Ecosystem productivity is associated with bacterial phylogenetic distance in surface marine waters

Understanding the link between community diversity and ecosystem function is a fundamental aspect of ecology. Systematic losses in biodiversity are widely acknowledged but the impact this may exert on ecosystem functioning remains ambiguous. There is growing evidence of a positive relationship between species richness and ecosystem productivity for terrestrial macro‐organisms, but similar links for marine micro‐organisms, which help drive global climate, are unclear. Community manipulation experiments show both positive and negative relationships for microbes. These previous studies rely, however, on artificial communities and any links between the full diversity of active bacterial communities in the environment, their phylogenetic relatedness and ecosystem function remain hitherto unexplored. Here, we test the hypothesis that productivity is associated with diversity in the metabolically active fraction of microbial communities. We show in natural assemblages of active bacteria that communities containing more distantly related members were associated with higher bacterial production. The positive phylogenetic diversity–productivity relationship was independent of community diversity calculated as the Shannon index. From our long‐term (7‐year) survey of surface marine bacterial communities, we also found that similarly, productive communities had greater phylogenetic similarity to each other, further suggesting that the traits of active bacteria are an important predictor of ecosystem productivity. Our findings demonstrate that the evolutionary history of the active fraction of a microbial community is critical for understanding their role in ecosystem functioning.     

A phylogenetic perspective on species diversity, β‐diversity and biogeography for the microbial world

There is an increasing interest to combine phylogenetic data with distributional and ecological records to assess how natural communities arrange under an evolutionary perspective. In the microbial world, there is also a need to go beyond the problematic species definition to deeply explore ecological patterns using genetic data. We explored links between evolution/phylogeny and community ecology using bacterial 16S rRNA gene information from a high‐altitude lakes district data set. We described phylogenetic community composition, spatial distribution, and β‐diversity and biogeographical patterns applying evolutionary relatedness without relying on any particular operational taxonomic unit definition. High‐altitude lakes districts usually contain a large mosaic of highly diverse small water bodies and conform a fine biogeographical model of spatially close but environmentally heterogeneous ecosystems. We sampled 18 lakes in the Pyrenees with a selection criteria focused on capturing the maximum environmental variation within the smallest geographical area. The results showed highly diverse communities nonrandomly distributed with phylogenetic β‐diversity patterns mainly shaped by the environment and not by the spatial distance. Community similarity based on both bacterial taxonomic composition and phylogenetic β‐diversity shared similar patterns and was primarily structured by similar environmental drivers. We observed a positive relationship between lake area and phylogenetic diversity with a slope consistent with highly dispersive planktonic organisms. The phylogenetic approach incorporated patterns of common ancestry into bacterial community analysis and emerged as a very convenient analytical tool for direct inter‐ and intrabiome biodiversity comparisons and sorting out microbial habitats with potential application in conservation studies.     

生态学的多样性指数:功能与系统发育

生物多样性是生态学的核心问题。传统的多样性指数仅包含物种数和相对多度的信息,这类基于分类学的多样性指数并不能很好地帮助理解群落构建和生态系统功能。不同物种对群落构建和生态系统功能所起到的作用类型和贡献也不完全相同,且物种在生态过程中的作用和贡献往往与性状密切相关,因此功能多样性已经成为反映物种群落构建、干扰以及环境因素对群落影响的重要指标。同时,由于亲缘关系相近的物种往往具有相似的性状,系统发育多样性也可以作为功能多样性的一个替代。功能多样性和系统发育多样性各自具有优缺点,但二者均比分类多样性更能揭示群落和生态系统的构建、维持与功能。     

Molecular phylogenetic diversity of bacteria and its spatial distribution in composts

AIMS: To investigate microbial diversity of swine manure composts in the initial stage and the spatial distribution due to gradient effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: Samples in different locations of a composting pile were taken and analysed by using a culture-independent approach. Total community DNA was extracted and bacterial 16S rRNA genes were subsequently amplified, cloned, restriction fragment length polymorphism-screened and sequenced. Thirty-three unique sequence types were found among the 110 analysed positive clones from superstratum sample; 56 among 122 from middle-level sample and 32 among 114 from substrate sample, respectively. The sequences related to Clostridium sp. were most common in the composts. One hundred and thirteen out of 121 16S rDNA sequence types displayed homology with those in the GenBank database. Seven 16S rDNA sequence types were not closely related to any known species. The middle-level sample had the highest microbial diversity, containing unique sequences related to Lactosphaera pasteurii, Firmicutes sp., Aerococcus sp., Megasphaera sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. CONCLUSIONS: Pile temperature significantly affected microbial community in the initial stage of the composting. Microbial community in different locations is quite different resulting from gradient effect. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Results of this study reveal high bacterial diversity in manure composts, and provide molecular evidence to support gradient effect on microbial diversity in initial stage as well.     

A review on the relationships between plant genetic diversity and ecosystem functioning

全球变化和人类活动导致物种生境的萎缩, 造成很多植物种群数量缩减, 遗传多样性快速丧失。对于物种多样性低的生态系统, 优势种的遗传多样性可能比物种多样性对生态系统功能产生更大的影响。因此, 了解遗传多样性和生态系统功能的关系(GD-EF)及其机制对生物多样性保护、应对环境变化和生态修复具有指导意义。该文综述了植物遗传多样性对生态系统结构(高营养级生物群落结构)和生态系统功能(初级生产力、养分循环和稳定性)的影响及机制、功能多样性对GD-EF的影响、遗传多样性效应和物种多样性效应的比较, 以及GD-EF在生态修复等实际应用的研究进展。最后指出当前研究的不足之处, 以期为后续研究提供参考: 1)还需深入研究GD-EF机制; 2)未评估遗传多样性对生态系统多功能性的影响; 3)不同遗传多样性测度对生态系统功能的影响不明确; 4)缺少长期的和多空间尺度结合的GD-EF实验; 5)遗传多样性效应相对于其他因子的作用不清楚。     

植物遗传多样性与生态系统功能关系的研究进展

全球变化和人类活动导致物种生境的萎缩, 造成很多植物种群数量缩减, 遗传多样性快速丧失。对于物种多样性低的生态系统, 优势种的遗传多样性可能比物种多样性对生态系统功能产生更大的影响。因此, 了解遗传多样性和生态系统功能的关系(GD-EF)及其机制对生物多样性保护、应对环境变化和生态修复具有指导意义。该文综述了植物遗传多样性对生态系统结构(高营养级生物群落结构)和生态系统功能(初级生产力、养分循环和稳定性)的影响及机制、功能多样性对GD-EF的影响、遗传多样性效应和物种多样性效应的比较, 以及GD-EF在生态修复等实际应用的研究进展。最后指出当前研究的不足之处, 以期为后续研究提供参考: 1)还需深入研究GD-EF机制; 2)未评估遗传多样性对生态系统多功能性的影响; 3)不同遗传多样性测度对生态系统功能的影响不明确; 4)缺少长期的和多空间尺度结合的GD-EF实验; 5)遗传多样性效应相对于其他因子的作用不清楚。     

物种多样性和系统发育多样性对阔叶红松林生产力的影响

生物多样性与生态系统功能间的关系已成为生态学研究的热点问题之一,其中植物多样性对森林生产力的驱动作用受到广泛关注,而其潜在驱动机制还存在很大争议.本研究依托黑龙江凉水国家级自然保护区典型阔叶红松林9 hm^2森林动态监测样地,利用2005年和2015年的调查数据,采用线性回归和结构方程模型探究不同空间尺度下物种多样性和系统发育多样性对森林生产力的影响.结果表明:物种多样性和系统发育多样性与生产力均呈正相关,随着空间尺度的增大,物种多样性对生产力的作用强度逐渐增强,而系统发育多样性对生产力的作用逐渐减弱;小尺度下系统发育多样性对生产力的影响大于物种多样性.生产力还受到非生物因素影响,在不同尺度下土壤因子与生产力均呈显著正相关,并且随着尺度的增大,土壤因子对生产力的作用逐渐占据主导地位.在今后研究中应将进化信息与生态系统功能相联系,可为其他多样性度量提供额外的解释力,同时还应考虑空间尺度及非生物因素的影响,为深入了解森林生产力的驱动机制提供科学依据.     

Taxon sampling effects on the quantification and comparison of community phylogenetic diversity

Ecologists are increasingly making use of molecular phylogenies, especially in the fields of community ecology and conservation. However, these phylogenies are often used without full appreciation of their underlying assumptions and uncertainties. A frequent practice in ecological studies is inferring a phylogeny with molecular data from taxa only within the community of interest. These “inferred community phylogenies” are inherently biased in their taxon sampling. Despite the importance of comprehensive sampling in constructing phylogenies, the implications of using inferred community phylogenies in ecological studies have not been examined. Here, we evaluate how taxon sampling affects the quantification and comparison of community phylogenetic diversity using both simulated and empirical data sets. We demonstrate that inferred community trees greatly underestimate phylogenetic diversity and that the probability of incorrectly ranking community diversity can reach up to 25%, depending on the dating methods employed. We argue that to reach reliable conclusions, ecological studies must improve their taxon sampling and generate the best phylogeny possible.     

Bacterial diversity patterns along a gradient of primary productivity

Primary productivity is a key determinant of biodiversity patterns in plants and animals but has not previously been shown to affect bacterial diversity. We examined the relationship between productivity and bacterial richness in aquatic mesocosms designed to mimic small ponds. We observed that productivity could influence the composition and richness of bacterial communities. We showed that, even within the same system, different bacterial taxonomic groups could exhibit different responses to changes in productivity. The richness of members of the Cytophaga‐Flavobacteria‐Bacteroides group exhibited a significant hump‐shaped relationship with productivity, as is often observed for plant and animal richness in aquatic systems. In contrast, we observed a significant U‐shaped relationship between richness and productivity for α‐proteobacteria and no discernable relationship for β‐proteobacteria. We show, for the first time, that bacterial diversity varies along a gradient of primary productivity and thus make an important step towards understanding processes responsible for the maintenance of bacterial biodiversity.     

The active microbial diversity drives ecosystem multifunctionality and is physiologically related to carbon availability in Mediterranean semi‐arid soils

Biogeochemical processes and ecosystemic functions are mostly driven by soil microbial communities. However, most methods focus on evaluating the total microbial community and fail to discriminate its active fraction which is linked to soil functionality. Precisely, the activity of the microbial community is strongly limited by the availability of organic carbon (C) in soils under arid and semi‐arid climate. Here, we provide a complementary genomic and metaproteomic approach to investigate the relationships between the diversity of the total community, the active diversity and ecosystem functionality across a dissolved organic carbon (DOC) gradient in southeast Spain. DOC correlated with the ecosystem multifunctionality index composed by soil respiration, enzyme activities (urease, alkaline phosphatase and β‐glucosidase) and microbial biomass (phospholipid fatty acids, PLFA). This study highlights that the active diversity (determined by metaprotoemics) but not the diversity of the whole microbial community (evaluated by amplicon gene sequencing) is related to the availability of organic C and it is also connected to the ecosystem multifunctionality index. We reveal that DOC shapes the activities of bacterial and fungal populations in Mediterranean semi‐arid soils and determines the compartmentalization of functional niches. For instance, Rhizobales thrived at high‐DOC sites probably fuelled by metabolism of one‐C compounds. Moreover, the analysis of proteins involved in the transport and metabolism of carbohydrates revealed that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota occupied different nutritional niches. The functional mechanisms for niche specialization were not constant across the DOC gradient.     

湛江硇洲岛海葵相关可培养细菌系统发育多样性

【目的】了解湛江硇洲岛海葵样品中相关可培养细菌的多样性。【方法】运用纯培养法和基于16S rRNA基因序列的系统发育分析对样品中可培养细菌多样性进行研究。【结果】用补充0～2.0 mol/L NaCl 的MA、ISP 2、NA、SWA和HAA培养基从海葵样品中分离到126株细菌,通过形态观察和部分生理生化实验去冗余,选取42株具有代表性的菌株进行基于16S rRNA基因序列的系统发育多样性分析。结果表明,42个分离菌株可分为25个物种,属于3个大的系统发育类群(Firmicutes,Gamma-Proteobacteria,Actinobacteria)、11个科、18个属。多数菌株属于Firmicutes门（17株,40.5％）和Gamma-Proteobacteria亚门（14株,33.3％）。这些分离菌株中,至少有6个菌株可能代表6个不同属的6个新物种：JSM 071004、JSM 071068、JSM 071073、JSM 072002、JSM 073008和JSM073097分别代表Bacillus、Halobacillus、Piscibacillus、Pontibacillus、Alteromonas和Nocardiopsis属的新物种。【结论】从以上结果可以看出,湛江硇洲岛海葵中存在较为丰富的微生物物种多样性和系统发育多样性,并且潜藏着较多的新的微生物类群（物种）。     

Functional and phylogenetic diversity determine woody productivity in a temperate forest

Understanding the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem productivity has become a central issue in ecology and conservation biology studies, particularly when these relationships are connected with global climate change and species extinction. However, which facets of biodiversity (i.e. taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity) account most for variations in productivity are still not understood very well. This is especially true with regard to temperate forest ecosystems. In this study, we used a dataset from a stem‐mapped permanent forest plot in northeastern China exploring the relationships between biodiversity and productivity at different spatial scales (20 × 20 m; 40 × 40 m; and 60 × 60 m). The influence of specific environmental conditions (topographic conditions) and stand maturity (expressed by initial stand volume and biomass) were taken into account using the multivariate approach known as structural equation models. The variable “Biodiversity” includes taxonomic (Shannon), functional (FDis), and phylogenetic diversity (PD). Biodiversity–productivity relationships varied with the spatial scales. At the scale of 20 × 20 m, PD and FDis significantly affected forest biomass productivity, while Shannon had only indirect effects. At the 40 × 40 m and 60 × 60 m scales, biodiversity and productivity were weakly correlated. The initial stand volume and biomass were the most important drivers of forest productivity. The local environmental conditions significantly influenced the stand volume, biomass, biodiversity, and productivity. The results highlight the scale dependency of the relationships between forest biodiversity and productivity. The positive role of biodiversity in facilitating forest productivity was confirmed at the smaller scales. Our findings emphasize the fundamental role of environmental conditions in determining forest ecosystem performances. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the underlying ecological processes that influence specific forest biodiversity and productivity relationships.     

Endophytic fungi alter relationships between diversity and ecosystem properties

Recent studies have expanded research on biodiversity by investigating whether the effects of diversity on ecosystem functioning hinge on the presence of symbiotic microorganisms. Cool‐season grasses commonly harbour endophytic fungi that can enhance plant resistance to herbivory, drought and competition. We address whether these endosymbionts modify relationships between diversity and two ecosystem properties: productivity and invasibility. We develop a graphical model that predicts endophyte infection of a grass host will weaken correlations between diversity and ecosystem properties. We then use a long‐term field experiment to test this prediction by manipulating symbiosis in tall fescue grass (Festuca arundinacea), a common and invasive species in the US. As predicted, endophyte infection reduced the strength of correlations between diversity and both primary productivity and the invasiveness of tall fescue. By altering relationships between diversity and ecosystem functioning, endophytic fungi may contribute more to the dynamics of communities than previously supposed.     

Additional gene data and increased sampling give new insights into the phylogenetic relationships of Neogastropoda, within the caenogastropod phylogenetic framework

Neogastropoda, a highly diversified group of predatory marine snails, has often been contradicted in molecular phylogenetic studies. This is partly the consequence of limited neogastropod taxa or outgroups analyzed or insufficient gene sequences employed. This paper reports the most extensive molecular study of the group published to date with increased neogastropod taxa, multiple representatives of caenogastropod outgroups, and additional gene sequences. Data were collected from the entire 18S rRNA, histone H3, and three partial mitochondrial genes. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were conducted. In the caenogastropod phylogenetic framework, Hypsogastropoda was contradicted owing to the inclusion of Cerithioidea. Contrary to previous molecular studies, all the results recovered Neogastropoda as a monophyletic group, which confirms the monophyly of Neogastropoda and the validity of morphological synapomorphies that usually define Neogastropoda as monophyletic. Tonnoidea was shown to be paraphyletic with respect to Ficidae, and together this group formed a monophyletic clade as the sister group to Neogastropoda, which supported the “high mesogastropod” hypothesis of the origin of Neogastropoda. All neogastropod families were strongly supported except Buccinidae, Turridae and Cancellariidae. Our results shed light on the status of Neogastropoda, a controversial group, within Caenogastropoda.     

取样尺度对亚高寒草甸物种多样性与生产力关系的影响

植物物种多样性与生产力之间的关系是群落生态学的一个热点问题, 目前仍存在着很多争议。为探究自然群落中二者之间的关系, 对青藏高原亚高寒草甸3个样地的自然植物群落分别进行了不同取样面积的抽样调查。结果显示, 取样样地和取样尺度均对物种丰富度有显著影响, 取样样地而非取样尺度对群落地上生物量有显著性影响。在某一时刻对某一样地进行取样, 其单位面积生产力并不因取样面积的增加而提高, 而是保持恒定的, 尽管物种数随取样面积的增加而有明显增多。物种多样性与生产力之间的回归关系因样地与取样尺度不同而不同, 有U型、单峰型、正线性相关和无相关性, 其中无相关性出现的最多。据此推测, 亚高寒草甸群落物种多样性与生产力之间不存在某种确定性关系, 或者说, 亚高寒草甸物种多样性和生产力之间不存在必然的因果联系。     

宜宾浓香型白酒酿造过程中可培养细菌的系统发育多样性

【目的】为较系统地了解宜宾浓香型白酒酿造过程中可培养细菌的多样性,得到一些潜在的微生物资源。【方法】采用改良的NA培养基和高氏I号培养基分离、去除冗余,测定所得细菌纯培养物的16S rRNA基因,进行系统发育分析。【结果】分离得到603株细菌,4株菌的序列与GenBank中典型菌株序列相似性低于97%,代表着潜在新类群;599株菌与GenBank中34个属、101个种的典型菌株序列相似性大于97%,其中以Bacillus为绝对优势菌(315株),Streptomyces(121株)、Lysinibacillus(35株)、Staphylococcus(45株)为次优势菌,其余各属菌株均在10株以下。而且有16个属均只检测到1株菌。【结论】宜宾浓香型白酒发酵过程中的细菌呈现出较为丰富的多样性和一定的稳定性。     

Integrating phylogenetic and ecological distances reveals new insights into parasite host specificity

The range of hosts a pathogen infects (host specificity) is a key element of disease risk that may be influenced by both shared phylogenetic history and shared ecological attributes of prospective hosts. Phylospecificity indices quantify host specificity in terms of host relatedness, but can fail to capture ecological attributes that increase susceptibility. For instance, similarity in habitat niche may expose phylogenetically unrelated host species to similar pathogen assemblages. Using a recently proposed method that integrates multiple distances, we assess the relative contributions of host phylogenetic and functional distances to pathogen host specificity (functional–phylogenetic host specificity). We apply this index to a data set of avian malaria parasite (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus spp.) infections from Melanesian birds to show that multihost parasites generally use hosts that are closely related, not hosts with similar habitat niches. We also show that host community phylogenetic ß‐diversity (Pßd) predicts parasite Pßd and that individual host species carry phylogenetically clustered Haemoproteus parasite assemblages. Our findings were robust to phylogenetic uncertainty, and suggest that phylogenetic ancestry of both hosts and parasites plays important roles in driving avian malaria host specificity and community assembly. However, restricting host specificity analyses to either recent or historical timescales identified notable exceptions, including a ‘habitat specialist’ parasite that infects a diversity of unrelated host species with similar habitat niches. This work highlights that integrating ecological and phylogenetic distances provides a powerful approach to better understand drivers of pathogen host specificity and community assembly.     

Phylogenetic diversity and the functioning of ecosystems

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) describes the total amount of phylogenetic distance among species in a community. Although there has been substantial research on the factors that determine community PD, exploration of the consequences of PD for ecosystem functioning is just beginning. We argue that PD may be useful in predicting ecosystem functions in a range of communities, from single-trophic to complex networks. Many traits show a phylogenetic signal, suggesting that PD can estimate the functional trait space of a community, and thus ecosystem functioning. Phylogeny also determines interactions among species, and so could help predict how extinctions cascade through ecological networks and thus impact ecosystem functions. Although the initial evidence available suggests patterns consistent with these predictions, we caution that the utility of PD depends critically on the strength of phylogenetic signals to both traits and interactions. We advocate for a synthetic approach that incorporates a deeper understanding of how traits and interactions are shaped by evolution, and outline key areas for future research. If these complexities can be incorporated into future studies, relationships between PD and ecosystem function bear promise in conceptually unifying evolutionary biology with ecosystem ecology.