Patterns of species density and productivity at different spatial scales in herbaceous plant communities

A major challenge in evaluating patterns of species richness and productivity involves acquiring data to examine these relationships empirically across a range of ecologically significant spatial scales. In this paper, we use data from herb‐dominated plant communities at six Long‐Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites to examine how the relationship between plant species density and above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) differs when the spatial scale of analysis is changed. We quantified this relationship at different spatial scales in which we varied the focus and extent of analysis: (1) among fields within communities, (2) among fields within biomes or biogeographic regions, and (3) among communities within biomes or biogeographic regions. We used species density (D=number of species per m²) as our measure of diversity to have a comparable index across all sites and scales. Although we expected unimodal relationships at all spatial scales, we found that spatial scale influenced the form of the relationship. At the scale of fields within different grassland communities, we detected a significant relationship at only one site (Minnesota old‐fields), and it was negative linear. When we expanded the extent of analyses to biogeographic regions (grasslands or North America), we found significant unimodal relationships in both cases. However, when we combined data to examine patterns among community types within different biogeographic regions (grassland, alpine tundra, arctic tundra, or North America), we did not detect significant relationships between species density and ANPP for any region. The results of our analyses demonstrate that the spatial scale of analysis – how data are aggregated and patterns examined – can influence the form of the relationship between species density and productivity. It also demonstrates the need for data sets from a broad spectrum of sites sampled over a range of scales for examining challenging and controversial ecological hypotheses.     

Convergence of fish communities from the littoral zone of reservoirs

1. Understanding factors that regulate the assembly of communities is a main focus of ecology. Human‐engineered habitats, such as reservoirs, may provide insight into these assembly processes because they represent novel habitats that are subjected to colonization by fishes from the surrounding river basin or transported by humans. By contrasting community similarity within and among reservoirs from different drainage basins to nearby stream communities, we can test the relative constraints of reservoir habitats and regional species pools in determining species composition of reservoirs. 2. We used a large spatial database that included intensive collections from 143 stream and 28 reservoir sites within three major river basins in the Great Plains, U.S.A., to compare patterns of species diversity and community structure between streams and reservoirs and to characterize variation in fish community structure within and among major drainage basins. We expected reservoir fish faunas to reflect the regional species pool, but would be more homogeneous that stream communities because similar species are stocked and thrive in reservoirs (e.g. planktivores and piscivores), and they lack obligate stream organisms that are not shared among regional species pools. 3. We found that fish communities from reservoirs were a subset of fishes collected from streams and dominant taxa had ecological traits that would be favoured in lentic environments. Although there were regional differences in reservoir fish communities, species richness, patterns of rank abundance and community structure in reservoir communities were more homogonous across three major drainage basins than for stream communities. 4. The general pattern of convergence of reservoir fish community structure suggests their assembly is constrained by local factors such as habitat and biotic interactions, and facilitated by the introduction of species among basins. Because there is a reciprocal transfer of biota between reservoirs and streams, understanding factors structuring both habitats is necessary to evaluate the long‐term dynamics of impounded river networks.     

Hyperparasitoid aggregation in response to variation in Aphidius ervi host density at three spatial scales

1. This article investigates the pattern of hyperparasitism of the host Aphidius ervi Haliday (Hymenoptera, Aphidiidae), a primary parasitoid of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Homoptera: Aphididae) at three spatial scales.
2. In the laboratory, the hyperparasitoid Asaphes lucens (Provancher) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was introduced into cages containing sixteen alfalfa plants with varying numbers of A. ervi mummies (the stage susceptible to hyperparasitism). The pattern of hyperparasitism at the end of the 48-h trials showed no density-dependent hyperparasitoid aggregation, although there was strong density-independent hyperparasitoid aggregation.
3. In the field, the density of A. ervi mummies was manipulated in twelve 2 × 2-m plots containing 1309–1654 alfalfa stems. Variation in hyperparasitism among plots showed no density-dependent aggregation, although there was strong density-independent aggregation.
4. Finally, at the largest scale of the study, the distribution of hyperparasitism was sampled among twelve alfalfa fields within a 5 × 3-km area. At this scale there was both density-dependent and density-independent hyperparasitoid aggregation.
5. The natural variation in A. ervi mummy density is greatest at the larger scales of study. Therefore, density-dependent hyperparasitism occurs only when there is high natural variation in mummy density.     

The distribution of the macrobenthos of the White Sea littoral in different spatial scales

Spatial distribution of macrobenthos of middle intertidal zone was studied in scale from centimetres to 30 kilometres along the coastline. The community structure and distribution of the 5 most abundant species (Hydrobia ulvae, Mya arenaria, Macoma baltica. Peloscolex benedeni, Arenicola marina) were considered. Spatial heterogeneity of macrobenthos, estimated as mean dissimilarity between samples, kept constant in scale of centimetres--meters, but increased significantly when enlarged area is considered. Patterns of many species changed with scale from random mosaic to more or less pronounced patchiness, whereas the density of H. ulvae and the structure of the whole community demonstrated fractal (self-similar) patch pattern in wide range of scale from dozens of meters to several kilometres. Spatial correlations between species (the composition of assemblages) and between species and environmental factors were also scale dependent. Some possible effects of scale on the observed spatial distribution of benthos are discussed, and multiscaled analysis of biotic heterogeneity is concluded to be very fruitful.     

Structure and dynamics of zooplankton communities in the littoral zone of some North Carolina lakes

Species composition and seasonal, dynamics of zooplankton in the littoral zone were studied in three piedmont North Carolina lakes for one year. Nygaard's compound index indicated oligotrophic conditions in Belews Lake and eutrophic conditions in Salem Lake and Lake 150. A total of 32 species of zooplankton were found in the samples. Significantly fewer species of truely littoral zooplankton were present in the oligotrophic lake regardless of season (P < 0.05). Eutrophication appears to favor increased diversity in zooplankton of the littoral zone. Habitat heterogeneity, provided by a well developed littoral zone containing aquatic macrophytes, may be the major factor contributing to the maintenance of more taxa of zooplankton in eutrophic systems.Distinct taxa of Cladocera and Copepoda are present in the littoral zone, exhibiting seasonal dynamics that are largely different from the limnetic fauna. Such dynamics may result from predation by characteristically limnetic species of cyclopoid copepods which seek prey in the littoral zone. The numerical and seasonal abundance of predators and prey are inversely related and the true littoral taxa, represented in the present study by the genera Alona, Chydorus, Pleuroxus, Sida, Simocephalus, and Eucyclops, contained no predaceous species. The seasonal dynamics of these genera are very similar even in widely separated geographical regions, indicating that the factor(s) responsible operate independently of climatic and chemical variables. Intrazooplankton predation appears to be a more plausable explanation than segregation along depth which, although consistent with data from studies of limnetic waters, cannot be related to populations of zooplankton in shallow littoral areas.     

Variation in coral-associated cryptofaunal communities across spatial scales and environmental gradients

Coral Reefs - Most of the diversity on coral reefs is in the cryptofauna, the hidden organisms that inhabit the interstitial spaces of corals and other habitat-forming benthos. However, little is...     

Temporal variation in juvenile fish communities of Kaunas reservoir littoral zone,Lithuania

The aim of this study was to assess juvenile fish communities in terms of species composition, fish diversity and density in the littoral zone of the Kaunas reservoir before (in 1989–1990, period I) and after (in 1999–2000, period II, and in 2006–2007, period III) launching the Kruonis hydroelectric pumped plant (Kruonis HPP). During the whole research period, 20 fish species were caught. According to the frequency of occurrence, the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, European perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus were regarded as constant species in all investigated periods. Significant differences were established in juvenile fish community density between period I and periods II and III, whereas species richness (S) and species diversity indices (H′, J′) did not change significantly. The density of the shoreline community in period III was more than two times lower than in period I, probably due to higher fluctuations in water level of the reservoir, resulting from the Kruonis HPP operation.     

深圳湾潮间带1995-2010年大型底栖动物群落的时空变化

本文根据1995-2010年在深圳湾潮间带5条断面采集的大型底栖动物数据,分析了群落的物种数、栖息密度、多样性指数(H)、丰度指数(d)和多变量海洋底栖生物指数(M-AMBI)的时空变化.结果表明,物种数、多样性指数、丰度指数和多变量海洋底栖生物指数存在明显的空间差异,即距离深圳河口越近,大型底栖动物物种数越少,多样性指数、丰度指数和多变量海洋底栖生物指数越低.空间差异还体现在越靠近深圳河口的取样断面,大个体物种,如羽须鳃沙蚕(Dendronereis pinnaticirris)和腺带刺沙蚕(Neanthes glandicincta)的栖息密度越低,而小个体、生命周期短的小头虫(Capitella capitata)和寡毛类动物栖息密度所占的比例越高,丰度生物量比较(abundance biomass comparison,简称ABC)法证实了深圳湾潮间带大型底栖动物群落的空间差异.造成这种差异的原因推测是由于深圳市人口的增加和工、农业的发展,排入深圳河的污水量增加,导致距离深圳河越近,有机质含量越高.大型底栖动物群落的物种数、栖息密度、多样性指数、丰度指数、多变量海洋底栖生物指数的年和季节变化各不相同,没有明显的变化趋势.     

Multiple spatial scales affect direct and indirect interactions between a non-native and a native species

Plant Ecology - Plant–plant interactions influence community assembly and species responses to environmental change. However, species interactions are complex phenomena influenced by context...     

Diversity partitioning of moorland plant communities across hierarchical spatial scales

Understanding of the scaling of diversity is critical to enhance conservation strategies for subalpine moorland ecosystems vulnerable to future environmental changes. However, a paucity of quantitative data strongly limits such attempts. In this study, we used an additive diversity partitioning framework and quantified diversity patterns of moorland plant communities across hierarchical spatial scales, within- and between-sample transects, and between sites (corresponding to α and two levels of β diversity). Moorland sites markedly differed in size (range 1,000–160,000 m²) and were isolated from each other to varying extents within an inhospitable matrix (i.e., forests). We found that β diversity components were consistently higher, whereas the local α diversity component was consistently lower than expected by chance. We observed substantial contribution at the between-site scale to total species richness. By focusing on diversity patterns of moorland plant communities across multiple hierarchical spatial scales, we could thus identify the scale at which regional diversity is maximized. Our results suggest that protection of as many moorland sites as possible, to ensure beta diversity between sites, will effectively conserve total diversity. The use of additive diversity partitioning is a major step forward in providing strategies for the biological conservation of subalpine moorland ecosystems vulnerable to future environmental changes.     

Food-web structure of seagrass communities across different spatial scales and human impacts

Seagrass beds provide important habitat for a wide range of marine species but are threatened by multiple human impacts in coastal waters. Although seagrass communities have been well-studied in the field, a quantification of their food-web structure and functioning, and how these change across space and human impacts has been lacking. Motivated by extensive field surveys and literature information, we analyzed the structural features of food webs associated with Zostera marina across 16 study sites in 3 provinces in Atlantic Canada. Our goals were to (i) quantify differences in food-web structure across local and regional scales and human impacts, (ii) assess the robustness of seagrass webs to simulated species loss, and (iii) compare food-web structure in temperate Atlantic seagrass beds with those of other aquatic ecosystems. We constructed individual food webs for each study site and cumulative webs for each province and the entire region based on presence/absence of species, and calculated 16 structural properties for each web. Our results indicate that food-web structure was similar among low impact sites across regions. With increasing human impacts associated with eutrophication, however, food-web structure show evidence of degradation as indicated by fewer trophic groups, lower maximum trophic level of the highest top predator, fewer trophic links connecting top to basal species, higher fractions of herbivores and intermediate consumers, and higher number of prey per species. These structural changes translate into functional changes with impacted sites being less robust to simulated species loss. Temperate Atlantic seagrass webs are similar to a tropical seagrass web, yet differed from other aquatic webs, suggesting consistent food-web characteristics across seagrass ecosystems in different regions. Our study illustrates that food-web structure and functioning of seagrass habitats change with human impacts and that the spatial scale of food-web analysis is critical for determining results.     

Ecological relationships between phytoplankton communities and different spatial scales in European reservoirs: implications at catchment level monitoring programmes

Phytoplankton communities are structured by factors acting over temporal and spatial scales. Identifying which factors are driving spatial patterns in aquatic communities is the central aim of ecology. In this study, data sets of phytoplankton communities and environmental data of two Portuguese reservoirs types (lowland “riverine reservoirs” and higher altitude “artificial lake reservoirs”) were used to determine the importance of environmental variables at different spatial (geographical, regional and local) and time scales (seasons, years) on the community structure. In all the data sets, the multivariate ordination technique Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that regional and local scales explained the majority (9–18% and 13–19%, respectively) of the taxa variance. However, for “riverine reservoirs”, time variables were more important, explaining 27% of the variability in phytoplankton assemblages. Variance partitioning was used to assess the individual importance of the three spatial scales and time for the community structure of the two reservoir types. The majority of among-site variability (5.9–21.4%) was accounted for by time variables, with local, regional, and geographical scale variables accounting for 3.3–5.6%, 3.7–4.5% and 2.6–2.9%, respectively. The effects of different spatial scales on phytoplankton communities were clearly interrelated; thus, implying that phytoplankton assemblages are capable of detecting stress from catchment to site scales. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Handling editor: J. Padisak     

Diversity and spatial pattern of coral communities in the Red Sea upper twilight zone

Summary This is the first study based on numerical analysis of the abundance of 11 scleractinian corals of depths at between 100–210 m in the Red Sea twilight zone. Two distinct coral communities were found: a Leptoseris fragilis community at a depth of 100–130 m (zone 1) and a Dendrophillia horsti community below 130 m (zone 2, 3). Population densities and coral coverage are very low; distribution of individuals is highly clumped. Highest observed densities on 100 m² were 2720 individuals for L. fraglis, 2720 for D. horsti and 2260 for Javania insignis. Calculated coverage rates were maximally 3.6% (L. fragilis), 0.08% (D. horsti) and 0.11% (J. insignis). L. fragilis, the only symbiont bearing coral, was very abundant. It has an unusual depth range for a photosynthesising coral. Coral density is only weakly correlated with hard bottom coverage. Species diversity with an average of 8 species is highest at 120–170 m and decreases in shallower and deeper water. The study depth range is a transient zone for coral distribution. It contains the upper distribution limits of a few deep sea corals and the lower ones of several shallower water species. Ahermatypic corals, collected at 160–170 m depth, were transplanted from their original depth to 159, 118, 70 and 40 m; after one year most species survived transplantation far beyond their upper distributional limits. The symbiotic L. fragilis, collected at 120 m, survived transplantation to deep water (159 m) as well as shallow zones (90, 70 and 40 m). The study demonstrates the feasibility of line-transect methods for coral community studies with a submersible.     

Within- and between-lake variability in the composition of bacterioplankton communities: investigations using multiple spatial scales

This study examined the similarity of epilimnetic bacterial community composition (BCC) across several within- and among-lake spatial scales, and the environmental factors giving rise to similar bacterial communities in different lakes were also explored. Samples were collected from 13 northern and southern Wisconsin lakes representing gradients in lake size, productivity, dissolved organic carbon and humic acid contents, and pH. Hypotheses regarding patchy distribution of bacterial communities in lakes were tested by comparing samples collected from nearby (tens of meters) and distant (hundreds of meters) sampling sites in the same lake. BCC was characterized by using a molecular fingerprinting technique, automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA). Overall, samples collected at the 10-m, 100-m, and between-lake scales differed by 13, 17, and 75%, respectively. Variation at these last two scales was significant. The development of within-lake variation in BCC appeared to depend on the isolation of water by lake shoreline features such as bays or narrow constrictions. ARISA profiles from northern lakes had fewer peaks and were less similar to each other than were those of the southern lakes, suggesting that regional features do not necessarily lead to the development of similar bacterial communities. Lakes at similar positions on productivity and dissolved organic carbon concentration gradients had similar bacterial communities, and bacterial diversity was positively correlated with lake productivity and water temperature. Factorial studies taking into account these gradients, as well as regional spatial scales, should provide much insight into the nature of aquatic bacterial biogeography.     

Contrasting responses of bee communities to coffee flowering at different spatial scales

While investigating biodiversity patterns on different spatial scales, ecological processes determining these patterns have been rarely analysed. Flower visitation by bees is an important ecological process that is related to floral resource availability. However, little is known about whether responses of bee communities to floral resource availability change at different spatial scales. We studied density and species richness of flower-visiting bees in relation to floral resource availability, provided by coffee, in traditional agroforestry systems on a field, shrub, and branch scale. On a field scale, mean bee density per shrub increased with decreasing proportion of flowering coffee shrubs per site, showing a dilution effect. Conversely, on shrub and branch scales bee density per shrub, or shrub part, increased with increasing number of inflorescences, showing a concentration effect. Additionally, bee density per shrub was higher on those that were only partly, rather than totally surrounded by other flowering coffee shrubs. Species richness of flower-visiting bees was positively affected by high resource availability on a shrub and a branch scale, expressed by a high number of inflorescences, but at the field scale the proportion of flowering shrubs per site did not have any effect on species richness. Our results show contrasting responses of the community of flower-visiting bees to floral resource availability, depending on the spatial scale considered. We conclude that patterns of flower-visiting bee communities of only one spatial scale can not be generalized, since the number of pollinators may be limited on a field scale, but not on smaller scales.     

Interactions between spatial and temporal scales in the evolution of dispersal rate

The evolution of dispersal rate is studied with a model of several local populations linked by dispersal. Three dispersal strategies are considered where all, half or none of the offspring disperse. The spatial scale (number of patches) and the temporal scale (probability of local extinction) of the environment are critical in determining the selective advantage of the different dispersal strategies. The results from the simulations suggest that an interaction between group selection and individual selection results in a different outcome in relation to the spatial and temporal scales of the environment. Such an interaction is able to maintain a polymorphism in dispersal strategies. The maintenance of this polymorphism is also scale-dependent. This study suggests a mechanism for the short-term evolution of dispersal, and provides a testable prediction of this hypothesis, namely that loss of dispersal abilities should be more frequent in spatially more continuous environments, or in temporally more stable environments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The influence of residential and cottage development on littoral zone fish communities in a mesotrophic north temperate lake

We used the rapid visual technique (RVT), an underwater visual assessment method developed in marine environments, to assess the influence of residential and cottage development on littoral zone fish communities in Pigeon Lake, a shallow, mesotrophic Canadian lake with extensive shoreline disturbance. We used RVT to assess 135 sites, stratified by degree of residential and cottage development (undeveloped, moderately developed, highly developed) and habitat type (three substrate/vegetation categories). Sites with different degrees of residential and cottage development did not differ significantly in species richness. When the RVT site scores of each species life stage (young-of-year, juveniles and adults) were compared among development categories, only 11% of species life stages showed significant differences; all were most abundant in moderately developed sites. Habitat had a greater influence than development on within-taxon abundance, as 46% of species life stages showed significant among-habitat differences in RVT score. The absence of significant fish community differences between developed and undeveloped sites may be due to the shallowness, extensive macrophyte cover and raised shorelines from the construction of the Trent-Severn Waterway. However, there do appear to be changes in the fish community over the last 35 years, as six cyprinids and one cyprinodont species that were present in Pigeon Lake in the 1970s were not detected by our sampling. RVT provided comparable data to that obtained by straight line transects on the relative abundance of species in the lake, but RVT was more effective at detecting species and life stages present at individual sites.