Diversity begets stability: Sublinear growth and competitive coexistence across ecosystems

Science, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 383(6688)

Опубликована: Март 14, 2024

The worldwide loss of species diversity brings urgency to understanding how diverse ecosystems maintain stability. Whereas early ecological ideas and classic observations suggested that stability increases with diversity, theory makes the opposite prediction, leading long-standing "diversity-stability debate." Here, we show this puzzle can be resolved if growth scales as a sublinear power law biomass (exponent <1), exhibiting form population self-regulation analogous models individual ontogeny. We competitive interactions among populations do not lead exclusion, occurs logistic growth, but instead promote at higher diversity. Our model realigns predicts large-scale macroecological patterns. However, it an unsettling prediction: Biodiversity may accelerate destabilization ecosystems.

Язык: Английский

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Eco-evolutionary emergence of macroecological scaling in plankton communities

Science, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 383(6684), С. 777 - 782

Опубликована: Фев. 15, 2024

Macroecological scaling patterns, such as between prey and predator biomass, are fundamental to our understanding of the rules biological organization ecosystem functioning. Although these patterns ubiquitous, how they arise is poorly understood. To explain we used an eco-evolutionary predator-prey model parameterized using data for phytoplankton zooplankton. We show that allometric relationships at lower levels organization, body-size nutrient uptake predation, give rise food web levels. Our predicted macroecological exponents agree well with observed values across ecosystems. findings explicitly connect different ecological evolutionary mechanisms, yielding testable hypotheses emerge.

Язык: Английский

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New insights into the Weddell Sea ecosystem applying a quantitative network approach

Ocean science, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 20(1), С. 141 - 153

Опубликована: Фев. 5, 2024

Abstract. Network approaches can shed light on the structure and stability of complex marine communities. In recent years, such have been successfully applied to study polar ecosystems, improving our knowledge how they might respond ongoing environmental changes. The Weddell Sea is one most studied ecosystems outside Antarctic Peninsula in Southern Ocean. Yet, few studies consider known complexity food web, which its current form comprises 490 species 16 041 predator–prey interactions. Here we analysed focusing trophic interactions that underpin ecosystem stability. We estimated strength for each interaction characterised position web using unweighted weighted properties, species' roles with respect web. found distribution (IS) at level asymmetric, many weak strong ones. detected a positive relationship between median IS two properties (i.e. total number interactions). also only possess key positions terms These are by high IS, middle level, relatively interactions, low similarity. this study, integrated information, enabling more complete assessment function Our results provide new insights, important development effective policies management strategies, particularly given initiative implement protected area (MPA) Sea.

Язык: Английский

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Zooplankton-phytoplankton biomass and diversity relationships in the Great Lakes

PLoS ONE, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 18(10), С. e0292988 - e0292988

Опубликована: Окт. 26, 2023

Quantifying the relationship between phytoplankton and zooplankton may offer insight into sensitivity to shifting assemblages potential impacts of producer-consumer decoupling on rest food web. We analyzed 18 years (2001-2018) paired samples collected as part United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Great Lakes Biology Monitoring Program examine both long-term seasonal relationships across all five Laurentian Lakes. also effects diversity biomass, diversity, predator-prey (zooplanktivore/grazer) ratios. Across Lakes, there was a weak positive correlation total algal biovolume biomass in spring summer. The weaker not consistently within individual lakes. These trends were consistent over time, providing no evidence increasing study period. Zooplankton weakly negatively correlated with lakes, whereas unaffected. did change when we considered only edible fraction, possibly due high most these Lack strong coupling producer consumer be related lagging responses by consumers, top-down from higher-level or other confounding factors. results underscore difficulty predicting higher trophic level responses, including zooplankton, changes assemblages.

Язык: Английский

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Protorhabditis nematodes and pathogen-antagonistic bacteria interactively promote plant health

Microbiome, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 12(1)

Опубликована: Окт. 28, 2024

Fertilization practices control bacterial wilt-causing Ralstonia solanacearum by shaping the soil microbiome. This microbiome is start of food webs, in which nematodes act as major predators. However, multitrophic links between and performance R. plant health, how these are affected fertilization practices, remain unknown. Here, we performed a field experiment under no-, chemical-, bio-organic-fertilization regimes to investigate potential role suppressing tomato wilt. We found that bio-organic fertilizers changed nematode community composition increased abundances bacterivorous (e.g., Protorhabditis spp.). also observed pathogen-antagonistic bacteria, such Bacillus spp., positively correlated with nematodes. In subsequent laboratory greenhouse experiments, demonstrated preferentially preyed on non-pathogen-antagonistic bacteria over Bacillus. These changes subsequently suppressed solanacearum. Overall, can reduce abundance pathogens, might provide novel protection strategy promote health.

Язык: Английский

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A size‐constrained feeding‐niche model distinguishes predation patterns between aquatic and terrestrial food webs

Ecology Letters, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 26(1), С. 76 - 86

Опубликована: Ноя. 4, 2022

Abstract Understanding the formation of feeding links provides insights into processes underlying food webs. Generally, predators feed on prey within a certain body‐size range, but systematic quantification such niches is lacking. We developed size‐constrained feeding‐niche (SCFN) model and parameterized it with information both realized non‐realized in 72 aquatic 65 terrestrial Our analyses revealed profound differences between variation along temperature gradient. Specifically, predator–prey ratio range sizes increase size predators, whereas they are nearly constant across gradients predator size. Overall, our SCFN well reproduces relationships predation architecture 137 natural webs (including 3878 species 136,839 links). results illuminate organisation enables novel trait‐based environment‐explicit modelling approaches.

Язык: Английский

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Niche complementarity among plants and animals can alter the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship

Functional Ecology, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 37(10), С. 2652 - 2665

Опубликована: Авг. 28, 2023

Abstract Species‐rich communities exhibit higher levels of ecosystem functioning compared with species‐poor ones, and this positive relationship strengthens over time. One proposed explanation for phenomenon is the reduction niche overlap among plants or animals, which corresponds to increased complementarity reduced competition. In order examine potential animals strengthen between diversity functions, we integrated models bio‐energetic population dynamics food‐web assembly. Through simulation various scenarios plant animal change, sought elucidate mechanisms underlying observed increases in (1) primary productivity, (2) control herbivores by predators (3) herbivore pressure on species‐rich communities. Our findings reveal that can steepen diversity–function relationships if it does not increase their intraspecific competition, while increasing during community assembly also have a effect but considerable variability. The study highlights importance trait variation both within species interplay intra‐ interspecific competition strength shaping ecosystems These results offer insights into underpinning diversity–functioning practical implications management conservation efforts. Read free Plain Language Summary article Journal blog.

Язык: Английский

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In defense of the Type I functional response: The frequency and population-dynamic effects of feeding on multiple prey at a time

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Май 17, 2024

Abstract Ecologists differ in the degree to which they consider linear Type I functional response be an unrealistic versus sufficient representation of predator feeding rates. Empiricists tend it unsuitably non-mechanistic and theoreticians necessarily simple. Holling’s original rectilinear model is dismissed by satisfying neither desire, with most compromising on smoothly saturating II for searching handling are assumed mutually exclusive activities. We derive a “multiple-prey-at-a-time” generalization that includes III reflect predators can continue search when arbitrary number already-captured prey. The multi-prey clarifies empirical relevance models conditions under linearity mechanistically-reasoned description rates, even times long. find support presence 35% 2,591 compiled datasets, evidence larger predator-prey body-mass ratios permit while greater numbers Incorporating into Rosenzweig-MacArthur population-dynamics reveals non-exclusivity lead coexistence states dynamics not anticipated theory built traditional models. In particular, bistable fixed-point limit-cycle long-term crawl-by transients between them where abundance top-heavy food webs linear. conclude should considered empirically but also more bounded conclusions drawn presuming appropriate.

Язык: Английский

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Direct effect of artificial warming on communities is stronger than its indirect effect through body mass reduction

Oikos, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 2024(10)

Опубликована: Июль 1, 2024

Theory predicts that morphological and bioenergetic constraints due to temperature‐induced body size reduction can modulate the direct effects of warming on biotic interactions, with consequent trophic cascades biomass distribution. However, these theoretical predictions have rarely been tested empirically. Our aim was distinguish indirect warming‐induced reductions from community structure. We conducted a mesocosm experiment manipulating factorially 1) in medaka fish Oryzias latipes using two populations raised for several generations under contrasted climate conditions 2) (+4°C), test their independent interactive structure prey primary resource communities, predator–prey ratio spectra. further dissected seasonal temperature variation constant artificial warming. found (i.e. reduction) composition communities as well spectra were marginal amplitude compared There no changes response or density macroinvertebrates zooplankton maximal at intermediate water temperatures lower constantly‐heated mesocosms. Contrastingly, phytoplankton not strongly affected by warming, but rather responded grazing zooplankton. Finally, we warmest temperature, inducing steeper slope increasing (but constant) temperature. conclude change freshwater are stronger than its mediated mass reduction.

Язык: Английский

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Out-of-equilibrium inference of feeding rates through population data from generic consumer-resource stochastic dynamics

Applied Mathematics and Computation, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 500, С. 129434 - 129434

Опубликована: Март 30, 2025

Язык: Английский

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