Spatio-temporal variability in Mediterranean rocky shore microphytobenthos

Maggi, Elena; Rindi, Luca; Bello, Martina Dal; Fontanini, Debora; Capocchi, Antonella; Bongiorni, Lucia; Benedetti‐Cecchi, Lisandro

doi:10.3354/meps12216

Cited by 20 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Other grazers are virtually absent on the high shore. Due to the limited amplitude of tides, these assemblages are usually above the sea level and wetted only during sea storms or rain events (Dal Bello et al, ; Maggi et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snails were counted just before the start (14 March) and eight times during the experiment (18 and 24 March, 6, 13 and 22 April, 6, 17 and 26 May). After 65 days (18 May), photosynthetic biomass and maximum photosynthetic efficiency of epilithic autotrophic organisms (largely dominated by cyanobacteria; Maggi et al, ) were estimated in situ through a non‐destructive methodology based on in vivo fluorescence of photosynthetic pigments (by means of a pulse amplitude modulated fluorometer; Diving PAM, WALZ). For each quadrat, estimates were obtained by averaging two replicate values of minimum fluorescence ( F o ) and effective quantum yield of Photosystem II (Yield = ( F m − F o )/ F m ; F m = maximum fluorescence), respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most recently recognized sources of anthropogenic disturbance, with potentially severe effects on biological systems that are still to be fully explored. Among marine ecosystems, high‐shore habitats are those more likely to be impacted by ALAN, due to a more intense exposition to outdoor nocturnal lightings (mostly from lamps along coastal streets and promenades, or within harbours, ports and marinas). By performing in situ nocturnal manipulations of a direct source of white LED light and presence of herbivores in a Mediterranean high‐shore habitat, we assessed the interactive effects of light pollution and grazing on two key functional components of the epilithic microbial community (the cyanobacteria, as the main photoautotrophic component, and the other bacteria, mainly dominated by heterotrophs) developing on rocky shores. Results showed an unexpected increase in the diversity of epilithic bacterial biofilm at unlit sites in the presence of grazers, that was more evident on the other (mainly heterotrophic) bacterial component, when giving weight to more abundant families. This effect was likely related to the mechanical removal of dead cells through the grazing activity of consumers. ALAN significantly modified this scenario, by reducing the density of grazers and thus erasing their effects on bacteria, and by increasing the diversity of more abundant cyanobacterial families. Overall, direct and indirect effects on ALAN resulted in a significant increase in the diversity of the photoautotrophic component and a decrease in the heterotrophic one, likely affecting key ecosystem functions acting on rocky shore habitats. ALAN may represent a threat for natural systems through the annihilation of positive interactions across trophic levels, potentially impairing the relationship between biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems and interacting with other global and local stressors currently impinging on coastal areas. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Biofilm assemblages at Calafuria include mainly cyanobacteria, with diatoms being less abundant (Maggi et al. ). The most important grazer at this height on the shore is the littorinid snail Melaraphe neritoides (L).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal clustering of extreme climate events drives a regime shift in rocky intertidal biofilms

Bello

Rindi

Benedetti‐Cecchi

2019

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research on regime shifts has focused primarily on how changes in the intensity and duration of press disturbances precipitate natural systems into undesirable, alternative states. By contrast, the role of recurrent pulse perturbations, such as extreme climatic events, has been largely neglected, hindering our understanding of how historical processes regulate the onset of a regime shift. We performed field manipulations to evaluate whether combinations of extreme events of temperature and sediment deposition that differed in their degree of temporal clustering generated alternative states in rocky intertidal epilithic microphytobenthos (biofilms) on rocky shores. The likelihood of biofilms to shift from a vegetated to a bare state depended on the degree of temporal clustering of events, with biofilm biomass showing both states under a regime of non‐clustered (60 d apart) perturbations while collapsing in the clustered (15 d apart) scenario. Our results indicate that time since the last perturbation can be an important predictor of collapse in systems exhibiting alternative states and that consideration of historical effects in studies of regime shifts may largely improve our understanding of ecosystem dynamics under climate change.

show abstract

“…, Maggi et al. ). These primary producers undergo large fluctuations in biomass in response to environmental change and to variation in grazing pressure (Sanz‐Lazaro et al.…”

Section: Hybridization Of Time Seriesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…, , Maggi et al. ). We took advantage of the spatial extension of CCM that uses short, but spatially replicated time series.…”

Section: Hybridization Of Time Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid datasets: integrating observations with experiments in the era of macroecology and big data

Benedetti‐Cecchi

Bulleri

Bello

et al. 2018

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding how increasing human domination of the biosphere affects life on earth is a critical research challenge. This task is facilitated by the increasing availability of open-source data repositories, which allow ecologists to address scientific questions at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. Large datasets are mostly observational, so they may have limited ability to uncover causal relations among variables. Experiments are better suited at attributing causation, but they are often limited in scope. We propose hybrid datasets, resulting from the integration of observational with experimental data, as an approach to leverage the scope and ability to attribute causality in ecological studies. We show how the analysis of hybrid datasets with emerging techniques in time series analysis (Convergent Cross-mapping) and macroecology (Joint Species Distribution Models) can generate novel insights into causal effects of abiotic and biotic processes that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. We illustrate these principles with two case studies in marine ecosystems and discuss the potential to generalize across environments, species and ecological processes. If used wisely, the analysis of hybrid datasets may become the standard approach for research goals that seek causal explanations for large-scale ecological phenomena.

show abstract

Spatio-temporal variability in Mediterranean rocky shore microphytobenthos

Cited by 20 publications

References 69 publications

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

Artificial light at night erases positive interactions across trophic levels

Temporal clustering of extreme climate events drives a regime shift in rocky intertidal biofilms

Hybrid datasets: integrating observations with experiments in the era of macroecology and big data

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About