The mechanisms that regulate the spatial distribution of species are an essential aid to understanding the effects of the environment on the persistence of populations and communities. The effects of spatial structure on the persistence and robustness of ecological communities can, in turn, prove useful in uncovering their functioning, e.g., in the decomposition of leaf detritus. We applied the framework of complex networks to evaluate the effects of spatial structure on the colonization process of leaf detritus in a patchy aquatic environment, with a spatial network of six pools at different salinity. We found three well-defined modules formed by groups of taxa sharing the same pools, observing an association between modularity and spatial proximity of pools. Modules maximize the number of links within modules, and minimize the number of links among modules, showing the presence of a strong sitespecific association between taxa and pools. The topological characteristics of the network show robustness against random perturbations and a lower tolerance of targeted perturbations. These findings suggest that random events, such as flooding or heavy rains, slightly affect the robustness of the system, while localized perturbations on the most connected nodes could have a negative effect on the connectivity of the whole network. The consequences could lead to a structural and functional homogenization of the system, with potential effects for the entire trophic chain. Here we discuss the topological properties of the network in relation to the spatial distribution of pools, showing how network analysis can yield valuable insight for conservation and management.
Due to huge yearly variations of environmental stressing conditions, Kandalaksha Bay (Arctic Circle, White Sea, Russia) could represent a model to study microbial adaptation in extreme environments. This peculiar estuarine system has been scarcely investigated for its microbial diversity. In this work, to gather information on their nutritional competencies, seawater planktonic bacteria were studied for their ability to use different carbon sources by the Biolog phenotype microarray assays. Nestedness, a useful statistical tool used in ecology, was employed to underline nutritional differences among microbial groups. In particular, nestedness was used to understand the complex relationship that is established when many nutrients are available for various microorganisms, and to highlight presence of specialists and generalists. Among the studied bacteria, which showed very diverse nutritional abilities, 47% belonged to Pseudomonas, 21% to Serratia and 32% to other Genera. Within Pseudomonas, both highly generalist and highly specialist strains were discovered. However, most of them used organic and/or amino acids as principal carbon sources. In contrast, Serratia strains typically preferred sugars and appeared to be more generalist. On the whole, important differences in specialization levels and nutritional competencies were recorded in strains belonging to the same species. Correlations between phylogenetic and nutritional data were validated by Procrustes analysis.
Citizen Science involves people as part of a scientific enquiry. However, in an age of great environmental changes, citizens are faced with degradation that affects ecosystem structure and function. Their role as drivers of change can be also relevant for biodiversity conservation. As in Citizen Science, where the citizens, properly trained, can initiate a widespread and fine-grained knowledge process, it is also possible to start a Citizen Management process, where citizens, adequately trained in problem solving, can change the state of an environmental system, with positive effects on the latter and on themselves. To prepare citizens for the acquisition of a problem solving and management paradigms, a quick meeting carried out with citizens by a senior manager as facilitator can be an opportunity to explain some basic steps: introducing them to the concept of ‘problem’, the definition of a project team and SMART objectives, the use of creativity during brainstorming, choosing an approach to the decision-making process and defining a strategy (actions, times, roles, resources, monitoring, and adaptation). According to the Hill and Westbrook’s SWOT approach, we suggest a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that characterize the Citizen Management approach.
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