Flow intermittency alters longitudinal patterns of invertebrate diversity and assemblage composition in an arid‐land stream network

1. Temporary streams comprise a large proportion of the total length of most stream networks, and the great majority of arid‐land stream networks, so it is important to understand their contribution to biotic diversity at both local and landscape scales. 2. In late winter 2010, we sampled invertebrate assemblages in 12 reaches of a large arid‐land stream network (including perennial and intermittent headwaters, intermittent middle reaches and perennial rivers) in south‐east Arizona, U.S.A. Intermittent reaches had then been flowing for c. 60 days, following a dry period of more than 450 days. We sampled a subset of the perennial study reaches three more times between 2009 and 2011. Since intermittent reaches were dry during these additional sampling periods, we used assemblage data from two other intermittent streams in the study network (sampled in 2004–05 and 2010) to explore interannual variability in intermittent stream assemblage composition. 3. Invertebrate richness was lowest in intermittent reaches, despite their often being connected to species‐rich perennial reaches. The assemblages of these intermittent reaches were not simply a subset of the species in perennial streams, but rather were dominated by a suite of stoneflies, blackflies and midges with adaptations to intermittency (e.g. egg and/or larval diapause). On average, 86% of individuals in these samples were specialists or exclusive to intermittent streams. Predators were 7–14 times more abundant in perennial than in intermittent reaches. 4. Despite being separated by long distances (12–25 km) and having very different physical characteristics, the assemblages of perennial headwaters and rivers were more similar to one another than to intervening intermittent reaches, emphasising the prime importance of local hydrology in this system. 5. The duration and recurrence intervals of dry periods, and the relative importance of dispersal from perennial refuges, probably influence the magnitude of biological differences between neighbouring perennial and temporary streams. Although perennial headwaters supported the highest diversity of invertebrates, intermittent reaches supported a number of unique or locally rare species and as such contribute to regional species diversity and should be included in conservation planning.     

Structural and functional responses of invertebrate communities to climate change and flow regulation in alpine catchments

Understanding and predicting how biological communities respond to climate change is critical for assessing biodiversity vulnerability and guiding conservation efforts. Glacier‐ and snow‐fed rivers are one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change, and can provide early warning of wider‐scale changes. These rivers are frequently used for hydropower production but there is minimal understanding of how biological communities are influenced by climate change in a context of flow regulation. This study sheds light on this issue by disentangling structural (water temperature preference, taxonomic composition, alpha, beta and gamma diversities) and functional (functional traits, diversity, richness, evenness, dispersion and redundancy) effects of climate change in interaction with flow regulation in the Alps. For this, we compared environmental and aquatic invertebrate data collected in the 1970s and 2010s in regulated and unregulated alpine catchments. We hypothesized a replacement of cold‐adapted species by warming‐tolerant ones, high temporal and spatial turnover in taxa and trait composition, along with reduced taxonomic and functional diversities in consequence of climate change. We expected communities in regulated rivers to respond more drastically due to additive or synergistic effects between flow regulation and climate change. We found divergent structural but convergent functional responses between free‐flowing and regulated catchments. Although cold‐adapted taxa decreased in both of them, greater colonization and spread of thermophilic species was found in the free‐flowing one, resulting in higher spatial and temporal turnover. Since the 1970s, taxonomic diversity increased in the free flowing but decreased in the regulated catchment due to biotic homogenization. Colonization by taxa with new functional strategies (i.e. multivoltine taxa with small body size, resistance forms, aerial dispersion and reproduction by clutches) increased functional diversity but decreased functional redundancy through time. These functional changes could jeopardize the ability of aquatic communities facing intensification of ongoing climate change or new anthropogenic disturbances.     

刈割和施肥对高寒草甸物种多样性和功能多样性时间动态及其关系的影响

强烈扰动和环境胁迫对植物群落的物种多样性(SD)和功能多样性(FD)有重要影响, 但SD和FD随时间的变化模式及其关系至今少有研究。该研究通过对高寒矮生嵩草(Kobresia humilis)草甸为期7年(2007-2013年)的刈割(3个水平: 不刈割、留茬3 cm和留茬1 cm)和施肥(2个水平: 施肥和不施肥)控制实验探讨了SD和FD随时间的变化模式及其关系。研究结果显示: (1)刈割显著增加了SD和FD, 施肥处理则降低了SD, 对FD增加仅有微弱影响; (2)各处理群落的SD随着时间而下降, FD则随时间增加; (3)随着刈割强度的增加, SD(x)-FD(y)关系由正线性相关变为无相关, 斜率大小为slope_l ≥ slope_m > slope_h (下标l、m和h分别表示轻度、中度和重度扰动强度), 施肥并不会改变此关系形式和斜率; (4)刈割与施肥对SD和FD的互作效应都不显著, 且不施肥群落SD(x)-FD(y)关系的斜率也为slope_l ≥ slope_m > slope_h。上述结果说明, 刈割并不一定导致植物功能性状的趋同构建, 也能引发趋异构建, 而施肥引起的强烈种间竞争也并未显著增强趋异构建过程, 这与植物群落构建理论的预测不完全一致。与施肥相比, 刈割扰动是决定群落中SD-FD时间关系形式的主要因素, 并决定着SD-FD关系斜率的变化。     

A functional perspective for breeding and wintering waterbird communities: temporal trends in species and trait diversity

Waterbird communities are prone to strong temporal changes both seasonally and annually, but little is known about how this affects their functional diversity and community assembly. Detecting temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity within (alpha diversity) and between (beta diversity) communities in breeding and wintering seasons could give insight into the ecological processes driving those trends. In this study, we investigated trends in wintering and breeding waterbirds within and between eleven wetlands in Mediterranean Spain, using a 28‐year time‐series up to 2017. We assessed the temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity measures, and compared observed functional diversity values with null expectations, in order to explore the mechanisms driving community assembly. We found increases over time in species richness and in the occupied functional space for both wintering and breeding communities, indicating that species with distinct functional roles were added in both seasons. However, the distribution of the abundances in the functional space was different for breeding and wintering communities. Dissimilarity of species and functional traits decreased among wetlands, suggesting that some of the same functional traits were added to the different wetlands, increasing regional homogenization through time. This is reflected in increases over time in mean body mass, diet plasticity and in the importance of fish in waterbird diets, plus declines in the dietary importance of invertebrates and in plasticity of feeding strata. Furthermore, species composition between wintering and breeding communities, but not trait composition, has become more similar through time. Our results highlight that annual changes, and especially seasonal changes, in the composition of waterbird communities have different effects on their functional diversity, and are influenced by opposing community assembly mechanisms.     

高原鼠兔干扰对高寒草甸植物物种和功能性状beta多样性的影响

采用野外空间多点同步取样,分析了高原鼠兔干扰对高寒草甸植物物种beta多样性和植物功能性状beta多样性的影响,确定了高原鼠兔干扰下高寒草甸植物物种和功能性状beta多样性的变化途径,分别提出了高原鼠兔干扰区域内,基于植物物种多样性和功能性状多样性的高寒草甸植物多样性维持策略。结果表明,高原鼠兔干扰使高寒草甸植物物种相似性显著降低了28.1%,植物功能相似性降低了28.7%。尽管高原鼠兔干扰没有改变高寒草甸植物物种和功能性状beta多样性的变化途径,且对植物物种和功能性状的嵌套组分不存在显著影响,但高原鼠兔干扰显著降低了植物物种和功能性状周转组分所占的比例,降幅分别为36.6%和34.3%。高原鼠兔干扰区域内,高寒草甸植物物种beta多样性的变化以周转为主导(周转占比81.4%;嵌套占比:18.6%),植物功能性状beta多样性的变化以嵌套为主导(嵌套占比64.9%;周转占比35.1%)。因此,针对划定的高原鼠兔干扰区,需要同时保护区域内所有高原鼠兔栖息地(多位点保护),以达到维持植物物种多样性的目的,而可以仅通过保护该区域内植物功能性状丰富的位点,即可维持较高的植物功能多样性。     

Impacts of multiple anthropogenic stressors on stream macroinvertebrate community composition and functional diversity

Ensuring the provision of essential ecosystem services in systems affected by multiple stressors is a key challenge for theoretical and applied ecology. Trait‐based approaches have increasingly been used in multiple‐stressor research in freshwaters because they potentially provide a powerful method to explore the mechanisms underlying changes in populations and communities. Individual benthic macroinvertebrate traits associated with mobility, life history, morphology, and feeding habits are often used to determine how environmental drivers structure stream communities. However, to date multiple‐stressor research on stream invertebrates has focused more on taxonomic than on functional metrics. We conducted a fully crossed, 4‐factor experiment in 64 stream mesocosms fed by a pristine montane stream (21 days of colonization, 21 days of manipulations) and investigated the effects of nutrient enrichment, flow velocity reduction and sedimentation on invertebrate community, taxon, functional diversity and trait variables after 2 and 3 weeks of stressor exposure. 89% of the community structure metrics, 59% of the common taxa, 50% of functional diversity metrics, and 79% of functional traits responded to at least one stressor each. Deposited fine sediment and flow velocity reduction had the strongest impacts, affecting invertebrate abundances and diversity, and their effects translated into a reduction of functional redundancy. Stressor effects often varied between sampling occasions, further complicating the prediction of multiple‐stressor effects on communities. Overall, our study suggests that future research combining community, trait, and functional diversity assessments can improve our understanding of multiple‐stressor effects and their interactions in running waters.     

Whole‐landscape modelling of compositional turnover in aquatic invertebrates informs conservation gap analysis: An example from south‐western Australia

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香溪河水生昆虫功能性状及功能多样性空间格局

近年来,生物多样性研究已从群落物种多样性拓展至功能多样性层面,使用功能性状表征功能组成及功能多样性是当前底栖动物生态学研究的热点之一。物种功能性状对环境变化敏感,对群落和种群沿环境梯度的演替具有许多潜在的指示作用。为了解香溪河水系水生昆虫功能性状空间分布格局及环境因子对功能多样性的影响,于2005年12月及2006年1月、2月对该水系的香溪河、九冲河、高岚河、古夫河4条河流的水生昆虫进行了调查,并对理化指标进行了测定;参考相关文献资料,本研究选择化性、漂移性、游泳能力、吸附能力、形状、个体大小、流态偏好、温度偏好、生活型、营养习性等10个功能性状纳入分析。研究结果发现,香溪河水系共鉴定水生昆虫127种,四节蜉(Baetis sp.)、高翔蜉(Epeorus sp.)、短尾石蝇(Nemoura sp.)为区域优势分类单元,相对丰度分别为38.6%、9.1%、6.7%;4条河流间优势物种组成差异较大。10个功能性状中相对丰度最高的等级性状分别为1世代/a(Volt2)、高漂移率(Drft3)、无游泳能力(Swim1)、无吸附能力(Atch1)、流线型(Shpe1)、小型个体(Size1)、沉积/侵蚀流态兼好型(Rheo2)、广温型(Ther2)、附着型(Habi4)、收集者(Trop1);单因素方差分析及独立样本T检验表明,化性、附着能力、大小、流速偏好、温度偏好、漂移性、生活型、营养习性等性状级别间差异显著,而游泳能力、形状性状等级间无显著差异。对10个功能性状的33个等级性状在4条河流间相对丰度的差异性进行研究,结果发现,Volt1、Drft2、Swim2、Atch1、Atch2、Size3、Rheo1、Ther3、Habi2、Habi3、Trop3、Trop5等12个等级性状相对丰度在4条河流间差异显著。功能性状多样性、树状图功能多样性用来描述4条河流功能多样性,结果表明,功能性状多样性指数均值在古夫河、高岚河、九冲河、香溪河分别为2.8、3.2、6.9和5.4;树状图功能多样性指数均值在分别为4.8、5.7、11.1、8.8。功能冗余度均值在4条河流分别为2.9、3.4、4.6、3.9。运用逐步回归分析功能多样性、功能冗余度与环境参数的关系,结果表明,功能性状多样性指数受总氮、水深影响显著;树状图功能多样性指数受总氮、水深、流速影响显著;功能冗余度指数受硝态氮、溶解氧、二氧化硅影响显著。     

Species turnover in lake littorals: spatial and temporal variation of benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and community composition

Aims Despite wide consensus that ecological patterns and processes should be studied at multiple spatial scales, the temporal component of diversity variation has remained poorly examined. Specifically, rare species may exhibit patterns of diversity variation profoundly different from those of dominant taxa. Location Southern Finland. Methods We used multiplicative partitioning of true diversities (species richness, Shannon diversity) to identify the most important scale(s) of variation of benthic macroinvertebrate communities across several hierarchical scales, from individual samples to multiple littorals, lakes and years. We also assessed the among‐scale variability of benthic macroinvertebrate community composition by using measures of between‐ and within‐group distances at hierarchical scales. Results On average, a single benthic sample contained 23% of the total regional macroinvertebrate species pool. For both species richness and Shannon diversity, beta‐diversity was clearly the major component of regional diversity, with within‐littoral beta‐diversity (β₁) being the largest component of gamma‐diversity. The interannual component of total diversity was small, being almost negligible for Shannon index. Among‐sample (within‐littoral) diversity was related to variation of substratum heterogeneity at the same scale. By contrast, only a small proportion of rare taxa was found in an average benthic sample. Thus, dominant species among lakes and years were about the same, whereas rare species were mostly detected in a few benthic samples in one lake (or year). For rare species, the temporal component of diversity was more important than spatial turnover at most scales. Main conclusions While individual species occurrences and abundances, particularly those of rare taxa, may vary strongly through space and time, patterns of dominance in lake littoral benthic communities are highly predictable. Consequently, many rare species will be missed in temporally restricted samples of lake littorals. In comprehensive biodiversity surveys, interannual sampling of littoral macroinvertebrate communities is therefore needed.     

Hidden diversity: parasites of stream arthropods

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Effects of habitat fragmentation on the functional diversity of insects in Thousand Island Lake,China

Due to habitat fragmentation, the loss of species diversity has been extensively studied. On the contrary, the effects of habitat fragmentation on functional diversity is still poorly understood. In the Thousand Island Lake, we conducted studies of insect functional diversity on a set of 29 isolated islands. We used 10 functional diversity indices from three aspects (functional richness, functional evenness and functional divergence) to respectively describe functional diversity of insects on sample islands. We found the following results: (i) The functional indices selected could reflect the functional diversity of sample islands and it is further proved that in general, three components of functional diversity were independent of each other; (ii) Sample islands could be divided into two categories, island JSD and the remaining islands; (iii) Functional richness increased with island area and shape index, but had no significant correlation with isolation. Likewise, both functional evenness and functional divergence had no significant correlation with island attributes. The conclusion to emphasize from our research is that: (i) habitat fragmentation reduced the biological functional diversity to some extent, further demonstrating the importance of habitat continuity in biodiversity protection; and (ii) for functional diversity protection of insects in a fragmented landscape, an island which has high approximate shape index values of at least hundred hectare magnitude order has a critical promoting effect.