Jennifer L. Klug

The dual nature of community variability

Author(s): Micheli, Fiorenza; Cottingham, Kathryn L.; Bascompte, Jordi; Bjornstad, Ottar N.; Eckert, Ginny L.; Fischer, Janet M.; Keitt, Timothy H.; Kendall, Bruce E.; Klug, Jennifer L.; Rusak, James A | Abstract: Community variability has a dual nature. On the one hand, there is compositional variability, changes in the relative abundance of component species. On the other hand, there is aggregate variability, changes in summary properties such as total abundance, biomass, or production. Although these two aspects of variability have received much individual attention, few studies have explicitly? related the compositional and aggregate variability of natural communities. In this paper, we show how simultaneous consideration of both aspects of community variability might advance our understanding of ecological communities.We use the distinction between compositional and aggregate variability to develop an organizational framework for describing patterns of community variability. At their extremes, compositional and aggregate variability combine in four different ways: (I) stasis, low compositional and low aggregate variability; (2) synchrony, low compositional and high aggregate variability; (3) asynchrony, high compositional and high aggregate variability; and (4) compensation, high compositional and low aggregate variability. Each of these patterns has been observed in natural communities, and can be linked to a suite of abiotic and biotic mechanisms. We give examples of the potential relevance of variability patterns to applied ecology, and describe the methodological developments needed to make meaningful comparisons of aggregate and compositional variability across communities. Finally, we provide two numerical examples of how our approach can be applied to natural communities.

Compensatory dynamics in planktonic community responses to pH perturbations

Compensatory population dynamics, in which species that decline in response to an environmental perturbation are replaced by similar species, may be crucial in maintaining processes performed by functional groups of species. Compensatory dynamics may be produced by negative interactions among species, such that the decrease in abundance of a species releases the suppression of another species and allows it to increase. We conducted a mesocosm experiment in Trout Lake, Wisconsin, USA, to test the hypothesis that compensatory shifts in species abundances play a role in overall planktonic community response to pH perturbation. In 2000-L mesocosms over a period of six weeks, we contrasted a control treatment with two acidified treatments (press, sustained pH = 4.7; and pulse, alternating pH = 4.7 and ambient pH). In the acidified treatments, we saw changes in abundance of the major zooplankton and phytoplankton species, but we observed few cases of compensatory dynamics. Nonetheless, when present, compensatory dynamics could be strong. Analyses using autoregressive models revealed negative interactions among species that could potentially lead to compensatory dynamics. However, this potential for compensatory dynamics was not realized in cases where all species were sensitive to the pH perturbations. Therefore, compensatory dynamics that buffer community responses to perturbations may be limited in communities in which many species are sensitive to the perturbation.

Effects of Resources and Trophic Interactions on Freshwater Bacterioplankton Diversity

A bstractIn a study of bacterioplankton in an oligotrophic lake in northern Wisconsin, a community fingerprinting technique, automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA), was used to determine the effect of resources and trophic interactions on bacterioplankton diversity. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus (NP), carbon in the form of glucose (G) or dissolved organic matter extracted from peat (DOM), and carbon and NP in combination were added to two types of experimental systems. Ten-liter mesocosms contained all components of the original aquatic community except for large zooplankton. One-liter dilution cultures were prepared so that the effects of grazers and phytoplankton were removed. During a 3-day incubation, bacterial production showed the greatest response to the carbon plus NP treatment in both experimental systems, but bacterial diversity was strikingly different between them. In the mesocosms, the number of ARISA-PCR fragments averaged 41 per profile, whereas the dilution culture communities were highly reduced in complexity, dominated in most cases by a single PCR fragment. Further analysis of the mesocosm data suggested that whereas the NPDOM addition caused the greatest aggregate bacterial growth response, the addition of NP alone caused the largest shifts in community composition. These results suggest that the measurement of aggregate responses, such as bacterial production, alone in studies of freshwater bacterial communities may mask the effects of resources on bacterioplankton.

Ecosystem Effects of a Tropical Cyclone on a Network of Lakes in Northeastern North America

Here we document the regional effects of Tropical Cyclone Irene on thermal structure and ecosystem metabolism in nine lakes and reservoirs in northeastern North America using a network of high-frequency, in situ, automated sensors. Thermal stability declined within hours in all systems following passage of Irene, and the magnitude of change was related to the volume of water falling on the lake and catchment relative to lake volume. Across systems, temperature change predicted the change in primary production, but changes in mixed-layer thickness did not affect metabolism. Instead, respiration became a driver of ecosystem metabolism that was decoupled from in-lake primary production, likely due to addition of terrestrially derived carbon. Regionally, energetic disturbance of thermal structure was shorter-lived than disturbance from inflows of terrestrial materials. Given predicted regional increases in intense rain events with climate change, the magnitude and longevity of ecological impacts of these storms will be greater in systems with large catchments relative to lake volume, particularly when significant material is available for transport from the catchment. This case illustrates the power of automated sensor networks and associated human networks in assessing both system response and the characteristics that mediate physical and ecological responses to extreme events.

INTERACTIONS AMONG ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS: COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO CHANGING NUTRIENTS AND DISSOLVED ORGANIC CARBON

Biological communities are frequently exposed to environmental changes that cause measurable responses in properties of the community (hereafter called environmental drivers). Predicting how communities respond to changing environmental drivers is a fundamental goal of ecology. Making predictions, however, can be very difficult, particularly when multiple environmental drivers change simultaneously and there are interactions among the drivers. We investigated the effects of the interaction between changes in nutrient loading and changes in colored dissolved organic matter (measured as dissolved organic carbon, DOC) on the dynamics of phytoplankton communities over a 7-yr period. In 1991, Long Lake, a small seepage lake in northern Michigan, was divided vertically, from sediment surface to water surface, with plastic curtains as part of a whole-lake experiment. The accompanying changes in hydrology led to increases in DOC concentration in one of the basins. Nutrients were added to both basins from 1993 to 1997, causing dramatic changes in phytoplankton community composition. We used multivariate autoregressive models to help interpret the patterns of phytoplankton community composition observed during the experiment. DOC and nutrient addition had diverse effects on phytoplankton: some taxonomic and morphological groups were directly affected by the changes in DOC and nutrients, whereas other groups experienced indirect effects via their interactions with groups that were directly affected. Model results suggest that there was an interaction between the effects of DOC and nutrients for many groups of phytoplankton, such that differences in DOC concentration accounted for differences between basins in response to nutrient addition. The effects of DOC can be explained by changes in physical structure (e.g., thermocline depth and transparency) and water chemistry (e.g., pH) that accompanied changes in DOC concentration. The interaction between DOC and nutrients suggests that predicting community responses to multiple drivers cannot be achieved by simply adding up the effects of single drivers.

ECOLOGICAL HISTORY AFFECTS ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO ACIDIFICATION

The effects of ecological history are frequently ignored in attempts to predict community responses to environmental change. In this study, we explored the possibility that ecological history can cause differences in community responses to perturbation using parallel acidification experiments in three sites with different pH histories in the Northern Highland Lake District of Wisconsin, USA. In Trout Lake, high acid neutralizing capacity had historically buffered changes in pH. In contrast, the two basins of Little Rock Lake (Little Rock-Reference and Little Rock-Treatment) had experienced seasonal fluctuations in pH. Furthermore, the two lake basins were separated with a curtain and Little Rock-Treatment was experimentally acidified in the late 1980s. In each site, we conducted mesocosm experiments to compare zooplankton community dynamics in control (ambient pH) and acidified (pH 4.7) treatments. Zooplankton community responses were strongest in Trout Lake and weakest in Little Rock-Treatment suggesting...

Positive and negative effects of riverine input on the estuarine green alga ulva intestinalis (syn. enteromorpha intestinalis) (linneaus)

Freshwater inputs from rivers alter salinity of estuaries, and are also important conduits for the delivery of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. We studied the impact of freshwater inputs on primary producers in the lower Housatonic River estuary in Long Island Sound, U.S.A. We conducted a laboratory experiment with Ulva intestinalis (syn. Enteromorpha intestinalis) (Linnaeus), a common green macroalgae that can have a high biomass in eutrophic systems. U. intestinalis was collected from three sites around the estuary that varied in salinity and nutrient concentration. Algae from three sites were grown in four treatments containing different proportions of Housatonic River water to mimic the gradient in riverine influence in the estuary. As the percentage of Housatonic River water increased, nitrogen and phosphorus concentration increased and salinity decreased. Growth of U. intestinalis collected from lower salinity sites was higher in treatments containing Housatonic River water than in those containing only Long Island Sound water. Conversely, U. intestinalis collected from Long Island Sound grew best in the treatment with no river water. Previous studies showed that U. intestinalis growth is stimulated by high nutrient concentration and depressed by low salinity; however, the reduction in growth at low salinity may be mitigated by increased nutrients. Our results support these studies and suggest that for populations of U. intestinalis that have experienced reduced salinity in their environment, the negative impacts of reduced salinity may be outweighed by the positive impacts of the high nutrient concentration in Housatonic River water.

Spatial pattern of localized disturbance along a Southeastern salt marsh tidal creek

Geomorphology may be an important predictor of vegetation pattern in systems where suceptibility to disturbance is unevenly distributed across the landscape. Salt marsh communities exhibit spatial pattern in vegetation at a variety of spatial scales. In coastal Georgia, the low marsh is a virtual monoculture ofSpartina alterniflora interspersed with patches of species that are more typical of the high marsh. These localized disturbances are most likely created by wrack mats, mats of dead vegetation which can compact and smother underlying vegetation creating bare patches for colonization by high marsh species. We investigated the spatial pattern of disturbed patches along a 2 km section of Dean Creek, a tidal creek at the southwestern end of Sapelo Island, Georgia, U.S. We used a discriminant model to explore the relationship between tidal creek morphology (e.g., the presence of drainage channels and creek bends) and the spatial distribution of disturbed patches. The model predicted vegetation pattern along the creek with relatively high accuracy (>70%). Areas where water movement is slowed or multidirectional (e.g., along creek bends and near drainage channels) were most susceptible to disturbance. Our findings suggest an important functional linkage between geomorphology and vegetation pattern in salt marsh communities.

Nutrient limitation in the lower Housatonic River estuary

One of the most serious threats to freshwater and marine ecosystems is high rates of anthropogenic nutrient loading, particularly nitrogen (N) and phophorus (P). One of the major freshwater sources of nutrients to Long Island Sound (LIS) is the Housatonic River (HR). Current management plans that call for reducing N inputs without reducing P inputs may change the N: P ratio in the water column and the pattern of algal nutrient limitation and species composition in the tidal portion of the river. To assess the current pattern of algal nutrient limitation in the HR estuary, nutrient bioassays were conducted in spring, summer, and fall at 5 sites throughout the tidal portion and adjacent LIS. Diatoms were a dominant taxon at all sites throughout the sampling period. Other seasonally important taxa include cyanobacteria, cryptophytes, and euglenoids. Phytoplankton in LIS were always strongly N limited and were co-limited by P in spring. During low flow (summer), phytoplankton in the lower HR estuary were N limited. Phytoplankton in the middle reaches showed no evidence of N or P limitation and were likely limited by other factors. In spring, phytoplankton in the upper HR estuary were P limited. Periods of N or P limitation were better correlated with periods of lower concentrations of nitrate or phosphate than with differences in N: P ratio. These results suggest that decreases in N concentration could increase the prevalence of N limitation throughout the estuary that in turn may reduce phytoplankton biomass and alter species composition of the phytoplankton.

Generating community-built tools for data sharing and analysis in environmental networks

Rapid data growth in many environmental sectors has necessitated tools to manage and analyze these data. The development of tools often lags behind the proliferation of data, however, which may slow exploratory opportunities and scientific progress. The Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) collaborative model supports an efficient and comprehensive data–analysis–insight life cycle, including implementations of data quality control checks, statistical calculations/derivations, models, and data visualizations. These tools are community-built and openly shared. We discuss the network structure that enables tool development and a culture of sharing, leading to optimized output from limited resources. Specifically, data sharing and a flat collaborative structure encourage the development of tools that enable scientific insights from these data. Here we provide a cross-section of scientific advances derived from global-scale analyses in GLEON. We document enhancements to science capabilities made possible by the development of analytical tools and highlight opportunities to expand this framework to benefit other environmental networks.