Structured environments fundamentally alter dynamics and stability of ecological communities

Lowery, Nick Vallespir; Ursell, Tristan

doi:10.1101/366559

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…It captures the complexity of natural soil microbial ecosystems in a simplified way. However, the spatially explicit simulations of bacterial growth, dispersal and substrate supply, diffusion and biodegradation under recurrent disturbances reflect processes that are highly important and widespread in these systems, and are also in line with comparable modeling approaches (e.g., Resat et al, 2012;Kaiser et al, 2014;Ebrahimi and Or, 2016;Vallespir Lowery and Ursell, 2019). Therefore, we consider our general findings qualitatively valid for natural systems.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Disturbance Size Can Be Compensated for by Spatial Fragmentation in Soil Microbial Ecosystems

et al. 2019

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One major interest in soil systems ecology is to maintain ecosystem functions. As soil is exposed to disturbances of different spatial configurations, identifying disturbance characteristics that still allow for maintaining functions is crucial. In macro-ecology, the influence of fragmentation on ecosystems is continuously debated, especially in terms of extinction thresholds on the landscape scale. Whether this influence is positive or negative depends on the considered type of fragmentation: habitat fragmentation often promotes population extinction, whereas spatially fragmented disturbances reduce extinction probability in many cases. In this study, we make use of these concepts to analyze how spatial disturbance characteristics determine functional resilience on the microscale. We used the numerical model eColony considering bacterial growth, substrate consumption, and dispersal for analyzing the dynamic response of biodegradation as an exemplary important microbial ecosystem function to disturbance events. We systematically varied the frequency of the disturbance events, and the size and fragmentation of the disturbed area. We found that the influence of the disturbance size on functional recovery depends on the spatial fragmentation of the disturbance, indicating that to some extent disturbance size can be compensated for by the spatial configuration of the disturbed area. In general, biodegradation performance decreases as the disturbed area increases in size, and becomes more contiguous. However, if a disturbance is highly fragmented, an increase in disturbance size has no influence on biodegradation performance unless the disturbance is critically large. In this case, the functional performance decreases dramatically. Under recurrent disturbances, this critical disturbance size is shifted toward lower values depending on the disturbance frequency. Our results indicate the importance of spatial disturbance characteristics for functional resilience of soil microbial ecosystems. Critical values for disturbance size and degree of fragmentation emerge from an interplay between both characteristics. Consequently, these characteristics which are widely discussed on the landscape scale need to be equally considered on smaller scales when assessing functional resilience of soil ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Disturbance Size Can Be Compensated for by Spatial Fragmentation in Soil Microbial Ecosystems

et al. 2019

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“…Plant performance depends heavily on soil biota and their diversity (Wagg et al ., ), and in particular on root colonizing microbes, including N‐fixers, pathogens and mycorrhizal fungi (Powell & Rillig, ). If microplastic causes changes in soil structure, these could influence microbial communities in soil (Vallespir Lowery & Ursell, ), potentially affecting mineralization rates, and communities of root‐colonizing symbionts (Fig. ).…”

Section: Hypothesized Effects On Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic effects on plants

et al. 2019

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Summary Microplastic effects in terrestrial ecosystems have recently moved into focus, after about a decade of research being limited to aquatic systems. While effects on soil physical properties and soil biota are starting to become apparent, there is not much information on the consequences for plant performance. We here propose and discuss mechanistic pathways through which microplastics could impact plant growth, either positively or negatively. These effects will vary as a function of plant species, and plastic type, and thus are likely to translate to changes in plant community composition and perhaps primary production. Our mechanistic framework serves to guide ongoing and future research on this important topic.

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“…Such changes in soil structure may have an impact on the available microorganisms, soil fertility, and the rate of nutrient mineralization. Furthermore, plastic films in the soil structure form water channels, resulting in a higher rate of water evaporation (Vallespir Lowery & Ursell, 2019 ; Wan et al, 2019 ). Several studies on different plants, in addition to soil, revealed the uptake and translocation of PS microbeads into different plant parts, reducing photosynthetic activities and slowing plant growth.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Phytotoxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic/nanoplastic toxicity in plants: an imminent concern

Roy

Dey

Jamal

2022

Environ Monit Assess

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The toxic impact of microplastics/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) in plants and the food chain has recently become a top priority. Several research articles highlighted the impact of MPs/NPs on the aquatic food chain; however, very little has been done in the terrestrial ecosystem. A number of studies revealed that MPs/NPs uptake and subsequent translocation in plants alter plant morphological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic properties to varying degrees. However, there is a research gap regarding MPs/NPs entry into plants, associated factors influencing phytotoxicity levels, and potential remediation plans in terms of food safety and security. To address these issues, all sources of MPs/NPs intrusion in agroecosystems should be revised to avoid these hazardous materials with special consideration as preventive measures. Furthermore, this review focuses on the routes of accumulation and transmission of MPs/NPs into plant tissues, related aspects influencing the intensity of plant stress, and potential solutions to improve food quality and quantity. This paper also concludes by providing an outlook approach of applying exogenous melatonin and introducing engineered plants that would enhance stress tolerance against MPs/NPs. In addition, an overview of inoculation of beneficial microorganisms and encapsulated enzymes in soil has been addressed, which would make the degradation of MPs/NPs faster. Graphical Abstract

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Structured environments fundamentally alter dynamics and stability of ecological communities

Cited by 3 publications

References 38 publications

Disturbance Size Can Be Compensated for by Spatial Fragmentation in Soil Microbial Ecosystems

Disturbance Size Can Be Compensated for by Spatial Fragmentation in Soil Microbial Ecosystems

Microplastic effects on plants

Microplastic/nanoplastic toxicity in plants: an imminent concern

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