More Like this

1. Global community breaks at 60 m on mesophotic coral reefs

   https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12940  

   Lesser, Michael P. ; Slattery, Marc ; Laverick, Jack H. ; Macartney, Keir J. ; Bridge, Tom C. ; Pandolfi, ed., John ( June 2019 , Global Ecology and Biogeography)

   Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are unique communities that support a high proportion of depth‐endemic species distinct from shallow‐water coral reefs. However, there is currently little consensus on the boundaries between shallow and mesophotic coral reefs and between upper versus lower MCEs because studies of these communities are often site specific. Here, we examine the ecological evidence for community breaks, defined here as species loss, in fish and benthic taxa between shallow reefs and MCEs globally.

   Global MCEs.

   1973–2017.

   Macrophytes, Porifera, Scleractinia, Hydrozoa, Octocorallia, Antipatharia and teleost fishes.

   We used random‐effects models and breakpoint analyses on presence/absence data to identify regions of higher than expected species loss along a depth gradient of 1–69 m, based on a meta‐analysis of 26 studies spanning diverse photoautotrophic and heterotrophic taxa. We then investigated the extent to which points of high faunal turnover can be explained by environmental factors, including light, temperature and nutrient availability.

   We found evidence for a community break, indicated by a significant loss of shallow‐water taxa, at ~ 60 m across several taxonomically and functionally diverse benthic groups and geographical regions. The breakpoint in benthic composition is best explained by decreasing light, which is correlated with the optical depths between 10 and 1% of surface irradiance. A concurrent shift in the availability of nutrients, both dissolved and particulate organic matter, and a shift from photoautotroph to heterotroph‐dominated assemblages also occurs at ~ 60 m depth.

   We found evidence for global community breaks across multiple benthic taxa at ~ 60 m depth, indicative of distinct community transitions between shallow and mesophotic coral ecosystems. Changes in the underwater light environment and the availability of trophic resources along the depth gradient are the most parsimonious explanations for the observed patterns.

    

   more » « less
2. Phytoplankton community response to a drought‐to‐wet climate transition in a subtropical estuary

   https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12348  

   Douglas, Sarah ; Xue, Jianhong ; Hardison, Amber ; Liu, Zhanfei ( April 2023 , Limnology and Oceanography)

   Arid subtropical climates often oscillate between drought and wet conditions, leading to a “flood or famine” paradigm for estuarine freshwater inflow, in which sporadic storm events drive dynamic changes in salinity and nutrient availability. Transitioning from prolonged drought to wet conditions can impact phytoplankton communities. The Mission‐Aransas Estuary, located on the south Texas coast, transitioned from a 5‐yr drought (2010–2015) to wet conditions (2015–2020), punctuated by several large flood events and the direct impact of category 4 Hurricane Harvey. Using an 8‐yr bimonthly sample set (2012–2019), we evaluated particulate organic carbon, chlorophylla, nutrient concentrations, and accessory pigments to characterize the response of the phytoplankton community to these climate events. We found that phytoplankton biomass was diminished during severe drought and increased during prolonged wet conditions. The phytoplankton community switched from being diatom‐dominated during drought to cyanobacteria‐dominated following estuarine freshening, driven by lower salinity and increased nutrient availability. Seasonal fluctuations between taxa persisted regardless of climate condition. The drought‐to‐wet transition prompted a regime shift of the estuarine phytoplankton community to a new quasi‐steady state in the studied estuary. Globally, changing climate regimes may cause longer periods of extreme drought or wet conditions for estuarine systems. Detailed, long‐term ecosystem monitoring is necessary to fully evaluate ecological responses to extreme weather events, especially links between biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem function. These results suggest that oscillations between distinct wet and dry periods have lasting effects on primary productivity, phytoplankton community composition, and organic matter cycling in subtropical estuaries with long residence times.

    

   more » « less
3. Year-around survey and manipulation experiments reveal differential sensitivities of soil prokaryotic and fungal communities to saltwater intrusion in Florida Everglades wetlands

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159865  

   Zhao, Jun ; Chakrabarti, Seemanti ; Chambers, Randolph ; Weisenhorn, Pamela ; Travieso, Rafael ; Stumpf, Sandro ; Standen, Emily ; Briceno, Henry ; Troxler, Tiffany ; Gaiser, Evelyn ; et al ( February 2023 , Science of The Total Environment)

   Global sea-level rise is transforming coastal ecosystems, especially freshwater wetlands, in part due to increased episodic or chronic saltwater exposure, leading to shifts in biogeochemistry, plant- and microbial communities, as well as ecological services. Yet, it is still difficult to predict how soil microbial communities respond to the saltwater exposure because of poorly understood microbial sensitivity within complex wetland soil microbial communities, as well as the high spatial and temporal heterogeneity of wetland soils and saltwater exposure. To address this, we first conducted a two-year survey of microbial community structure and bottom water chemistry in submerged surface soils from 14 wetland sites across the Florida Everglades. We identified ecosystem-specific microbial biomarker taxa primarily associated with variation in salinity. Bacterial, archaeal and fungal community composition differed between freshwater, mangrove, and marine seagrass meadow sites, irrespective of soil type or season. Especially, methanogens, putative denitrifying methanotrophs and sulfate reducers shifted in relative abundance and/or composition between wetland types. Methanogens and putative denitrifying methanotrophs declined in relative abundance from freshwater to marine wetlands, whereas sulfate reducers showed the opposite trend. A four-year experimental simulation of saltwater intrusion in a pristine freshwater site and a previously saltwater-impacted site corroborated the highest sensitivity and relative increase of sulfate reducers, as well as taxon-specific sensitivity of methanogens, in response to continuously pulsing of saltwater treatment. Collectively, these results suggest that besides increased salinity, saltwater-mediated increased sulfate availability leads to displacement of methanogens by sulfate reducers even at low or temporal salt exposure. These changes of microbial composition could affect organic matter degradation pathways in coastal freshwater wetlands exposed to sea-level rise, with potential consequences, such as loss of stored soil organic carbon. 

   more » « less
4. Evolutionary history drives aspects of stoichiometric niche variation and functional effects within a guild

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3100  

   Atkinson, Carla L. ; van Ee, Brian C. ; Pfeiffer, J. ( January 2020 , Ecology)

   Functional traits are characteristics of an organism that represent how it interacts with its environment and can influence the structure and function of ecosystems. Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to understand ecosystem structure and function by modeling the coupled flow of elements (e.g. carbon [C], nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P]) between consumers and their environment. Animals tend to be homeostatic in their nutrient requirements and preferentially sequester the element in shortest supply relative to demand, and release relatively more of the element in excess. Tissue stoichiometry is an important functional trait that allows for predictions among the elemental composition of animals, their diet, and their waste products, with important effects on the cycling and availability of nutrients in ecosystems. Here we examined the tissue stoichiometric niches (C:N:P) and nutrient recycling stoichiometries (N:P) of several filter‐feeding freshwater mussels in the subfamily Ambleminae. Despite occupying the same functional‐feeding group and being restricted to a single subfamily‐level radiation, we found that species occupied distinct stoichiometric niches and that these niches varied, in part, as a function of their evolutionary history. The relationship between phylogenetic divergence and functional divergence suggests that evolutionary processes may be shaping niche complementarity and resource partitioning. Tissue and excretion stoichiometry were negatively correlated as predicted by stoichiometric theory. When scaled to the community, higher species richness and phylogenetic diversity resulted in greater functional evenness and reduced functional dispersion. Filter‐feeding bivalves are an ecologically important guild in freshwater ecosystems globally, and our study provides a more nuanced view of the stoichiometric niches and ecological functions performed by this phylogenetically and ecologically diverse assemblage. 

   more » « less
5. Slow Community Development Enhances Abiotic Limitation of Benthic Community Structure in a High Arctic Kelp Bed

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.592295  

   Bonsell, Christina ; Dunton, Kenneth H. ( February 2021 , Frontiers in Marine Science)

   null (Ed.)

   We examined the patterns of propagule recruitment to assess the timescale and trajectory of succession and the possible roles of physical factors in controlling benthic community structure in a shallow High Arctic kelp bed in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Spatial differences in established epilithic assemblages were evaluated against static habitat attributes (depth, distance from river inputs) and environmental factors (temperature, salinity, current speed, underwater light) collected continuously over 2–6 years. Our measurements revealed that bottom waters remained below freezing (mean winter temperatures ∼−1.8°C) and saline (33–36) with negligible light levels for 8–9 months. In contrast, the summer open water period was characterized by variable salinities (22–36), higher temperatures (up to 8–9°C) and measurable irradiance (1–8 mol photons m –2 day –1 ). An inshore, near-river site experienced strong, acute, springtime drops in salinity to nearly 0 in some years. The epilithic community was dominated by foliose red algae (47–79%), prostrate kelps (2–19%), and crustose coralline algae (0–19%). Strong spatial distinctions among sites included a positive correlation between cover by crustose coralline algae and distance to river inputs, but we found no significant relationships between multi-year means of physical factors and functional groups. Low rates of colonization and the very slow growth rates of recruits are the main factors that contribute to prolonged community development, which augments the influence of low-frequency physical events over local community structure. Mortality during early succession largely determines crustose coralline algal and invertebrate prevalence in the established community, while kelp seem to be recruitment-limited. On scales > 1 m, community structure varies with bathymetry and exposure to freshwater intrusion, which regulate frequency of primary and physiological disturbance. Colonization rates (means of 3.3–69.9 ind. 100 cm –1 year –1 site –1 ) were much lower than studies in other Arctic kelp habitats, and likely reflect the nature of a truly High Arctic environment. Our results suggest that community development in the nearshore Beaufort Sea occurs over decades, and is affected by combinations of recruitment limitation, primary disturbance, and abiotic stressors. While seasonality exerts strong influence on Arctic systems, static habitat characteristics largely determine benthic ecosystem structure by integrating seasonal and interannual variability over timescales longer than most ecological studies. 

   more » « less