Co-occurrence and diversity patterns of benthonic and planktonic communities in a shallow marine ecosystem

Abstract

Marine microorganisms are involved in a variety of biogeochemical cycles and live in diverse ecological communities where they interact with each other and with other organisms to guarantee ecosystem functions. The present study focused on a shallow marine environment located in Ría de Vigo (NW, Spain), where sediment and size-fractionated plankton samples were collected from 2016 to 2018. DNA metabarcoding was used to describe the eukaryote and prokaryote composition and diversity in sediments and plankton and to depict possible associations among the most frequent and abundant organisms by co-occurrence network analysis. High eukaryote and prokaryote diversity indices were obtained in all compartments. Significant differences among eukaryote and prokaryote communities were found between sediment and plankton samples, with a high percentage of exclusive operational taxonomic units (OTUs) associated with each compartment, especially from sediment. Despite these differences, shared taxa between water and sediment were also obtained, suggesting a relatively meaningful exchange of organisms between both environmental compartments. Significant co-occurrences were mainly obtained between prokaryotes (41%), followed by eukaryotes–prokaryotes (32%) and between eukaryotes (27%). The abundant and strong positive correlations between organisms, including representatives from the sediment and the water column, suggested an essential role of biotic interactions as community-structuring factors in shallow waters where beneficial associations likely prevail. This study provides a novel approach for the detailed description of the eukaryote and prokaryote diversity and co-occurrence patterns in a shallow marine area, including both the sediment and different water-size fractions. The high diversity obtained and the detection of predominantly coexisting interactions among organisms from sediment and the overlying water column suggest a movement of species between both habitats and therefore confirm the importance of integratively studying shallow marine ecosystems.

Inferring species interactions from co-occurrence networks with environmental DNA metabarcoding data in a coastal marine food-web

“…Higher interaction richness in the nearshore subset was likely driven by greater species richness, which has been found to increase closer to shore in previous eDNA metabarcoding studies (Jiménez et al, 2018;O'Donnell et al, 2017;Ríos Castro et al, 2022).…”

“…Networks with more interactions could indicate higher ecosystem functionality and greater redundancy of interactions, thus increasing the community’s resilience to disturbance (Tylianakis et al, 2010; Valiente-Banuet et al, 2015). Higher interaction richness in the nearshore subset was likely driven by greater species richness, which has been found to increase closer to shore in previous eDNA metabarcoding studies (Jiménez et al, 2018; O’Donnell et al, 2017; Ríos Castro et al, 2022).…”

Drivers of plankton community structure in intermittent and continuous coastal upwelling systems–from microbes and microscale in-situ imaging to large scale patterns

“…Using plankton co-occurrence as a proxy for community structure (Reese and Brodeur, 2006;Brodeur et al, 2008;Sildever et al, 2021;Costas-Selas et al, 2022), we condensed >2000 high resolution taxa distribution profiles into a unified community approach. Plankton community structure differed substantially between the two sampled locations situated in their two respective upwelling regimes (i.e., NH with intermittent upwelling and TR with more continuous upwelling).…”

“…Community structure can be assessed through the lens of taxa co-occurrence. As co-occurrence is driven by processes enabling coexistence within an ecosystem, such as niche separation (MacArthur, 1958;Chesson, 2000;Lindegren et al, 2020), co-occurrences together with their biotic and abiotic environmental envelope describe ecologically important patterns that enable the investigation of community structure (HilleRisLambers et al, 2012;Williams et al, 2014;Rıós-Castro et al, 2022).…”