Changes In Ecosystem Processes Research Articles

Characteristics and Driving Mechanisms of Understory Vegetation Diversity Patterns in Central and Southern China

Large-scale forest restoration projects significantly reduce the net rates of forest loss. However, as a key component of forest restoration, planted forests have failed to restore biodiversity. China has implemented a large-scale afforestation program, which includes pure planted forests in particular, leading to various changes in ecosystem processes. Despite this, a comprehensive analysis of understory vegetation diversity patterns in these pure planted forests is still lacking. This study aimed to analyze the data on understory vegetation diversity from three typical pure and natural forest ecosystems of Hunan ecological forests to reveal their diversity patterns. The results revealed no significant difference in the understory diversity index between natural and pure forest types, although natural forests had a bigger species pool. The Zipf–Mandelbrot model was a better fit for species abundance distribution. The fitted results suggested that both environmental filtering and neutral processes affected the species abundance distribution and pure understory communities during restoration succession. Natural forests had the most stable understory diversity structure, whereas pure Phyllostachys heterocycla (Carr.) Mitford forests had the least stable structure. Multivariate regression tree analysis identified indicator species for each community. The gradient boosting model indicated that isothermality and slope direction were the most important factors affecting diversity. The β-diversity analysis showed that community establishment in the four forest types was affected via different mechanisms. The findings of this study have significant implications for understanding the impact of afforestation on the mechanisms for maintaining diversity.

Overwintering strategy regulates phenological sensitivity and consequences for ecological services in a clade of temperate North American insects

Abstract Recent reports of insect declines have raised concerns about the potential for concomitant losses to ecosystem processes. However, understanding the causes and consequences of insect declines is challenging, especially given the data deficiencies for most species. Needed are approaches that can help quantify the magnitude and potential causes of declines at levels above species. Here we present an analytical framework for assessing broad‐scale plant–insect phenologies and their relationship to community‐level insect abundance patterns. We intentionally apply a species‐neutral approach to analyse trends in phenology and abundance at the macroecological scale. Because both phenology and abundance are critical to ecosystem processes, we estimate aggregate metrics using the overwintering (diapause) stage, a key species trait regulating phenology and environmental sensitivities. This approach can be used across broad spatiotemporal scales and multiple taxa, including less well‐studied groups. Using community (‘citizen’) science butterfly observations from multiple platforms across the Eastern USA, we show that the relationships between environmental drivers, phenology and abundance depend on the diapause stage. In particular, egg‐diapausing butterflies show marked changes in adult‐onset phenology in relation to plant phenology and are rapidly declining in abundance over a 20‐year span across the study region. Our results also demonstrate the negative consequences of warmer winters for the abundance of egg‐diapausing butterflies, irrespective of plant phenology. In sum, the diapause stage strongly shapes both phenological sensitivities and developmental requirements across seasons, providing a basis for predicting the impacts of environmental change across trophic levels. Utilizing a framework that ties thermal performance across life stages in relation to climate and lower‐trophic‐level phenology provides a critical step towards predicting changes in ecosystem processes provided by butterflies and other herbivorous insects into the future. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Response of the soil microbial communities to forest ground cover manipulation in a boreal forest

In eastern Canada, boreal forests are locally experiencing a shift between two alternative stable states, productive closed-canopy feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.) forests to low-productivity open lichen (Cladonia spp.) woodlands. While this shift has important consequences for ecosystem structure and productivity, little is known about the changes occurring in the diversity and composition of the soil microbial community which may be driven by this process. We evaluated the effects of 10-year moss transplantation on soil microbial communities in an open-lichen woodland. Treatments included: 1) removal of the lichen cover, 2) removal of the lichen cover followed by transplantation of a feather moss cover, 3) a control with the lichen cover kept in place (lichen control), and 4) a natural forest site with a feather moss cover (moss control). We found that changing the forest ground cover has a significant impact on the diversity, composition and function of soil microbial communities. Fungal alpha diversity was more sensitive to changes in lichen and moss cover, compared to bacterial diversity. Soil microbial community composition showed significant differences among all forest ground covers, but with greater similarities between the moss transplantation and control moss treatments. More importantly, changes of forest ground cover significantly affected the structure of microbial communities and fungal functional groups. Moss transplantation significantly increased the relative abundance of the organic nitrogen-scavenging fungal genus, Piloderma. Furthermore, moss transplantation significantly increased the overall relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi and decreased the proportion of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi. Soil moisture and temperature were the main environmental variables associated to the shift in microbial community composition. Our study points out that moss transplantation in open-canopy lichen woodlands contributes to regulate and modify the composition, structure, and function of the soil microbial communities with potential implications for explaining the changes in ecosystem processes associated with these two forest ecosystems.

Proximate cues of flowering in a subtropical rain forest

AbstractPlants have evolved mechanisms to track seasonal variation in environmental resources, enabling them to time key life‐history events to appropriate seasons. While the proximate cues for flowering initiation are well documented in the temperate region, it is still unclear what the flowering cues are in the tropics, especially in the subtropics. Our study compared first flowering dates (FFDs) predicted by eight hypothesized proximate cues concerning photoperiod, mean and directional changes in solar irradiance and warm/cool temperature, and rainfall with flowering dates observed over 19 years of weekly monitoring for 16 species in a subtropical rain forest. We observed considerable interannual variation in the median FFDs for the study species, ranging from 21 to 101 days. The early‐spring flowering species tended to have greater interannual variation in FFDs than the summer flowering species. For 13 study species, temperature cues best explained interannual variation in FFDs. Cool temperatures in the previous fall/winter and warm temperatures in the current spring (or previous summer) might trigger the onset of flowering in these 13 species. Cues associated with photoperiod and irradiance also predicted interannual variation in FFDs with small root mean square error (<1.5 census intervals) for 12 species but generally had higher prediction errors than temperature‐related cues. Cues associated with seasonal variation in rainfall failed to predict flowering times in any species. Our results suggest that future changes in temperature may alter flowering times for most species in subtropical forests, leading to changes in ecosystem processes and biosphere feedback to the climate system.Abstract in Chinese is available with online material.

Combining multi-temporal airborne LiDAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral data for assessment of disturbances and recovery of mangrove forests

Disturbances such as tropical cyclones and insect pests in mangroves can cause defoliation, tree mortality, and other changes in ecosystem processes. Understanding the resistance and resilience of mangroves to disturbance is critical to developing strategies for conservation. However, most studies apply multi-temporal optical data which have limited power to detect structural changes, especially for forests with complex architectures. We combined multispectral Sentinel-2 (S2) images and airborne LiDAR Scanning (ALS) datasets to assemble a comprehensive view of the effects of two disturbance events (a moth pest and a super-typhoon) on mangroves in Mai Po, Hong Kong. A series of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) estimates derived from S2 data indicated changes in greenness before and after the moth pest and typhoon events. An object-based stratification method was applied with ALS data to separate the overstory and understory to distinguish stratum changes. The results showed that moth larvae were more likely to encroach leafy mangroves of Avicennia marina. Double-layered and single-layered short mangroves have better resistance to typhoons than younger tall mangroves without understory beneath. NDVI recovered rapidly after three to six months post-disturbance but significant changes in canopy structures were found from the ALS data. Canopy gaps increased both in size and quantity in mature overstory areas, likely benefitting the growth of the understories beneath. Finally, the understory area grew resulting in a transition from single-layered to double-layered structures. The combination of multi-temporal LiDAR and multispectral data used here highlights the power of complementary remote sensing products in documenting mangrove ecosystem processes.

Farm2Fork through the lens of community ecology: concepts and applications in postharvest storage

The environment in which postharvest crops are processed and stored is a dynamic ecosystem influenced not only by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, but also by biotic influences such as humans and insects. Abiotic influences such as variation in landscapes of warehouses, processing facilities, storage and shipping containers, and urban and agricultural settings can also drive changes in ecosystem processes for insects living in a postharvest system. Principles of community ecology can help to tease apart broad interactions among the environment including succession, interactions with conspecifics that lead to competition and niche partitioning, behavioral ecology variation, and physiology and developmental changes. Focusing on these concepts for integrated pest management (IPM) for stored product insect pests can help pest managers to better predict risk thresholds and develop targeted approaches for treatments. Typically, pest management decisions focus on single species without regards to the interactions with other species. Without consideration of the entire ecosystem, targeted treatments for one species can have both direct and indirect impacts on other species that may have equally detrimental effects on stored products. Current knowledge of stored product ecosystems lags behind what is known for field pest ecosystems, and hinders our ability to design effective control strategies for the whole system. Here, we present a review of work on stored product insect pests using a community ecology lens. We analyze how the current state of the knowledge regarding species interactions and variation and incorporating factors such as movement, species interactions, energy transfer models in succession, behavior, and effects of climate change in ecological modeling can be used to better develop and implement more effective postharvest IPM. Implementing these concepts will significantly improve management of these insects and can help reduce time and cost associated with managing and treating insect infestations.

Comparative Assessment and Monitoring Changes in NDVI of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve (ATR) and its Buffer Zone, India

Achanakmar Tiger Reserve (ATR), endowed with rich biological diversity and lush green vegetation in and around, makes it more unique. It is also an integral part of the Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (AABR) and has been identified as one of the important tiger reserves of the Central Indian landscape due to its connectivity with other protected areas and tiger reserves in neighboring landscapes. Vegetation mapping and monitoring are important to understand changes in ecosystem processes and associated temporal and spatial impacts. Pre- and post-monsoon IRS, LISS III, and AWiFS satellite data from 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2013 were used for the present study. This paper is an attempt to examine the variation in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of ATR and its buffer zone on a seasonal and temporal basis. Climate conditions such as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, etc. play an important role in the growth and development of healthy vegetation. The NDVI value of ATR has shown fluctuation and recorded positive growth over the past 14 years with few exceptions. The post-monsoon season recorded a higher NDVI value as compared to the pre-monsoon months. The maximum NDVI value was recorded in 2004 (+0.539) for the entire ATR and its buffer zone.

Local vehicles add nitrogen to moss biomonitors in a low-traffic protected wilderness area as revealed by a long-term isotope study

Public use of protected areas is typically encouraged, but visitors arriving by vehicles may alter the natural areas they seek. Vehicle emissions add nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia (NH3) to the air, which can increase the amount of plant-available (reactive) nitrogen, a limiting nutrient. Changes in ecosystem processes as a result of increases in nitrogen availability are at odds with the goals of many protected wilderness areas that are typically accessed by vehicles. In this multi-year study (2003–2019), we tested whether emissions from local vehicles entered the forest ecosystem adjacent to a highway in a protected wilderness valley near a mid-sized city (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). We examined the concentration of NO2 in the air and the abundance of combustion-derived nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) in naturally-occurring forest moss (Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi) within 20 m of the highway as a function of traffic levels that varied independently at two scales: along the highway and among years. Within the valley, we observed a gradient in the number of vehicles that was greatest where vehicles enter the valley, with a corresponding pattern for NO2 concentrations in air. Traffic volume also varied among years, with the highest year having almost twice as many vehicles in the summer as the lowest year. δ15N values in forest moss displayed similar patterns as traffic both within and among years, signalling that nitrogen from vehicle emissions entered the local ecosystem corresponding to local traffic levels. Because vehicle emissions enter natural ecosystems that are intended to be conserved, vehicle use must be considered in the management of protected natural areas.

Seed removal decrease by invasive Argentine ants in a high Nature Value farmland

Seed dispersal by ants is an important ecological process that maintains the structure anddiversity of natural communities, however, it is vulnerable to biological invasions. Argentine ants are one of the worst invasive ant species and cause severe changes in ecosystem processes and native ant biodiversity declines in invaded sites. Here, we studied seed removal by ants combining observations and a cafeteria experiment with seeds of four myrmecochorous plant species (Centaurea sphaerocephala, Rosmarinus officinalis, Silybum marianum, and Ulex australis) in two sites (invaded and uninvaded) located in the Mediterranean Montado ecosystem and classified as High Nature Value farmland (HNV). Significant differences in daily seed removal rates were found between the two study sites. In uninvaded sites, several native ant species were attracted to the seeds, resulting in all seeds being removed rapidly. The majority of seed removal events were carried out by two key seed disperses Pheidole pallidula (71%) and Aphaenogaster iberica (26%) with a clear preference for diaspored with larger and heavier elaiosome (i.e., C. sphaerocephala, S. marianum). By contrast, while the Argentine ant showed some interest (68% of seeds were interacted with), no seed removal events were observed. The extirpation of the local ant fauna by the Argentine ant and its inability to ensure seed dispersal services may lead to the interference and eventually to the collapse of seed dispersal of the four studied myrmecochorous plants in the invaded site in the future. We argue that these discrete but severe consequences of an invasive species on a key ecological process may strongly affect the functioning of the Montado ecosystem.

Foliar stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in boreal forest plants exposed to long-term pollution from the nickel-copper smelter at Monchegorsk, Russia

Long-term exposure to primary air pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), alters the structure and functions of forest ecosystems. Many biochemical and biogeochemical processes discriminate against the heavier isotopes in a mixture; thus, the values of δ13C and δ15N (i.e. the ratio of stable isotopes 13C to 12C and that of 15 N to 14 N, respectively) may give insights into changes in ecosystem processes and identify the immediate drivers of these changes. We studied sources of variation in the δ13C and δ15N values in the foliage of eight boreal forest C3 plants at 10 sites located at the distance of 1–40 km from the Monchegorsk nickel-copper smelter in Russia. From 1939‒2019, this smelter emitted over 14,000,000 metric tons (t) of SO2, 250,000 t of metals, primarily nickel and copper, and 140,000 t of NOx. The δ13C value in evergreen plants and the δ15N value in all plants increased near the smelter independently of the plant mycorrhizal type. We attribute the pollution-related increase in the foliar δ13C values of evergreen species mainly to direct effects of SO2 on stomatal conductance, in combination with pollution-related water stress, which jointly override the potential opposite effect of increasing ambient CO2 concentration on δ13C values. Stomatal uptake of NOx and root uptake of 15N-enriched organic N compounds and NH4+ may explain the increased foliar δ15N values and elevated foliar N concentrations, especially in the evergreen trees (Pinus sylvestris), close to Monchegorsk, where the soil inorganic N supply is reduced due to the impact of long-term SO2 and heavy metal emissions on plant biomass. We conclude that, despite the uncertainties in interpreting δ13C and δ15N responses to pollution, the Monchegorsk smelter has imposed and still imposes a great impact on C and N cycling in the surrounding N-limited subarctic forest ecosystems.

A micrometeorological flux perspective on brush management in a shrub-encroached Sonoran Desert grassland

Woody plant encroachment typically limits the forage productivity of managed rangelands and alters a panoply of semiarid ecosystem processes and services. Intervention strategies to reduce woody plant abundance, collectively termed “brush management”, often lack observations to quantify and interpret changes in ecosystem processes. Furthermore, comparative studies between treated and untreated areas should account for heterogeneity since plant composition, microclimate, topoedaphic factors, and historical land use can substantially vary over short distances in drylands. Here, we quantify ecosystem responses to brush management after a single aerial herbicide application on an 18 hectare shrub-encroached grassland (savanna) in southern Arizona, USA. We conducted a pre- and post-treatment comparison of a flux tower site in the treated area with that of a tower in a nearby control site. The comparison, spanning a seven year period, included: (1) ground, airborne, and satellite-based measurements of vegetation structure, and (2) eddy covariance measurements. The herbicide treatment defoliated the dominant shrub (velvet mesquite, Prosopis velutina) and led to a temporary reduction in summer greening, but full foliar recovery occurred within two years. Contrary to expectations, perennial grass cover decreased and bare soil cover increased on the treated site. Relative amounts of evapotranspiration were reduced, while carbon uptake increased during the 2 year post-treatment period at the treated site due to a higher water use efficiency in the following spring. During mesquite recovery, carbon uptake was enhanced by higher gross primary productivity and accompanied by a decrease in ecosystem respiration relative to the untreated site. Mesquite recovery was facilitated by access to deep soil water, carbohydrate reserves in rooting systems, and a lower competition from reduced perennial grass cover.

Airborne and Spaceborne Lidar Reveal Trends and Patterns of Functional Diversity in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem

Assessing functional diversity and its abiotic controls at continuous spatial scales are crucial to understanding changes in ecosystem processes and services. Semi-arid ecosystems cover large portions of the global terrestrial surface and provide carbon cycling, habitat, and biodiversity, among other important ecosystem processes and services. Yet, the spatial trends and patterns of functional diversity in semi-arid ecosystems and their abiotic controls are unclear. The objectives of this study are two-fold. We evaluated the spatial pattern of functional diversity as estimated from small footprint airborne lidar (ALS) with respect to abiotic controls and fire in a semi-arid ecosystem. Secondly, we used our results to understand the capabilities of large footprint spaceborne lidar (GEDI) for future applications to semi-arid ecosystems. Overall, our findings revealed that functional diversity in this ecosystem is mainly governed by elevation, soil, and water availability. In burned areas, the ALS data show a trend of functional recovery with time since fire. With 16 months of data (April 2019-August 2020), GEDI predicted functional traits showed a moderate correlation (r = 41–61%) with the ALS predicted traits except for the plant area index (PAI) (r = 11%) of low height vegetation (<5 m). We found that the number of GEDI footprints relative to the size of the fire-disturbed areas (=< 2 km2) limited the ability to estimate the full effects of fire disturbance. However, the consistency of diversity trends between ALS and GEDI across our study area demonstrates GEDI’s potential of capturing functional diversity in similar semi-arid ecosystems. The capability of spaceborne lidar to map trends and patterns of functional diversity in this semi-arid ecosystem demonstrates its exciting potential to identify critical biophysical and ecological shifts. Furthermore, opportunities to fuse GEDI with complementary spaceborne data such as ICESat-2 or the upcoming NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), and fine scale airborne data will allow us to fill gaps across space and time. For the first time, we have the potential to monitor carbon cycle dynamics, habitats and biodiversity across the globe in semi-arid ecosystems at fine vertical scales.

Siberian Ecosystems as Drivers of Cryospheric Climate Feedbacks in the Terrestrial Arctic

Climate warming is altering the persistence, timing, and distribution of permafrost and snow cover across the terrestrial northern hemisphere. These cryospheric changes have numerous consequences, not least of which are positive climate feedbacks associated with lowered albedo related to declining snow cover, and greenhouse gas emissions from permafrost thaw. Given the large land areas affected, these feedbacks have the potential to impact climate on a global scale. Understanding the magnitudes and rates of changes in permafrost and snow cover is therefore integral for process understanding and quantification of climate change. However, while permafrost and snow cover are largely controlled by climate, their distributions and climate impacts are influenced by numerous interrelated ecosystem processes that also respond to climate and are highly heterogeneous in space and time. In this perspective we highlight ongoing and emerging changes in ecosystem processes that mediate how permafrost and snow cover interact with climate. We focus on larch forests in northeastern Siberia, which are expansive, ecologically unique, and studied less than other Arctic and subarctic regions. Emerging fire regime changes coupled with high ground ice have the potential to foster rapid regional changes in vegetation and permafrost thaw, with important climate feedback implications.

Long-term impact of domestic ungulates versus the local controls of the litter decomposition process in arid steppes

Soil processes in arid ecosystems are strongly controlled by resource scarcity. Grazing intensification can induce changes in ecosystem processes through multiple pathways, adding new constraints to those of local conditions. We focus on grazing-induced changes in litter traits and soil environment that may affect litter decomposition and N dynamics in temperate grass-shrub steppes. We performed three litterbag decomposition experiments to evaluate: i) the effect of litter traits in a common garden (ex situ), ii) the effect of soil environment using a foreign common litter substrate (in situ), and iii) the interactive effects of litter traits and soil environment (grazed vs. exclosure communities, reciprocal transplants in situ). Field experiments were replicated in three blocks with paired plots under a long-term exclosure (> 25 years) and under year-round sheep grazing. Local litter included mixtures of species of grasses and shrubs, separately. Grazing exclusion did not alter litter decomposition rates, either through changes in litter traits or in soil environment. Nevertheless, N released during grass litter decomposition was 286% higher in exclosures than in grazing communities. The difference was associated to changes in litter C:N ratio. The effects were maintained when results were integrated to the entire litter community. Our study suggests that litter decomposition rates in arid steppes are strongly controlled by local drivers. Ungulate grazing does not have an important influence on litter mass loss, but it can exert a strong control on N flux during decomposition, by changing grass litter traits.

The impact of super-typhoon Mangkhut on sediment nutrient density and fluxes in a mangrove forest in Hong Kong

Cyclone disturbance results in mangrove foliage loss, tree mortality and other changes in ecosystem processes. However, the impact of cyclones on mangrove sediment nutrient density, sediment-air CO2 and CH4 fluxes and their isotopes remains largely unknown. Super-typhoon Mangkhut (maximum gust 256 km h−1) hit Hong Kong in September 2018. We investigated the influence of the cyclone by comparing pre- and post-cyclone sediment carbon cycling processes as well as nitrogen density during an 8-month period in a mangrove forest at Ting Kok, Hong Kong. Time and/or nitrogen density are the dominant drivers of the variation of dark sediment-air CO2 fluxes (Rd) and sediment nutrient density. Significant changes in Rd and their δ13CO2 values, sediment organic carbon density (SOC) and nitrogen density (SON) occurred after the cyclone. Rd were highest one month after the cyclone (0.05 ± 0.01 mmol m−2 min−1) and lowest before the cyclone (8.32 ± 2.84 μmol m−2 min−1). δ13CO2 of pre-cyclone Rd (−18.2 ± 1.7‰) was significantly higher than that of all post-cyclone fluxes (−22.9 ± 1.5‰ to −23.6 ± 1.8‰). Both SOC and SON were highest one month after the cyclone (23.05 ± 1.92 kg C m−3, 2.42 ± 0.11 kg N m−3, 20–40 cm). A significant positive relationship exists between Rd and SON. Sediment-air CH4 fluxes did not show significant changes over time but along the sea-land gradient (0.28 ± 0.21 to 0.61 ± 0.22 μmol m−2 min−1). Cyclone disturbance results in the pulse input of litter, which may explain the significant increase in post-cyclone Rd and lower δ13CO2 of Rd. With anticipated climate change-driven effects on cyclone occurrence and intensity, our data underscores the significance of incorporating the influence of cyclone disturbance in constraining the global nutrient budgets in mangroves.

Biotic factors determine ecosystem processes in environments with different hydrological regimes

Abstract The interest in understanding ecosystem functioning has grown in recent years due to the effects of species loss on ecosystem processes. Even though biotic and abiotic factors control ecosystem processes, their relative influence may vary according to ecosystem dynamics. In flood and coastal plains, these dynamics are mainly represented by flood pulses and hydroregime, respectively. The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of abiotic and biotic factors for the ecosystem processes represented by zooplankton secondary production (SP), biomass (ZB), and resource use efficiency (RUE) in lentic waterbodies subjected to different hydrological regimes. We hypothesised that abiotic factors would more strongly determine the ecosystem processes in temporary waterbodies and floodplain lakes, given their greater susceptibility to environmental changes. Biotic factors would be more relevant in coastal lagoons due to their greater temporal stability. Sampling was undertaken quarterly over 1 year in eight coastal lagoons, 10 temporary ponds and five floodplain lakes. The environments were characterised in relation to limnological variables, and zooplankton functional divergence, functional dispersion (FDis), functional evenness, functional richness, and taxonomic richness were measured. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to verify seasonal changes in SP, ZB, RUE, functional diversity, richness, and abiotic factors. Linear mixed models were used to determine which abiotic and biotic factors were the most important for ZB, SP, and RUE. In the coastal lagoons, RUE differed over time. In the temporary ponds and floodplain lakes, no seasonal significant differences were observed for any of the zooplankton production variables. The linear mixed model analyses showed that models composed mainly of biotic factors were better fitted to the production variables. For coastal lagoons, phytoplankton density affected ZB, SP, and RUE increasing them by 9.9 mg DW/m3, 12.4 mg DW/m3, and 1.23, respectively. For temporary ponds, FDis lowered ZB by 6.9 mg DW/m3 and taxonomic richness increased SP and RUE by 14.2 mg DW/m3 and 1.17, respectively. For floodplain lakes, FDis lowered ZB it by 9.9 mg DW/m3 and functional divergence lowered RUE by 0.81. The present study demonstrates that biotic factors are the main determinants of ecosystem processes in neotropical lentic waterbodies, irrespective of their annual hydrological regimes. Complementarity effects and high functional diversity are more important in more stable environments, whereas redundancy and low functional diversity prevail in environments subject to more frequent environmental changes. Biotic factors play a major role in ensuring the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and indicate the important role of biodiversity in enabling ecosystem states to be maintained after disturbances and to prevent changes in ecosystem processes.

Interactions between wild boar and cattle in Patagonian temperate forest: cattle impacts are worse when alone than with wild boar

The global phenomenon of introduced species has caused serious, negative impacts on biodiversity and human productive activities. Often, introduced species become invasive and impact and modifies the availability of resources in native ecosystem. Cattle and wild boar are two species that have been introduced on all continents for food and sport hunting. Both species cause detrimental changes in ecosystem processes and biodiversity. Particularly in Patagonia, it has been shown in different studies that in isolation these species can cause damage to native plants, alter the structure of the soil and its processes. This study sought to assess and compare the ecosystem impacts of cattle and wild boar upon ecosystem structure and function in different scenarios with the presence of both, one or none of these focal species. Our study area is the Nahuel Huapi National Park where both species have significant presence on temperate forest. In order to evaluate the species impact we combined experimental and observational methods across sites with the presence of one species, both species, and sites without either species. Our data showed that sites with both species or only wild boar showed fewer impacts than expected. However, when cattle is presence, this species seriously threaten the native ecosystems by affecting plant biomass, reducing the shrub cover and number of native plants, and enhancing exotic plant species. Our study found no evidence to support of additive effects or impacts a between both species, but the presence of both cattle and wild boar could have an antagonistic effect or interactions through resource competition. Although cattle and wild boar are considered valuable socio-economic resources, we believe that the free-range populations of these mammals that inhabit temperate forests of Patagonia should have focused management plans that prioritize the control of cattle, to subsequently focus on the management of the wild boar.

Spectrally derived values of community leaf dry matter content link shifts in grassland composition with change in biomass production

AbstractLeaf traits link environmental effects on plant species abundances to changes in ecosystem processes but are a challenge to measure regularly and over large areas. We used measurements of canopy reflectance from grassland communities to derive a regression model for one leaf trait, leaf dry matter content (LDMC). Partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis was used to model community‐weighted (species abundance‐weighted) values of LDMC as a function of canopy reflectance in visible and near‐infrared (NIR) wavebands. The PLSR model then was applied to airborne measurements of canopy reflectance to determine how community LDMC interacts with inter‐annual variation in precipitation to influence the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a surrogate of aboveground biomass production, of restored grassland during spring over 4 years. LDMC was well‐described by a PLSR model that included reflectance measurements located primarily in red edge and NIR portions of the spectrum. Community LDMC decreased as annual forb species became more abundant and was negatively correlated with maximum values of NDVI. Decreased precipitation reduced NDVI (biomass production) both by increasing community LDMC (LDMC response) and reducing the slope of the NDVI‐LDMC relationship (LDMC effect on NDVI). We find that grassland LDMC is well‐described by a regression model using canopy reflectance in red edge and NIR wavebands. Our results demonstrate the utility of spectral estimates of LDMC for discerning shifts in grassland composition and predicting consequences for production‐related ecosystem functions.

Pulse of dissolved organic matter alters reciprocal carbon subsidies between autotrophs and bacteria in stream food webs

AbstractSoils are currently leaching out dissolved organic matter (DOM) at an increasing pace due to climate and land use change or recovery from acidification. The implications for stream biogeochemistry and food webs remain largely unknown, notably the metabolic balance (biotic CO2 emissions) and carbon cycling between autotrophs and bacteria. We increased by 12% the flux of DOM in a stream for three weeks to mimic a pulse of natural DOM supply from soils rich in organic matter. We were able to track its fate into the food web through the use of a before and after control impact experimental design and the addition of DOM with a distinctive δ13C signature. We used whole‐stream metabolism to quantify carbon fluxes. Both photosynthesis and heterotrophic respiration increased rapidly following C addition, but this was short lived, likely due to nutrient limitations. Carbon exchange between autotrophs and bacteria in the control stream accounted for about 49% of bacterial production and 37% of net primary production, under stable flow conditions. Net primary production relied partly (19% in the control) on natural allochthonous dissolved organic carbon via the CO2 produced by bacterial respiration, intermingling the green and brown webs. The preferential uptake of labile carbon by bacteria and excess bacterial CO2 relative to nutrients (N, P) for autotrophs shifted the reciprocal carbon exchange between bacteria and autotrophs to a predominantly one‐way carbon flow from bacteria to autotrophs, increasing the C:N:P molar ratios of autotrophs, the latter likely to become less palatable to consumers. The bacterial response to sucrose addition shifted the metabolic balance toward heterotrophy increasing biotic CO2 emissions (+125%), shortened the average distance travelled by a molecule of organic matter (−40%), and thus provided less organic matter of lower quality for downstream ecosystems. Even a small increase in labile dissolved organic matter supply due to climate and land use change could significantly alter in‐stream carbon cycling, with large effects on stream food web and biogeochemistry in small streams draining catchments with soils rich in organic carbon.

Estimating biodiversity changes in the Camargue wetlands: An expert knowledge approach.

Mediterranean wetlands are critical strongholds for biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem functions and services; yet, they are being severely degraded by a number of socio-economic drivers and pressures, including climate change. Moreover, we still lack comprehensive understanding of the extent to which biodiversity loss in Mediterranean wetlands will accelerate change in ecosystem processes. Here, we evaluate how changes in biodiversity can alter the ecosystem of the Camargue (southern France). We collected data on species presence/absence, trends and abundance over a 40-year period by combining observations from the scholarly literature with insights derived from expert knowledge. In total, we gathered more than 1500 estimates of presence/absence, over 1400 estimates of species abundance, and about 1400 estimates of species trends for eight taxonomic groups, i.e. amphibians, reptiles, breeding birds, fish, mammals, dragonflies (odonates), orthopterans and vascular plants. Furthermore, we used information on recently arrived species and invasive species to identify compositional changes across multiple taxa. Complementing targeted literature searches with expert knowledge allowed filling important gaps regarding the status and trends of biodiversity in the Camargue. Species trend data revealed sharp population declines in amphibians, odonates and orthopterans, while birds and plants experienced an average increase in abundance between the 1970s and the 2010s. The general increasing trends of novel and invasive species is suggested as an explanation for the changing abundance of birds and plants. While the observed declines in certain taxa reflect the relative failure of the protection measures established in the Camargue, the increasing exposure to novel and invasive species reveal major changes in the community structure of the different taxonomic groups. This study is the first attempt to assess changes in biodiversity in the Camargue using an expert knowledge approach, and can help manage the uncertainties and complexities associated with rapid social-ecological change in other Mediterranean wetlands.