Inferences of environmental and biotic effects on patterns of eukaryotic alpha and beta diversity for the spring systems of Ash Meadows, Nevada.

Abstract

Freshwater springs are important ecosystems. In the arid regions of North America, groundwater extraction has caused the desiccation of springs and the extinction of taxa. To better describe the biodiversity of freshwater springs in the hope of establishing a sensitive approach for monitoring the predicted change in spring systems, we used high-resolution genetic methods to estimate the alpha and beta diversity of 19 springs and two reservoirs within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Nevada. We discovered a large number of distinct taxa based on eukaryote ribosomal gene sequences and show water temperature, spring size, and the presence or absence of non-native predators predicts alpha diversity, and temperature predicts beta diversity. Our study highlights how DNA data support inferences of environmental factors influencing community diversity and demonstrates the method may be an important tool for monitoring ecological communities.