Size differences predict niche and relative fitness differences between phytoplankton species but not their coexistence

Gallego, Irene; Venail, Patrick; Ibelings, Bas W.

doi:10.1038/s41396-018-0330-7

Cited by 43 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Since our estimates of phytoplankton community diversity focused on nano- and microphytoplankton > 2 μm, the smallest phototrophic picoplankton were not included in our dataset. However, since phototrophic picoplankton have limited niche overlap with larger phytoplankton due to variation in nutrient uptake, light absorption, and growth rates 40 , it is likely that the drivers of phototrophic picoplankton differs to those of larger phytoplankton. Specifically, due to their large surface area to volume ratio, picoplankton has an advantage over larger phytoplankton under nutrient-limited conditions and high grazing pressure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large seasonal and spatial variation in nano- and microphytoplankton diversity along a Baltic Sea—North Sea salinity gradient

Olofsson

Hagan

Karlson

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Aquatic phytoplankton experience large fluctuations in environmental conditions during seasonal succession and across salinity gradients, but the impact of this variation on their diversity is poorly understood. We examined spatio-temporal variation in nano- and microphytoplankton (> 2 µm) community structure using almost two decades of light-microscope based monitoring data. The dataset encompasses 19 stations that span a salinity gradient from 2.8 to 35 along the Swedish coastline. Spatially, both regional and local phytoplankton diversity increased with broad-scale salinity variation. Diatoms dominated at high salinity and the proportion of cyanobacteria increased with decreasing salinity. Temporally, cell abundance peaked in winter-spring at high salinity but in summer at low salinity. This was likely due to large filamentous cyanobacteria blooms that occur in summer in low salinity areas, but which are absent in higher salinities. In contrast, phytoplankton local diversity peaked in spring at low salinity but in fall and winter at high salinity. Whilst differences in seasonal variation in cell abundance were reasonably well-explained by variation in salinity and nutrient availability, variation in local-scale phytoplankton diversity was poorly predicted by environmental variables. Overall, we provide insights into the causes of spatio-temporal variation in coastal phytoplankton community structure while also identifying knowledge gaps.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large seasonal and spatial variation in nano- and microphytoplankton diversity along a Baltic Sea—North Sea salinity gradient

Olofsson

Hagan

Karlson

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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show abstract

“…4a and b, squares), we introduced each of both species into a monoculture at equilibrium of its competitor to obtain the invasion growth rates. More precisely, we introduced

5 \%

of the invading species' equilibrium density (Narwani et al 2013; Gallego et al 2019). We estimated all these growth rates as

f_{i} (N_{i} (t), 0) \approx \log (\frac{N_{i} ()(, t + normalΔ t)}{N_{i} ()(, t)}) / Δ t

with

Δ t = 84 h

.…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intuitive and broadly applicable definitions of niche and fitness differences

2020

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Explaining nature’s biodiversity is a key challenge for science. To persist, populations must be able to grow faster when rare, a feature called negative frequency dependence and quantified as ‘niche differences’ (scriptN) in modern coexistence theory. Here, we first show that available definitions of scriptN differ in how scriptN link to species interactions, are difficult to interpret and often apply to specific community types only. We then present a new definition of scriptN that is intuitive and applicable to a broader set of (modelled and empirical) communities than is currently the case, filling a main gap in the literature. Given scriptN, we also redefine fitness differences (scriptF) and illustrate how scriptN and scriptF determine coexistence. Finally, we demonstrate how to apply our definitions to theoretical models and experimental data, and provide ideas on how they can facilitate comparison and synthesis in community ecology.

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“…5). Successful experimental tests of the invasibility criterion have been performed for algae (Narwani et al 2013;Venail et al 2014), bacteria (Tan et al 2017;Li et al 2019), yeast (Grainger et al 2019), cyanobacteria (Gallego et al 2019) and amphipods (Cothran et al 2015), among others. These are all relatively small, short-lived taxa; invasibility experiments become increasingly infeasible for larger and longer-lived organisms (Siepelski & McPeek 2010).…”

Section: Invasibility Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signs of stabilisation and stable coexistence

et al. 2019

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Many empirical studies motivated by an interest in stable coexistence have quantified negative density dependence, negative frequency dependence, or negative plant–soil feedback, but the links between these empirical results and ecological theory are not straightforward. Here, we relate these analyses to theoretical conditions for stabilisation and stable coexistence in classical competition models. By stabilisation, we mean an excess of intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition that inherently slows or even prevents competitive exclusion. We show that most, though not all, tests demonstrating negative density dependence, negative frequency dependence, and negative plant–soil feedback constitute sufficient conditions for stabilisation of two‐species interactions if applied to data for per capita population growth rates of pairs of species, but none are necessary or sufficient conditions for stable coexistence of two species. Potential inferences are even more limited when communities involve more than two species, and when performance is measured at a single life stage or vital rate. We then discuss two approaches that enable stronger tests for stable coexistence‐invasibility experiments and model parameterisation. The model parameterisation approach can be applied to typical density‐dependence, frequency‐dependence, and plant–soil feedback data sets, and generally enables better links with mechanisms and greater insights, as demonstrated by recent studies.

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Size differences predict niche and relative fitness differences between phytoplankton species but not their coexistence

Cited by 43 publications

References 49 publications

Large seasonal and spatial variation in nano- and microphytoplankton diversity along a Baltic Sea—North Sea salinity gradient

Large seasonal and spatial variation in nano- and microphytoplankton diversity along a Baltic Sea—North Sea salinity gradient

Intuitive and broadly applicable definitions of niche and fitness differences

Signs of stabilisation and stable coexistence

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