Börje Ekstam

The effect of light and number of diurnal temperature fluctuations on germination of Phragmites australis

The effect of light and number of diurnal temperature fluctuations on germination of Phragmites australis

Germination response of Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia to diurnal fluctuations in temperature

Germination response of Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia to diurnal fluctuations in temperature

Influence of germination time on juvenile performance of Phragmites australis on . temporarily exposed bottoms-implications for the colonization of lake beds

Three cohorts of seedlings of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud., germinated in May, June and July, were allowed to grow in shallow water (depth 5 cm or less) in southern Sweden. In the autumn, size parameters were measured on the plants. In the second year, the water level was raised to 0.8 m and emergence of shoots, plant survival and size parameters were recorded. The mean plant weight by the end of the first year differed markedly between cohorts. Rhizome biomass showed a relationship of 700:70:1 between the May, June and July cohorts. In the second year, rate of emergence above the water surface, and maximum height of plants that did not reach the water surface, was positively related to the size (mass) the plants had achieved after the first year. Only plants that emerged above the water surface survived the second summer, resulting in survival rates for the May, June and July cohorts of 90%, 68% and 0%, respectively. The rhizome weight of the smallest survivors had decreased after the second summer compared with values after the first summer. Hence, they were not capable of ‘reloading’ their rhizomes during the second year. In a temperate climate, the size of juvenile plants after the first year, which is strongly dependent on early germination on exposed bottoms (i.e. bottoms without standing water), determines their water depth tolerance during the second year. The timing and duration of exposure, as well as the subsequent depth of re-flooding, are all of fundamental importance for successful ‘lakeward’ seedling expansion of P. australis.

The relationship between population density and body size: the role of extinction and mobility

The relationship between population density and body size: the role of extinction and mobility

Metapopulation theory identifies biogeographical patterns among core and satellite marine bacteria scaling from tens to thousands of kilometers.

Metapopulation theory developed in terrestrial ecology provides applicable frameworks for interpreting the role of local and regional processes in shaping species distribution patterns. Yet, empirical testing of metapopulation models on microbial communities is essentially lacking. We determined regional bacterioplankton dynamics from monthly transect sampling in the Baltic Sea Proper using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A strong positive trend was found between local relative abundance and occupancy of populations. Notably, the occupancy-frequency distributions were significantly bimodal with a satellite mode of rare endemic populations and a core mode of abundant cosmopolitan populations (e.g. Synechococcus, SAR11 and SAR86 clade members). Temporal changes in population distributions supported several theoretical frameworks. Still, bimodality was found among bacterioplankton communities across the entire Baltic Sea, and was also frequent in globally distributed datasets. Datasets spanning waters with widely different physicochemical characteristics or environmental gradients typically lacked significant bimodal patterns. When such datasets were divided into subsets with coherent environmental conditions, bimodal patterns emerged, highlighting the importance of positive feedbacks between local abundance and occupancy within specific biomes. Thus, metapopulation theory applied to microbial biogeography can provide novel insights into the mechanisms governing shifts in biodiversity resulting from natural or anthropogenically induced changes in the environment.

Bimodal occupancy-frequency distributions uncover the importance of regional dynamics in shaping marine microbial biogeography

Metapopulation theory developed in terrestrial ecology provides applicable frameworks for interpreting the role of local and regional processes in shaping species distribution patterns. Yet, empirical testing of metapopulation models on microbial communities is essentially lacking. Here we determined regional bacterioplankton dynamics from monthly transect sampling in the Baltic Sea Proper (16 sites, 11 occasions, 2010-2011) using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. A strong positive correlation was found between local relative abundance and occupancy of populations. Notably, the occupancy-frequency distributions (the number of populations occupying different number of sites) were significantly bimodal with a satellite mode of mostly rare endemic populations and a core mode of abundant cosmopolitan populations (e.g. Synechococcus, SAR11 and SAR86 clade members). Observed temporal changes in population distributions supported theoretical predictions that stochastic variation in local extinction and colonization rates accounted for observed bimodality. Moreover, bimodality was found for bacterioplankton across the entire Baltic Sea, and was also frequent in globally distributed datasets where average Bray-Curtis distances were significantly different between bimodal and non-bimodal datasets. Still, datasets spanning waters with distinct physicochemical characteristics or environmental gradients, e.g. brackish and marine or surface to deep waters, typically lacked significant bimodal patterns. When such datasets were divided into subsets with coherent environmental conditions, bimodal patterns emerged, highlighting the importance of positive feedbacks between local abundance and occupancy within specific biomes. Thus, metapopulation theory applied to microbial biogeography can provide novel insights into the mechanisms governing shifts in biodiversity resulting from natural or anthropogenically induced changes in the environment. Significance statement Marine bacteria regulate global cycles of elements essential to life and respond rapidly to environmental change. Yet, the ecological factors that determine distribution and activity patterns of microbial populations across different spatial scales and environmental gradients remain basically unconstrained. Our metapopulation model-based analyses show that dispersal-driven processes contribute to structuring the biogeography of marine microorganisms from small to large geographical areas. Discovery of bimodal distribution patterns pinpointed satellite microbial populations with highly restricted ranges and defined abundant core populations widely distributed in coherence with environmental conditions. Thus, application of metapopulation models on microbial community structure may allow the definition of biogeographic regions critical for interpreting the outcome of future ocean changes. Classification Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences