Examining the effects of species richness on community stability: an assembly model approach

We build dynamic models of community assembly by starting with one species in our model ecosystem and adding colonists. We find that the number of species present first increases, then fluctuates about some level. We ask: how large are these fluctuations and how can we characterize them statistically? As in Robert May's work, communities with weaker interspecific interactions permit a greater number of species to coexist on average. We find that as this average increases, however, the relative variation in the number of species and return times to mean community levels decreases. In addition, the relative frequency of large extinction events to small extinction events decreases as mean community size increases. While the model reproduces several of May's results, it also provides theoretical support for Charles Elton's idea that diverse communities such as those found in the tropics should be less variable than depauperate communities such as those found in arctic or agricultural settings.

Shrubs, granivores and annual plant community stability in an arid ecosystem

Compensatory population dynamics among species stabilise aggregate community variables. Inter-specific competition is thought to be stabilising as it promotes asynchrony among populations. However, we know little about other inter-specific interactions, such as facilitation and granivory. Such interactions are also likely to influence population synchrony and community stability, especially in harsh environments where they are thought to have relatively strong effects in plant communities. We use a manipulative experiment to test the effects of granivores (harvester ants) and nurse plants (dwarf shrubs) on annual plant community dynamics in the Negev desert, Israel. We present evidence for weak and inconsistent effects of harvester ants on plant abundance and on population and community stability. By contrast, we show that annual communities under shrubs were more species rich, had higher plant density and were temporally less variable than communities in the inter-shrub matrix. Species richness and plant abundance were also more resistant to drought in the shrub under-storey compared with the inter-shrub matrix, although population dynamics in both patch types were synchronised. Hence, we show that inter-specific interactions other than competition affect community stability, and that hypothesised mechanisms linking compensatory dynamics and community stability may not operate to the same extent in arid plant communities.

Land use imperils plant and animal community stability through changes in asynchrony rather than diversity

Human land use may detrimentally affect biodiversity, yet long-term stability of species communities is vital for maintaining ecosystem functioning. Community stability can be achieved by higher species diversity (portfolio effect), higher asynchrony across species (insurance hypothesis) and higher abundance of populations. However, the relative importance of these stabilizing pathways and whether they interact with land use in real-world ecosystems is unknown. We monitored inter-annual fluctuations of 2,671 plant, arthropod, bird and bat species in 300 sites from three regions. Arthropods show 2.0-fold and birds 3.7-fold higher community fluctuations in grasslands than in forests, suggesting a negative impact of forest conversion. Land-use intensity in forests has a negative net impact on stability of bats and in grasslands on birds. Our findings demonstrate that asynchrony across species—much more than species diversity alone—is the main driver of variation in stability across sites and requires more attention in sustainable management.

Species richness, but not phylogenetic diversity, influences community biomass production and temporal stability in a re-examination of 16 grassland biodiversity studies

* Hundreds of experiments have now manipulated species richness (SR) of various groups of organisms and examined how this aspect of biological diversity influences ecosystem functioning. Ecologists have recently expanded this field to look at whether phylogenetic diversity (PD) among species, often quantified as the sum of branch lengths on a molecular phylogeny leading to all species in a community, also predicts ecological function. Some have hypothesized that phylogenetic divergence should be a superior predictor of ecological function than SR because evolutionary relatedness represents the degree of ecological and functional differentiation among species. But studies to date have provided mixed support for this hypothesis. * Here, we reanalyse data from 16 experiments that have manipulated plant SR in grassland ecosystems and examined the impact on above-ground biomass production over multiple time points. Using a new molecular phylogeny of the plant species used in these experiments, we quantified how the PD of plants impacts average community biomass production as well as the stability of community biomass production through time. * Using four complementary analyses, we show that, after statistically controlling for variation in SR, PD (the sum of branches in a molecular phylogenetic tree connecting all species in a community) is neither related to mean community biomass nor to the temporal stability of biomass. These results run counter to past claims. However, after controlling for SR, PD was positively related to variation in community biomass over time due to an increase in the variances of individual species, but this relationship was not strong enough to influence community stability. * In contrast to the non-significant relationships between PD, biomass and stability, our analyses show that SR per se tends to increase the mean biomass production of plant communities, after controlling for PD. The relationship between SR and temporal variation in community biomass was either positive, non-significant or negative depending on which analysis was used. However, the increases in community biomass with SR, independently of PD, always led to increased stability. These results suggest that PD is no better as a predictor of ecosystem functioning than SR. * Synthesis. Our study on grasslands offers a cautionary tale when trying to relate PD to ecosystem functioning suggesting that there may be ecologically important trait and functional variation among species that is not explained by phylogenetic relatedness. Our results fail to support the hypothesis that the conservation of evolutionarily distinct species would be more effective than the conservation of SR as a way to maintain productive and stable communities under changing environmental conditions.

Stability of alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is considered to be sensitive to climate change. An understanding of the alpine meadow ecosystem is therefore important for predicting the response of ecosystems to climate change. In this study, we use the coefficients of variation (Cv) and stability (E) obtained from the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Research Station to characterize the ecosystem stability. The results suggest that the net primary production of the alpine meadow ecosystem was more stable (Cv = 13.18%) than annual precipitation (Cv = 16.55%) and annual mean air temperature (Cv= 28.82%). The net primary production was insensitive to either the precipitation (E = 0.0782) or air temperature (E = 0.1113). In summary, the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is much stable. Comparison of alpine meadow ecosystem stability with other five natural grassland ecosystems in Israel and southern African indicates that the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is the most stable ecosystem. The alpine meadow ecosystem with relatively simple structure has high stability, which indicates that community stability is not only correlated with biodiversity and community complicity but also with environmental stability. An average oscillation cycles of 3-4 years existed in annual precipitation, annual mean air temperature, net primary production and the population size of consumers at the Haibei natural ecosystem. The high stability of the alpine meadow ecosystem may be resulting also from the adaptation of the ecosystem to the alpine environment.

Global change alters the stability of food webs

Recent research has generally shown that a small change in the number of species in a food web can have consequences both for community structure and ecosystem processes. However 'change' is not limited to just the number of species in a community, but might include an alteration to such properties as precipitation, nutrient cycling and temperature. How such changes might affect species interactions is important, not just through the presence or absence of interactions, but also because the patterning of interaction strengths among species is intimately associated with community stability. Interaction strengths encompass such properties as feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies, and encapsulate functionally important information with regard to ecosystem processes. Interaction strengths represent the pathways and transfer of energy through an ecosystem. We review the best empirical data available detailing the frequency distribution of interaction strengths in communities. We present the underlying (but consistent) pattern of species interactions and discuss the implications of this patterning. We then examine how such a basic pattern might be affected given various scenarios of 'change' and discuss the consequences for community stability and ecosystem functioning.

Trait contributions to fish community assembly emerge from trophic interactions in an individual-based model

Community ecology seeks to understand and predict the characteristics of communities that can develop under different environmental conditions, but most theory has been built on analytical models that are limited in the diversity of species traits that can be considered simultaneously. We address that limitation with an individual-based model to simulate assembly of fish communities characterized by life history and trophic interactions with multiple physiological tradeoffs as constraints on species performance. Simulation experiments were carried out to evaluate the distribution of 6 life history and 4 feeding traits along gradients of resource productivity and prey accessibility. These experiments revealed that traits differ greatly in importance for species sorting along the gradients. Body growth rate emerged as a key factor distinguishing community types and defining patterns of community stability and coexistence, followed by egg size and maximum body size. Dominance by fast-growing, relatively large, and fecund species occurred more frequently in cases where functional responses were saturated (i.e. high productivity and/or prey accessibility). Such dominance was associated with large biomass fluctuations and priority effects, which prevented richness from increasing with productivity and may have limited selection on secondary traits, such as spawning strategies and relative size at maturation. Our results illustrate that the distribution of species traits and the consequences for community dynamics are intimately linked and strictly dependent on how the benefits and costs of these traits are balanced across different conditions. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Aggregate community properties and the strength of species’ interactions

Although humanity depends on the continued, aggregate functioning of natural ecosystems, few studies have explored the impact of community structure on the stability of aggregate community properties. Here we derive the stability of the aggregate property of community biomass as a function of species’ competition coefficients for a two-species model. The model predicts that the stability of community biomass is relatively independent of the magnitude of the interaction strengths. Instead, the degree of asymmetry of the interactions appears to be key to community stability.

Trait Contributions to Fish Community Assembly Emerge From Trophic Interactions in an Individual-Based Model

Community ecology seeks to understand and predict the characteristics of communities that can develop under different environmental conditions, but most theory has been built on analytical models that are limited in the diversity of species traits that can be considered simultaneously. We address that limitation with an individual-based model to simulate assembly of fish communities characterized by life history and trophic interactions with multiple physiological tradeoffs as constraints on species performance. Simulation experiments were carried out to evaluate the distribution of 6 life history and 4 feeding traits along gradients of resource productivity and prey accessibility. These experiments revealed that traits differ greatly in importance for species sorting along the gradients. Body growth rate emerged as a key factor distinguishing community types and defining patterns of community stability and coexistence, followed by egg size and maximum body size. Dominance by fast-growing, relatively large, and fecund species occurred more frequently in cases where functional responses were saturated (i.e. high productivity and/or prey accessibility). Such dominance was associated with large biomass fluctuations and priority effects, which prevented richness from increasing with productivity and may have limited selection on secondary traits, such as spawning strategies and relative size at maturation. Our results illustrate that the distribution of species traits and the consequences for community dynamics are intimately linked and strictly dependent on how the benefits and costs of these traits are balanced across different conditions.

内蒙古锡林河流域草原植物和群落热值的时空变异研究

第一部分：内蒙古锡林河流域草原植物种群和群落热值的时空变异研究 热值的研究是评价生态系统能量固定、传输和转化的基础，也是评价植物光合作用效率和植物营养值的有用参数。同种植物热值会随着植物部位、光照、养分条件、季节、土壤类型和气候条件的不同而发生变化。不同的种类和类群之间热值也存在差异。本项研究以内蒙古锡林河流域中段草原植物群落为对象，研究了植物种群和群落热值的时空变异规律。 对内蒙古羊草草原群落不同植物种群热值的时问动态研究结果表明，42种植物地上部分的热值在13.16土1.14 kJ.g-l和18.14土0.53 kJ.g-1之间变动，所有物种的平均热值为16.90土0,84 kJ.g-1，种间变异系数4.9%。小叶锦鸡儿(Caraganamicrophylla)具有最高的热值。禾草的平均热值高于杂草。根据生活型和生长型，草本物种被进一步分组，热值从高到低的排列顺序为：高禾草>豆科植物>矮禾草>其余杂草>半灌木>一二年生植物。 主要植物种群地下部分热值的分布范围为15.05-16.41 kJ.g-1。其中根茎型草地下部分热值较高。不同种类植物地下部分热值差异并不与地上部分一致。根茎型禾草地上、地下部分热值差异较小，而须根型植物差异较大。不同种群的植物地上部分热值随植物物候期的不同而波动，其变化规律是与植物种群本身的生物学特性相联系的。不同植物种群热值的年际波动规律有所不同，羊草(Leymuschinensis)、大针茅(Stipa grandis)和洽草(Koeloria cristata)的年际热值波动相关显著，但与生长季降水量和生长季累积日照时数之间无明显相关性。在某种程度上，植物热值的种内变化反映了植物生长状况的差异。 42种植物的热值和它们在群落中的相对生物量存在显著正相关关系。表现为优势种(17.74 kJ.g-1)>伴生种(17.24 kJ．g-l)>偶见种(16.65 kJ.g-1)。高热值的植物更具竞争力，在群落中通常占据优势地位，而低热值的植物竞争力通常较弱，构成草原群落的伴生种或偶见种。 以内蒙古锡林河流域3个草原群落类型（羊草典型草原，大针茅典型草原，羊草草甸草原）的放牧退化梯度系列（包括未退化，轻度退化，中度退化和重度退化4个强度）为研究对象，对主要植物种群和群落热值随草原类型和退化梯度的空间变异规律及热值与其他群落和土壤性质的相关性进行了研究。 结果表明，研究区出现的60个植物种平均热值为17.25土0.92 kJ.g-1，变异系数5.4%．热值大于18.00 kJ.g-1的高能植物包括3种优势高禾草(羊草、大针茅和羽茅(A. sibiricum))和一些有毒植物，热值小于17.00 kJ.g-1的低能值植物包括多数一年生杂草;热值在17.00-18.00 kJ.g-1之间的中能值植物包括大多数多年生杂草和矮禾草。 按照生活型分类，灌木的热值最高，多年生禾草显著高于一二年生植物，半灌木和多年生杂草介于二者之间。按照水分生态类型分类，旱生植物、中旱生、旱中生和中生植物之间在热值上没有明显差异。不同科之间热值存在显著差异，禾本科、豆科、菊科植物热值较高，藜科植物平均热值最低。 二因素方差分析结果表明，主要优势物种热值在不同草原类型之间存在显著差异，表现为羊草草甸草原>羊草典型草原>大针茅典型草原。对于大多数优势禾草，热值没有随退化梯度发生明显变化，洽草(K. cristata)、冰草(A．ctistatum)和所有优势杂草随退化程度的增强热值趋于下降。对于大多数优势物种，热值随不同草原类型的空间变异大于放牧退化所导致的空间变异。 不同草原类型的群落热值为羊草草甸草原>羊草典型草原>大针茅典型草原，群落平均热值表现出随退化强度的增加而下降的趋势，这主要归因于沿退化梯度不同物种构成比例的变化，即随退化程度的加剧，高能值植物在群落中的比例下降。其次是特定物种热值随退化梯度的变化。在同一草原区，放牧对群落热值的影响大于立地条件之间的差异。 群落和主要物种热值均表现出与某些群落特征和土壤性质的相关性。 关键词：内蒙古，锡林河流域，羊草草原;物种和群落热值，时空变异，退化梯度，草原类型，土壤性质 第二部分内蒙古羊草草原17年刈割演替过程中功能群组成动态及其对群落净初级生产力稳定性的影响 基于17年的野外实验数据，研究了内蒙古羊草草原群落刈割演替过程中的功能群组成动态，探索功能群组成变化与群落净初级生产力(ANPP)之间的关系，分析结构参数怎样影响功能参数。结果显示：在17年的割草演替过程中，群落的结构与功能均发生了变化。随着羊草群落刈割演替的进行，群落的功能群组成发生了显著变化，根茎禾草在群落中的优势地位相继被一二年生植物，高丛生禾草，矮丛生禾草所取代。到17年末，群落变成根茎禾草，矮丛生禾草，高丛生禾草共同建群的群落。在对照群落中ANPP与年降水量显著相关，但在刈割群落中二者则不相关。年降水量解释对照群落ANPP变异的62%，而连年的刈割干扰则是刈割群落中ANPP动态的主要驱动因子。群落净初级生产则显出对刈割干扰的抵抗能力，在刈割干扰的前几年，依靠群落内功能群组成的不断调节，保持相对稳定的水平，当刈割进行5年之后，群落结构的变化积累到一定程度，净初级生产迅速下降到一个较低的水平，此后依靠群落结构的不断调节来维持这一功能水平。因此，群落结构是以渐变的方式改变的，而群落功能的下降则是以跃变的形式完成的。群落依赖于结构的不断调整来保持功能的相对稳定，但结构变化到一定程度也会导致功能的衰退。 关键词：内蒙古，羊草草原;刈割演替;功能群组成;净初级生产;群落;稳定性

How does global change affect the strength of trophic interactions?

Recent research has generally shown that a small change in the number of species in a food web can have consequences both for community structure and ecosystem processes. However 'change' is not limited to just the number of species in a community, but might include an alteration to such properties as precipitation, nutrient cycling and temperature, all of which are correlated with productivity. Here we argue that predicted scenarios of global change will result in increased plant productivity. We model three scenarios of change using simple Lotka-Volterra dynamics, which explore how a global change in productivity might affect the strength of local species interactions and detail the consequences for community and ecosystem level stability. Our results indicate that (i) at local scales the average population size of consumers may decline because of poor quality food resources, (ii) that the strength of species interactions at equilibrium may become weaker because of reduced population size, and (iii) that species populations may become more variable and may take longer to recover from environmental or anthropogenic disturbances. At local scales interaction strengths encompass such properties as feeding rates and assimilation efficiencies, and encapsulate functionatty important information with regard to ecosystem processes. Interaction strengths represent the pathways and transfer of energy through an ecosystem. We examine how such local patterns might be affected given various scenarios of 'global change' and discuss the consequences for community stability and ecosystem functioning. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Impacts of sewage outfalls on rocky shores: incorporating scale, biotic assemblage structure and variability into monitoring tools.

Coastal systems, such as rocky shores, are among the most heavily anthropogenically-impacted marine ecosystems and are also among the most productive in terms of ecosystem functioning. One of the greatest impacts on coastal ecosystems is nutrient enrichment from human activities such as agricultural run-off and discharge of sewage. The aim of this study was to identify and characterise potential effects of sewage discharges on the biotic diversity of rocky shores and to test current tools for assessing the ecological status of rocky shores in line with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). A sampling strategy was designed to test for effects of sewage outfalls on rocky shore assemblages on the east coast of Ireland and to identify the scale of the putative impact. In addition, a separate sampling programme based on the Reduced algal Species List (RSL), the current WFD monitoring tool for rocky shores in Ireland and the UK, was also completed by identifying algae and measuring percent cover in replicate samples on rocky shores during Summer. There was no detectable effect of sewage outfalls on benthic taxon diversity or assemblage structure. However, spatial variability of assemblages was greater at sites proximal or adjacent to sewage outfalls compared to shores without sewage outfalls present. Results based on the RSL, show that algal assemblages were not affected by the presence of sewage outfalls, except when classed into functional groups when variability was greater at the sites with sewage outfalls. A key finding of both surveys, was the prevalence of spatial and temporal variation of assemblages. It is recommended that future metrics of ecological status are based on quantified sampling designs, incorporate changes in variability of assemblages (indicative of community stability), consider shifts in assemblage structure and include both benthic fauna and flora to assess the status of rocky shores.

Temporal and small-scale spatial variation in grassland productivity, biomass quality, and nutrient limitation

Characterization of spatial and temporal variation in grassland productivity and nutrition is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem function. Although within-site heterogeneity in soil and plant properties has been shown to be relevant for plant community stability, spatiotemporal variability in these factors is still understudied in temperate grasslands. Our study aimed to detect if soil characteristics and plant diversity could explain observed small-scale spatial and temporal variability in grassland productivity, biomass nutrient concentrations, and nutrient limitation. Therefore, we sampled 360 plots of 20 cm × 20 cm each at six consecutive dates in an unfertilized grassland in Southern Germany. Nutrient limitation was estimated using nutrient ratios in plant biomass. Absolute values of, and spatial variability in, productivity, biomass nutrient concentrations, and nutrient limitation were strongly associated with sampling date. In April, spatial heterogeneity was high and most plots showed phosphorous deficiency, while later in the season nitrogen was the major limiting nutrient. Additionally, a small significant positive association between plant diversity and biomass phosphorus concentrations was observed, but should be tested in more detail. We discuss how low biological activity e.g., of soil microbial organisms might have influenced observed heterogeneity of plant nutrition in early spring in combination with reduced active acquisition of soil resources by plants. These early-season conditions are particularly relevant for future studies as they differ substantially from more thoroughly studied later season conditions. Our study underlines the importance of considering small spatial scales and temporal variability to better elucidate mechanisms of ecosystem functioning and plant community assembly.