity Structure framework) to examine faunal distribution patterns at the regional extent for 168 low-mountain stream invertebrate assemblages in central Germany. We then identified the most influential environmental factors using boosted regression trees. Faunal composition patterns were compartmentalised (Clementsian or quasi-Clementsian), with little difference from headwaters to large rivers, potentially reflecting the regional scale of the study, by crossing major catchment boundaries and incorporating different species pools. While idealised structures did not vary, environmental drivers of composition varied considerably between river sections and with alpha diversity. Prediction was substantially weaker, and the importance of space was greater, in large rivers compared to other sections suggesting a weakening in species sorting downstream. Further, there was a stronger transition in composition than for alpha diversity downstream. The stronger links with regional faunal composition than with richness further emphasises the importance of considering the alternative ways in which anthropogenic stressors are operating to affect biodiversity patterns. Our approach allowed bridging the gap between local (or metacommunity) and regional scales, providing key insights into drivers of regional biodiversity patterns.

SUBMITTER: Tonkin JD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4536219 | biostudies-other | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Environmental Controls on River Assemblages at the Regional Scale: An Application of the Elements of Metacommunity Structure Framework.

Tonkin Jonathan D JD Sundermann Andrea A Jähnig Sonja C SC Haase Peter P

PloS one 20150813 8

Understanding factors that structure regional biodiversity is important for linking ecological and biogeographic processes. Our objective was to explore regional patterns in riverine benthic invertebrate assemblages in relation to their broad positioning along the river network and examine differences in composition, biodiversity (alpha and beta diversity), and environmental drivers. We up-scaled methods used to examine patterns in metacommunity structure (Elements of Metacommunity Structure fra ...[more]

PMID: 26270550

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Project description:Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) caused by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella is a well-known global syndrome that negatively impacts human health and fishery economies. Understanding the population dynamics and ecology of this species is thus important for identifying determinants of blooms and associated PSP toxicity. Given reports of extensive genetic heterogeneity in the toxicity and physiology of Alexandrium species, knowledge of genetic population structure in harmful algal species such as A. catenella can also facilitate the understanding of toxic bloom development and ecological adaptation. In this study we employed microsatellite markers to analyze multiple A. catenella strains isolated from several sub-regions in the Gulf of Maine (GoM) during summer blooms, to gain insights into the sources and dynamics of this economically important phytoplankton species. At least three genetically distinct clusters of A. catenella were identified in the GoM. Each cluster contained representatives from different sub-regions, highlighting the extent of connectivity and dispersal throughout the region. This shared diversity could result from cyst beds created by previous coastal blooms, thereby preserving the overall diversity of the regional A. catenella population. Rapid spatiotemporal genetic differentiation of A. catenella populations was observed in local blooms, likely driven by natural selection through environmental conditions such as silicate and nitrate/nitrite concentrations, emphasizing the role of short-term water mass intrusions and biotic processes in determining the diversity and dynamics of marine phytoplankton populations. Given the wide-spread intraspecific diversity of A. catenella in GoM and potentially elsewhere, harmful algal blooms will likely persist in many regions despite global warming and changing environmental conditions in the future. Selection of different genetic lineages through variable hydrological conditions might impact toxin production and profiles of future blooms, challenging HAB control and prediction of PSP risk in the future.

Dataset Information

Environmental Controls on River Assemblages at the Regional Scale: An Application of the Elements of Metacommunity Structure Framework.

Publications

Environmental Controls on River Assemblages at the Regional Scale: An Application of the Elements of Metacommunity Structure Framework.

Similar Datasets

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