Ecological background of diatom functional groups: Comparability of classification systems

Functional classification based on species traits brought a revolution in community ecology, and also boosted phytoplankton and in phytobenton (diatom) research. Several studies stressed the usefulness of phytoplankton functional groups in ecological status assessment, and there is also a strong emphasis to use combined traits in ecological assessments of diatom assemblages. The Combined Eco-Morphological Functional Groups (CEMFGs) help to reveal species-environmental correlations, which can be hidden, controlling traits separately. Nowadays, there are three types of functional guild classifications simultaneously used in the literature: (i) the original classification proposed by Passy (O); (ii) Passy’s classification complemented with a separated planktic guild (P); (iii) the refined guild classification by Rimet and Bouchez, also containing the planktic guild (RB). One of the most important criteria of the combined functional groups is the well-defined ecological frame of these combined groups; thus it is vital to harmonise the classification of the taxa into guild based combined eco-morphological functional groups (CEMFGs). In this study we tested the similarities and dissimilarities of the correlations between environmental factors and CEMFGs created in the (i)-(iii) classifications. Samples were collected in 138 sampling sites on lowland rivers and streams in the Hungarian Lowland Region. Strong correlations were anticipated between the functional groups and environmental factors due to the presence of common and/or abundant planktic taxa. Our results validated the necessity of a separated planktic guild in ecological assessments of diatom assemblages. Further relevant differences between the correlations of CEMFGs-P or CEMFGs-RB and abiotic factors were hypothesised in the case of those functional groups which contained reassigned taxa with high frequency and/or abundance. Our results confirmed this hypothesis. Furthermore, the present study also highlighted the relevance of well-defined trait classification. Abundant and/or frequent taxa, which are able to change their life forms, can modify significantly the relationship between the functional group containing them and environmental factors. In the future, both field and laboratory studies should focus on revealing the circumstances, which cause the mentioned changes in traits of diatoms.     

Shifts in taxonomical and guild composition of littoral diatom assemblages along environmental gradients

Diatoms are commonly and frequently used as water quality indicators, but only a few studies have been done to evaluate the importance of littoral, contemporary diatoms as bioindicators. This study aims to determine the main predictors of diatom community composition from 73 Swedish lakes. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed pH, phosphate, nitrite/nitrate levels, longitude and percentage of forest in the catchment to be the most important factors of 51 environmental variables for structuring diatom assemblages. Cluster analysis separated the lakes into three groups based on the diatom community composition. Lakes belonging to these groups were characterised as: (1) acidic, nutrient-poor; (2) circumneutral, nutrient-poor and (3) alkaline, nutrient-rich, according to the results of a discriminant function analysis and dominant diatom taxa revealed by similarity percentage analysis. Ecological guilds according to growth morphology and the ability of nitrogen-fixation were assigned to all diatom taxa. All three lake groups exhibited a distinct guild composition. Nitrogen-fixing diatoms were found in nutrient-rich lakes, only. Our results indicate that taxonomical composition of littoral diatom assemblages can be applied in the assessment of nutrient and acidity status of Swedish lakes. Differences in distribution of the ecological guilds were connected to several environmental factors such as nutrients, light and grazing; their application in assessment of trophic status of lakes is therefore precarious.     

Non-wadeable river bioassessment: spatial variation of benthic diatom assemblages in Pacific Northwest rivers,USA

Current bioassessment efforts are focused on small wadeable streams, at least partly because assessing ecological conditions in non-wadeable large rivers poses many additional challenges. In this study, we sampled 20 sites in each of seven large rivers in the Pacific Northwest, USA, to characterize variation of benthic diatom assemblages among and within rivers relative to environmental conditions. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) indicated that diatom assemblages were significantly different among all the seven rivers draining different ecoregions. Longitudinal patterns in diatom assemblages showed river-specific features. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index values did not increase as a function of spatial distance among the sampled reaches within any river but the Malheur. Standardized Mantel r of association between assemblage similarity and spatial distance among sites ranged from a high of 0.69 (Malheur) to a low of 0.18 (Chehalis). In the Malheur River, % monoraphids, nitrogen-tolerant taxa, and beta-mesosaprobous taxa all decreased longitudinally while % motile taxa, especially Nitzschia, showed an opposite trend, reflecting a strong in-stream water quality gradient. Similar longitudinal trends in water quality were observed in other rivers but benthic diatom assemblages showed either weak response patterns or no patterns. Our study indicated that benthic diatom assemblages can clearly reflect among-river factors. The relationships between benthic diatom assemblages and water quality within each river may depend on the strength of the water quality gradients, interactive effects of water quality and habitat conditions, and diatom sampling design.     

Ecological Adaptations of Mandibular Form in Fissiped Carnivora

Among mammals, Carnivora presents an ideal group for investigating the complex interplay between functional adaptation and phylogenetic history. Here we explore mandibular form and its relationship to ecology and phylogeny using geometric morphometrics applied to mandibles of extant Carnivora. Both mandibular size and shape discriminate carnivoran ecological adaptations (diet, membership to small or large predatory guilds), but the interplay of morphology with phylogenetic history is profound. In general, families do not overlap in mandible shape; however, Viverridae, Herpestidae, Canidae, and Mustelidae exhibit functional and morphological convergence. Mandibular allometric trajectories are distinct among families and ecological categories. Our findings suggest that variability in mandibular form among Carnivora is primarily influenced by major evolutionary changes occurring at the family level and less, but significantly so, by ecological adaptations. Small generalist feeders (insectivores, omnivores) exhibit stronger convergence in mandibular shape than highly specialized predators; bigger taxa, such as bears, evolved unique morphologies constrained by allometric scaling. Thus, the findings of this study serve to demonstrate how ecological factors mold anatomical structures in similar ways to serve similar functions. As such, carnivoran species can be usefully grouped into functional ‘guilds’ in eco-morphological studies irrespective of their phylogenetic history.     

A diatom functional-based approach to assess changing environmental conditions in temporary depressional wetlands

Functional-based assessments to identify the effects of human-induced disturbances on diatom communities are increasingly used. However, information on the response of functional groups to natural disturbances in temporary depressional wetlands is limited although important for the development of temporary wetland biological assessments. We assessed how diatom life-form and ecological guilds responded to a seasonal hydrological and hydrochemical gradient in three least human-disturbed, temporary depressional wetlands. We assigned species to their respective life-form and ecological guild groups and compared metric composition along the gradient. Overall, temporal variability in alkalinity and ionic composition, essentially Na⁺, as well as hydrological factors, wetland depth and total relative evapotranspiration (ETo), were good predictors of diatom species and functional group composition. Low profile guilds dominated by pioneer life-forms showed the strongest relationship with higher disturbance levels (i.e. increasing Na⁺, alkalinity with a decrease in depth). Similarly, the planktonic guild and tube-living, rosette and adnate life-forms dominated at higher disturbance levels whereas the high profile diatoms displayed the reverse trend. Our study shows the effectiveness of functional-based assessments beyond traditional species-based approaches for understanding and predicting community responses to temporal changes in environmental conditions. We also highlight the benefit of using both life-forms and ecological guilds where a broad set of metrics can enhance our understanding of the mechanisms relating diatom composition to environmental stressors and provide signs of underlying ecological processes.     

Filtration models, guilds, and biofacies: Crinoid paleoecology of the Stanton Formation (Upper Pennsylvanian), midcontinent, North America

Filtration models make several predictions concerning the distribution of crinoids among benthic habitats: (1) generally, higher energy shoreward settings should contain crinoid assemblages dominated by taxa with dense mesh filtration fans; (2) generally, lower energy offshore settings should be dominated by crinoids with open mesh filtration fans; (3) diversity should be highest in nearshore settings, which generally contain low energy microhabitats within high energy settings where both dense fan and open fan forms can co-occur, whereas offshore assemblages should be dominated by open fan taxa; thus, open fan forms should be more eurytopic than dense fan forms. Also, previous empirical models for crinoid distribution patterns note that nearshore assemblages are dominated by large forms whereas offshore assemblages are dominated by small forms. Filtration fan morphology and body size interact significantly to determine how and where crinoids feed and thus are used here as criteria for distinguishing late Paleozoic crinoid guilds. The distribution patterns of crinoid taxa and guilds among the benthic paleoenvironments of the Upper Pennsylvanian (Missourian) Stanton Formation were used to test the predictions of the filtration models.

The results of quantitative analyses show that large, dense fan crinoids are significantly more abundant in shoreward assemblages than smaller, open fan crinoids, which are more abundant in offshore assemblages; these results are consistent with the aforementioned models. However, diversity patterns are not consistent with the filtration models, indicating that mid-depth and aerobic offshore assemblages are more taxonomically and trophically diverse than nearshore and dysaerobic offshore assemblages, ostensibly due to the overlapping ranges of characteristically nearshore and offshore taxa. Analysis of guild distribution patterns also indicates some contradictions to predicted patterns of stenotopy and eurytopy, indicating additional complexities to late Paleozoic crinoid paleoecology.

Five recurrent crinoid assemblages, or biofacies, have been identified from the Stanton Formation of midcontinent North America. The guild structure and diversity of these biofacies are characterized here as: (1) a moderate diversity nearshore biofacies dominated by large calyx, dense fan guilds; (2) a high diversity midshelf biofacies characterized by equitable contributions of many taxa and guilds; (3) a moderate diversity offshore biofacies dominated by non-pinnulate and small calyx, open fan pinnulate guilds; (4) a low diversity offshore dysaerobic biofacies dominated by small calyx pinnulate guilds; (5) a depauperate offshore biofacies dominated by a unique stalkless species, Paragassizocrinus tarri. Except for Biofacies 5, the number of guilds appears to increase offshore; however, the equitability of taxa among and within the guilds generally decreases offshore. This pattern indicates that the heterogeneity of resources, or the recognition by taxa of different classes of resources, as reflected by the variety of functional types, increased from nearshore to offshore, but that the abundance or accessibility of these resources, and/or the relaxation of competition within guilds, increased from offshore to nearshore.     

Concordance among stream assemblages and spatial autocorrelation along a fragmented gradient

Patterns of spatial autocorrelation of biota and distributional similarity (concordance) between assemblages of different organism groups have important implications in both theoretical ecology and biodiversity conservation. Here we report environmental gradients and spatial distribution patterns of taxonomic composition among stream fish, benthic macroinvertebrate, and diatom assemblages along a fragmented stream in south‐western France. We quantified spatial patterns of lotic assemblage structure along this stream, and we tested for concordance in distribution patterns among the three taxonomic groups. Our results showed that both environmental characteristics and stream assemblages were spatially autocorrelated. For stream fish and diatom assemblages, these patterns reflected assemblage changes along the longitudinal stream gradient, whereas environmental variables and benthic macroinvertebrates exhibited a more patchy spatial pattern. Cross‐taxa concordance was significant between stream fish and diatoms, and between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates. The assemblage concordance between stream fish and diatoms could be attributed to similar responses along the longitudinal gradient, whereas those between stream fish and benthic macroinvertebrates may result from biotic interactions. Based on potential dispersal capacities of taxa, our results validated the hypotheses that weakly dispersing taxa exhibit greater concordance than highly dispersing ones and that dispersal capacities affect how taxonomic groups respond to their local environment. Both diatoms and highly dispersing stream fish were affected by stream fragmentation (i.e. the number of dams between sites), while the effect of fragmentation was not significant for invertebrates that fly well in their adult stage, thus emphasizing the importance of the way of dispersal. These results suggest that addressing the effects of dispersal capacity on stream assemblage patterns is crucial to identifying mechanisms behind patterns and to better understanding the determinants of stream biodiversity.     

Depth distribution of photosynthetic pigments and diatoms in the sediments of a microtidal fjord

The depth distribution of photosynthetic pigments and benthic marine diatoms was investigated in late spring at three different sites on the Swedish west coast. At each site, sediment cores were taken at six depths (7–35 m) by scuba divers. It was hypothesized that (1) living benthic diatoms constitute a substantial part of the benthic microflora even at depths where the light levels are <1% of the surface irradiance, and (2) the changing light environment along the depth gradient will be reflected in (a) the composition of diatom assemblages, and (b) different pigment ratios. Sediment microalgal communities were analysed using epifluorescence microscopy (to study live cells), light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (diatom preparations), and HPLC (photosynthetic pigments). Pigments were calculated as concentrations (mg m^–2) and as ratios relative to chlorophyll a. Hypothesis (1) was accepted. At 20 m, the irradiance was 0.2% of surface irradiance and at 7 m, 1%. Living (epifluorescent) benthic diatoms were found down to 20 m at all sites. The cell counts corroborated the diatom pigment concentrations, decreasing with depth from 7 to 25 m, levelling out between 25 and 35 m. There were significant positive correlations between chlorophyll a and living (epifluorescent) benthic diatoms and between the diatom pigment fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a. Hypothesis (2) was only partly accepted because it could not be shown that light was the main environmental factor. A principal component analysis on diatom species showed that pelagic forms characterized the deeper locations (25–35 m), and epipelic–epipsammic taxa the shallower sites (7–20 m). Redundancy analyses showed a significant relationship between diatom taxa and environmental factors – temperature, salinity, and light intensities explained 57% of diatom taxa variations.     

Diatom ecological guilds display distinct and predictable behavior along nutrient and disturbance gradients in running waters

Three diatom ecological guilds were distinguished based on their potential to tolerate nutrient limitation and physical disturbance, i.e. a low profile, high profile, and motile guild. The guild distributions were examined along nutrient and flow disturbance gradients and across habitats in two extensively sampled streams. The guilds showed distinct distributional patterns, i.e. the low profile guild was favored in nutrient-poor and high disturbance habitats; the high profile guild reached a maximum in nutrient-rich sites and in conditions of low flow disturbance; and the motile guild increased along the nutrient gradients and decreased along the disturbance gradient. Guild distribution was habitat-specific: the low profile guild dominated the epipsammon, the high profile guild showed preference for epilithon and epiphyton, and the motile guild—for epipelon. The highest guild diversity was observed at high nutrient levels across all habitats, at higher flow disturbance levels, and in the epipelon and epiphyton. Comparisons of species, guild, and environmental distances, derived from species counts, guild abundance, and physico-chemical data, respectively, revealed high congruence between species–environment and guild–environment correlations. The predictable behavior of the three ecological guilds along nutrient and disturbance gradients, and across major benthic habitats elucidates the functional value of different diatom growth morphologies in species–environment interactions and suggests a potential use in ecological assessments of human-impacted ecosystems.     

Diatom (Bacillariophyceae) assemblages in tidal environments of Vancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada

To understand distributions of coastal diatoms along Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, this paper describes diatom assemblages observed in 47 surface sediment samples from intertidal environments. One hundred and eighty-four diatom taxa were identified from five transects crossing tidal flats, salt marshes, and freshwater forests in Tofino, Ucluelet, and Port Alberni. Distributions of the diatom assemblages were consistent with those reported elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, but a few diatom taxa show different trends in their distributions. For example, one benthic species Denticula subtilis shows widespread distributions along the transect in Tofino. An ordination shown by Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) using a combined dataset indicated overlapped scatter plots of diatom assemblages, suggesting that assemblages with similar species compositions are observed in more than one location. Hierarchical and k-means clustering analyses using Euclidean distance recognized unique small groups along each transect. Rank abundance curves show different trends for richness and evenness of diatom assemblages among the five transects.     

Correlation of surface sediment diatoms with the present lake water pH in 28 Algoma lakes,Ontario, Canada

The surface sediment diatom analysis of 28 Algoma lakes (pH 4.40–8.13) indicates that even though each lake has a widely different aquatic environment and characteristic diatom assemblage, a definite relationship exists between the lake water pH and their diatom assemblages. In the acidic lakes acidobiontic and acidophilous diatom species predominate whereas in circumneutral and alkaline lakes circumneutral and alkaliphilous diatoms were most common. Cluster analysis of the pH indicator diatom assemblages grouped the study lakes into three distinct cluster groups. These groups also closely corresponded to lake water pH. On the basis of published ecological information as well as their presence in our study lakes, the pH indicator status of a number of diatom taxa have been discussed. A detailed listing of the diatom taxa identified and their pH indicator status is provided in order to facilitate their use in future diatom-inferred pH studies.     

Structure of Benthic Diatom Assemblages from a Mangrove Environment in a Mexican Subtropical Lagoon1

The taxonomic list and the structure of benthic diatom assemblages occurring in fine sediments (silt and sand) from the mangrove forest of the Balandra lagoon in Baja California Sur, Mexico was determined based on seasonal samplings for one year. Assemblage structure was analyzed using several ecological indices for estimating diversity (H'), dominance (REDI), equitability, and similarity. A total of 230 diatom taxa were identified and include 109 new records for the Baja California peninsula coast. Taxa representative of highly productive and hypersaline environments were common. Assemblages were characterized by a few abundant species and many uncommon or rare taxa. High diatom diversity estimates at all sampling sites during all seasons suggest that diatom assemblages in sediments of the Balandra lagoon represent a quasi-pristine environment.     

Diatom communities along stream longitudinal gradients

1. Summer diatom communities on artificial substrates were sampled weekly for a month in three first- to sixth-order tributaries of the Kentucky River to determine how community structure varied with stream size. 2. Diatom cell abundances were generally higher in the headwaters. Species diversity increased in a downstream direction in two of the streams, and in an upstream direction in the third. However, diversity in general seemed more closely related to current regimes than to stream size per se, with highest species diversity at intermediate current velocities. 3. Variation in diatom accumulation rates was greater in downstream communities than in the headwater assemblages of two streams, suggesting that downstream communities may experience greater fluctuations in abundance, at least under low-flow conditions. 4. Patterns of species distributions suggested a relationship between morphological growth forms (guilds) and stream size, as well as the influence of current. Achnanthes spp., Eunotia spp., erect, and stalked taxa were more commonly associated with headwater assemblages. Filamentous and centric diatoms occurred with greater frequency downstream.     

Determining diatom ecotones and their relationship to terrestrial ecoregion designations in the central Canadian Arctic Islands

Ecotones are key areas for the detection of global change because many are predicted to move with shifts in climate. Prince of Wales Island, in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, spans the transition between mid‐ to high‐Arctic ecoregions. We analyzed limnological variables and recent diatom assemblages from its lakes and ponds to determine if assemblages reflected this ecotone. Limnological gradients were short, and water chemistry explained 20.0% of diatom variance in a redundancy analysis (RDA), driven primarily by dissolved organic carbon, Ca and SO₄. Most taxa were small, benthic forms; key taxa such as planktonic Cyclotella species were restricted to the warmer, southern portion of the study area, while benthic Staurosirella were associated with larger, ice‐dominated lakes. Nonetheless, there were no significant changes in diatom assemblages across the mid‐ to high‐Arctic ecoregion boundary. We combined our data set with one from nearby Cornwallis Island to expand the study area and lengthen its environmental gradients. Within this expanded data set, 40.6% of the diatom variance was explained by a combination of water chemistry and geographic variables, and significant relationships were revealed between diatom distributions and key limnological variables, including pH, specific conductivity, and chl‐a. Using principal coordinates analysis, we estimated community turnover with latitude and applied piecewise linear regression to determine diatom ecotone positions. A pronounced transition was present between Prince of Wales Island and the colder, more northerly Cornwallis Island. These data will be important in detecting any future northward ecotone movement in response to predicted Arctic climate warming in this highly sensitive region.     

Seasonal shifts in the assembly dynamics of benthic macroinvertebrate and diatom communities in a subtropical river

Identifying seasonal shifts in community assembly for multiple biological groups is important to help enhance our understanding of their ecological dynamics. However, such knowledge on lotic assemblages is still limited. In this study, we used biological traits and functional diversity indices in association with null model analyses to detect seasonal shifts in the community assembly mechanisms of lotic macroinvertebrates and diatoms in an unregulated subtropical river in China. We found that functional composition and functional diversity (FRic, FEve, FDis, MNN, and SDNN) showed seasonal variation for macroinvertebrate and diatom assemblages. Null models suggested that environmental filtering, competitive exclusion, and neutral process were all important community assembly mechanisms for both biological groups. However, environmental filtering had a stronger effect on spring macroinvertebrate assemblages than autumn assemblages, but the effect on diatom assemblages was the same in both seasons. Moreover, macroinvertebrate and diatom assemblages were shaped by different environmental factors. Macroinvertebrates were filtered mainly by substrate types, velocity, and COD_Mn, while diatoms were mainly shaped by altitude, substrate types, and water quality. Therefore, our study showed (a) that different biological assemblages in a river system presented similarities and differences in community assembly mechanisms, (b) that multiple processes play important roles in maintaining benthic community structure, and (c) that these patterns and underlying mechanisms are seasonally variable. Thus, we highlight the importance of exploring the community assembly mechanisms of multiple biological groups, especially in different seasons, as this is crucial to improve the understanding of river community changes and their responses to environmental degradation.     

Characterization of diatom assemblages in mid-altitude streams of NW Italy

Following the European Water Framework Directive, this study aims to be the first step to (i) identify diatom type assemblages in unpolluted streams in NW Italy, and (ii) find which ecological factors explain most of the variation. To achieve this, we collected physical, chemical and benthic community data from four streams in NW Italy from 2001 to 2004, for a total of 72 samples. All sampling sites were between 200 m a.s.l. and 800 m a.s.l., but differed in the dominant lithological substrate, i.e. alluvial or siliceous. Relationships between diatom communities and environmental factors were examined using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), while Indicator Species Analysis was used to define characterizing species and accompanying species of three environmental groups identified by CCA: (1) high water quality and medium saline content, (2) high water quality and low saline content, (3) poor water quality. The diatom assemblages of the three groups of sites differed significantly, as shown by the Multi-Response Permutation Procedure. There were strong correlations between diatoms and environmental factors, especially chlorides (also highly correlated with sulphates and carbonate hardness), nitrate concentration and conductivity. The group 1 assemblage was typical of the alluvial Alpine streams with medium saline content and was characterized by mostly oligosaprobic/β-mesosaprobic taxa such as Cymbella affinis, Diatoma ehrenbergii and Staurosira pinnata. The species assemblage found in the siliceous Alpine rivers with good water quality make them suitable reference sites for a benthic diatom community. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and accessible for authorised users Handling editor: K. Martens     

PERIPHYTIC DIATOM ASSEMBLAGES FROM ULTRA‐OLIGOTROPHIC AND UV TRANSPARENT LAKES AND PONDS ON VICTORIA ISLAND AND COMPARISONS WITH OTHER DIATOM SURVEYS IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC1

Periphytic diatoms are potentially powerful indicators of environmental change in climatically‐sensitive high latitude regions. However, only a few studies have examined their taxonomic and ecological characteristics. We identified and enumerated diatom assemblages from sediment, rock, and moss habitats in 34 ultra‐oligotrophic and highly transparent lakes and ponds on Victoria Island, Arctic Canada. The similar limnological characteristics of the sites allowed us to examine the influence of habitat, independent of water chemistry, on the diatom assemblages. As is typical in shallow arctic water bodies, benthic taxa, including species of Achnanthes, Caloneis, Cymbella, Navicula, and Nitzschia, were most widely represented. Minor gradients in our measured environmental variables did not significantly explain any variance in diatom species, but there were marked differences in diatom assemblages among sites. Pond ephemerality seems to explain some diatom variation, because aerophilic taxa such as Achnanthes kryophila Petersen and A. marginulata Grunow were dominant in shallow sites that had undergone appreciable reductions in volume. We identified several taxa that exhibited strong habitat preferences to sediment, moss, or rock substrates and also found significant differences (P < 0.01) in diatom composition among the three habitats. In comparisons with three similar diatom surveys extending over 1200 km of latitude, we determined that surface sediment assemblages differed significantly (P < 0.001) among all regions examined. Diatom species diversity was inversely related to latitude, a result likely explained by differences in the lengths of growing seasons. These data contribute important ecological information on diatom assemblages in arctic regions and will aid in the interpretation of environmental changes in biomonitoring and paleolimnological studies.     

浴仙湖沉积物记录的云南极端干旱事件与生态响应评价

为评价湖库生态环境对极端气候的响应特征, 以经历水位明显降低的云南浴仙湖为研究对象, 通过沉积物多指标分析并结合多变量统计方法, 识别了2009—2013年极端干旱事件驱动湖泊生态环境变化的模式。其中沉积物粒度显示近百年来湖泊水文条件总体稳定, 但在2011年左右粗颗粒物质和中值粒径增大, 同期沉积物元素、同位素记录表明水体营养水平没有明显变化。硅藻群落近百年来以湖泊底栖物种占绝对优势, 约2011年开始优势种属Fragilaria被Nitzschia、Navicula等河流水体中常见的物种所替代, 且硅藻多样性指标总体增加, 而指示水位变化的PCA主轴一解释了硅藻群落结构的主要变化(约55.8%)。总之, 极端干旱事件的发生与持续明显改变了湖泊生物群落结构与多样性特征, 已成为影响该气候敏感区水资源安全与生态环境功能的重要挑战之一。     

Lake regionalization and diatom metacommunity structuring in tropical South America

Lakes and their topological distribution across Earth's surface impose ecological and evolutionary constraints on aquatic metacommunities. In this study, we group similar lake ecosystems as metacommunity units influencing diatom community structure. We assembled a database of 195 lakes from the tropical Andes and adjacent lowlands (8°N–30°S and 58–79°W) with associated environmental predictors to examine diatom metacommunity patterns at two different levels: taxon and functional (deconstructed species matrix by ecological guilds). We also derived spatial variables that inherently assessed the relative role of dispersal. Using complementary multivariate statistical techniques (principal component analysis, cluster analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, Procrustes, variance partitioning), we examined diatom–environment relationships among different lake habitats (sediment surface, periphyton, and plankton) and partitioned community variation to evaluate the influence of niche‐ and dispersal‐based assembly processes in diatom metacommunity structure across lake clusters. The results showed a significant association between geographic clusters of lakes based on gradients of climate and landscape configuration and diatom assemblages. Six lake clusters distributed along a latitudinal gradient were identified as functional metacommunity units for diatom communities. Variance partitioning revealed that dispersal mechanisms were a major contributor to diatom metacommunity structure, but in a highly context‐dependent fashion across lake clusters. In the Andean Altiplano and adjacent lowlands of Bolivia, diatom metacommunities are niche assembled but constrained by either dispersal limitation or mass effects, resulting from area, environmental heterogeneity, and ecological guild relationships. Topographic heterogeneity played an important role in structuring planktic diatom metacommunities. We emphasize the value of a guild‐based metacommunity model linked to dispersal for elucidating mechanisms underlying latitudinal gradients in distribution. Our findings reveal the importance of shifts in ecological drivers across climatic and physiographically distinct lake clusters, providing a basis for comparison of broad‐scale community gradients in lake‐rich regions elsewhere. This may help guide future research to explore evolutionary constraints on the rich Neotropical benthic diatom species pool.     

Light,nutrients and grazing interact to determine stream diatom community composition and functional group structure

1. Benthic algal communities are shaped by the availability of nutrients and light and by herbivore consumption. Many studies have examined how one of these factors affects algal communities, but studies simultaneously addressing all three are rare. 2. We investigated the effects of nutrients, light and a herbivore (the snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum) on benthic stream algae in a fully factorial experiment in 128 circular streamside channels. Four nutrient levels (none added to highly enriched), four snail grazing pressures (no snails to 777 individuals m^?2) and two light levels (ambient and 65% reduced) were applied. Colonising algae were dominated by diatoms (Bacillariophyta), which were determined to species using acid‐cleaned samples and assigned to functional groups according to their physiognomic growth form. 3. Diatom community structure changed considerably in response to our manipulations. Light had the strongest influence (as indicated by manova effect size), whereas nutrients had an intermediate effect and grazing was fairly weak. Relative abundances of six common diatom taxa decreased under reduced light, whereas five others became more prevalent. Eight taxa benefitted from nutrient enrichment, while three became rarer. Grazing affected the relative density of only one common taxon, which increased at higher grazing pressure. 4. Diatom functional groups also responded strongly. ‘Low profile’ taxa dominated at low resource levels (nutrients and especially light), whereas ‘high profile’ and ‘motile’ taxa became markedly more prevalent at higher resource levels. 5. Two‐way interactions between experimental factors were quite common. For example, Planothidium lanceolatum and Rossithidium petersenii responded more strongly to nutrient enrichment at reduced than at ambient light, whereas Cocconeis placentula responded more strongly at ambient light. For diatom functional groups, the benefit of nutrient enrichment for ‘motile’ diatoms was greater at ambient than at reduced light. 6. Our results imply that multifactor experiments are required to determine the main forces driving the composition of benthic algal communities. Further, our findings highlight the considerable potential of using functional algal groups as indicators of changing environmental conditions to complement the traditional taxonomic approach.