Global patterns and drivers of genetic diversity among marine habitat-forming species

Aim

Intraspecific genetic diversity is one of the pillars of biodiversity, supporting the resilience and evolutionary potential of populations. Yet, our knowledge regarding the patterns of genetic diversity at macroecological scales, so-called macrogenetic patterns, remains scarce, particularly in marine species. Marine habitat-forming (MHF) species are key species in some of the most diverse but also most impacted marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and marine forests. We characterize the patterns and drivers of genetic diversity in MHF species and provide a macrogenetic baseline, which can be used for conservation planning and for future genetic monitoring programmes.

Location

Global.

Time period

Contemporary.

Major taxa studied

Bryozoans, hexacorals, hydrozoans, octocorals, seagrasses, seaweeds, sponges.

Methods

We analysed a database including genetic diversity estimates based on microsatellites in more than 9,000 georeferenced populations from 140 species, which belong to seven animal and plant taxa. Focusing on expected heterozygosity, we used generalized additive models to test the effect of latitude, taxon, and conservation status. We tested the correlation between the species richness and the genetic diversity.

Results

We reveal a significant but complex biogeographic pattern characterized by a bimodal latitudinal trend influenced by taxonomy. We also report a positive species genetic diversity correlation at the scale of the ecoregions. The difference in genetic diversity between protected and unprotected areas was not significant.

Main conclusions

The contrasting results between MHF animals and plants suggest that the latitudinal genetic diversity patterns observed in MHF species are idiosyncratic, as reported in terrestrial species. Our results support the existence of shared drivers between genetic and species diversities, which remain to be formally identified. Concerning, these macrogenetic patterns are not aligned from the existing network of marine protected areas. Providing the first macrogenetic baseline in MHF species, this study echoes the call regarding the need to consider genetic diversity in biodiversity assessments and management.     

Towards global patterns in the diversity and community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi

Global species richness patterns of soil micro-organisms remain poorly understood compared to macro-organisms. We use a global analysis to disentangle the global determinants of diversity and community composition for ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi-microbial symbionts that play key roles in plant nutrition in most temperate and many tropical forest ecosystems. Host plant family has the strongest effect on the phylogenetic community composition of fungi, whereas temperature and precipitation mostly affect EcM fungal richness that peaks in the temperate and boreal forest biomes, contrasting with latitudinal patterns of macro-organisms. Tropical ecosystems experience rapid turnover of organic material and have weak soil stratification, suggesting that poor habitat conditions may contribute to the relatively low richness of EcM fungi, and perhaps other soil biota, in most tropical ecosystems. For EcM fungi, greater evolutionary age and larger total area of EcM host vegetation may also contribute to the higher diversity in temperate ecosystems. Our results provide useful biogeographic and ecological hypotheses for explaining the distribution of fungi that remain to be tested by involving next-generation sequencing techniques and relevant soil metadata.     

Global patterns of plant diversity

Summary Using 94 data sets from across the globe, we explored patterns of mean community species richness, landscape species richness, mean similarity among communities and mosaic diversity. Climate affected community species richness primarily through productivity while other climatic factors were secondary. Climatic equability affected species richness only in temperate regions where richness was greatest at high levels of temperature variability and low levels of precipitation variability. Landscape species richness correlated positively with community species richness. A global gradient in mean similarity existed but was uncorrelated with community species richness. Mean similarity was least and mosaic diversity was greatest between 25 and 30° latitude. The most diverse landscapes (low mean similarity) correlated with warm temperatures, high elevations, large areas and large seasonal temperature fluctuations. The most complex landscapes (high mosaic diversity) correlated with large areas, high productivity and warm winters. We compared diversity measures among continents and found only one significant difference: Australian landscapes have greater mosaic diversity than African landscapes. Based on our analyses we propose two hypotheses: (1) for plants, biotic interactions are more important in structuring landscapes in warmer climates and (2) longer isolated landscapes have more clearly differentiated ecological subunits.     

Global marine bacterial diversity peaks at high latitudes in winter

Genomic approaches to characterizing bacterial communities are revealing significant differences in diversity and composition between environments. But bacterial distributions have not been mapped at a global scale. Although current community surveys are way too sparse to map global diversity patterns directly, there is now sufficient data to fit accurate models of how bacterial distributions vary across different environments and to make global scale maps from these models. We apply this approach to map the global distributions of bacteria in marine surface waters. Our spatially and temporally explicit predictions suggest that bacterial diversity peaks in temperate latitudes across the world''s oceans. These global peaks are seasonal, occurring 6 months apart in the two hemispheres, in the boreal and austral winters. This pattern is quite different from the tropical, seasonally consistent diversity patterns observed for most macroorganisms. However, like other marine organisms, surface water bacteria are particularly diverse in regions of high human environmental impacts on the oceans. Our maps provide the first picture of bacterial distributions at a global scale and suggest important differences between the diversity patterns of bacteria compared with other organisms.     

The latitudinal position of peak marine diversity in living and fossil biotas

Aim Peak marine taxonomic diversity has only rarely occurred at or near the equator during the Phanerozoic Eon, in contrast to the present‐day pattern. This fundamental difference is difficult to reconcile because the latitude at which peak diversity occurs for living marine taxa has not yet been explicitly determined at a broad taxonomic and spatial scale. Here, we attempt to determine this value in order to compare the contemporary and fossil patterns directly. Location Our data are global in coverage. Methods We used a literature compilation of 149 present‐day marine latitudinal diversity gradients. We summed the number of marine taxa that exhibited peak diversity within 10° latitudinal bins. In addition, we recorded locality data, general habitat (benthic/pelagic), and the taxonomic level of the study organisms. Results We found that peak diversity for most sampled marine taxa currently occurs between 10° and 20° N, even after correcting for a Northern Hemisphere sampling bias. Moreover, this peak position is a global phenomenon: it is found across habitats and higher taxa, within all sampled ocean basins, and on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Benthic taxa, which dominate our data, exhibit one peak at 10°–20° N, while pelagic taxa exhibit a peak at 10°–20° N and an additional peak at 10°–20° S, producing a distinct trough at the equator. Main conclusions Our data indicate that peak marine diversity for many taxa is currently within 10°–20° N rather than at the equator, and that this is not likely to result from either undersampling at lower latitudes or the pattern being dominated by a particular taxon. Possible explanations may include a coincidence with the intertropical convergence zone, a mid‐domain effect, abundant shallow marine habitat, or high ocean temperatures at latitudes nearest the equator. Regardless of its exact cause, the position of peak diversity should be considered a fundamental feature of the latitudinal diversity gradient that must be accounted for within attempts to explain the latter’s existence.     

Diversity and genomics of Antarctic marine micro-organisms

Marine bacterioplanktons are thought to play a vital role in Southern Ocean ecology and ecosystem function, as they do in other ocean systems. However, our understanding of phylogenetic diversity, genome-enabled capabilities and specific adaptations to this persistently cold environment is limited. Bacterioplankton community composition shifts significantly over the annual cycle as sea ice melts and phytoplankton bloom. Microbial diversity in sea ice is better known than that of the plankton, where culture collections do not appear to represent organisms detected with molecular surveys. Broad phylogenetic groupings of Antarctic bacterioplankton such as the marine group I Crenarchaeota, alpha-Proteobacteria (Roseobacter-related and SAR-11 clusters), gamma-Proteobacteria (both cultivated and uncultivated groups) and Bacteriodetes-affiliated organisms in Southern Ocean waters are in common with other ocean systems. Antarctic SSU rRNA gene phylotypes are typically affiliated with other polar sequences. Some species such as Polaribacter irgensii and currently uncultivated gamma-Proteobacteria (Ant4D3 and Ant10A4) may flourish in Antarctic waters, though further studies are needed to address diversity on a larger scale. Insights from initial genomics studies on both cultivated organisms and genomes accessed through shotgun cloning of environmental samples suggest that there are many unique features of these organisms that facilitate survival in high-latitude, persistently cold environments.     

Towards revealing the global diversity and community assembly of soil eukaryotes

Soil fungi, protists, and animals (i.e., the eukaryome) play a critical role in key ecosystem functions in terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, we lack a holistic understanding of the processes shaping the global distribution of the eukaryome. We conducted a molecular analysis of 193 composite soil samples spanning the world's major biomes. Our analysis showed that the importance of selection processes was higher in the community assemblage of smaller-bodied and wider niche breadth organisms. Soil pH and mean annual precipitation were the primary determinants of the community structure of eukaryotic microbes and animals, respectively. We further found contrasting latitudinal diversity patterns and strengths for soil eukaryotic microbes and animals. Our results point to a potential link between body size and niche breadth of soil eukaryotes and the relative effect of ecological processes and environmental factors in driving their biogeographic patterns.     

Distinct latitudinal community patterns of Arctic marine vertebrates along the East Greenlandic coast detected by environmental DNA

Aim

Greenland is one of the places on Earth where the effects of climate change are most evident. The retreat of sea ice has made East Greenland more accessible for longer periods during the year. East Greenland fjords have been notoriously difficult to study due to their remoteness, dense sea ice conditions and lack of infrastructure. As a result, biological monitoring across latitudinal gradients is scarce in East Greenland and relies on sporadic research cruises and trawl data from commercial vessels. We here aim to investigate the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using environmental DNA (eDNA).

Location

South to Northeast Greenland.

Methods

We investigated the transition in fish and marine mammal communities from South to Northeast Greenland using eDNA metabarcoding of seawater samples. We included both surface and mesopelagic samples, collected over approximately 2400 km waterway distance, by sampling from Cape Farewell to Ella Island in August 2021.

Results

We demonstrate a clear transition in biological communities from south to northeast, with detected fish and mammal species matching known distributions. Samples from the southern areas were dominated by capelin (Mallotus villosus) and redfish (Sebastes), whereas northeastern samples were dominated by polar cod (Boreogadus saida), sculpins (Myoxocephalus) and ringed seal (Pusa hispida). We provide newly generated 12S rRNA barcodes from 87 fish species, bringing the public DNA database closer to full taxonomic coverage for Greenlandic fish species for this locus.

Main Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that eDNA sampling can detect latitudinal shifts in marine biological communities of the Arctic region, which can supplement traditional fish surveys in understanding species distributions and community compositions of marine vertebrates. Importantly, sampling of eDNA can be a feasible approach for detecting northward range expansions in remote areas as climate change progresses.     

Origins of marine patterns of biodiversity: some correlates and applications

Abstract: Marine shelf diversity patterns correlate with macroecological features of basic importance that may play causal roles in macroevolution. We have investigated the global diversity pattern of living Bivalvia, which is dominated by the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), maintained by high tropical origination rates. Generic‐level lineages expand poleward, chiefly through speciation, so that species richness within provinces and globally is positively correlated with generic geographical ranges. A gradient in diversity accommodation progressively lowers both immigration and speciation rates in higher latitudes. The LDG correlates with seasonality of trophic resources but not with area; tropical provinces are not diverse because they are large but because they are tropical. A similar dynamic evidently underlays Jurassic and Carboniferous LDGs. Larval developmental modes correlate with the LDG and thus with resource seasonality, with tropical dominance of planktotrophs offset by increasing nonplanktotrophy to poleward. The acquisition of planktotrophy in several early Palaeozoic clades indicates a change in macroecological relationships during Cambrian and Ordovician radiations.     

Seaweeds, latitudinal diversity patterns, and Rapoport's Rule

We analysed the geographic distribution of 645 species of marine benthic algae along the Atlantic coast of Europe and Pacific coast of temperate South America to test for the existence of an association between geographic range size and latitude (Rapoport's Rule) and for three key components of the explanations offered for it. We found that species in high diversity areas are characterized by small geographic ranges and by low specific growth rates as compared to species with large geographic ranges, thus supporting the Rapoport-rescue hypothesis. However, the pattern is not related to species' tolerances, to abiotic conditions or to climatic variability. Further, the inverse latitudinal diversity pattern shown by the marine algal flora of temperate Pacific South America, and the opposite patterns shown by tropical and subantarctic species within this flora, stressed that small geographic ranges are linked to high diversity areas in general, and not only in relation to the pole to tropic species diversity gradient.     

Global patterns in the impact of marine herbivores on benthic primary producers

Despite the importance of consumers in structuring communities, and the widespread assumption that consumption is strongest at low latitudes, empirical tests for global scale patterns in the magnitude of consumer impacts are limited. In marine systems, the long tradition of experimentally excluding herbivores in their natural environments allows consumer impacts to be quantified on global scales using consistent methodology. We present a quantitative synthesis of 613 marine herbivore exclusion experiments to test the influence of consumer traits, producer traits and the environment on the strength of herbivore impacts on benthic producers. Across the globe, marine herbivores profoundly reduced producer abundance (by 68% on average), with strongest effects in rocky intertidal habitats and the weakest effects on habitats dominated by vascular plants. Unexpectedly, we found little or no influence of latitude or mean annual water temperature. Instead, herbivore impacts differed most consistently among producer taxonomic and morphological groups. Our results show that grazing impacts on plant abundance are better predicted by producer traits than by large-scale variation in habitat or mean temperature, and that there is a previously unrecognised degree of phylogenetic conservatism in producer susceptibility to consumption.     

Nearly a decade‐long repeatable seasonal diversity patterns of bacterioplankton communities in the eutrophic Lake Donghu (Wuhan,China)

Uncovering which environmental factors govern community diversity patterns and how ecological processes drive community turnover are key questions related to understand the community assembly. However, the ecological mechanisms regulating long‐term variations of bacterioplankton communities in lake ecosystems remain poorly understood. Here we present nearly a decade‐long study of bacterioplankton communities from the eutrophic Lake Donghu (Wuhan, China) using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with MiSeq platform. We found strong repeatable seasonal diversity patterns in terms of both common (detected in more than 50% samples) and dominant (relative abundance >1%) bacterial taxa turnover. Moreover, community composition tracked the seasonal temperature gradient, indicating that temperature is a key environmental factor controlling observed diversity patterns. Total phosphorus also contributed significantly to the seasonal shifts in bacterioplankton composition. However, any spatial pattern of bacterioplankton communities across the main lake areas within season was overwhelmed by their temporal variabilities. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that 75%–82% of community turnover was governed by homogeneous selection due to consistent environmental conditions within seasons, suggesting that the microbial communities in Lake Donghu are mainly controlled by niche‐based processes. Therefore, dominant niches available within seasons might be occupied by similar combinations of bacterial taxa with modest dispersal rates throughout different lake areas.     

滦河干流中上游浮游细菌群落多样性及其影响因素

浮游细菌是河流生态系统中营养元素的转运者和能量流动的主要贡献者,其群落组成和多样性会受沿途河岸带环境的影响,但目前对开放流动水体中浮游细菌群落的研究还不足。研究使用高通量测序方法,获取了滦河中上游21个样点的浮游微生物群落数据,并结合遥感数据和水体理化指标进行分析,探讨浮游细菌群落结构与水环境因子的关系。结果表明：(1)变形菌门和放线菌门是滦河干流中占据优势地位的门类。(2)群落Chao1丰富度指数与Shannon′s多样性指数均与采样点距河流源头距离存在显著负相关(P<0.05),其中Chao1丰富度指数在河流中段的反常升高暗示着外源性偶见种在该河段的大量涌入。(3)采样点距源头距离与细菌群落组成相关性最高;以距源头距离作为控制变量,只有总氮、硝酸盐氮、氨氮与细菌群落组成相关(P<0.05),表明距源头距离所代表的滞水时间和氮营养盐对细菌群落组成存在显著影响。(4)在4种土地利用因子中,无论是否以距源头距离作为控制变量,只有建设用地占比与细菌群落组成相关(P<0.05);若以硝酸盐氮、电导率作为控制变量,则建设用地占比与细菌群落组成在α=0.05的显著性水平下不再显...     

Explaining global variation in the latitudinal diversity gradient: Meta‐analysis confirms known patterns and uncovers new ones

Aim

The pattern of increasing biological diversity from high latitudes to the equator [latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG)] has been recognized for > 200 years. Empirical studies have documented this pattern across many different organisms and locations. Our goal was to quantify the evidence for the global LDG and the associated spatial, taxonomic and environmental factors. We performed a meta‐analysis on a large number of individual LDGs that have been published in the 14 years since Hillebrand's ground‐breaking meta‐analysis of the LDG, using meta‐analysis and meta‐regression approaches largely new to the fields of ecology and biogeography.

Location

Global.

Time period

January 2003–September 2015.

Major taxa studied

Bacteria, protists, plants, fungi and animals.

Methods

We synthesized the outcomes of 389 individual cases of LDGs from 199 papers published since 2003, using hierarchical mixed‐effects meta‐analysis and multiple meta‐regression. Additionally, we re‐analysed Hillebrand's original dataset using modern methods.

Results

We confirmed the generality of the LDG, but found the pattern to be weaker than was found in Hillebrand's study. We identified previously unreported variation in LDG strength and slope across longitude, with evidence that the LDG is strongest in the Western Hemisphere. Locational characteristics, such as habitat and latitude range, contributed significantly to LDG strength, whereas organismal characteristics, including taxonomic group and trophic level, did not. Modern meta‐analytical models that incorporate hierarchical structure led to more conservative and sometimes contrasting effect size estimates relative to Hillebrand's initial analysis, whereas meta‐regression revealed underlying patterns in Hillebrand's dataset that were not apparent with a traditional analysis.

Main conclusions

We present evidence of global latitudinal, longitudinal and habitat‐based patterns in the LDG, which are apparent across both marine and terrestrial realms and over a broad taxonomic range of organisms, from bacteria to plants and vertebrates.