Natural variability in hard bottom communities and possible drivers assessed by a time-series study in the SW Baltic Sea: know the noise to detect the change

Abstract

In order to detect shifts in community structure and function associated with global change, the natural background fluctuation in these traits must be known. In a 6-yr study we quantified year to year variability of taxonomic and functional composition of benthic hard bottom communities in the Western Baltic. While taxonomic fluctuations were substantial, functionality of the communities seems preserved in most cases. Environmental conditions potentially driving these fluctuations are winter temperatures and current regimes. We tentatively define a confidence range of natural variability in productivity, composition and diversity a departure from which might help identifying an ongoing regime shift driven by global change. In addition, we propose a statistical procedure distinguishing directional shifts ("signal") from natural fluctuations ("noise")

Testing for deterministic succession in metazoan parasite communities of marine fish

“…These patterns were related to the age of the fish. Therefore, we provide support for the idea that the ecological theory of succession extensively described for freeliving communities (Clarke et al 1993;Wahl et al 2013;Uribe et al 2015;Guerra-Castro & Cruz-Motta, 2018) also applies for parasite communities as well, highlighting the robustness of this theory in ecology.…”

“…; Wahl et al . ). For parasite communities in fish, our results suggest that the age of the host, i.e., the time available for colonisation and extinction, as well as richness (for endoparasites) explain the seriation pattern of succession.…”

“…(5) Larger size of the host (as a species). The main factors explaining the seriation pattern of succession in free-living organisms include predator-prey interaction, facilitation or inhibition of colonisers, and changes in the relative abundance of species, as well as the timing and associated environmental factors during succession (Clarke et al 1993;James et al 2008;Wahl et al 2013). For parasite communities in fish, our results suggest that the age of the host, i.e., the time available for colonisation and extinction, as well as richness (for endoparasites) explain the seriation pattern of succession.…”

“…; Wahl et al . ; Uribe et al . ; Guerra‐Castro & Cruz‐Motta, ) also applies for parasite communities as well, highlighting the robustness of this theory in ecology.…”

Consistent Richness-Biomass Relationship across Environmental Gradients in a Marine Macroalgal-Dominated Subtidal Community on the Western Antarctic Peninsula

“…Then, the biomass of each code (i.e. functional trait group) was estimated by summing the biomass of all taxa for each group [ 39 , 40 ]. Finally, the number of taxonomic identities and functional trait groups (hereafter referred to as taxon richness and total functional richness, respectively), the biomass of each functional trait group (i.e.…”