%%
@article{fds376193,
Author = {O'Donnell, KL and Bernhardt, ES and Yang, X and Emanuel, RE and Ardón,
M and Lerdau, MT and Manda, AK and Braswell, AE and BenDor, TK and Edwards,
EC and Frankenberg, E and Helton, AM and Kominoski, JS and Lesen, AE and Naylor, L and Noe, G and Tully, KL and White, E and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Saltwater intrusion and sea level rise threatens U.S. rural
coastal landscapes and communities},
Journal = {Anthropocene},
Volume = {45},
Year = {2024},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100427},
Abstract = {The United States (U.S.) coastal plain is subject to rising
sea levels, land subsidence, more severe coastal storms, and
more intense droughts. These changes lead to inputs of
marine salts into freshwater-dependent coastal systems,
creating saltwater intrusion. The penetration of salinity
into the coastal interior is exacerbated by groundwater
extraction and the high density of agricultural canals and
ditches throughout much of the rural U.S. landscape.
Together saltwater intrusion and sea level rise (SWISLR)
create substantial changes to the social-ecological systems
situated along the coastal plain. Many scholars and
practitioners are engaged in studying and managing SWISLR
impacts on social, economic, and ecological systems.
However, most efforts are localized and disconnected,
despite a widespread desire to understand this common
threat. In addition to variable rates of sea level rise
across the U.S. outer coastal plain, differences in
geomorphic setting, water resources infrastructure and
management, and climate extremes are resulting in different
patterns of saltwater intrusion. Understanding both the
absolute magnitude of this rapid environmental change, and
the causes and consequences for its spatial and temporal
variation presents an opportunity to build new mechanistic
models to link directional climate change to temporally and
spatially dynamic socio-environmental impacts. The diverse
trajectories of change offer rich opportunities to test and
refine modern theories of ecosystem state change in systems
with exceptionally strong socioecological
feedbacks.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100427},
Key = {fds376193}
}
@article{fds375317,
Author = {Podzikowski, LY and Lee, M and Fahey, C and Wright, J and Flory, SL and Phillips, RP},
Title = {Biogeochemical effects of a forest understory plant invasion
depend more on dissimilar nutrient economies than invader
biomass},
Journal = {Elementa},
Volume = {11},
Number = {1},
Year = {2023},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2023.00007},
Abstract = {There is increasing need to better understand how and why
invasion impacts on biogeochemical cycling differ across
heterogeneous landscapes. One hypothesis predicts invader
impacts are greatest, where the invader is most abundant
(the mass ratio hypothesis; MRH). Alternatively, invader
impacts may be greatest in communities, where the nutrient
acquisition strategies of the invader are most dissimilar
from those of native species (the nutrient economy
dissimilarity hypothesis; NEDH). We tested whether the
impact of an invasive grass, Microstegium vimineum, on soil
biogeochemistry could be better explained by MRH, NEDH, or
both. Invaded and reference study plots were established at
3 locations (Indiana, North Carolina, and Georgia) that
varied in the relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal
(AM) versus ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associated overstory trees
(across a nutrient economy gradient), reflecting gradients
in biotic nutrient acquisition strategies and edaphic
factors. At 2 locations, we found a proxy for NEDH explained
invader effects on soil conditions and the net effect of M.
vimineum was to homogenize soil properties across the
nutrient economy gradient toward conditions consistent with
AM-dominated stands. At the third location, both
ECM-dominance (NEDH) and invader biomass (MRH) predicted
differences in soil moisture, pH, and nitrification rates
with may be related to the high N availability and
intermediate acidity at this location. Collectively, these
results suggest the biogeochemical consequences of M.
vimineum depend, in part, on preinvasion soil nutrient
economies. Where preinvasion conditions are known, we
provide a scalable and predictive approach to determine
where impacts on biogeochemical cycling of C and N may be
greatest.},
Doi = {10.1525/elementa.2023.00007},
Key = {fds375317}
}
@article{fds374997,
Author = {Ury, EA and Ardón, M and Wright, JP and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Restored forested wetland surprisingly resistant to
experimental salinization.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {18},
Number = {12},
Pages = {e0296128},
Year = {2023},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296128},
Abstract = {Salinization of coastal freshwater wetlands is an
increasingly common and widespread phenomenon resulting from
climate change. The ecosystem consequences of added salinity
are poorly constrained and highly variable across prior
observational and experimental studies. We added 1.8 metric
tons of marine salts to replicated 200 m2 plots within a
restored forested wetland in Eastern North Carolina over the
course of four years. Based on prior small-scale experiments
at this site, we predicted that salinization would lead to
slower tree growth and suppressed soil carbon cycling.
Results from this large-scale field experiment were subtle
and inconsistent over space and time. By the fourth year of
the experiment, we observed the predicted suppression of
soil respiration and a reduction of water extractable carbon
from soils receiving salt treatments. However, we found no
cumulative effects of four years of salinization on total
soil carbon stocks, tree growth, or root biomass. We
observed substantial variation in soil solution chemistry
(notably, pH and base saturation) across replicated
treatment blocks; the effective salt levels, ionic
composition, and pH varied following treatment depending
upon pre-existing differences in edaphic factors. Our
multi-year monitoring also revealed an underlying trend of
wetland acidification across the entire site, a suspected
effect of ecosystem recovery following wetland restoration
on former agricultural land. The overwhelming resistance to
our salt treatments could be attributed to the vigor of a
relatively young, healthy wetland ecosystem. The
heterogeneous responses to salt that we observed over space
and time merits further investigation into the environmental
factors that control carbon cycling in wetlands. This work
highlights the importance of multi-year, large-scale field
experiments for investigating ecosystem responses to global
environmental change.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0296128},
Key = {fds374997}
}
@article{fds374481,
Author = {Ury, E. M. Ardon and J. Wright and E. Bernhardt},
Title = {Edaphic factors mediate the impacts of experimental
salinization in a coastal forested wetland},
Journal = {PLoSOne},
Year = {2023},
Key = {fds374481}
}
@article{fds368495,
Author = {Díaz, S and Kattge, J and Cornelissen, JHC and Wright, IJ and Lavorel,
S and Dray, S and Reu, B and Kleyer, M and Wirth, C and Prentice, IC and Garnier, E and Bönisch, G and Westoby, M and Poorter, H and Reich, PB and Moles, AT and Dickie, J and Zanne, AE and Chave, J and Wright, SJ and Sheremetiev, SN and Jactel, H and Baraloto, C and Cerabolini, BEL and Pierce, S and Shipley, B and Casanoves, F and Joswig, JS and Günther,
A and Falczuk, V and Rüger, N and Mahecha, MD and Gorné, LD and Amiaud,
B and Atkin, OK and Bahn, M and Baldocchi, D and Beckmann, M and Blonder,
B and Bond, W and Bond-Lamberty, B and Brown, K and Burrascano, S and Byun,
C and Campetella, G and Cavender-Bares, J and Chapin, FS and Choat, B and Coomes, DA and Cornwell, WK and Craine, J and Craven, D and Dainese, M and de Araujo, AC and de Vries, FT and Domingues, TF and Enquist, BJ and Fagúndez, J and Fang, J and Fernández-Méndez, F and Fernandez-Piedade, MT and Ford, H and Forey, E and Freschet, GT and Gachet, S and Gallagher, R and Green, W and Guerin, GR and Gutiérrez,
AG and Harrison, SP and Hattingh, WN and He, T and Hickler, T and Higgins,
SI and Higuchi, P and Ilic, J and Jackson, RB and Jalili, A and Jansen, S and Koike, F and König, C and Kraft, N and Kramer, K and Kreft, H and Kühn,
I and Kurokawa, H and Lamb, EG and Laughlin, DC and Leishman, M and Lewis,
S and Louault, F and Malhado, ACM and Manning, P and Meir, P and Mencuccini, M and Messier, J and Miller, R and Minden, V and Molofsky,
J and Montgomery, R and Montserrat-Martí, G and Moretti, M and Müller,
S and Niinemets, Ü and Ogaya, R and Öllerer, K and Onipchenko, V and Onoda, Y and Ozinga, WA and Pausas, JG and Peco, B and Penuelas, J and Pillar, VD and Pladevall, C and Römermann, C and Sack, L and Salinas,
N and Sandel, B and Sardans, J and Schamp, B and Scherer-Lorenzen, M and Schulze, E-D and Schweingruber, F and Shiodera, S and Sosinski, Ê and Soudzilovskaia, N and Spasojevic, MJ and Swaine, E and Swenson, N and Tautenhahn, S and Thompson, K and Totte, A and Urrutia-Jalabert, R and Valladares, F and van Bodegom, P and Vasseur, F and Verheyen, K and Vile, D and Violle, C and von Holle, B and Weigelt, P and Weiher, E and Wiemann, MC and Williams, M and Wright, J and Zotz,
G},
Title = {The global spectrum of plant form and function: enhanced
species-level trait dataset.},
Journal = {Scientific data},
Volume = {9},
Number = {1},
Pages = {755},
Year = {2022},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01774-9},
Abstract = {Here we provide the 'Global Spectrum of Plant Form and
Function Dataset', containing species mean values for six
vascular plant traits. Together, these traits -plant height,
stem specific density, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf
nitrogen content per dry mass, and diaspore (seed or spore)
mass - define the primary axes of variation in plant form
and function. The dataset is based on ca. 1 million trait
records received via the TRY database (representing ca.
2,500 original publications) and additional unpublished
data. It provides 92,159 species mean values for the six
traits, covering 46,047 species. The data are complemented
by higher-level taxonomic classification and six categorical
traits (woodiness, growth form, succulence, adaptation to
terrestrial or aquatic habitats, nutrition type and leaf
type). Data quality management is based on a probabilistic
approach combined with comprehensive validation against
expert knowledge and external information. Intense data
acquisition and thorough quality control produced the
largest and, to our knowledge, most accurate compilation of
empirically observed vascular plant species mean traits to
date.},
Doi = {10.1038/s41597-022-01774-9},
Key = {fds368495}
}
@article{fds362965,
Author = {Gill, AL and Adler, PB and Borer, ET and Buyarski, CR and Cleland, EE and D'Antonio, CM and Davies, KF and Gruner, DS and Harpole, WS and Hofmockel, KS and MacDougall, AS and McCulley, RL and Melbourne, BA and Moore, JL and Morgan, JW and Risch, AC and Schütz, M and Seabloom, EW and Wright, JP and Yang, LH and Hobbie, SE},
Title = {Nitrogen increases early‐stage and slows late‐stage
decomposition across diverse grasslands},
Journal = {The Journal of ecology},
Volume = {110},
Number = {6},
Pages = {1376-1389},
Year = {2022},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13878},
Abstract = {To evaluate how increased anthropogenic nutrient inputs
alter carbon cycling in grasslands, we conducted a litter
decomposition study across 20 temperate grasslands on three
continents within the Nutrient Network, a globally
distributed nutrient enrichment experiment We determined the
effects of addition of experimental nitrogen (N), phosphorus
(P) and potassium plus micronutrient (Kμ) on decomposition
of a common tree leaf litter in a long‐term study (maximum
of 7 years; exact deployment period varied across sites).
The use of higher order decomposition models allowed us to
distinguish between the effects of nutrients on early‐
versus late‐stage decomposition. Across continents, the
addition of N (but not other nutrients) accelerated
early‐stage decomposition and slowed late‐stage
decomposition, increasing the slowly decomposing fraction by
28% and the overall litter mean residence time by 58%.
Synthesis. Using a novel, long‐term cross‐site
experiment, we found widespread evidence that N enhances the
early stages of above‐ground plant litter decomposition
across diverse and widespread temperate grassland sites but
slows late‐stage decomposition. These findings were
corroborated by fitting the data to multiple decomposition
models and have implications for N effects on soil organic
matter formation. For example, following N enrichment,
increased microbial processing of litter substrates early in
decomposition could promote the production and transfer of
low molecular weight compounds to soils and potentially
enhance the stabilization of mineral‐associated organic
matter. By contrast, by slowing late‐stage decomposition,
N enrichment could promote particulate organic matter (POM)
accumulation. Such hypotheses deserve further
testing.},
Doi = {10.1111/1365-2745.13878},
Key = {fds362965}
}
@article{fds360546,
Author = {Anderson, SM and Ury, EA and Taillie, PJ and Ungberg, EA and Moorman,
CE and Poulter, B and Ardón, M and Bernhardt, ES and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Salinity thresholds for understory plants in coastal
wetlands},
Journal = {Plant ecology.},
Volume = {223},
Number = {3},
Pages = {323-337},
Year = {2022},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11258-021-01209-2},
Abstract = {The effects of sea level rise and coastal saltwater
intrusion on wetland plants can extend well above the
high-tide line due to drought, hurricanes, and groundwater
intrusion. Research has examined how coastal salt marsh
plant communities respond to increased flooding and
salinity, but more inland coastal systems have received less
attention. The aim of this study was to identify whether
ground layer plants exhibit threshold responses to salinity
exposure. We used two vegetation surveys throughout the
Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula (APP) of North Carolina, USA to
assess vegetation in a low elevation landscape
(≤ 3.8 m) experiencing high rates of sea level rise
(3–4 mm/year). We examined the primary drivers of
community composition change using Non-metric
Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and used Threshold Indicator
Taxa Analysis (TITAN) to detect thresholds of compositional
change based on indicator taxa, in response to potential
indicators of exposure to saltwater (Na, and the Σ
Ca + Mg) and elevation. Salinity and elevation explained
64% of the variation in community composition, and we found
two salinity thresholds for both soil Na⁺ (265 and 3843 g
Na⁺/g) and Ca⁺ + Mg⁺ (42 and 126 µeq/g) where major
changes in community composition occur on the APP. Similar
sets of species showed sensitivity to these different
metrics of salt exposure. Overall, our results showed that
ground layer plants can be used as reliable indicators of
salinity thresholds in coastal wetlands. These results can
be used for monitoring salt exposure of ecosystems and for
identifying areas at risk for undergoing future community
shifts.},
Doi = {10.1007/s11258-021-01209-2},
Key = {fds360546}
}
@article{fds359805,
Author = {Ury, EA and Wright, JP and Ardón, M and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Saltwater intrusion in context: soil factors regulate
impacts of salinity on soil carbon cycling},
Journal = {Biogeochemistry},
Volume = {157},
Number = {2},
Pages = {215-226},
Year = {2022},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10533-021-00869-6},
Abstract = {Salinization of freshwater ecosystems impacts carbon
cycling, a particular concern for coastal wetlands, which
are important agents of carbon sequestration. Previous
experimental work using salt additions as a proxy for sea
level rise, reveals widely divergent effects of salt on soil
carbon processes. We performed a laboratory salt addition
experiment on two different types of wetland soils (Ponzer
muck and Hyde loam, both poorly drained organic soils) from
the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. We used a commercial
aquarium salt mix to make treatment solutions of 0, 2.5 and
10 ppt salinity and independently manipulated solution pH
(5.5, 7.2, 8.8) for a full factorial experimental design.
Our goal was to identify the effects of increasing ionic
strength and increasing soil solution pH on soil carbon
solubility and turnover. Microbial respiration and dissolved
organic carbon solubility were depressed by marine salts,
while pH manipulation alone had minimal effect. The addition
of marine salts substantially reduced rates of carbon
mineralization, reduced carbon solubility, and
preferentially reduced the abundance of phenolic and
aromatic organic molecules in solution. In the more acidic
Ponzer muck, where salt additions dropped the pH from > 5 to
< 4, we measured more substantial declines in DOC
concentrations than in the base saturated Hyde loam. In
contrast, in the base saturated Hyde loam, more marine salts
remained in solution and the treatment effects on rates of
carbon mineralization were more pronounced. Our results
provide a clear demonstration of how ion exchange mechanisms
result in indirect effects of salinization on the pH of soil
solution and the solubility of organic matter. These
indirect effects may explain much of the existing variation
in reports of salt effects on soil carbon
dynamics.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10533-021-00869-6},
Key = {fds359805}
}
@article{fds361893,
Author = {Poulsen, JR and Beirne, C and Rundel, C and Baldino, M and Kim, S and Knorr, J and Minich, T and Jin, L and Núñez, CL and Xiao, S and Mbamy, W and Obiang, GN and Masseloux, J and Nkoghe, T and Ebanega, MO and Clark, CJ and Fay, MJ and Morkel, P and Okouyi, J and White, LJT and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Long Distance Seed Dispersal by Forest Elephants},
Journal = {Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution},
Volume = {9},
Year = {2021},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.789264},
Abstract = {By dispersing seeds long distances, large, fruit-eating
animals influence plant population spread and community
dynamics. After fruit consumption, animal gut passage time
and movement determine seed dispersal patterns and
distances. These, in turn, are influenced by extrinsic,
environmental variables and intrinsic, individual-level
variables. We simulated seed dispersal by forest elephants
(Loxodonta cyclotis) by integrating gut passage data from
wild elephants with movement data from 96 individuals. On
average, elephants dispersed seeds 5.3 km, with 89% of seeds
dispersed farther than 1 km. The longest simulated seed
dispersal distance was 101 km, with an average maximum
dispersal distance of 40.1 km. Seed dispersal distances
varied among national parks, perhaps due to unmeasured
environmental differences such as habitat heterogeneity and
configuration, but not with human disturbance or habitat
openness. On average, male elephants dispersed seeds farther
than females. Elephant behavioral traits strongly influenced
dispersal distances, with bold, exploratory elephants
dispersing seeds 1.1 km farther than shy, idler elephants.
Protection of forest elephants, particularly males and
highly mobile, exploratory individuals, is critical to
maintaining long distance seed dispersal services that shape
plant communities and tropical forest habitat.},
Doi = {10.3389/fevo.2021.789264},
Key = {fds361893}
}
@article{fds355806,
Author = {Ury, EA and Yang, X and Wright, JP and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Rapid deforestation of a coastal landscape driven by
sea-level rise and extreme events.},
Journal = {Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological
Society of America},
Volume = {31},
Number = {5},
Pages = {e02339},
Year = {2021},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.2339},
Abstract = {Climate change is driving ecological shifts in coastal
regions of the world, where low topographic relief makes
ecosystems particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise,
salinization, storm surge, and other effects of global
climate change. The consequences of rising water tables and
salinity can penetrate well inland, and lead to particularly
dramatic changes in freshwater forested wetlands dominated
by tree species with low salt tolerance. The resulting loss
of coastal forests could have significant implications to
the coastal carbon cycle. We quantified the rates of
vegetation change including land loss, forest loss, and
shrubland expansion in North Carolina's largest coastal
wildlife refuge over 35 yr. Despite its protected status,
and in the absence of any active forest management, 32%
(31,600 hectares) of the refuge area has changed landcover
classification during the study period. A total of
1,151 hectares of land was lost to the sea and
~19,300 hectares of coastal forest habitat was converted to
shrubland or marsh habitat. As much as 11% of all forested
cover in the refuge transitioned to a unique land cover
type-"ghost forest"-characterized by standing dead trees and
fallen tree trunks. The formation of this ghost forest
transition state peaked prominently between 2011 and 2012,
following Hurricane Irene and a 5-yr drought, with
4,500 ± 990 hectares of ghost forest forming during that
year alone. This is the first attempt to map and quantify
coastal ghost forests using remote sensing. Forest losses
were greatest in the eastern portion of the refuge closest
to the Croatan and Pamlico Sounds, but also occurred much
further inland in low-elevation areas and alongside major
canals. These unprecedented rates of deforestation and land
cover change due to climate change may become the status quo
for coastal regions worldwide, with implications for wetland
function, wildlife habitat, and global carbon
cycling.},
Doi = {10.1002/eap.2339},
Key = {fds355806}
}
@article{fds351516,
Author = {Wright, J and DeLaMater, D and Simha, A and Ury, E and Ficken,
C},
Title = {Changes in Prescribed Fire Frequency Alter Ecosystem Carbon
Dynamics},
Journal = {Ecosystems.},
Volume = {24},
Number = {3},
Pages = {640-651},
Year = {2021},
Month = {April},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00540-5},
Abstract = {Changes in fire frequency from historical norms are becoming
more frequent due to both changes in management and climate
change factors. There is uncertainty about whether
increasing fire frequency will lead to decreased carbon
pools due to shorter inter-fire recovery periods, or
increased carbon pools due to lowered fire intensity due to
lighter fuel loads. Additionally, data are needed to
determine whether plant and soil carbon pools respond
similarly and whether ecosystem responses are consistent
across environmental gradients that can affect fire
intensity, such as soil moisture. We measured soil and
vegetation carbon pools and fluxes at sites that had
experienced different experimental burn treatments over the
previous 8 years and across a range of soil moisture in a
longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in North Carolina,
USA. We found that increasing fire frequency, assessed by
either the number of days since a previous fire or the
number of fires a plot had experienced over the previous
8 years, significantly reduced carbon stocks in the litter
pool and soil carbon pool and reduced the productivity of
understory plants. Total carbon stocks also significantly
declined, and there was a marginally significant shift away
from soil carbon and toward tree carbon as being the
dominant carbon pool in the system with increasing fire.
None of the results showed any interaction with soil
moisture, suggesting that in this landscape, fire effects
are consistent across an important environmental gradient.
Over the timeframe of this study, management that increases
prescribed fire frequency appears to reduce carbon
storage.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10021-020-00540-5},
Key = {fds351516}
}
@article{fds353113,
Author = {Mitchell, RM and Ames, GM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Intraspecific trait variability shapes leaf trait response
to altered fire regimes.},
Journal = {Annals of botany},
Volume = {127},
Number = {4},
Pages = {543-552},
Year = {2021},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaa179},
Abstract = {<h4>Background and aims</h4>Understanding impacts of altered
disturbance regimes on community structure and function is a
key goal for community ecology. Functional traits link
species composition to ecosystem functioning. Changes in the
distribution of functional traits at community scales in
response to disturbance can be driven not only by shifts in
species composition, but also by shifts in intraspecific
trait values. Understanding the relative importance of these
two processes has important implications for predicting
community responses to altered disturbance
regimes.<h4>Methods</h4>We experimentally manipulated fire
return intervals in replicated blocks of a fire-adapted,
longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem in North Carolina,
USA and measured specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter
content (LDMC) and compositional responses along a lowland
to upland gradient over a 4 year period. Plots were burned
between zero and four times. Using a trait-based approach,
we simulate hypothetical scenarios which allow species
presence, abundance or trait values to vary over time and
compare these with observed traits to understand the
relative contributions of each of these three processes to
observed trait patterns at the study site. We addressed the
following questions. (1) How do changes in the fire regime
affect community composition, structure and community-level
trait responses? (2) Are these effects consistent across a
gradient of fire intensity? (3) What are the relative
contributions of species turnover, changes in abundance and
changes in intraspecific trait values to observed changes in
community-weighted mean (CWM) traits in response to altered
fire regime?<h4>Key results</h4>We found strong evidence
that altered fire return interval impacted understorey plant
communities. The number of fires a plot experienced
significantly affected the magnitude of its compositional
change and shifted the ecotone boundary separating
shrub-dominated lowland areas from grass-dominated upland
areas, with suppression sites (0 burns) experiencing an
upland shift and annual burn sites a lowland shift. We found
significant effects of burn regimes on the CWM of SLA, and
that observed shifts in both SLA and LDMC were driven
primarily by intraspecific changes in trait
values.<h4>Conclusions</h4>In a fire-adapted ecosystem,
increased fire frequency altered community composition and
structure of the ecosystem through changes in the position
of the shrub line. We also found that plant traits responded
directionally to increased fire frequency, with SLA
decreasing in response to fire frequency across the
environmental gradient. For both SLA and LDMC, nearly all of
the observed changes in CWM traits were driven by
intraspecific variation.},
Doi = {10.1093/aob/mcaa179},
Key = {fds353113}
}
@article{fds352374,
Author = {Guerrero-Ramírez, NR and Mommer, L and Freschet, GT and Iversen, CM and McCormack, ML and Kattge, J and Poorter, H and van der Plas, F and Bergmann, J and Kuyper, TW and York, LM and Bruelheide, H and Laughlin,
DC and Meier, IC and Roumet, C and Semchenko, M and Sweeney, CJ and van
Ruijven, J and Valverde-Barrantes, OJ and Aubin, I and Catford, JA and Manning, P and Martin, A and Milla, R and Minden, V and Pausas, JG and Smith, SW and Soudzilovskaia, NA and Ammer, C and Butterfield, B and Craine, J and Cornelissen, JHC and de Vries, FT and Isaac, ME and Kramer, K and König, C and Lamb, EG and Onipchenko, VG and Peñuelas,
J and Reich, PB and Rillig, MC and Sack, L and Shipley, B and Tedersoo, L and Valladares, F and van Bodegom, P and Weigelt, P and Wright, JP and Weigelt, A},
Title = {Global root traits (GRooT) database},
Journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography},
Volume = {30},
Number = {1},
Pages = {25-37},
Year = {2021},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13179},
Abstract = {Motivation: Trait data are fundamental to the quantitative
description of plant form and function. Although root traits
capture key dimensions related to plant responses to
changing environmental conditions and effects on ecosystem
processes, they have rarely been included in large-scale
comparative studies and global models. For instance, root
traits remain absent from nearly all studies that define the
global spectrum of plant form and function. Thus, to
overcome conceptual and methodological roadblocks preventing
a widespread integration of root trait data into large-scale
analyses we created the Global Root Trait (GRooT) Database.
GRooT provides ready-to-use data by combining the expertise
of root ecologists with data mobilization and curation.
Specifically, we (a) determined a set of core root traits
relevant to the description of plant form and function based
on an assessment by experts, (b) maximized species coverage
through data standardization within and among traits, and
(c) implemented data quality checks. Main types of variables
contained: GRooT contains 114,222 trait records on 38
continuous root traits. Spatial location and grain: Global
coverage with data from arid, continental, polar, temperate
and tropical biomes. Data on root traits were derived from
experimental studies and field studies. Time period and
grain: Data were recorded between 1911 and 2019. Major taxa
and level of measurement: GRooT includes root trait data for
which taxonomic information is available. Trait records vary
in their taxonomic resolution, with subspecies or varieties
being the highest and genera the lowest taxonomic resolution
available. It contains information for 184 subspecies or
varieties, 6,214 species, 1,967 genera and 254 families.
Owing to variation in data sources, trait records in the
database include both individual observations and mean
values. Software format: GRooT includes two csv files. A
GitHub repository contains the csv files and a script in R
to query the database.},
Doi = {10.1111/geb.13179},
Key = {fds352374}
}
@article{fds363970,
Author = {Anderson, S and Ury, E and Taillie, P and Ungberg, E and Moorman, C and Poulter, B and Ardon, M and Bernhardt, E and Wright,
J},
Title = {Salinity Thresholds for Understory Plants in Coastal
Wetlands.},
Year = {2021},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-813017/v1},
Abstract = {The effects of sea level rise and coastal saltwater
intrusion on wetland plants can extend well above the
high-tide line due to drought, hurricanes, and groundwater
intrusion. Research has examined how coastal salt marsh
plant communities respond to increased flooding and
salinity, but more inland coastal systems have received less
attention. The aim of this study was to identify whether
ground layer plants exhibit threshold responses to salinity
exposure. We used two vegetation surveys throughout the
Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula (APP) of North Carolina, USA to
assess vegetation in a low elevation landscape ( < 3.8 m)
experiencing high rates of sea level rise (3-4 mm/year). We
examined the primary drivers of community composition change
using Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), and used
Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) to detect
thresholds of compositional change based on indicator taxa,
in response to potential indicators of exposure to saltwater
(elevation, Na, and the S Ca + Mg). Salinity and elevation
explained 64% of the variation in community composition, and
we found two salinity thresholds for both soil Na + (265 and
3843 g Na + /g), and Ca + + Mg + (42 and 126 µeq/g ) where
major changes in community composition occur on the APP.
Similar sets of species showed sensitivity to these
different metrics of salt exposure. Overall, our results
showed that ground layer plants can be used as reliable
indicators of salinity thresholds in coastal wetlands. These
results can be used for monitoring salt exposure of
ecosystems and for identifying areas at risk for undergoing
future community shifts.},
Doi = {10.21203/rs.3.rs-813017/v1},
Key = {fds363970}
}
@article{fds349482,
Author = {Koltz, AM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Impacts of female body size on cannibalism and juvenile
abundance in a dominant arctic spider.},
Journal = {The Journal of animal ecology},
Volume = {89},
Number = {8},
Pages = {1788-1798},
Year = {2020},
Month = {August},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13230},
Abstract = {Body size influences an individual's physiology and the
nature of its intra- and interspecific interactions. Changes
in this key functional trait can therefore have important
implications for populations as well. For example, among
invertebrates, there is typically a positive correlation
between female body size and reproductive output. Increasing
body size can consequently trigger changes in population
density, population structure (e.g. adult to juvenile ratio)
and the strength of intraspecific competition. Body size
changes have been documented in several species in the
Arctic, a region that is warming rapidly. In particular,
wolf spiders, one of the most abundant arctic invertebrate
predators, are becoming larger and therefore more fecund.
Whether these changes are affecting their populations and
role within food webs is currently unclear. We investigated
the population structure and feeding ecology of the dominant
wolf spider species Pardosa lapponica at two tundra sites
where adult spiders naturally differ in mean body size.
Additionally, we performed a mesocosm experiment to
investigate how variation in wolf spider density, which is
likely to change as a function of body size, influences
feeding ecology and its sensitivity to warming. We found
that juvenile abundance is negatively associated with female
size and that wolf spiders occupied higher trophic positions
where adult females were larger. Because female body size is
positively related to fecundity in P. lapponica, the
unexpected finding of fewer juveniles with larger females
suggests an increase in density-dependent cannibalism as a
result of increased intraspecific competition for resources.
Higher rates of density-dependent cannibalism are further
supported by the results from our mesocosm experiment, in
which individuals occupied higher trophic positions in plots
with higher wolf spider densities. We observed no changes in
wolf spider feeding ecology in association with short-term
experimental warming. Our results suggest that body size
variation in wolf spiders is associated with variation in
intraspecific competition, feeding ecology and population
structure. Given the widespread distribution of wolf spiders
in arctic ecosystems, body size shifts in these predators as
a result of climate change could have implications for lower
trophic levels and for ecosystem functioning.},
Doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13230},
Key = {fds349482}
}
@article{fds348774,
Author = {Kuppler, J and Albert, CH and Ames, GM and Armbruster, WS and Boenisch,
G and Boucher, FC and Campbell, DR and Carneiro, LT and Chacón-Madrigal, E and Enquist, BJ and Fonseca, CR and Gómez, JM and Guisan, A and Higuchi, P and Karger, DN and Kattge, J and Kleyer, M and Kraft, NJB and Larue-Kontić, AAC and Lázaro, A and Lechleitner, M and Loughnan, D and Minden, V and Niinemets, Ü and Overbeck, GE and Parachnowitsch, AL and Perfectti, F and Pillar, VD and Schellenberger
Costa, D and Sletvold, N and Stang, M and Alves-dos-Santos, I and Streit, H and Wright, J and Zych, M and Junker, RR},
Title = {Global gradients in intraspecific variation in vegetative
and floral traits are partially associated with climate and
species richness},
Journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography},
Volume = {29},
Number = {6},
Pages = {992-1007},
Year = {2020},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.13077},
Abstract = {Aim: Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) within natural
plant communities can be large, influencing local ecological
processes and dynamics. Here, we shed light on how ITV in
vegetative and floral traits responds to large-scale abiotic
and biotic gradients (i.e., climate and species richness).
Specifically, we tested whether associations of ITV with
temperature, precipitation and species richness were
consistent with any of four hypotheses relating to stress
tolerance and competition. Furthermore, we estimated the
degree of correlation between ITV in vegetative and floral
traits and how they vary along the gradients. Location:
Global. Time period: 1975–2016. Major taxa studied:
Herbaceous and woody plants. Methods: We compiled a dataset
of 18,401 measurements of the absolute extent of ITV
(measured as the coefficient of variation) in nine
vegetative and seven floral traits from 2,822 herbaceous and
woody species at 2,372 locations. Results: Large-scale
associations between ITV and climate were trait specific and
more prominent for vegetative traits, especially leaf
morphology, than for floral traits. The ITV showed
pronounced associations with climate, with lower ITV values
in colder areas and higher values in drier areas. The
associations of ITV with species richness were inconsistent
across traits. Species-specific associations across
gradients were often idiosyncratic, and covariation in ITV
was weaker between vegetative and floral traits than within
the two trait groups. Main conclusions: Our results show
that, depending on the traits considered, ITV either
increased or decreased with climate stress and species
richness, suggesting that both factors can constrain or
enhance ITV, which might foster plant-population persistence
in stressful conditions. Given the species-specific
responses and covariation in ITV, associations can be hard
to predict for traits and species not yet studied. We
conclude that consideration of ITV can improve our
understanding of how plants cope with stressful conditions
and environmental change across spatial and biological
scales.},
Doi = {10.1111/geb.13077},
Key = {fds348774}
}
@article{fds349765,
Author = {Firn, J and McGree, JM and Harvey, E and Flores-Moreno, H and Schütz,
M and Buckley, YM and Borer, ET and Seabloom, EW and La Pierre and KJ and MacDougall, AM and Prober, SM and Stevens, CJ and Sullivan, LL and Porter, E and Ladouceur, E and Allen, C and Moromizato, KH and Morgan,
JW and Harpole, WS and Hautier, Y and Eisenhauer, N and Wright, JP and Adler, PB and Arnillas, CA and Bakker, JD and Biederman, L and Broadbent, AAD and Brown, CS and Bugalho, MN and Caldeira, MC and Cleland, EE and Ebeling, A and Fay, PA and Hagenah, N and Kleinhesselink, AR and Mitchell, R and Moore, JL and Nogueira, C and Peri, PL and Roscher, C and Smith, MD and Wragg, PD and Risch,
AC},
Title = {Author Correction: Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area,
are consistent indicators of elevated nutrient
inputs.},
Journal = {Nature ecology & evolution},
Volume = {4},
Number = {6},
Pages = {886-891},
Year = {2020},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1213-7},
Abstract = {An amendment to this paper has been published and can be
accessed via a link at the top of the paper.},
Doi = {10.1038/s41559-020-1213-7},
Key = {fds349765}
}
@article{fds366358,
Author = {Ames, GM and Wall, WA and Hohmann, MG and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Functional trait similarity predicts survival in rare plant
reintroductions.},
Journal = {Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological
Society of America},
Volume = {30},
Number = {4},
Pages = {e02087},
Year = {2020},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.2087},
Abstract = {Rare species reintroductions are an increasingly common
conservation strategy, but often result in poor survival of
reintroduced individuals. Reintroduction sites are chosen
primarily based on historical occupancy and/or abiotic
properties of the site, with much less consideration given
to properties of the larger biotic community. However,
ecological niche theory suggests that the ability to coexist
with other species is determined in part by the degree of
functional similarity between species. The degree to which
functional similarity affects the survival of reintroduced
plants is poorly understood, but has important implications
for the allocation of limited conservation resources. We
collected a suite of abiotic, biotic, and functional trait
variables centered on outplanted individuals from four
reintroduced rare plant species and used logistic regression
and model selection to assess their influence on individual
survival. We show that higher functional similarity between
reintroduced individuals and the local community, measured
by differences between their multivariate functional traits
and the community-weighted mean traits of their immediate
neighbors, increases survival and is a stronger predictor of
survival than local variation in abiotic factors, suggesting
that the functional composition of the biotic community
should be incorporated into site selection to improve
reintroduction success.},
Doi = {10.1002/eap.2087},
Key = {fds366358}
}
@article{fds347735,
Author = {Rocca, JD and Simonin, M and Bernhardt, ES and Washburne, AD and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Rare microbial taxa emerge when communities collide:
freshwater and marine microbiome responses to experimental
mixing.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {101},
Number = {3},
Pages = {e02956},
Year = {2020},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2956},
Abstract = {Whole microbial communities regularly merge with one
another, often in tandem with their environments, in a
process called community coalescence. Such events impose
substantial changes: abiotic perturbation from environmental
blending and biotic perturbation of community merging. We
used an aquatic mixing experiment to unravel the effects of
these perturbations on the whole microbiome response and on
the success of individual taxa when distinct freshwater and
marine communities coalesce. We found that an equal mix of
freshwater and marine habitats and blended microbiomes
resulted in strong convergence of the community structure
toward that of the marine microbiome. The enzymatic
potential of these blended microbiomes in mixed media also
converged toward that of the marine, with strong
correlations between the multivariate response patterns of
the enzymes and of community structure. Exposing each
endmember inocula to an axenic equal mix of their freshwater
and marine source waters led to a 96% loss of taxa from our
freshwater microbiomes and a 66% loss from our marine
microbiomes. When both inocula were added together to this
mixed environment, interactions amongst the communities led
to a further loss of 29% and 49% of freshwater and marine
taxa, respectively. Under both the axenic and competitive
scenarios, the diversity lost was somewhat counterbalanced
by increased abundance of microbial taxa that were too rare
to detect in the initial inocula. Our study emphasizes the
importance of the rare biosphere as a critical component of
microbial community responses to community
coalescence.},
Doi = {10.1002/ecy.2956},
Key = {fds347735}
}
@article{fds342573,
Author = {Ury, EA and Anderson, SM and Peet, RK and Bernhardt, ES and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Succession, regression and loss: does evidence of saltwater
exposure explain recent changes in the tree communities of
North Carolina's Coastal Plain?},
Journal = {Annals of botany},
Volume = {125},
Number = {2},
Pages = {255-264},
Year = {2020},
Month = {February},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcz039},
Abstract = {<h4>Background and aims</h4>Coastal plant communities
globally are highly vulnerable to future sea-level rise and
storm damage, but the extent to which these habitats are
affected by the various environmental perturbations
associated with chronic salinization remains unclear. In
this study, we examine the relationship between North
Carolina wetland tree community composition and basal area
change and indicators of salinization such as soil salt ion
content and elevation.<h4>Methods</h4>We surveyed 34 forest
plots in forested, freshwater wetlands across the
Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. A subset of our study sites had
been sampled during the previous decade as part of the
Carolina Vegetation Survey, enabling us to investigate the
environmental effects on current community structure, and
community change over time.<h4>Key results</h4>Multi-variate
(ordination) analysis and linear regression models of tree
community composition revealed that elevation and soil salt
content were correlated with changes in total site tree
basal area. Shifts in tree community composition were,
however, only weakly correlated with indicators of
salinization, specifically elevation, soil sulphate and
sodium, but not chloride. While the majority of plots
experienced gains in basal area over the past decade,
consistent with secondary succession, sites with high soil
salt content or low elevation experienced basal area
(biomass) loss during the same period.<h4>Conclusions</h4>The
key factors associated with chronic saltwater intrusion
(soil ion content) likely explain recent changes in tree
biomass, and potential shifts in community composition in
low-elevation sites along the North Carolina coast. Not only
is it probable that other coastal forest ecosystems
worldwide will experience similar stressors and shifts in
community biomass and structure as sea levels rise, but the
ability of these habitats to deliver key ecosystem services
like carbon sequestration and flood defence will be
compromised as a result.},
Doi = {10.1093/aob/mcz039},
Key = {fds342573}
}
@article{fds348008,
Author = {Kattge, J and Bönisch, G and Díaz, S and Lavorel, S and Prentice, IC and Leadley, P and Tautenhahn, S and Werner, GDA and Aakala, T and Abedi, M and Acosta, ATR and Adamidis, GC and Adamson, K and Aiba, M and Albert, CH and Alcántara, JM and Alcázar C and C and Aleixo, I and Ali, H and Amiaud, B and Ammer, C and Amoroso, MM and Anand, M and Anderson, C and Anten, N and Antos, J and Apgaua, DMG and Ashman, T-L and Asmara, DH and Asner, GP and Aspinwall, M and Atkin, O and Aubin, I and Baastrup-Spohr, L and Bahalkeh, K and Bahn, M and Baker, T and Baker, WJ and Bakker, JP and Baldocchi, D and Baltzer, J and Banerjee, A and Baranger, A and Barlow,
J and Barneche, DR and Baruch, Z and Bastianelli, D and Battles, J and Bauerle, W and Bauters, M and Bazzato, E and Beckmann, M and Beeckman,
H and Beierkuhnlein, C and Bekker, R and Belfry, G and Belluau, M and Beloiu, M and Benavides, R and Benomar, L and Berdugo-Lattke, ML and Berenguer, E and Bergamin, R and Bergmann, J and Bergmann Carlucci,
M and Berner, L and Bernhardt-Römermann, M and Bigler, C and Bjorkman,
AD and Blackman, C and Blanco, C and Blonder, B and Blumenthal, D and Bocanegra-González, KT and Boeckx, P and Bohlman, S and Böhning-Gaese, K and Boisvert-Marsh, L and Bond, W and Bond-Lamberty, B and Boom, A and Boonman, CCF and Bordin, K and Boughton, EH and Boukili, V and Bowman, DMJS and Bravo, S and Brendel,
MR and Broadley, MR and Brown, KA and Bruelheide, H and Brumnich, F and Bruun, HH and Bruy, D and Buchanan, SW and Bucher, SF and Buchmann, N and Buitenwerf, R and Bunker, DE and Bürger, J and Burrascano, S and Burslem, DFRP and Butterfield, BJ and Byun, C and Marques, M and Scalon,
MC and Caccianiga, M and Cadotte, M and Cailleret, M and Camac, J and Camarero, JJ and Campany, C and Campetella, G and Campos, JA and Cano-Arboleda, L and Canullo, R and Carbognani, M and Carvalho, F and Casanoves, F and Castagneyrol, B and Catford, JA and Cavender-Bares,
J and Cerabolini, BEL and Cervellini, M and Chacón-Madrigal, E and Chapin, K and Chapin, FS and Chelli, S and Chen, S-C and Chen, A and Cherubini, P and Chianucci, F and Choat, B and Chung, K-S and Chytrý,
M and Ciccarelli, D and Coll, L and Collins, CG and Conti, L and Coomes, D and Cornelissen, JHC and Cornwell, WK and Corona, P and Coyea, M and Craine,
J and Craven, D and Cromsigt, JPGM and Csecserits, A and Cufar, K and Cuntz, M and da Silva, AC and Dahlin, KM and Dainese, M and Dalke, I and Dalle Fratte and M and Dang-Le, AT and Danihelka, J and Dannoura, M and Dawson, S and de Beer, AJ and De Frutos and A and De Long, JR and Dechant,
B and Delagrange, S and Delpierre, N and Derroire, G and Dias, AS and Diaz-Toribio, MH and Dimitrakopoulos, PG and Dobrowolski, M and Doktor, D and Dřevojan, P and Dong, N and Dransfield, J and Dressler,
S and Duarte, L and Ducouret, E and Dullinger, S and Durka, W and Duursma,
R and Dymova, O and E-Vojtkó, A and Eckstein, RL and Ejtehadi, H and Elser, J and Emilio, T and Engemann, K and Erfanian, MB and Erfmeier, A and Esquivel-Muelbert, A and Esser, G and Estiarte, M and Domingues, TF and Fagan, WF and Fagúndez, J and Falster, DS and Fan, Y and Fang, J and Farris, E and Fazlioglu, F and Feng, Y and Fernandez-Mendez, F and Ferrara, C and Ferreira, J and Fidelis, A and Finegan, B and Firn, J and Flowers, TJ and Flynn, DFB and Fontana, V and Forey, E and Forgiarini,
C and François, L and Frangipani, M and Frank, D and Frenette-Dussault,
C and Freschet, GT and Fry, EL and Fyllas, NM and Mazzochini, GG and Gachet, S and Gallagher, R and Ganade, G and Ganga, F and García-Palacios, P and Gargaglione, V and Garnier, E and Garrido,
JL and de Gasper, AL and Gea-Izquierdo, G and Gibson, D and Gillison,
AN and Giroldo, A and Glasenhardt, M-C and Gleason, S and Gliesch, M and Goldberg, E and Göldel, B and Gonzalez-Akre, E and Gonzalez-Andujar,
JL and González-Melo, A and González-Robles, A and Graae, BJ and Granda, E and Graves, S and Green, WA and Gregor, T and Gross, N and Guerin, GR and Günther, A and Gutiérrez, AG and Haddock, L and Haines,
A and Hall, J and Hambuckers, A and Han, W and Harrison, SP and Hattingh,
W and Hawes, JE and He, T and He, P and Heberling, JM and Helm, A and Hempel,
S and Hentschel, J and Hérault, B and Hereş, A-M and Herz, K and Heuertz,
M and Hickler, T and Hietz, P and Higuchi, P and Hipp, AL and Hirons, A and Hock, M and Hogan, JA and Holl, K and Honnay, O and Hornstein, D and Hou,
E and Hough-Snee, N and Hovstad, KA and Ichie, T and Igić, B and Illa, E and Isaac, M and Ishihara, M and Ivanov, L and Ivanova, L and Iversen, CM and Izquierdo, J and Jackson, RB and Jackson, B and Jactel, H and Jagodzinski, AM and Jandt, U and Jansen, S and Jenkins, T and Jentsch,
A and Jespersen, JRP and Jiang, G-F and Johansen, JL and Johnson, D and Jokela, EJ and Joly, CA and Jordan, GJ and Joseph, GS and Junaedi, D and Junker, RR and Justes, E and Kabzems, R and Kane, J and Kaplan, Z and Kattenborn, T and Kavelenova, L and Kearsley, E and Kempel, A and Kenzo,
T and Kerkhoff, A and Khalil, MI and Kinlock, NL and Kissling, WD and Kitajima, K and Kitzberger, T and Kjøller, R and Klein, T and Kleyer,
M and Klimešová, J and Klipel, J and Kloeppel, B and Klotz, S and Knops,
JMH and Kohyama, T and Koike, F and Kollmann, J and Komac, B and Komatsu,
K and König, C and Kraft, NJB and Kramer, K and Kreft, H and Kühn, I and Kumarathunge, D and Kuppler, J and Kurokawa, H and Kurosawa, Y and Kuyah, S and Laclau, J-P and Lafleur, B and Lallai, E and Lamb, E and Lamprecht, A and Larkin, DJ and Laughlin, D and Le Bagousse-Pinguet,
Y and le Maire, G and le Roux, PC and le Roux, E and Lee, T and Lens, F and Lewis, SL and Lhotsky, B and Li, Y and Li, X and Lichstein, JW and Liebergesell, M and Lim, JY and Lin, Y-S and Linares, JC and Liu, C and Liu, D and Liu, U and Livingstone, S and Llusià, J and Lohbeck, M and López-García, Á and Lopez-Gonzalez, G and Lososová, Z and Louault, F and Lukács, BA and Lukeš, P and Luo, Y and Lussu, M and Ma, S and Maciel Rabelo Pereira and C and Mack, M and Maire, V and Mäkelä, A and Mäkinen, H and Malhado, ACM and Mallik, A and Manning, P and Manzoni,
S and Marchetti, Z and Marchino, L and Marcilio-Silva, V and Marcon, E and Marignani, M and Markesteijn, L and Martin, A and Martínez-Garza, C and Martínez-Vilalta, J and Mašková, T and Mason, K and Mason, N and Massad, TJ and Masse, J and Mayrose, I and McCarthy, J and McCormack,
ML and McCulloh, K and McFadden, IR and McGill, BJ and McPartland, MY and Medeiros, JS and Medlyn, B and Meerts, P and Mehrabi, Z and Meir, P and Melo, FPL and Mencuccini, M and Meredieu, C and Messier, J and Mészáros, I and Metsaranta, J and Michaletz, ST and Michelaki, C and Migalina, S and Milla, R and Miller, JED and Minden, V and Ming, R and Mokany, K and Moles, AT and Molnár, A and Molofsky, J and Molz, M and Montgomery, RA and Monty, A and Moravcová, L and Moreno-Martínez,
A and Moretti, M and Mori, AS and Mori, S and Morris, D and Morrison, J and Mucina, L and Mueller, S and Muir, CD and Müller, SC and Munoz, F and Myers-Smith, IH and Myster, RW and Nagano, M and Naidu, S and Narayanan,
A and Natesan, B and Negoita, L and Nelson, AS and Neuschulz, EL and Ni, J and Niedrist, G and Nieto, J and Niinemets, Ü and Nolan, R and Nottebrock,
H and Nouvellon, Y and Novakovskiy, A and Nutrient Network, and Nystuen, KO and O'Grady, A and O'Hara, K and O'Reilly-Nugent, A and Oakley, S and Oberhuber, W and Ohtsuka, T and Oliveira, R and Öllerer,
K and Olson, ME and Onipchenko, V and Onoda, Y and Onstein, RE and Ordonez,
JC and Osada, N and Ostonen, I and Ottaviani, G and Otto, S and Overbeck,
GE and Ozinga, WA and Pahl, AT and Paine, CET and Pakeman, RJ and Papageorgiou, AC and Parfionova, E and Pärtel, M and Patacca, M and Paula, S and Paule, J and Pauli, H and Pausas, JG},
Title = {TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open
access.},
Journal = {Global change biology},
Volume = {26},
Number = {1},
Pages = {119-188},
Year = {2020},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14904},
Abstract = {Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological,
biochemical and phenological characteristics of
plants-determine how plants respond to environmental
factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence
ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to
people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast
area of research spanning from evolutionary biology,
community and functional ecology, to biodiversity
conservation, ecosystem and landscape management,
restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since
its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has
grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data
coverage under an open access data policy and is the main
plant trait database used by the research community
worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new
frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the
identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization
or measurement of new data. To support this development, in
this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data
compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data
coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is
achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for
'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for
ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by
continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental
relationships. These traits have to be measured on
individual plants in their respective environment. Despite
unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of
completeness and representativeness of these continuous
traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that
reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a
key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data
mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be
achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.},
Doi = {10.1111/gcb.14904},
Key = {fds348008}
}
@article{fds342123,
Author = {Cleland, EE and Lind, EM and DeCrappeo, NM and DeLorenze, E and Wilkins,
RA and Adler, PB and Bakker, JD and Brown, CS and Davies, KF and Esch, E and Firn, J and Gressard, S and Gruner, DS and Hagenah, N and Harpole, WS and Hautier, Y and Hobbie, SE and Hofmockel, KS and Kirkman, K and Knops, J and Kopp, CW and La Pierre and KJ and MacDougall, A and McCulley, RL and Melbourne, BA and Moore, JL and Prober, SM and Riggs, C and Risch, AC and Schuetz, M and Stevens, C and Wragg, PD and Wright, J and Borer, ET and Seabloom, EW},
Title = {Belowground Biomass Response to Nutrient Enrichment Depends
on Light Limitation Across Globally Distributed
Grasslands},
Journal = {Ecosystems},
Volume = {22},
Number = {7},
Pages = {1466-1477},
Year = {2019},
Month = {November},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00350-4},
Abstract = {Anthropogenic activities are increasing nutrient inputs to
ecosystems worldwide, with consequences for global carbon
and nutrient cycles. Recent meta-analyses show that
aboveground primary production is often co-limited by
multiple nutrients; however, little is known about how root
production responds to changes in nutrient availability. At
twenty-nine grassland sites on four continents, we
quantified shallow root biomass responses to nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P) and potassium plus micronutrient enrichment
and compared below- and aboveground responses. We
hypothesized that optimal allocation theory would predict
context dependence in root biomass responses to nutrient
enrichment, given variation among sites in the resources
limiting to plant growth (specifically light versus
nutrients). Consistent with the predictions of optimal
allocation theory, the proportion of total biomass
belowground declined with N or P addition, due to increased
biomass aboveground (for N and P) and decreased biomass
belowground (N, particularly in sites with low canopy light
penetration). Absolute root biomass increased with N
addition where light was abundant at the soil surface, but
declined in sites where the grassland canopy intercepted a
large proportion of incoming light. These results
demonstrate that belowground responses to changes in
resource supply can differ strongly from aboveground
responses, which could significantly modify predictions of
future rates of nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration.
Our results also highlight how optimal allocation theory
developed for individual plants may help predict belowground
biomass responses to nutrient enrichment at the ecosystem
scale across wide climatic and environmental
gradients.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10021-019-00350-4},
Key = {fds342123}
}
@article{fds343510,
Author = {Simonin, M and Voss, KA and Hassett, BA and Rocca, JD and Wang, S-Y and Bier, RL and Violin, CR and Wright, JP and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {In search of microbial indicator taxa: shifts in stream
bacterial communities along an urbanization
gradient.},
Journal = {Environmental microbiology},
Volume = {21},
Number = {10},
Pages = {3653-3668},
Year = {2019},
Month = {October},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14694},
Abstract = {A majority of environmental studies describe microbiomes at
coarse scales of taxonomic resolution (bacterial community,
phylum), ignoring key ecological knowledge gained from
finer-scales and microbial indicator taxa. Here, we
characterized the distribution of 940 bacterial taxa from 41
streams along an urbanization gradient (0%-83% developed
watershed area) in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina
(USA). Using statistical approaches derived from
macro-organismal ecology, we found that more bacterial taxa
were classified as intolerant than as tolerant to increasing
watershed urbanization (143 vs 48 OTUs), and we identified a
threshold of 12.1% developed watershed area beyond which the
majority of intolerant taxa were lost from streams. Two
bacterial families strongly decreased with urbanization:
Acidobacteriaceae (Acidobacteria) and Xanthobacteraceae
(Alphaproteobacteria). Tolerant taxa were broadly
distributed throughout the bacterial phylogeny, with members
of the Comamonadaceae family (Betaproteobacteria) presenting
the highest number of tolerant taxa. Shifts in microbial
community structure were strongly correlated with a stream
biotic index, based on macroinvertebrate composition,
suggesting that microbial assemblages could be used to
establish biotic criteria for monitoring aquatic ecosystems.
In addition, our study shows that classic methods in
community ecology can be applied to microbiome datasets to
identify reliable microbial indicator taxa and determine the
environmental constraints on individual taxa distributions
along environmental gradients.},
Doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.14694},
Key = {fds343510}
}
@article{fds344729,
Author = {Craig, ME and Lovko, N and Flory, SL and Wright, JP and Phillips,
RP},
Title = {Impacts of an invasive grass on soil organic matter pools
vary across a tree-mycorrhizal gradient},
Journal = {Biogeochemistry.},
Volume = {144},
Number = {2},
Pages = {149-164},
Year = {2019},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00577-2},
Abstract = {Increases in carbon (C) inputs can augment soil organic
matter (SOM), or reduce SOM by accelerating decomposition.
Thus, there is a need to understand how and why ecosystems
differ in their sensitivity to C inputs. Invasive plants
that invade wide-ranging habitats, accumulate biomass
rapidly, and contribute copious amounts of C to soil can be
ideal for addressing this gap. We quantified the effects of
the invasive C4 grass, Microstegium vimineum, on SOM in
three temperate forests across plots varying in their
relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) versus
ectomycorrhizal (ECM) trees. We hypothesized that invasion
would differentially affect SOM along the mycorrhizal
gradient owing to recognized patterns in nitrogen
availability (AM > ECM) and the proportion of
unprotected SOM (ECM > AM). Across all sites, M.
vimineum was associated with lower particulate organic
matter (POM) in ECM-dominated plots, consistent with our
hypothesis that invader-derived C inputs should stimulate
decomposers to acquire nitrogen from unprotected SOM in
soils with low nitrogen availability. However, the pattern
of lower POM in the ECM-dominated soils was offset by
greater mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM)—and
isotopic data suggest this was largely driven by native-
rather than invader-derived SOM—implying an
invasion-associated transfer of native-derived POM into
MAOM. Our results demonstrate a context-dependent shift in
the form of SOM in a system with presumably enhanced C
inputs. This finding suggests a need to look beyond changes
in total SOM stocks, as intrinsic SOM changes could lead to
important long-term feedbacks on invasion or priming
effects.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10533-019-00577-2},
Key = {fds344729}
}
@article{fds341432,
Author = {Firn, J and McGree, JM and Harvey, E and Flores-Moreno, H and Schütz,
M and Buckley, YM and Borer, ET and Seabloom, EW and La Pierre and KJ and MacDougall, AM and Prober, SM and Stevens, CJ and Sullivan, LL and Porter, E and Ladouceur, E and Allen, C and Moromizato, KH and Morgan,
JW and Harpole, WS and Hautier, Y and Eisenhauer, N and Wright, JP and Adler, PB and Arnillas, CA and Bakker, JD and Biederman, L and Broadbent, AAD and Brown, CS and Bugalho, MN and Caldeira, MC and Cleland, EE and Ebeling, A and Fay, PA and Hagenah, N and Kleinhesselink, AR and Mitchell, R and Moore, JL and Nogueira, C and Peri, PL and Roscher, C and Smith, MD and Wragg, PD and Risch,
AC},
Title = {Leaf nutrients, not specific leaf area, are consistent
indicators of elevated nutrient inputs.},
Journal = {Nature ecology & evolution},
Volume = {3},
Number = {3},
Pages = {400-406},
Year = {2019},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0790-1},
Abstract = {Leaf traits are frequently measured in ecology to provide a
'common currency' for predicting how anthropogenic pressures
impact ecosystem function. Here, we test whether leaf traits
consistently respond to experimental treatments across 27
globally distributed grassland sites across 4 continents. We
find that specific leaf area (leaf area per unit mass)-a
commonly measured morphological trait inferring shifts
between plant growth strategies-did not respond to up to
four years of soil nutrient additions. Leaf nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium concentrations increased in
response to the addition of each respective soil nutrient.
We found few significant changes in leaf traits when
vertebrate herbivores were excluded in the short-term. Leaf
nitrogen and potassium concentrations were positively
correlated with species turnover, suggesting that
interspecific trait variation was a significant predictor of
leaf nitrogen and potassium, but not of leaf phosphorus
concentration. Climatic conditions and pretreatment soil
nutrient levels also accounted for significant amounts of
variation in the leaf traits measured. Overall, we find that
leaf morphological traits, such as specific leaf area, are
not appropriate indicators of plant response to
anthropogenic perturbations in grasslands.},
Doi = {10.1038/s41559-018-0790-1},
Key = {fds341432}
}
@article{fds341476,
Author = {Ficken, CD and Wright, JP},
Title = {Nitrogen uptake and biomass resprouting show contrasting
relationships with resource acquisitive and conservative
plant traits},
Journal = {Journal of vegetation science : official organ of the
International Association for Vegetation
Science},
Volume = {30},
Number = {1},
Pages = {65-74},
Year = {2019},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12705},
Abstract = {QUESTIONS: Disturbances can cause fluctuations in resource
availability that influence plant performance. In systems
with such dynamics, inter‐specific differences in resource
capture may promote co‐existence by partitioning
competition between periods of high or low resource
availability. Such differences in resource use strategy have
been described with the Plant Economics Spectrum, which
hypothesizes that functions related to resource use and
processing should co‐vary and can be predicted from plant
traits. In pyrogenic systems, fires are associated with
short‐term increases in soil nitrogen availability
(“pulses”), and thus contribute to a fluctuating
resource supply. In this study, we sought to understand
whether plants differed in their capacity to capture a
nitrogen pulse, and to what extent that ability influenced
biomass recovery. METHODS: In two consecutive greenhouse
experiments, we tested whether two functions — nitrogen
assimilation (Experiment 1) and biomass regrowth after
disturbance (Experiment 2) — co‐varied, and how each
function corresponded to leaf and root functional traits.
RESULTS: In Experiment 1, four co‐occurring shrubs
differed in their temporal patterns of nitrogen uptake, and
nitrogen uptake was positively correlated with
resource‐acquisitive leaf traits (leaf percent nitrogen).
In Experiment 2, the biomass regrowth of a resource
acquisitive and a resource conservative species was the same
regardless of competitive environment (i.e., when grown in
pots of mixed‐species or same‐species pairs). Rather
than being associated with the capture of new nitrogen,
biomass resprouting of both species was associated with the
size of below‐ground resource stores and specific root
length. CONCLUSIONS: Our work suggests that resource
acquisition and processing may be decoupled from each other
after disturbance, and also highlights the need for explicit
tests of the relationships between root traits and
above‐ground plant function.},
Doi = {10.1111/jvs.12705},
Key = {fds341476}
}
@article{fds348949,
Author = {Beirne, C and Nuñez, CL and Baldino, M and Kim, S and Knorr, J and Minich,
T and Jin, L and Xiao, S and Mbamy, W and Obiang, GN and Masseloux, J and Nkoghe, T and Ebanega, MO and Rundel, C and Wright, JP and Poulsen,
JR},
Title = {Estimation of gut passage time of wild, free roaming forest
elephants},
Journal = {Wildlife Biology},
Volume = {2019},
Number = {1},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2019},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00543},
Abstract = {Seed gut passage times, the time from ingestion to
defecation, and frugivore movement patterns determine
patterns of seed deposition across the landscape and are
thus crucial parameters to quantify in wild populations.
Recent advancements in satellite and telemetry technologies
mean that animal movement patterns are readily quantifiable
in increasingly high resolution. However, data on wild
frugivore gut passage times are scarce to non-existent due
to the difficulty of monitoring seed ingestion and
defecation in natural habitats; therefore, GPT estimates are
often extrapolated from captive species whose diets and
activity patterns may have limited transferability to
free-ranging populations. Here we develop, trial and deploy
a suite of model seeds to address this shortfall in wild
African forest elephants Loxodonta cyclotis – one of the
most effective seed dispersers in the tropics. We use a
combination of ‘active’ seed mimics, which indirectly
measure gut passage through recording temperature
fluctuations, and ‘passive’ seed mimics, which serve to
mark the point of defecation to allow gut passage estimation
from time-stamped GPS collar data. In doing so, we present
the first ever GPT estimates from wild forest elephants:
mean = 39.8 h (min = 16.6 h; max = 113.7 h). The estimates
were derived exclusively from passive seed mimics (plastic
beads and modified native seeds) as all active seed mimics
were rejected by the focal elephant. The methods described
are translatable to other free-ranging, GPS-collared,
species and if widely adopted, will begin to address the
current gap in our understanding of seed dispersal by wild
frugivores.},
Doi = {10.2981/wlb.00543},
Key = {fds348949}
}
@article{fds366359,
Author = {Rocca, J and Simonin, M and Wright, J and Washburne, A and Bernhardt,
E},
Title = {Rare Microbial Taxa Emerge When Communities Collide:
Freshwater and Marine Microbiome Responses to Experimental
Seawater Intrusion},
Year = {2019},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/550756},
Abstract = {Whole microbial communities regularly merge with one
another, often in tandem with their environments, in a
process called community coalescence. Such events allow us
to address a central question in ecology – what processes
shape community assembly. We used a reciprocal transplant
and mixing experiment to directly and independently unravel
the effects of environmental filtering and biotic
interactions on microbiome success when freshwater and
marine communities coalesce. The brackish treatment and
community mixing resulted in strong convergence of
microbiome structure and function toward the marine.
Brackish exposure imposed a 96% taxa loss from freshwater
and 66% loss from marine microbiomes, which was somewhat
counterbalanced by the emergence of tolerant rare taxa.
Community mixing further resulted in 29% and 49% loss from
biotic interactions between freshwater and marine
microbiomes, offset somewhat by mutualistically-assisted
rare microbial taxa. Our study emphasizes the importance of
the rare biosphere as a critical component of community
resilience.},
Doi = {10.1101/550756},
Key = {fds366359}
}
@article{fds339392,
Author = {Reese, AT and Pereira, FC and Schintlmeister, A and Berry, D and Wagner,
M and Hale, LP and Wu, A and Jiang, S and Durand, HK and Zhou, X and Premont,
RT and Diehl, AM and O'Connell, TM and Alberts, SC and Kartzinel, TR and Pringle, RM and Dunn, RR and Wright, JP and David,
LA},
Title = {Microbial nitrogen limitation in the mammalian large
intestine.},
Journal = {Nat Microbiol},
Volume = {3},
Number = {12},
Pages = {1441-1450},
Year = {2018},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-018-0267-7},
Abstract = {Resource limitation is a fundamental factor governing the
composition and function of ecological communities. However,
the role of resource supply in structuring the intestinal
microbiome has not been established and represents a
challenge for mammals that rely on microbial symbionts for
digestion: too little supply might starve the microbiome
while too much might starve the host. We present evidence
that microbiota occupy a habitat that is limited in total
nitrogen supply within the large intestines of 30 mammal
species. Lowering dietary protein levels in mice reduced
their faecal concentrations of bacteria. A gradient of
stoichiometry along the length of the gut was consistent
with the hypothesis that intestinal nitrogen limitation
results from host absorption of dietary nutrients. Nitrogen
availability is also likely to be shaped by host-microbe
interactions: levels of host-secreted nitrogen were altered
in germ-free mice and when bacterial loads were reduced via
experimental antibiotic treatment. Single-cell spectrometry
revealed that members of the phylum Bacteroidetes consumed
nitrogen in the large intestine more readily than other
commensal taxa did. Our findings support a model where
nitrogen limitation arises from preferential host use of
dietary nutrients. We speculate that this resource
limitation could enable hosts to regulate microbial
communities in the large intestine. Commensal microbiota may
have adapted to nitrogen-limited settings, suggesting one
reason why excess dietary protein has been associated with
degraded gut-microbial ecosystems.},
Doi = {10.1038/s41564-018-0267-7},
Key = {fds339392}
}
@article{fds339628,
Author = {Lee, MR and Flory, SL and Phillips, RP and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Site conditions are more important than abundance for
explaining plant invasion impacts on soil nitrogen
cycling.},
Journal = {Ecosphere (Washington, D.C)},
Volume = {9},
Number = {10},
Pages = {1-13},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2018},
Month = {October},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2454},
Abstract = {Invasive plant species can alter critical ecosystem
processes including nitrogen transformations, but it is
often difficult to anticipate where in an invaded landscape,
these effects will occur. Our predictive ability lags
because we lack a framework for understanding the multiple
pathways through which environmental conditions mediate
invader impacts. Here, we present a framework using
structural equation modeling to evaluate the impact of an
invasive grass, <i>Microstegium vimineum</i> (<i>M.v</i>.),
on nitrogen cycling based on a series of invaded sites that
varied in invader biomass and non-<i>M.v</i>. understory
biomass, tree basal area, light availability, and soil
conditions. Unlike previous studies, we did not find an
overall pattern of elevated nitrate concentrations or higher
nitrification rates in <i>M.v</i>.-invaded areas. We found
that reference plot conditions mediated differences in
mineralization between paired invaded and reference plots at
each site through indirect (via <i>M.v</i>. biomass),
direct, and interactive pathways; however, the strongest
pathways were independent of <i>M.v</i>. biomass. For
example, sites with low reference soil nitrate and high
non-<i>M.v</i>. understory biomass tended to have faster
mineralization at 5-15 cm in invaded plots. These findings
suggest that more attention to reference conditions is
needed to understand the impact of invasive species on soil
nitrogen cycling and other ecosystem processes and that the
greatest impacts will not necessarily be where the invader
is most abundant.},
Doi = {10.1002/ecs2.2454},
Key = {fds339628}
}
@article{fds337385,
Author = {Hodapp, D and Borer, ET and Harpole, WS and Lind, EM and Seabloom, EW and Adler, PB and Alberti, J and Arnillas, CA and Bakker, JD and Biederman,
L and Cadotte, M and Cleland, EE and Collins, S and Fay, PA and Firn, J and Hagenah, N and Hautier, Y and Iribarne, O and Knops, JMH and McCulley,
RL and MacDougall, A and Moore, JL and Morgan, JW and Mortensen, B and La
Pierre, KJ and Risch, AC and Schütz, M and Peri, P and Stevens, CJ and Wright, J and Hillebrand, H},
Title = {Spatial heterogeneity in species composition constrains
plant community responses to herbivory and
fertilisation.},
Journal = {Ecol Lett},
Volume = {21},
Number = {9},
Pages = {1364-1371},
Year = {2018},
Month = {September},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13102},
Abstract = {Environmental change can result in substantial shifts in
community composition. The associated immigration and
extinction events are likely constrained by the spatial
distribution of species. Still, studies on environmental
change typically quantify biotic responses at single spatial
(time series within a single plot) or temporal (spatial beta
diversity at single time points) scales, ignoring their
potential interdependence. Here, we use data from a global
network of grassland experiments to determine how turnover
responses to two major forms of environmental change -
fertilisation and herbivore loss - are affected by species
pool size and spatial compositional heterogeneity.
Fertilisation led to higher rates of local extinction,
whereas turnover in herbivore exclusion plots was driven by
species replacement. Overall, sites with more spatially
heterogeneous composition showed significantly higher rates
of annual turnover, independent of species pool size and
treatment. Taking into account spatial biodiversity aspects
will therefore improve our understanding of consequences of
global and anthropogenic change on community
dynamics.},
Doi = {10.1111/ele.13102},
Key = {fds337385}
}
@article{fds335284,
Author = {Hassett, BA and Sudduth, EB and Somers, KA and Urban, DL and Violin, CR and Wang, SY and Wright, JP and Cory, RM and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Pulling apart the urbanization axis: patterns of
physiochemical degradation and biological response across
stream ecosystems},
Journal = {Freshwater Science},
Volume = {37},
Number = {3},
Pages = {653-672},
Publisher = {University of Chicago Press},
Year = {2018},
Month = {September},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/699387},
Abstract = {Watershed urbanization introduces a variety of physical,
chemical, and thermal stressors to receiving streams and
leads to well-documented declines in the diversity of fish
and macroinvertebrates. Far less knowledge is available
about how these urban stressors affect microbial communities
and microbially mediated ecosystem properties. We examined
67 chemical, physical, and biological attributes of streams
draining 47 watersheds in the metropolitan area surrounding
Raleigh, North Carolina. Watersheds ranged from undeveloped
to 99.7% developed watershed area. In contrast to prior
investigators, we found no consistent changes in habitat
structure, channel dimensions, or bed sediment size
distributions along the urbanization gradient. Watershed
urbanization led to large and consistent changes in
receiving stream chemistry (increases in NO32, bioavailable
and algal-derived dissolved organic C, and the trace metals
Pb, Cd, and Zn) and thermal regimes. These chemical and
thermal changes were not associated with any consistent
shifts in microbial community structure or taxonomic
richness, based on terminal-restriction fragment length
polymorphism and pyrosequencing methods, despite the fact
that these urban stressors were associated with commonly
reported declines in macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness
and altered macroinvertebrate community composition.
Chemical and thermal changes as a function of % developed
watershed area also were unrelated to shifts in microbially
mediated biogeochemical processes (C mineralization,
denitrification potential, and substrate-induced
respiration). A broad urbanization gradient sampled in this
region suggests that stream ecosystem responses to watershed
urbanization can follow diverse trajectories.},
Doi = {10.1086/699387},
Key = {fds335284}
}
@article{fds335283,
Author = {Koltz, AM and Classen, AT and Wright, JP},
Title = {Warming reverses top-down effects of predators on
belowground ecosystem function in Arctic
tundra.},
Journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America},
Volume = {115},
Number = {32},
Pages = {E7541-E7549},
Year = {2018},
Month = {August},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1808754115},
Abstract = {Predators can disproportionately impact the structure and
function of ecosystems relative to their biomass. These
effects may be exacerbated under warming in ecosystems like
the Arctic, where the number and diversity of predators are
low and small shifts in community interactions can alter
carbon cycle feedbacks. Here, we show that warming alters
the effects of wolf spiders, a dominant tundra predator, on
belowground litter decomposition. Specifically, while high
densities of wolf spiders result in faster litter
decomposition under ambient temperatures, they result,
instead, in slower decomposition under warming. Higher
spider densities are also associated with elevated levels of
available soil nitrogen, potentially benefiting plant
production. Changes in decomposition rates under increased
wolf spider densities are accompanied by trends toward fewer
fungivorous Collembola under ambient temperatures and more
Collembola under warming, suggesting that Collembola mediate
the indirect effects of wolf spiders on decomposition. The
unexpected reversal of wolf spider effects on Collembola and
decomposition suggest that in some cases, warming does not
simply alter the strength of top-down effects but, instead,
induces a different trophic cascade altogether. Our results
indicate that climate change-induced effects on predators
can cascade through other trophic levels, alter critical
ecosystem functions, and potentially lead to climate
feedbacks with important global implications. Moreover,
given the expected increase in wolf spider densities with
climate change, our findings suggest that the observed
cascading effects of this common predator on detrital
processes could potentially buffer concurrent changes in
decomposition rates.},
Doi = {10.1073/pnas.1808754115},
Key = {fds335283}
}
@article{fds335285,
Author = {Reese, AT and Cho, EH and Klitzman, B and Nichols, SP and Wisniewski,
NA and Villa, MM and Durand, HK and Jiang, S and Midani, FS and Nimmagadda,
SN and O'Connell, TM and Wright, JP and Deshusses, MA and David,
LA},
Title = {Antibiotic-induced changes in the microbiota disrupt redox
dynamics in the gut.},
Journal = {Elife},
Volume = {7},
Pages = {e35987},
Year = {2018},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.35987},
Abstract = {How host and microbial factors combine to structure gut
microbial communities remains incompletely understood. Redox
potential is an important environmental feature affected by
both host and microbial actions. We assessed how
antibiotics, which can impact host and microbial function,
change redox state and how this contributes to
post-antibiotic succession. We showed gut redox potential
increased within hours of an antibiotic dose in mice. Host
and microbial functioning changed under treatment, but
shifts in redox potentials could be attributed specifically
to bacterial suppression in a host-free ex vivo human gut
microbiota model. Redox dynamics were linked to blooms of
the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae. Ecological
succession to pre-treatment composition was associated with
recovery of gut redox, but also required dispersal from
unaffected gut communities. As bacterial competition for
electron acceptors can be a key ecological factor
structuring gut communities, these results support the
potential for manipulating gut microbiota through managing
bacterial respiration.},
Doi = {10.7554/eLife.35987},
Key = {fds335285}
}
@article{fds335286,
Author = {Fridley, JD and Wright, JP},
Title = {Temperature accelerates the rate fields become
forests.},
Journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America},
Volume = {115},
Number = {18},
Pages = {4702-4706},
Year = {2018},
Month = {May},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1716665115},
Abstract = {Secondary succession, the postdisturbance transition of
herbaceous to woody-dominated ecosystems, occurs faster at
lower latitudes with important ramifications for ecosystem
processes. This pattern could be driven by the direct effect
of temperature on tree growth; however, an alternative
mechanism is tree-herb competition, which may be more
intense in more fertile northern soils. We manipulated soil
fertility and herbaceous species composition in identical
experiments at six sites spanning the Eastern United States
(30-43° N) and monitored the growth and survival of four
early successional trees. Tree seedling mass 2 years after
sowing was strongly associated with site differences in mean
growing season temperature, regardless of species or soil
treatment. The effect of temperature was twofold: seedlings
grew faster in response to warmer site temperatures, but
also due to the reduction of competitive interference from
the herbaceous community, which was inhibited in warmer
sites. Our results suggest that increasing temperatures will
promote a faster transition of fields to forests in
temperate ecosystems.},
Doi = {10.1073/pnas.1716665115},
Key = {fds335286}
}
@article{fds331332,
Author = {Mitchell, RM and Wright, JP and Ames, GM},
Title = {Species' traits do not converge on optimum values in
preferred habitats.},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Volume = {186},
Number = {3},
Pages = {719-729},
Year = {2018},
Month = {March},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-4041-y},
Abstract = {Plant trait expression is shaped by filters, which can alter
trait means and variances, theoretically driving species
toward an "optimum" trait value for a set of environmental
conditions. Recent research has highlighted the ubiquity of
intraspecific variation in functional traits, which can
cause plants to diverge from a hypothesized "optimum". We
examined whether species occurring in "core" habitats (where
they occur frequently, abundantly, and consistently) express
traits that are nearer to "optimum", as captured by the
community-weighted mean (CWM). We also asked whether trait
variance showed signs of environmental filtering. We used
cluster analysis to group plots based on environmental
factors along a wet-to-dry ecotone. We used indicator
species analysis to identify species with strong
associations within each cluster. Trait means and variances
were compared, and evidence of variance filtering was tested
using a null-model approach. Trait means and trait variances
respond to local-scale environmental filtering and species
in core habitats were not necessarily nearer to the CWM than
in other habitats. Intraspecific trait variability shows a
strong signal of filtering, as variability was reduced for
nearly all species and all traits compared to estimates of
variability generated in the absence of environmental
filtering. Our results provide strong evidence that species
traits are not necessarily near "optimum" trait values in
core habitats, and that trait distributions within species
are strongly shaped by the environment. Future analyses
should account for this divergence when calculating metrics
of functional diversity, and extrapolating to ecosystem
function.},
Doi = {10.1007/s00442-017-4041-y},
Key = {fds331332}
}
@article{fds331197,
Author = {Reese, AT and Lulow, K and David, LA and Wright, JP},
Title = {Plant community and soil conditions individually affect soil
microbial community assembly in experimental
mesocosms.},
Journal = {Ecol Evol},
Volume = {8},
Number = {2},
Pages = {1196-1205},
Year = {2018},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3734},
Abstract = {Soils harbor large, diverse microbial communities critical
for local and global ecosystem functioning that are
controlled by multiple and poorly understood processes. In
particular, while there is observational evidence of
relationships between both biotic and abiotic conditions and
microbial composition and diversity, there have been few
experimental tests to determine the relative importance of
these two sets of factors at local scales. Here, we report
the results of a fully factorial experiment manipulating
soil conditions and plant cover on old-field mesocosms
across a latitudinal gradient. The largest contributor to
beta diversity was site-to-site variation, but, having
corrected for that, we observed significant effects of both
plant and soil treatments on microbial composition. Separate
phyla were associated with each treatment type, and no
interactions between soil and plant treatment were observed.
Individual soil characteristics and biotic parameters were
also associated with overall beta-diversity patterns and
phyla abundance. In contrast, soil microbial diversity was
only associated with site and not experimental treatment.
Overall, plant community treatment explained more variation
than soil treatment, a result not previously appreciated
because it is difficult to dissociate plant community
composition and soil conditions in observational studies
across gradients. This work highlights the need for more
nuanced, multifactorial experiments in microbial ecology and
in particular indicates a greater focus on relationships
between plant composition and microbial composition during
community assembly.},
Doi = {10.1002/ece3.3734},
Key = {fds331197}
}
@article{fds339393,
Author = {Bhattachan, A and Emanuel, RE and Ardón, M and Bernhardt, ES and Anderson, SM and Stillwagon, MG and Ury, EA and BenDor, TK and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future climate
change on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater
intrusion},
Journal = {Elementa},
Volume = {6},
Number = {1},
Pages = {62-62},
Publisher = {University of California Press},
Year = {2018},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/elementa.316},
Abstract = {The exposure of freshwater-dependent coastal ecosystems to
saltwater is a present-day impact of climate and land-use
changes in many coastal regions, with the potential to harm
freshwater and terrestrial biota, alter biogeochemical
cycles and reduce agricultural yields. Land-use activities
associated with artificial drainage infrastructure (canals,
ditches, and drains) could exacerbate saltwater exposure.
However, studies assessing the effects of artificial
drainage on the vulnerability of coastal landscapes to
saltwater exposure are lacking. We examined the extent to
which artificial drainage infrastructure has altered the
potential for saltwater intrusion in the coastal plain of
eastern North Carolina. Regional spatial analyses
demonstrate that artificial drainages not only lower the
overall elevation in coastal landscapes, but they also alter
the routing and concentration of hydrological flows.
Together, these factors have the potential to increase the
total proportion of the landscape vulnerable to saltwater
intrusion, not only in areas adjacent to drainage
infrastructure but also in places where no artificial
drainages exist due to large scale effects of flow
rerouting. Among all land cover types in eastern North
Carolina, wetlands are most vulnerable to saltwater
exposure. Droughts and coastal storms associated with
climate change potentially exacerbate vulnerability to
saltwater facilitated by artificial drainage.},
Doi = {10.1525/elementa.316},
Key = {fds339393}
}
@article{fds329086,
Author = {Lind, EM and La Pierre and KJ and Seabloom, EW and Alberti, J and Iribarne,
O and Firn, J and Gruner, DS and Kay, AD and Pascal, J and Wright, JP and Yang, L and Borer, ET},
Title = {Increased grassland arthropod production with mammalian
herbivory and eutrophication: a test of mediation
pathways.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {98},
Number = {12},
Pages = {3022-3033},
Year = {2017},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2029},
Abstract = {Increases in nutrient availability and alterations to
mammalian herbivore communities are a hallmark of the
Anthropocene, with consequences for the primary producer
communities in many ecosystems. While progress has advanced
understanding of plant community responses to these
perturbations, the consequences for energy flow to higher
trophic levels in the form of secondary production are less
well understood. We quantified arthropod biomass after
manipulating soil nutrient availability and wild mammalian
herbivory, using identical methods across 13 temperate
grasslands. Of experimental increases in nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium, only treatments including
nitrogen resulted in significantly increased arthropod
biomass. Wild mammalian herbivore removal had a marginal,
negative effect on arthropod biomass, with no interaction
with nutrient availability. Path analysis including all
sites implicated nutrient content of the primary producers
as a driver of increased arthropod mean size, which we
confirmed using 10 sites for which we had foliar nutrient
data. Plant biomass and physical structure mediated the
increase in arthropod abundance, while the nitrogen
treatments accounted for additional variation not explained
by our measured plant variables. The mean size of arthropod
individuals was 2.5 times more influential on the plot-level
total arthropod biomass than was the number of individuals.
The eutrophication of grasslands through human activity,
especially nitrogen deposition, thus may contribute to
higher production of arthropod consumers through increases
in nutrient availability across trophic levels.},
Doi = {10.1002/ecy.2029},
Key = {fds329086}
}
@article{fds329085,
Author = {Strayer, DL and D'Antonio, CM and Essl, F and Fowler, MS and Geist, J and Hilt, S and Jarić, I and Jöhnk, K and Jones, CG and Lambin, X and Latzka,
AW and Pergl, J and Pyšek, P and Robertson, P and von Schmalensee, M and Stefansson, RA and Wright, J and Jeschke, JM},
Title = {Boom-bust dynamics in biological invasions: towards an
improved application of the concept.},
Journal = {Ecology letters},
Volume = {20},
Number = {10},
Pages = {1337-1350},
Year = {2017},
Month = {October},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.12822},
Abstract = {Boom-bust dynamics - the rise of a population to outbreak
levels, followed by a dramatic decline - have been
associated with biological invasions and offered as a reason
not to manage troublesome invaders. However, boom-bust
dynamics rarely have been critically defined, analyzed, or
interpreted. Here, we define boom-bust dynamics and provide
specific suggestions for improving the application of the
boom-bust concept. Boom-bust dynamics can arise from many
causes, some closely associated with invasions, but others
occurring across a wide range of ecological settings,
especially when environmental conditions are changing
rapidly. As a result, it is difficult to infer cause or
predict future trajectories merely by observing the dynamic.
We use tests with simulated data to show that a common
metric for detecting and describing boom-bust dynamics,
decline from an observed peak to a subsequent trough, tends
to severely overestimate the frequency and severity of
busts, and should be used cautiously if at all. We review
and test other metrics that are better suited to describe
boom-bust dynamics. Understanding the frequency and
importance of boom-bust dynamics requires empirical studies
of large, representative, long-term data sets that use clear
definitions of boom-bust, appropriate analytical methods,
and careful interpretations.},
Doi = {10.1111/ele.12822},
Key = {fds329085}
}
@article{fds324247,
Author = {Ames, GM and Wall, WA and Hohmann, MG and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Trait space of rare plants in a fire-dependent
ecosystem.},
Journal = {Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for
Conservation Biology},
Volume = {31},
Number = {4},
Pages = {903-911},
Year = {2017},
Month = {August},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12867},
Abstract = {The causes of species rarity are of critical concern because
of the high extinction risk associated with rarity. Studies
examining individual rare species have limited generality,
whereas trait-based approaches offer a means to identify
functional causes of rarity that can be applied to
communities with disparate species pools. Differences in
functional traits between rare and common species may be
indicative of the functional causes of species rarity and
may therefore be useful in crafting species conservation
strategies. However, there is a conspicuous lack of studies
comparing the functional traits of rare species and
co-occurring common species. We measured 18 important
functional traits for 19 rare and 134 common understory
plant species from North Carolina's Sandhills region and
compared their trait distributions to determine whether
there are significant functional differences that may
explain species rarity. Flowering, fire, and
tissue-chemistry traits differed significantly between rare
and common, co-occurring species. Differences in specific
traits suggest that fire suppression has driven rarity in
this system and that changes to the timing and severity of
prescribed fire may improve conservation success. Our method
provides a useful tool to prioritize conservation efforts in
other systems based on the likelihood that rare species are
functionally capable of persisting.},
Doi = {10.1111/cobi.12867},
Key = {fds324247}
}
@article{fds326815,
Author = {Ames, GM and Anderson, SM and Ungberg, EA and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Functional traits of the understory plant community of a
pyrogenic longleaf pine forest across environmental
gradients.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {98},
Number = {8},
Pages = {2225},
Year = {2017},
Month = {August},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1886},
Abstract = {Understanding and predicting the response of plant
communities to environmental changes and disturbances such
as fire requires an understanding of the functional traits
present in the system, including within and across species
variability, and their dynamics over time. These data are
difficult to obtain as few studies provide comprehensive
information for more than a few traits or species, rarely
cover more than a single growing season, and usually present
only summary statistics of trait values. As part of a larger
study seeking to understand the dynamics of plant
communities in response to different prescribed fire
regimes, we measured the functional traits of the understory
plant communities located in over 140 permanent plots
spanning strong gradients in soil moisture in a pyrogenic
longleaf pine forest in North Carolina, USA, over a
four-year period from 2011 and 2014. We present over 120,000
individual trait measurements from over 130 plant species
representing 91 genera from 47 families. We include data on
the following 18 traits: specific leaf area, leaf dry matter
content, leaf area, leaf length, leaf width, leaf perimeter,
plant height, leaf nitrogen, leaf carbon, leaf carbon to
nitrogen ratio, water use efficiency, time to ignition,
maximum flame height, maximum burn temperature,
mass-specific burn time, mass-specific smolder time,
branching architecture, and the ratio of leaf matter
consumed by fire. We also include information on locations,
soil moisture, relative elevation, soil bulk density, and
fire histories for each site.},
Doi = {10.1002/ecy.1886},
Key = {fds326815}
}
@article{fds323438,
Author = {Mitchell, RM and Wright, JP and Ames, GM},
Title = {Intraspecific variability improves environmental matching,
but does not increase ecological breadth along a wet-to-dry
ecotone},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {126},
Number = {7},
Pages = {988-995},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2017},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/oik.04001},
Abstract = {It is widely assumed that higher levels of intraspecific
variability in one or more traits should allow species to
persist under a wider range of environmental conditions.
However, few studies have examined whether species that
exhibit high variability are found in a wider range of
environmental conditions, and whether variability increases
the ability of a species to adapt to prevailing ecological
gradients. We used four plant functional traits, specific
leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf carbon
to nitrogen ratio (C:N) and maximum plant height in 49
species across a strong environmental gradient to answer
three questions: 1) is there evidence for
‘high-variability’ species (that is, species which show
high variability in multiple traits, simultaneously)? 2) are
species with more variable traits present across a wider
range of environmental conditions than less variable
species? And 3) whether more variable species show better
trait–environment matching to the prevailing abiotic (soil
moisture) gradient at the site? We found little evidence for
a ‘high-variability’ species. Variability was correlated
for two leaf traits, SLA and LDMC, while variability in leaf
traits and plant height were not correlated. We found little
evidence that more variable species were present in more
diverse conditions: only variation in SLA was correlated
with a wider ecological niche breadth. For plant traits
along the soil-moisture gradient, higher variability led to
better trait–environment matching in half of measured
traits. Overall, we found little support for the existence
of ‘high-variability’ species, but that variability in
SLA is correlated with a wider ecological breadth. We also
found evidence that variation in traits can improve
trait–environment matching, a relationship which may
facilitate our understanding ecological breadth along
prevailing gradients, and community assembly on the basis of
traits.},
Doi = {10.1111/oik.04001},
Key = {fds323438}
}
@article{fds333186,
Author = {Funk, JL and Larson, JE and Ames, GM and Butterfield, BJ and Cavender-Bares, J and Firn, J and Laughlin, DC and Sutton-Grier, AE and Williams, L and Wright, J},
Title = {Revisiting the Holy Grail: using plant functional traits to
understand ecological processes.},
Journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical
Society},
Volume = {92},
Number = {2},
Pages = {1156-1173},
Year = {2017},
Month = {May},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/brv.12275},
Abstract = {One of ecology's grand challenges is developing general
rules to explain and predict highly complex systems.
Understanding and predicting ecological processes from
species' traits has been considered a 'Holy Grail' in
ecology. Plant functional traits are increasingly being used
to develop mechanistic models that can predict how
ecological communities will respond to abiotic and biotic
perturbations and how species will affect ecosystem function
and services in a rapidly changing world; however,
significant challenges remain. In this review, we highlight
recent work and outstanding questions in three areas: (i)
selecting relevant traits; (ii) describing intraspecific
trait variation and incorporating this variation into
models; and (iii) scaling trait data to community- and
ecosystem-level processes. Over the past decade, there have
been significant advances in the characterization of plant
strategies based on traits and trait relationships, and the
integration of traits into multivariate indices and models
of community and ecosystem function. However, the utility of
trait-based approaches in ecology will benefit from efforts
that demonstrate how these traits and indices influence
organismal, community, and ecosystem processes across
vegetation types, which may be achieved through
meta-analysis and enhancement of trait databases.
Additionally, intraspecific trait variation and species
interactions need to be incorporated into predictive models
using tools such as Bayesian hierarchical modelling.
Finally, existing models linking traits to community and
ecosystem processes need to be empirically tested for their
applicability to be realized.},
Doi = {10.1111/brv.12275},
Key = {fds333186}
}
@article{fds323819,
Author = {Ficken, CD and Wright, JP},
Title = {Contributions of microbial activity and ash deposition to
post-fire nitrogen availability in a pine
savanna},
Journal = {Biogeosciences},
Volume = {14},
Number = {1},
Pages = {241-255},
Publisher = {Copernicus GmbH},
Year = {2017},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-241-2017},
Abstract = {Many ecosystems experience drastic changes to soil nutrient
availability associated with fire, but the magnitude and
duration of these changes are highly variable among
vegetation and fire types. In pyrogenic pine savannas across
the southeastern United States, pulses of soil inorganic
nitrogen (N) occur in tandem with ecosystem-scale nutrient
losses from prescribed burns. Despite the importance of this
management tool for restoring and maintaining fire-dependent
plant communities, the contributions of different mechanisms
underlying fire-associated changes to soil N availability
remain unclear. Pulses of N availability following fire have
been hypothesized to occur through (1) changes to microbial
cycling rates and (2) direct ash deposition. Here, we
document fire-associated changes to N availability across
the growing season in a longleaf pine savanna in North
Carolina. To differentiate between possible mechanisms
driving soil N pulses, we measured net microbial cycling
rates and changes to soil δ15N before and after a burn. Our
findings refute both proposed mechanisms: we found no
evidence for changes in microbial activity, and limited
evidence that ash deposition could account for the increase
in ammonium availability to more than 5-25 times background
levels. Consequently, we propose a third mechanism to
explain post-fire patterns of soil N availability, namely
that (3) changes to plant sink strength may contribute to
ephemeral increases in soil N availability, and encourage
future studies to explicitly test this mechanism.},
Doi = {10.5194/bg-14-241-2017},
Key = {fds323819}
}
@article{fds329397,
Author = {Ficken, CD and Wright, JP},
Title = {Effects of fire frequency on litter decomposition as
mediated by changes to litter chemistry and soil
environmental conditions.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {12},
Number = {10},
Pages = {e0186292},
Year = {2017},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186292},
Abstract = {Litter quality and soil environmental conditions are
well-studied drivers influencing decomposition rates, but
the role played by disturbance legacy, such as fire history,
in mediating these drivers is not well understood. Fire
history may impact decomposition directly, through changes
in soil conditions that impact microbial function, or
indirectly, through shifts in plant community composition
and litter chemistry. Here, we compared early-stage
decomposition rates across longleaf pine forest blocks
managed with varying fire frequencies (annual burns,
triennial burns, fire-suppression). Using a reciprocal
transplant design, we examined how litter chemistry and soil
characteristics independently and jointly influenced litter
decomposition. We found that both litter chemistry and soil
environmental conditions influenced decomposition rates, but
only the former was affected by historical fire frequency.
Litter from annually burned sites had higher nitrogen
content than litter from triennially burned and fire
suppression sites, but this was correlated with only a
modest increase in decomposition rates. Soil environmental
conditions had a larger impact on decomposition than litter
chemistry. Across the landscape, decomposition differed more
along soil moisture gradients than across fire management
regimes. These findings suggest that fire frequency has a
limited effect on litter decomposition in this ecosystem,
and encourage extending current decomposition frameworks
into disturbed systems. However, litter from different
species lost different masses due to fire, suggesting that
fire may impact decomposition through the preferential
combustion of some litter types. Overall, our findings also
emphasize the important role of spatial variability in soil
environmental conditions, which may be tied to fire
frequency across large spatial scales, in driving
decomposition rates in this system.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0186292},
Key = {fds329397}
}
@article{fds321913,
Author = {Lee, MR and Bernhardt, ES and van Bodegom, PM and Cornelissen, JHC and Kattge, J and Laughlin, DC and Niinemets, Ü and Peñuelas, J and Reich,
PB and Yguel, B and Wright, JP},
Title = {Invasive species' leaf traits and dissimilarity from natives
shape their impact on nitrogen cycling: a
meta-analysis.},
Journal = {The New phytologist},
Volume = {213},
Number = {1},
Pages = {128-139},
Year = {2017},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.14115},
Abstract = {Many exotic species have little apparent impact on ecosystem
processes, whereas others have dramatic consequences for
human and ecosystem health. There is growing evidence that
invasions foster eutrophication. We need to identify species
that are harmful and systems that are vulnerable to
anticipate these consequences. Species' traits may provide
the necessary insights. We conducted a global meta-analysis
to determine whether plant leaf and litter functional
traits, and particularly leaf and litter nitrogen (N)
content and carbon: nitrogen (C : N) ratio, explain
variation in invasive species' impacts on soil N cycling.
Dissimilarity in leaf and litter traits among invaded and
noninvaded plant communities control the magnitude and
direction of invasion impacts on N cycling. Invasions that
caused the greatest increases in soil inorganic N and
mineralization rates had a much greater litter N content and
lower litter C : N in the invaded than the reference
community. Trait dissimilarities were better predictors than
the trait values of invasive species alone. Quantifying
baseline community tissue traits, in addition to those of
the invasive species, is critical to understanding the
impacts of invasion on soil N cycling.},
Doi = {10.1111/nph.14115},
Key = {fds321913}
}
@article{fds323437,
Author = {Heckman, RW and Wright, JP and Mitchell, CE},
Title = {Joint effects of nutrient addition and enemy exclusion on
exotic plant success.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {97},
Number = {12},
Pages = {3337-3345},
Year = {2016},
Month = {December},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1585},
Abstract = {Worldwide, ecosystems are increasingly dominated by exotic
plant species, a shift hypothesized to result from numerous
ecological factors. Two of these, increased resource
availability and enemy release, may act in concert to
increase exotic success in plant communities (Resource-Enemy
Release Hypothesis, R-ERH). To test this, we manipulated the
availability of soil nutrients and access of vertebrate
herbivores, insect herbivores, and fungal pathogens to
intact grassland communities containing both native and
exotic species. Our results supported both conditions
necessary for R-ERH. First, exotics were less damaged than
natives, experiencing less foliar damage (insect herbivory
and fungal disease) than native species, particularly in
communities where soil nutrients were added. Second,
fertilization increased foliar damage on native species, but
not exotic species. As well as fulfilling both conditions
for R-ERH, these results demonstrate the importance of
considering the effects of resource availability when
testing for enemy release. When both conditions are
fulfilled, R-ERH predicts that increasing resource
availability will increase exotic abundance only in the
presence of enemies. Our results fully supported this
prediction for vertebrate herbivores: fertilization
increased exotic cover only in communities exposed to
vertebrate herbivores. Additionally, the prediction was
partially supported for insect herbivores and fungal
pathogens, excluding these enemies reduced exotic cover as
predicted, but inconsistent with R-ERH, this effect occurred
only in unfertilized communities. These results highlight
the need to consider the influence of multiple enemy guilds
on community processes like exotic plant invasions.
Moreover, this study experimentally demonstrates that
resource availability and natural enemies can jointly
influence exotic success in plant communities.},
Doi = {10.1002/ecy.1585},
Key = {fds323437}
}
@article{fds323439,
Author = {Heinze, J and Sitte, M and Schindhelm, A and Wright, J and Joshi,
J},
Title = {Plant-soil feedbacks: a comparative study on the relative
importance of soil feedbacks in the greenhouse versus the
field.},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Volume = {181},
Number = {2},
Pages = {559-569},
Year = {2016},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-016-3591-8},
Abstract = {Interactions between plants and soil microorganisms
influence individual plant performance and thus
plant-community composition. Most studies on such plant-soil
feedbacks (PSFs) have been performed under controlled
greenhouse conditions, whereas no study has directly
compared PSFs under greenhouse and natural field conditions.
We grew three grass species that differ in local abundance
in grassland communities simultaneously in the greenhouse
and field on field-collected soils either previously
conditioned by these species or by the general grassland
community. As soils in grasslands are typically conditioned
by mixes of species through the patchy and heterogeneous
plant species' distributions, we additionally compared the
effects of species-specific versus non-specific species
conditioning on PSFs in natural and greenhouse conditions.
In almost all comparisons PSFs differed between the
greenhouse and field. In the greenhouse, plant growth in
species-specific and non-specific soils resulted in similar
effects with neutral PSFs for the most abundant species and
positive PSFs for the less abundant species. In contrast, in
the field all grass species tested performed best in
non-specific plots, whereas species-specific PSFs were
neutral for the most abundant and varied for the less
abundant species. This indicates a general beneficial effect
of plant diversity on PSFs in the field. Controlled
greenhouse conditions might provide valuable insights on the
nominal effects of soils on plants. However, the PSFs
observed in greenhouse conditions may not be the determining
drivers in natural plant communities where their effects may
be overwhelmed by the diversity of abiotic and biotic above-
and belowground interactions in the field.},
Doi = {10.1007/s00442-016-3591-8},
Key = {fds323439}
}
@article{fds231621,
Author = {Ames, GM and Anderson, SM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Multiple environmental drivers structure plant traits at the
community level in a pyrogenic ecosystem},
Journal = {Functional Ecology},
Volume = {30},
Number = {5},
Pages = {789-798},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Editor = {Baltzer, J},
Year = {2016},
Month = {May},
ISSN = {0269-8463},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12536},
Abstract = {Trait-based approaches offer a way to predict changes in
community structure along environmental gradients using
measurable properties of individuals. Promoted as being
generalizable across systems, trait-based approaches benefit
from information about the environmental drivers of trait
variation, how they interact and how they change with scale.
However, for most diverse, natural communities, it is
largely unknown whether the relationships between leaf-level
traits and interacting environmental drivers (e.g. fire,
water availability) are influenced by the scale of trait
aggregation. We show that landscape-level differences in
community composition in a diverse, fire-dependent pine
savanna are explained by a small subset of species groups
that are strongly correlated with soil moisture and
elevation, but are insensitive to the time since the last
fire. We used a trait-based approach to show that
significant variation in the community-weighted mean (CWM)
of specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content
(LDMC), two traits known to drive community structure and
function, was explained by a small set of factors including
the time since the last fire, soil moisture, precipitation
and Shannon diversity. We show that statistical inference
about the environmental drivers of community traits is
radically altered when using CWMs computed with
landscape-level rather than plot-level means, even over
modest spatial scales. Synthesis: Environmental drivers of
community composition across the landscape differed from
those explaining trait composition. CWM traits were strongly
influenced by interactions between drivers. Fire, in
particular, strongly mediated the effect of other
environmental variables on LDMC, showing that strong
environmental gradients cannot be considered independently
when assessing their effects on functional traits. The
importance of environmental variables such as fire was lost
when using landscape-level trait means, highlighting the
importance of local trait variation. This suggests caution
when using traits from distant populations to make
inferences about local processes, especially across strong
gradients.},
Doi = {10.1111/1365-2435.12536},
Key = {fds231621}
}
@article{fds323440,
Author = {Wright, JP and Ames, GM and Mitchell, RM},
Title = {The more things change, the more they stay the same? When is
trait variability important for stability of ecosystem
function in a changing environment.},
Journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London.
Series B, Biological sciences},
Volume = {371},
Number = {1694},
Pages = {20150272},
Year = {2016},
Month = {May},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0272},
Abstract = {The importance of intraspecific trait variability for
community dynamics and ecosystem functioning has been
underappreciated. There are theoretical reasons for
predicting that species that differ in intraspecific trait
variability will also differ in their effects on ecosystem
functioning, particularly in variable environments. We
discuss whether species with greater trait variability are
likely to exhibit greater temporal stability in their
population dynamics, and under which conditions this might
lead to stability in ecosystem functioning. Resolving this
requires us to consider several questions. First, are
species with high levels of variation for one trait equally
variable in others? In particular, is variability in
response and effects traits typically correlated? Second,
what is the relative contribution of local adaptation and
phenotypic plasticity to trait variability? If local
adaptation dominates, then stability in function requires
one of two conditions: (i) individuals of appropriate
phenotypes present in the environment at high enough
frequencies to allow for populations to respond rapidly to
the changing environment, and (ii) high levels of dispersal
and gene flow. While we currently lack sufficient
information on the causes and distribution of variability in
functional traits, filling in these key data gaps should
increase our ability to predict how changing biodiversity
will alter ecosystem functioning.},
Doi = {10.1098/rstb.2015.0272},
Key = {fds323440}
}
@article{fds323441,
Author = {Reese, AT and Ames, GM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Variation in Plant Response to Herbivory Underscored by
Functional Traits.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {11},
Number = {12},
Pages = {e0166714},
Year = {2016},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166714},
Abstract = {The effects of herbivory can shape plant communities and
evolution. However, the many forms of herbivory costs and
the wide variation in herbivory pressure, including across
latitudinal gradients, can make predicting the effects of
herbivory on different plant species difficult. Functional
trait approaches may aid in contextualizing and
standardizing the assessment of herbivory impacts. Here we
assessed the response of 26 old-field plant species to
simulated defoliation in a greenhouse setting by measuring
whole plant and leaf level traits in control and treated
individuals. Simulated defoliation had no significant
effects on any plant traits measured. However, the baseline
leaf level traits of healthy plants consistently predicted
the log response ratio for these species whole plant
response to defoliation. The latitudinal mid-point of
species' distributions was also significantly correlated
with aboveground biomass and total leaf area responses, with
plants with a more northern distribution being more
negatively impacted by treatment. These results indicate
that even in the absence of significant overall impacts,
functional traits may aid in predicting variability in plant
responses to defoliation and in identifying the underlying
limitations driving those responses.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0166714},
Key = {fds323441}
}
@article{fds323442,
Author = {Seabloom, EW and Borer, ET and Buckley, YM and Cleland, EE and Davies,
KF and Firn, J and Harpole, WS and Hautier, Y and Lind, EM and MacDougall,
AS and Orrock, JL and Prober, SM and Adler, PB and Anderson, TM and Bakker,
JD and Biederman, LA and Blumenthal, DM and Brown, CS and Brudvig, LA and Cadotte, M and Chu, C and Cottingham, KL and Crawley, MJ and Damschen,
EI and Dantonio, CM and DeCrappeo, NM and Du, G and Fay, PA and Frater, P and Gruner, DS and Hagenah, N and Hector, A and Hillebrand, H and Hofmockel,
KS and Humphries, HC and Jin, VL and Kay, A and Kirkman, KP and Klein, JA and Knops, JMH and La Pierre and KJ and Ladwig, L and Lambrinos, JG and Li, Q and Li, W and Marushia, R and McCulley, RL and Melbourne, BA and Mitchell,
CE and Moore, JL and Morgan, J and Mortensen, B and O'Halloran, LR and Pyke, DA and Risch, AC and Sankaran, M and Schuetz, M and Simonsen, A and Smith, MD and Stevens, CJ and Sullivan, L and Wolkovich, E and Wragg,
PD and Wright, J and Yang, L},
Title = {Plant species' origin predicts dominance and response to
nutrient enrichment and herbivores in global
grasslands.},
Journal = {Nature communications},
Volume = {6},
Pages = {7710},
Year = {2015},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8710},
Abstract = {Exotic species dominate many communities; however the
functional significance of species' biogeographic origin
remains highly contentious. This debate is fuelled in part
by the lack of globally replicated, systematic data
assessing the relationship between species provenance,
function and response to perturbations. We examined the
abundance of native and exotic plant species at 64
grasslands in 13 countries, and at a subset of the sites we
experimentally tested native and exotic species responses to
two fundamental drivers of invasion, mineral nutrient
supplies and vertebrate herbivory. Exotic species are six
times more likely to dominate communities than native
species. Furthermore, while experimental nutrient addition
increases the cover and richness of exotic species,
nutrients decrease native diversity and cover. Native and
exotic species also differ in their response to vertebrate
consumer exclusion. These results suggest that species
origin has functional significance, and that eutrophication
will lead to increased exotic dominance in
grasslands.},
Doi = {10.1038/ncomms8710},
Key = {fds323442}
}
@article{fds231622,
Author = {Ames, GM and Vineyard, DL and Anderson, SM and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Annual growth in longleaf (Pinus palustris) and pond pine
(P. serotina) in the Sandhills of North Carolina is driven
by interactions between fire and climate},
Journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
Volume = {340},
Pages = {1-8},
Publisher = {Elsevier BV},
Year = {2015},
Month = {March},
ISSN = {0378-1127},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2014.12.020},
Abstract = {Understory fires are important for the maintenance of pine
savanna ecosystems of the southeastern U.S., which contain
high biodiversity and numerous federally endangered species.
Prescribed burns are administered to maintain the open
structure of pine savannas, conserve biodiversity, and to
reduce wildfire hazard. However, relatively little research
has examined which factors control the effects of prescribed
burns on mature trees, and how responses might be altered by
changing climate. The impact of prescribed burning on growth
responses is likely to vary by tree species and by
environmental conditions. To test the importance of these
factors, tree cores were taken from mature Pinus palustris
and Pinus serotina individuals at multiple locations across
Fort Bragg, NC, a military preserve with detailed records on
prescribed burn history dating back to 1991. Individual
trees were sampled along the hydrologic gradient from xeric
uplands to streamside wetlands. Annual growth was modeled as
a function of species identity, hydrologic position, fire
history, and climate conditions. We determined that
prescribed burning produced a moderate decline in annual
growth indicating that stress from prescribed burns
outweighs benefits from increased water and nutrient
availability. We found that the negative effects from
prescribed burning were diminished or reversed during warmer
years, and that the model predicts potential increases in
growth during burn years under anticipated climate change
scenarios. Surprisingly, there were no significant
differences in growth rate by species or hydrologic
position. Together these findings suggest that while
prescribed burns may have minor, short-term impacts on tree
growth under most current conditions, these effects are
small enough that they are unlikely to outweigh the many
benefits of this management technique for other aspects of
ecosystem structure.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2014.12.020},
Key = {fds231622}
}
@article{fds231624,
Author = {Borer, ET and Seabloom, EW and Gruner, DS and Harpole, WS and Hillebrand, H and Lind, EM and Adler, PB and Alberti, J and Anderson,
TM and Bakker, JD and Biederman, L and Blumenthal, D and Brown, CS and Brudvig, LA and Buckley, YM and Cadotte, M and Chu, C and Cleland, EE and Crawley, MJ and Daleo, P and Damschen, EI and Davies, KF and DeCrappeo,
NM and Du, G and Firn, J and Hautier, Y and Heckman, RW and Hector, A and HilleRisLambers, J and Iribarne, O and Klein, JA and Knops, JMH and La
Pierre, KJ and Leakey, ADB and Li, W and MacDougall, AS and McCulley,
RL and Melbourne, BA and Mitchell, CE and Moore, JL and Mortensen, B and O'Halloran, LR and Orrock, JL and Pascual, J and Prober, SM and Pyke,
DA and Risch, AC and Schuetz, M and Smith, MD and Stevens, CJ and Sullivan,
LL and Williams, RJ and Wragg, PD and Wright, JP and Yang,
LH},
Title = {Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity
via light limitation.},
Journal = {Nature},
Volume = {508},
Number = {7497},
Pages = {517-520},
Year = {2014},
Month = {April},
ISSN = {0028-0836},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13144},
Abstract = {Human alterations to nutrient cycles and herbivore
communities are affecting global biodiversity dramatically.
Ecological theory predicts these changes should be strongly
counteractive: nutrient addition drives plant species loss
through intensified competition for light, whereas
herbivores prevent competitive exclusion by increasing
ground-level light, particularly in productive systems. Here
we use experimental data spanning a globally relevant range
of conditions to test the hypothesis that herbaceous plant
species losses caused by eutrophication may be offset by
increased light availability due to herbivory. This
experiment, replicated in 40 grasslands on 6 continents,
demonstrates that nutrients and herbivores can serve as
counteracting forces to control local plant diversity
through light limitation, independent of site productivity,
soil nitrogen, herbivore type and climate. Nutrient addition
consistently reduced local diversity through light
limitation, and herbivory rescued diversity at sites where
it alleviated light limitation. Thus, species loss from
anthropogenic eutrophication can be ameliorated in
grasslands where herbivory increases ground-level
light.},
Doi = {10.1038/nature13144},
Key = {fds231624}
}
@article{fds231623,
Author = {Seabloom, EW and Borer, ET and Buckley, Y and Cleland, EE and Davies, K and Firn, J and Harpole, WS and Hautier, Y and Lind, E and MacDougall, A and Orrock, JL and Prober, SM and Adler, P and Alberti, J and Anderson, TM and Bakker, JD and Biederman, LA and Blumenthal, D and Brown, CS and Brudvig, LA and Caldeira, M and Chu, C and Crawley, MJ and Daleo, P and Damschen, EI and D'Antonio, CM and DeCrappeo, NM and Dickman, CR and Du,
G and Fay, PA and Frater, P and Gruner, DS and Hagenah, N and Hector, A and Helm, A and Hillebrand, H and Hofmockel, KS and Humphries, HC and Iribarne, O and Jin, VL and Kay, A and Kirkman, KP and Klein, JA and Knops,
JMH and La Pierre and KJ and Ladwig, LM and Lambrinos, JG and Leakey, ADB and Li, Q and Li, W and McCulley, R and Melbourne, B and Mitchell, CE and Moore, JL and Morgan, J and Mortensen, B and O'Halloran, LR and Pärtel,
M and Pascual, J and Pyke, DA and Risch, AC and Salguero-Gómez, R and Sankaran, M and Schuetz, M and Simonsen, A and Smith, M and Stevens, C and Sullivan, L and Wardle, GM and Wolkovich, EM and Wragg, PD and Wright,
J and Yang, L},
Title = {Predicting invasion in grassland ecosystems: is exotic
dominance the real embarrassment of richness?},
Journal = {Global change biology},
Volume = {19},
Number = {12},
Pages = {3677-3687},
Year = {2013},
Month = {December},
ISSN = {1354-1013},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12370},
Abstract = {Invasions have increased the size of regional species pools,
but are typically assumed to reduce native diversity.
However, global-scale tests of this assumption have been
elusive because of the focus on exotic species richness,
rather than relative abundance. This is problematic because
low invader richness can indicate invasion resistance by the
native community or, alternatively, dominance by a single
exotic species. Here, we used a globally replicated study to
quantify relationships between exotic richness and abundance
in grass-dominated ecosystems in 13 countries on six
continents, ranging from salt marshes to alpine tundra. We
tested effects of human land use, native community
diversity, herbivore pressure, and nutrient limitation on
exotic plant dominance. Despite its widespread use, exotic
richness was a poor proxy for exotic dominance at low exotic
richness, because sites that contained few exotic species
ranged from relatively pristine (low exotic richness and
cover) to almost completely exotic-dominated ones (low
exotic richness but high exotic cover). Both exotic cover
and richness were predicted by native plant diversity
(native grass richness) and land use (distance to
cultivation). Although climate was important for predicting
both exotic cover and richness, climatic factors predicting
cover (precipitation variability) differed from those
predicting richness (maximum temperature and mean
temperature in the wettest quarter). Herbivory and nutrient
limitation did not predict exotic richness or cover. Exotic
dominance was greatest in areas with low native grass
richness at the site- or regional-scale. Although this could
reflect native grass displacement, a lack of biotic
resistance is a more likely explanation, given that grasses
comprise the most aggressive invaders. These findings
underscore the need to move beyond richness as a surrogate
for the extent of invasion, because this metric confounds
monodominance with invasion resistance. Monitoring species'
relative abundance will more rapidly advance our
understanding of invasions.},
Doi = {10.1111/gcb.12370},
Key = {fds231623}
}
@article{fds231641,
Author = {Colman, BP and Arnaout, CL and Anciaux, S and Gunsch, CK and Hochella,
MF and Kim, B and Lowry, GV and McGill, BM and Reinsch, BC and Richardson,
CJ and Unrine, JM and Wright, JP and Yin, L and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Low concentrations of silver nanoparticles in biosolids
cause adverse ecosystem responses under realistic field
scenario.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {8},
Number = {2},
Pages = {e57189},
Year = {2013},
Month = {January},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23468930},
Abstract = {A large fraction of engineered nanomaterials in consumer and
commercial products will reach natural ecosystems. To date,
research on the biological impacts of environmental
nanomaterial exposures has largely focused on
high-concentration exposures in mechanistic lab studies with
single strains of model organisms. These results are
difficult to extrapolate to ecosystems, where exposures will
likely be at low-concentrations and which are inhabited by a
diversity of organisms. Here we show adverse responses of
plants and microorganisms in a replicated long-term
terrestrial mesocosm field experiment following a single low
dose of silver nanoparticles (0.14 mg Ag kg(-1) soil)
applied via a likely route of exposure, sewage biosolid
application. While total aboveground plant biomass did not
differ between treatments receiving biosolids, one plant
species, Microstegium vimeneum, had 32 % less biomass in the
Slurry+AgNP treatment relative to the Slurry only treatment.
Microorganisms were also affected by AgNP treatment, which
gave a significantly different community composition of
bacteria in the Slurry+AgNPs as opposed to the Slurry
treatment one day after addition as analyzed by T-RFLP
analysis of 16S-rRNA genes. After eight days, N2O flux was
4.5 fold higher in the Slurry+AgNPs treatment than the
Slurry treatment. After fifty days, community composition
and N2O flux of the Slurry+AgNPs treatment converged with
the Slurry. However, the soil microbial extracellular
enzymes leucine amino peptidase and phosphatase had 52 and
27% lower activities, respectively, while microbial biomass
was 35% lower than the Slurry. We also show that the
magnitude of these responses was in all cases as large as or
larger than the positive control, AgNO3, added at 4-fold the
Ag concentration of the silver nanoparticles.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0057189},
Key = {fds231641}
}
@article{fds220166,
Author = {Wang, S.* and J.P. Wright and E. Bernhardt},
Title = {Microbial diversity is linked to higher functional
resistance},
Journal = {Hydrobiologia},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220166}
}
@article{fds220167,
Author = {Seabloom, E.* and E.T. Borer and Y. Buckley and W.E. Cleland and K.
Davies, J. Firn and S. Harpoled and Y. Hautier and E. Lind and A.
MacDougall , J. L. Orrock and S.M Prober and P. Adler and T. M.
Anderson and J.D. Bakker and L.A. Biederman and D. Blumenthal and C.S.
Brown, L. Brudvig and C. Chu and M.J. Crawley and E. Damschen and C.M.
Dantonio, N.M. DeCrappeo and G. Du and P.A. Fay and P. Frater and D.S.
Gruner, N. Hagenah and A. Hector and H. Hillebrand and K.S.
Hofmockel, H. Huphries and V.L. Jin and A. Kay and K.P. Kirkman and J.A.
Klein, J.M.H. Knops and K.J. La Pierre and J.G. Lambrinos and A.
Leakey, Q. Li and W. Li and R. McCulley and B. Melbourne and C.
Mitchell, J. Moore and J. Morgan and B. Mortensen and D.A. Pyke and A.C.
Risch, M. Schuetz and M. Smith and C. Stevens and L. Sullivan and E.
Wolkovich, P.D. Wragg and J. Wright and L. Yang},
Title = {Biogeography of exotic species dominance in terrestrial,
herbaceous ecosystems},
Journal = {Global Change Biology},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220167}
}
@article{fds220169,
Author = {Ames, G. and J. Wright},
Title = {Environmental drivers of community composition and trait
variability depend on the scale of observation},
Journal = {Functional Ecology},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220169}
}
@article{fds220171,
Author = {Ficken, C.D.* and G.M. Ames and S.M. Anderson and J.P.
Wright},
Title = {Soil moisture and fire history influence nutrient
availability and productivity in a longleaf pine
savannah},
Journal = {Soil Biology and Biochemistry},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220171}
}
@article{fds220172,
Author = {Lee, M.R. and J. Wright},
Title = {Competitor context, not density, mediates invader’s
impacts on soil moisture and nitrogen},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220172}
}
@article{fds220173,
Author = {E. Seabloom and E.T.Borer, Y. Buckley and W.E. Cleland and K.Davies, J. Firn and S. Harpole and Y.Hautier, E.Lind and A. MacDougall and J.L.
Orrock, S.M. Prober and P. Adler and T.M. Anderson and J.D. Bakker and L.A. Biederman and D. Blumenthal and C.S. Brown and L.A. Brudvig and C.
Chu, M.J. Crawley and E.I. Damschen and C.M. D’Antonio and N.M.
DeCrappeo, G. Du and P.A. Fay and P. Frater and D.S. Gruner and N.Hagenah, A. Hector and H. Hillebrand and K.S. Hofmockel and H.C.
Humphries, V.L. Jin and A. Kay and K.P. Kirkman and J.A. Klein and J.M.H. Knops and K.J. LaPierre and J.G. Lambrinos and A.D.B. Leakey and Q. Li and W. Li and R. McCulley and B. Melbourne and C.E. Mitchell and J.L.
Moore, J. Morgan and B. Mortensen and DA. Pyke and A.C. Risch and M.
Schuetz, M.Smith and C. Stevens and L.Sullivan, E.Wolkovich and P.D.
Wragg, J.Wright and L.Yang},
Title = {The origin of species determines response to nutrient
additions and dominance in grassland ecosystems},
Journal = {PNAS},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220173}
}
@article{fds220174,
Author = {Vineyard, D.L. and Ames, G.M. and Anderson, S.M. and J.P.
Wright},
Title = {Annual growth in a pine savanna is driven by interactions
between fire and climate.},
Journal = {Forest Ecology and Research},
Year = {2013},
Key = {fds220174}
}
@article{fds231625,
Author = {Wang, S-Y and Bernhardt, ES and Wright, JP},
Title = {Urban stream denitrifier communities are linked to lower
functional resistance to multiple stressors associated with
urbanization},
Journal = {Hydrobiologia},
Volume = {726},
Number = {1},
Pages = {1-11},
Year = {2013},
ISSN = {0018-8158},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1747-7},
Abstract = {The microbial communities in urban stream ecosystems are
subject to complex combinations of stressors. These same
microbial communities perform the critical ecosystem service
of removing excess reactive nitrogen. We asked whether the
denitrifying microbial communities in urban streams differ
in their functional resistance to common urban stressors
from communities from nonurban streams. We exposed inocula
from a highly polluted urban stream and a nearby nonurban
stream to three different stressors, added alone and in
combination. Stressors represent the common urban impacts of
thermal pollution (10°C), trace metal exposure (ionic
silver (Ag+)), and salinization (addition of NaCl). We used
reduction in nitrite (NO2-) concentrations under anaerobic
conditions as a proxy for denitrification potential.
Nonurban stream denitrifying microbial communities were more
diverse than their urban counterparts. Denitrification
potential for both communities was unaffected by exposure to
any individual stressor. However, denitrification rates by
the less diverse urban microbial inoculum decreased in
response to combined heavy metal and salt stress, while
nonurban communities were unaffected. These findings support
the hypothesis that higher diversity may confer greater
functional resistance in response to multiple stressors and
do not support the idea that stressful conditions select for
communities that are functionally resilient to multiple
stressors. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media
Dordrecht.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10750-013-1747-7},
Key = {fds231625}
}
@article{fds304352,
Author = {Fridley, JD and Wright, JP},
Title = {Drivers of secondary succession rates across temperate
latitudes of the Eastern USA: climate, soils, and species
pools.},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Volume = {168},
Number = {4},
Pages = {1069-1077},
Year = {2012},
Month = {April},
ISSN = {0029-8549},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2152-4},
Abstract = {Climate change is widely expected to induce large shifts in
the geographic distribution of plant communities, but early
successional ecosystems may be less sensitive to broad-scale
climatic trends because they are driven by interactions
between species that are only indirectly related to
temperature and rainfall. Building on a biogeographic
analysis of secondary succession rates across the Eastern
Deciduous Forest (EDF) of North America, we describe an
experimental study designed to quantify the relative extent
to which climate, soil properties, and geographic species
pools drive variation in woody colonization rates of old
fields across the EDF. Using a network of five sites of
varying soil fertility spanning a latitudinal gradient from
central New York to northern Florida, we added seeds of nine
woody pioneer species to recently tilled old fields and
monitored first-year growth and survivorship. Results
suggest seedlings of southern woody pioneer species are
better able to quickly establish in fields after
abandonment, regardless of climate regime. Sites of lower
soil fertility also exhibited faster rates of seedling
growth, likely due to the slower development of the
successional herbaceous community. We suggest that climate
plays a relatively minor role in community dynamics at the
onset of secondary succession, and that site edaphic
conditions are a stronger determinant of the rate at which
ecosystems develop to a woody-dominated state. More
experimental research is necessary to determine the nature
of the herbaceous-woody competitive interface and its
sensitivity to environmental conditions.},
Doi = {10.1007/s00442-011-2152-4},
Key = {fds304352}
}
@article{fds231639,
Author = {Yin, L and Colman, B and McGill, B and Wright, JP and Bernhardt,
ES},
Title = {Effects of Silver Nanoparticle Exposure on Germination and
Early Growth of Eleven Wetland Plants},
Journal = {PLOS One},
Volume = {7},
Number = {10},
Pages = {e47674},
Year = {2012},
ISSN = {1932-6203},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0047674},
Abstract = {The increasing commercial production of engineered
nanoparticles (ENPs) has led to concerns over the potential
adverse impacts of these ENPs on biota in natural
environments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the
most widely used ENPs and are expected to enter natural
ecosystems. Here we examined the effects of AgNPs on
germination and growth of eleven species of common wetland
plants. We examined plant responses to AgNP exposure in
simple pure culture experiments (direct exposure) and for
seeds planted in homogenized field soils in a greenhouse
experiment (soil exposure). We compared the effects of two
AgNPs-20-nm polyvinylpyrrolidine-coated silver nanoparticles
(PVP-AgNPs) and 6-nm gum arabic coated silver nanoparticles
(GA-AgNPs)-to the effects of AgNO(3) exposure added at
equivalent Ag concentrations (1, 10 or 40 mg Ag L(-1)). In
the direct exposure experiments, PVP-AgNP had no effect on
germination while 40 mg Ag L(-1) GA-AgNP exposure
significantly reduced the germination rate of three species
and enhanced the germination rate of one species. In
contrast, 40 mg Ag L(-1) AgNO(3) enhanced the germination
rate of five species. In general root growth was much more
affected by Ag exposure than was leaf growth. The magnitude
of inhibition was always greater for GA-AgNPs than for
AgNO(3) and PVP-AgNPs. In the soil exposure experiment,
germination effects were less pronounced. The plant growth
response differed by taxa with Lolium multiflorum growing
more rapidly under both AgNO(3) and GA-AgNP exposures and
all other taxa having significantly reduced growth under
GA-AgNP exposure. AgNO(3) did not reduce the growth of any
species while PVP-AgNPs significantly inhibited the growth
of only one species. Our findings suggest important new
avenues of research for understanding the fate and transport
of NPs in natural media, the interactions between NPs and
plants, and indirect and direct effects of NPs in mixed
plant communities.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0047674},
Key = {fds231639}
}
@article{fds231640,
Author = {McGill, B and Wright, J},
Title = {Neighborhood-scale plant trait variability within and
between species responds to neighbor density and
identity},
Journal = {Plant Ecology},
Year = {2012},
Key = {fds231640}
}
@article{fds231642,
Author = {Wright, J and Sutton Grier and A},
Title = {Variability of plant traits across resource gradients: how
robust is the leaf economic spectrum within local plant
communities?},
Journal = {Functional Ecology},
Volume = {26},
Number = {6},
Pages = {1390-1398},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2012},
ISSN = {0269-8463},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12001},
Abstract = {Understanding patterns of trait variation across
environmental variability is necessary for development of
ecological predictions. The leaf economic spectrum (LES) has
demonstrated global trade-offs in leaf traits, but it is
unclear whether such patterns are robust in local
communities exposed to varying environments. We conducted
separate greenhouse experiments to examine the effects of
varying water-table depth and nitrogen availability on
leaf-level trait values among a suite of co-occurring
wetland species. We then assessed the effects of
species-specific trait value responses on relationships
predicted by LES and whether species responded similarly to
variations in water-table depth and nitrogen availability.
We found that both water-table depth and nitrogen
availability had significant species by treatment
interactions for specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen and
photosynthetic rates, indicating species-specific responses
to environmental variability. The responses of individual
traits to different treatment levels were relatively
consistent across species, but multivariate responses were
more variable. We found that apart from significant
relationships between specific leaf area and photosynthetic
rate under some treatments, there was little support for the
relationships predicted by the LES. These results suggest
that, before trait-based ecology will be able to make
progress towards using plant traits to predict responses of
communities and ecosystems to changes in environmental
drivers, considerable attention needs to be paid to the
processes that control intraspecific trait variation. ©
2012 British Ecological Society.},
Doi = {10.1111/1365-2435.12001},
Key = {fds231642}
}
@article{fds231643,
Author = {Wang, and S, and Wright, JP and Bernhardt, E},
Title = {Testing links between bacterial community structure and
stress resistance},
Journal = {Ecosphere},
Year = {2012},
Key = {fds231643}
}
@article{fds231644,
Author = {Fridley, J and Wright, J},
Title = {Climatic versus edaphic drivers of secondary succession
rates across temperate latitudes of the Eastern
U.S},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Volume = {168},
Number = {4},
Pages = {1069-1077},
Year = {2012},
ISSN = {0029-8549},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2152-4},
Abstract = {Climate change is widely expected to induce large shifts in
the geographic distribution of plant communities, but early
successional ecosystems may be less sensitive to broad-scale
climatic trends because they are driven by interactions
between species that are only indirectly related to
temperature and rainfall. Building on a biogeographic
analysis of secondary succession rates across the Eastern
Deciduous Forest (EDF) of North America, we describe an
experimental study designed to quantify the relative extent
to which climate, soil properties, and geographic species
pools drive variation in woody colonization rates of old
fields across the EDF. Using a network of five sites of
varying soil fertility spanning a latitudinal gradient from
central New York to northern Florida, we added seeds of nine
woody pioneer species to recently tilled old fields and
monitored first-year growth and survivorship. Results
suggest seedlings of southern woody pioneer species are
better able to quickly establish in fields after
abandonment, regardless of climate regime. Sites of lower
soil fertility also exhibited faster rates of seedling
growth, likely due to the slower development of the
successional herbaceous community. We suggest that climate
plays a relatively minor role in community dynamics at the
onset of secondary succession, and that site edaphic
conditions are a stronger determinant of the rate at which
ecosystems develop to a woody-dominated state. More
experimental research is necessary to determine the nature
of the herbaceous-woody competitive interface and its
sensitivity to environmental conditions. © 2011
Springer-Verlag.},
Doi = {10.1007/s00442-011-2152-4},
Key = {fds231644}
}
@misc{fds347404,
Author = {Anciaux, SK and Colman, BP and Bernhardt, ES and Wright, J and McGill,
B},
Title = {Investigation of the bioaccumulation of silver
nanoparticles},
Journal = {ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL
SOCIETY},
Volume = {241},
Pages = {1 pages},
Publisher = {AMER CHEMICAL SOC},
Year = {2011},
Month = {March},
Key = {fds347404}
}
@article{fds231647,
Author = {Sutton-Grier, AE and Wright, JP and McGill, BM and Richardson,
C},
Title = {Environmental conditions influence the plant functional
diversity effect on potential denitrification.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {6},
Number = {2},
Pages = {e16584},
Year = {2011},
Month = {February},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21311768},
Abstract = {Global biodiversity loss has prompted research on the
relationship between species diversity and ecosystem
functioning. Few studies have examined how plant diversity
impacts belowground processes; even fewer have examined how
varying resource levels can influence the effect of plant
diversity on microbial activity. In a field experiment in a
restored wetland, we examined the role of plant trait
diversity (or functional diversity, (FD)) and its
interactions with natural levels of variability of soil
properties, on a microbial process, denitrification
potential (DNP). We demonstrated that FD significantly
affected microbial DNP through its interactions with soil
conditions; increasing FD led to increased DNP but mainly at
higher levels of soil resources. Our results suggest that
the effect of species diversity on ecosystem functioning may
depend on environmental factors such as resource
availability. Future biodiversity experiments should examine
how natural levels of environmental variability impact the
importance of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0016584},
Key = {fds231647}
}
@article{fds231648,
Author = {Wang, S-Y and Sudduth, EB and Wallenstein, MD and Wright, JP and Bernhardt, ES},
Title = {Watershed urbanization alters the composition and function
of stream bacterial communities.},
Journal = {PloS one},
Volume = {6},
Number = {8},
Pages = {e22972},
Year = {2011},
Month = {January},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21857975},
Abstract = {Watershed urbanization leads to dramatic changes in draining
streams, with urban streams receiving a high frequency of
scouring flows, together with the nutrient, contaminant, and
thermal pollution associated with urbanization. These
changes are known to cause significant losses of sensitive
insect and fish species from urban streams, yet little is
known about how these changes affect the composition and
function of stream microbial communities. Over the course of
two years, we repeatedly sampled sediments from eight
central North Carolina streams affected to varying degrees
by watershed urbanization. For each stream and sampling
date, we characterized both overall and denitrifying
bacterial communities and measured denitrification
potentials. Denitrification is an ecologically important
process, mediated by denitrifying bacteria that use nitrate
and organic carbon as substrates. Differences in overall and
denitrifying bacterial community composition were strongly
associated with the gradient in urbanization.
Denitrification potentials, which varied widely, were not
significantly associated with substrate supply. By
incorporating information on the community composition of
denitrifying bacteria together with substrate supply in a
linear mixed-effects model, we explained 45% of the
variation in denitrification potential (p-value<0.001). Our
results suggest that (1) the composition of stream bacterial
communities change in response to watershed urbanization and
(2) such changes may have important consequences for
critical ecosystem functions such as denitrification.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0022972},
Key = {fds231648}
}
@article{fds231645,
Author = {Sutton Grier and AE and Wright, JP and Richardson,
CJ},
Title = {Different plant traits affect two pathways of riparian
nitrogen removal in a restored freshwater
wetland},
Journal = {Plant & Soil},
Volume = {365},
Number = {1-2},
Pages = {41-57},
Publisher = {Springer Nature},
Year = {2011},
ISSN = {0032-079X},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1113-3},
Abstract = {Background & aims: Plants may have dissimilar effects on
ecosystem processes because they possess different
attributes. Given increasing biodiversity losses, it is
important to understand which plant traits are key drivers
of ecosystem functions. To address this question, we studied
the response of two ecosystem functions that remove nitrogen
(N) from wetland soils, the accumulation of N in plant
biomass and denitrification potential (DNP), to variation in
plant trait composition. Methods: Our experiment manipulated
plant composition in a riparian wetland. We determined
relative importance of plant traits and environmental
variables as predictors of each ecosystem function. Results:
We demonstrate that Water Use Efficiency (WUE) had a strong
negative effect on biomass N. Root porosity and belowground
biomass were negatively correlated with DNP. Trait
ordination indicated that WUE was largely orthogonal to
traits that maximized DNP. Conclusions: These results
indicate that plant species with different trait values are
required to maintain multiple ecosystem functions, and
provide a more mechanistic, trait-based link between the
recent findings that higher biodiversity is necessary for
multi-functionality. While we selected plant traits based on
ecological theory, several of the plant traits were not good
predictors of each ecosystem function suggesting the
ecological theory linking traits to function is incomplete
and requires strengthening. © 2012 Springer
Science+Business Media B.V.},
Doi = {10.1007/s11104-011-1113-3},
Key = {fds231645}
}
@article{fds231646,
Author = {Warren, and J, R and Wright, JP and Bradford, MA},
Title = {The putative niche requirements and landscape dynamics of
Microstegium vimineum: an invasive Asian
grass},
Journal = {Biological Invasions},
Volume = {13},
Number = {2},
Pages = {471-483},
Publisher = {Springer Nature},
Year = {2011},
ISSN = {1387-3547},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-010-9842-4},
Abstract = {The theoretical foundations of population and community
ecology stress the importance of identifying crucial niche
requirements and life history stages of invasive species
and, in doing so, give insight into research and management.
We focus on Microstegium vimineum, an invasive grass which
is causing marked changes in the structure and function of
US forests. We describe M. vimineum's life history and
habitat characteristics, infer its niche requirements and
synthesize this information in the context of population
dynamics and management. Based on the results synthesized
here, M. vimineum's crucial niche requirements appear to be
light (reproductive output), soil moisture (reproductive
output, seedling recruitment) and aboveground coverage by
leaf-litter and competing species (seedling recruitment and
survival). These data suggest a source-sink dynamic might
allow M. vimineum to disperse and thrive along sunny, and
sometimes wet, edge habitats and, in turn, these populations
might act as source populations for adjacent shady forest
habitats. By evaluating M. vimineum in the context of its
stage-specific requirements, we highlight potential
weaknesses in its life history that provide strategies for
effective management. © 2010 Springer Science+Business
Media B.V.},
Doi = {10.1007/s10530-010-9842-4},
Key = {fds231646}
}
@article{fds231649,
Author = {Adler, PB and Seabloom, EW and Borer, ET and Hillebrand, H and Hautier,
Y and Hector, A and O'Halloran, LR and Harpole, WS and Anderson, TM and Bakker, JD and Biederman, LA and Brown, CS and Buckley, YM and Calabrese, LB and Chu, CJ and Cleland, EE and Collins, SL and Cottingham, KL and Crawley, MJ and Davies, KF and DeCrappeo, NM and Fay,
PA and Firn, J and Frater, P and Gasarch, EI and Gruner, DS and Hagenah, N and HilleRisLambers, J and Humphries, H and Jin, VL and Kay, AD and Kirkman,
KP and Klein, JA and Knops, J and La Pierre and KJ and Lambrinos, JG and Li,
W and MacDougall, AS and McCulley, RL and Melbourne, BA and Mitchell,
CE and Moore, JL and Morgan, JW and Mortenson, B and Orrock, JL and Prober,
SM and Pyke, DA and Risch, AC and Schuetz, M and Stevens, CJ and Sullivan,
LL and Wang, G and Wragg, PD and Wright, JP and Yang,
LH},
Title = {Productivity is a poor predictor of plant species
richness},
Journal = {Science},
Volume = {333},
Number = {6050},
Pages = {1750-1754},
Year = {2011},
ISSN = {0036-8075},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1204498},
Abstract = {For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary
productivity and species richness has generated intense
debate in ecology about the processes regulating local
diversity. The original view, which is still widely
accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with
richness first rising and then declining with increasing
productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the
generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have
been criticized for failing to account for methodological
differences among studies. We addressed such concerns by
conducting standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated
plant communities on five continents. We found no clear
relationship between productivity and fine-scale
(meters(-2)) richness within sites, within regions, or
across the globe. Ecologists should focus on fresh,
mechanistic approaches to understanding the multivariate
links between productivity and richness.},
Doi = {10.1126/science.1204498},
Key = {fds231649}
}
@article{fds304351,
Author = {Bartel, RA and Haddad, NM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Ecosystem engineers maintain a rare species of butterfly and
increase plant diversity},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {119},
Number = {5},
Pages = {883-890},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2010},
Month = {May},
ISSN = {0030-1299},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18080.x},
Abstract = {We evaluated whether ecosystem engineers can accomplish two
conservation goals simultaneously: (1) indirectly maintain
populations of an endangered animal through habitat
modification and (2) increase riparian plant diversity. We
tested for effects of a prominent ecosystem engineer, the
beaver Castor canadensis, on populations of St. Francis'
satyr butterfly Neonympha mitchellii francisci and plant
species richness and composition. We performed our test by
surveying riparian vegetation communities in all stages of
beaver-influenced wetland succession. We found that beavers
created wetland habitats that supported plant species not
found elsewhere in riparian zones and increased plant
species diversity across the landscape by creating a novel
combination of patch types. Our results confirmed what
others have found about engineering effects on plant
diversity, but these results further demonstrated a case
where ecosystem engineers indirectly maintain populations of
rare animals by modifying the composition and diversity of
plant communities within wetlands. Our research demonstrates
how an ecosystem engineer can influence habitat availability
and composition of plant communities important for an
endangered insect, and maintain overall plant species
diversity by increasing habitat heterogeneity. © 2009 The
Authors.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18080.x},
Key = {fds304351}
}
@article{fds231635,
Author = {Reinhardt, L and Jerolmack, D and Cardinale, BJ and Vanacker, V and Wright, J},
Title = {Dynamic interactions of life and its landscape: Feedbacks at
the interface of geomorphology and ecology},
Journal = {Earth Surface Processes and Landforms},
Volume = {35},
Number = {1},
Pages = {78-101},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2010},
Month = {January},
ISSN = {0197-9337},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.1912},
Abstract = {There appears to be no single axis of causality between life
and its landscape, but rather, each exerts a simultaneous
influence on the other over a wide range of temporal and
spatial scales. These influences occur through feedbacks of
differing strength and importance with co-evolution
representing the tightest coupling between biological and
geomorphological systems. The ongoing failure to incorporate
these dynamic bio-physical interactions with human activity
in landscape studies limits our ability to predict the
response of landscapes to human disturbance and climate
change. This limitation is a direct result of the poor
communication between the ecological and geomorphological
communities and consequent paucity of interdisciplinary
research. Recognition of this failure led to the
organization of the Meeting of Young Researchers in Earth
Science (MYRES) III, titled 'Dynamic Interactions of Life
and its Landscape'. This paper synthesizes and expands upon
key issues and findings from that meeting, to help chart a
course for future collaboration among Earth surface
scientists and ecologists: it represents the consensus view
of a competitively selected group of 77 early-career
researchers. Two broad themes that serve to focus and
motivate future research are identified: (1) co-evolution of
landforms and biological communities; and (2) humans as
modifiers of the landscape (through direct and indirect
actions). Also outlined are the state of the art in
analytical, experimental and modelling techniques in
ecological and geomorphological research, and novel new
research avenues that combine these techniques are
suggested. It is hoped that this paper will serve as an
interdisciplinary reference for geomorphologists and
ecologists looking to learn more about the other field. ©
2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.},
Doi = {10.1002/esp.1912},
Key = {fds231635}
}
@article{fds231651,
Author = {McGill, BM and Sutton-Grier, AE and Wright, JP},
Title = {Plant trait diversity buffers variability in denitrification
potential over changes in season and soil
conditions},
Journal = {PLoS ONE},
Volume = {5},
Number = {7},
Pages = {e11618},
Year = {2010},
ISSN = {1932-6203},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20661464},
Abstract = {Background: Denitrification is an important ecosystem
service that removes nitrogen (N) from N-polluted
watersheds, buffering soil, stream, and river water quality
from excess N by returning N to the atmosphere before it
reaches lakes or oceans and leads to eutrophication. The
denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) assay is widely used
for measuring denitrification potential. Because DEA is a
function of enzyme levels in soils, most ecologists studying
denitrification have assumed that DEA is less sensitive to
ambient levels of nitrate (NO3-) and soil carbon and thus,
less variable over time than field measurements. In
addition, plant diversity has been shown to have strong
effects on microbial communities and belowground processes
and could potentially alter the functional capacity of
denitrifiers. Here, we examined three questions: (1) Does
DEA vary through the growing season? (2) If so, can we
predict DEA variability with environmental variables? (3)
Does plant functional diversity affect DEA variability?
Methodology/Principal Findings: The study site is a restored
wetland in North Carolina, US with native wetland herbs
planted in monocultures or mixes of four or eight species.
We found that denitrification potentials for soils collected
in July 2006 were significantly greater than for soils
collected in May and late August 2006 (p<.0001).
Similarly, microbial biomass standardized DEA rates were
significantly greater in July than May and August
(p<.0001). Of the soil variables measured- soil moisture,
organic matter, total inorganic nitrogen, and microbial
biomass-none consistently explained the pattern observed in
DEA through time. There was no significant relationship
between DEA and plant species richnesxs or functional
diversity. However, the seasonal variance in microbial
biomass standardized DEA rates was significantly inversely
related to plant species functional diversity (p<.01).
Conclusions/Significance: These findings suggest that higher
plant functional diversity may support a more constant level
of DEA through time, buffering the ecosystem from changes in
season and soil conditions. © 2010 McGill et
al.},
Doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0011618},
Key = {fds231651}
}
@article{fds231652,
Author = {Bartel, RA and Haddad, NM and Wright, JP},
Title = {Ecosystem engineers maintain rare species and increase
biodiversity},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {119},
Number = {5},
Pages = {883-890},
Year = {2010},
ISSN = {0030-1299},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18080.x},
Abstract = {We evaluated whether ecosystem engineers can accomplish two
conservation goals simultaneously: (1) indirectly maintain
populations of an endangered animal through habitat
modification and (2) increase riparian plant diversity. We
tested for effects of a prominent ecosystem engineer, the
beaver Castor canadensis, on populations of St. Francis'
satyr butterfly Neonympha mitchellii francisci and plant
species richness and composition. We performed our test by
surveying riparian vegetation communities in all stages of
beaver-influenced wetland succession. We found that beavers
created wetland habitats that supported plant species not
found elsewhere in riparian zones and increased plant
species diversity across the landscape by creating a novel
combination of patch types. Our results confirmed what
others have found about engineering effects on plant
diversity, but these results further demonstrated a case
where ecosystem engineers indirectly maintain populations of
rare animals by modifying the composition and diversity of
plant communities within wetlands. Our research demonstrates
how an ecosystem engineer can influence habitat availability
and composition of plant communities important for an
endangered insect, and maintain overall plant species
diversity by increasing habitat heterogeneity. © 2009 The
Authors.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.18080.x},
Key = {fds231652}
}
@article{fds231653,
Author = {Reinhardt, L and Cardinale, B and Earl, S and Vaneker, V and Wright,
J},
Title = {Dynamic Interactions of Life and its Landscape: a new
paradigm to advance contemporary issues},
Journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences},
Volume = {35},
Pages = {78-101},
Year = {2010},
Key = {fds231653}
}
@article{fds231654,
Author = {Wright, JP and Fridley, J},
Title = {Biogeographic synthesis of secondary succession rates in
Eastern North America},
Journal = {Journal of Biogeography},
Volume = {37},
Number = {8},
Pages = {1584-1596},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2010},
ISSN = {0305-0270},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02298.x},
Abstract = {Aim: Mechanistic models of old-field plant succession have
generally lacked a broader biogeographic context in which
climate, soils and species pools could play a significant
role in mediating succession rates. We examine broad-scale
patterns in old-field succession and introduce a
hierarchical conceptual model to incorporate potential
mechanisms operating at multiple spatial scales. Location:
We reviewed secondary succession studies across the Eastern
Deciduous Forest (EDF) of North America. Methods: We
collected data from all published studies that reported the
time necessary for woody species to reach either 10% or 50%
cover in old-field systems throughout the EDF. We used
regression approaches to determine whether rates of
succession are controlled by climatic and edaphic factors
that vary at broad spatial scales. Results: We found that
the rate at which woody species colonize and dominate old
fields decreases significantly with latitude. Rates of woody
succession were highly correlated with both annual
temperature (growing degree-days for years to 10% and 50%
cover) and measures of soil fertility (cation exchange
capacity and reported pre-agroindustrial (1930) maize yields
for years to 10% cover), all of which show a significant
latitudinal trend across the EDF. Main conclusions: We
suggest that the driver of this pattern is geographic
variation in the intensity of competition between herbaceous
and woody species, which we relate to the effects of (1)
temperature regime, (2) edaphic factors related to soil
fertility, and (3) plant traits, which may vary
latitudinally in response to climate and edaphic factors.
Although insufficient data exist to evaluate the relative
importance of these factors, we argue that research in this
area is necessary to gain an understanding of how future
landscapes will be affected by global climate and land use
change. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02298.x},
Key = {fds231654}
}
@article{fds231634,
Author = {Wright, JP},
Title = {Linking populations to landscapes: richness scenarios
resulting from changes in the dynamics of an ecosystem
engineer.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {90},
Number = {12},
Pages = {3418-3429},
Year = {2009},
Month = {December},
ISSN = {0012-9658},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20120810},
Abstract = {Predicting the effects of the loss of individual species on
diversity represents one of the primary challenges facing
community ecology. One pathway by which organisms of one
species affect the distribution of species is ecosystem
engineering. Changes in the dynamics of ecosystem engineers
that lead to changes in the distribution of the patches of
altered habitat are likely to lead to changes in diversity.
I link data on the distribution of plant species found in
the riparian zone of the Adirondacks (New York, USA) in
patches modified by beaver and in unmodified forest patches
to a model connecting the dynamics of ecosystem engineers to
the dynamics of the patches that they create. These analyses
demonstrate that changes in key parameters of the model,
such as decreases in beaver colonization rates and rate of
patch abandonment, lead to changes in species richness of up
to 45% at the landscape scale, and that these changes are
likely to occur over long time scales. This general approach
of linking the population dynamics or behavior of a single
species to changes in species richness at the landscape
scale provides a means for both testing the importance of
ecosystem engineering in different systems and developing
scenarios to predict how changes in the dynamics of a single
species are likely to affect species richness.},
Doi = {10.1890/08-1885.1},
Key = {fds231634}
}
@article{fds231619,
Author = {Jackson, L and Rosenstock, T and Thomas, M and Wright, J and Symstad,
A},
Title = {Managed ecosystems: Biodiversity and ecosystem functions in
landscapes modified by human use},
Pages = {178-194},
Booktitle = {Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and human well-being: An
ecological and economic perspective},
Publisher = {Oxford University Press},
Editor = {Naeem, Bunker and D., Hector and A., M. Loreau and C.
Perrings.},
Year = {2009},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547951.003.0013},
Abstract = {This chapter examines the effects of management and
intensification processes on biodiversity in agricultural
landscapes. It begins with a metaanalysis of studies
conducted along landscape gradients, then reviews
relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem function
within managed ecosystems. Pest control exemplifies the
complexity of the functions of biodiversity in managed
ecosystems (e.g., often correlating poorly with species
richness, involving several trophic levels, and influenced
by characteristics of the wider landscape). Finally, based
on these analyses, this chapter describes an
interdisciplinary context to link research on biodiversity
and ecosystem function to end-users at different management
scales that incorporates the influence of social and
economic factors.},
Doi = {10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547951.003.0013},
Key = {fds231619}
}
@article{fds231620,
Author = {Wright, J and Symstad, A and Bullock, JM and Engelhardt, K and Jackson,
L and Bernhardt, E},
Title = {Restoring biodiversity and ecosystem function: Will an
integrated approach improve results?},
Pages = {167-177},
Booktitle = {Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and human well-being: An
ecological and economic perspective},
Publisher = {Oxford University Press},
Editor = {S. Naeem and Bunker, D. and Hector, A. and M. Loreau and C.
Perrings},
Year = {2009},
Month = {July},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547951.003.0012},
Abstract = {Ecological restorations often focus on restoring communities
while ignoring ecosystem functioning, or on ecosystem
functioning without regard to communities. This chapter
argues that the biodiversity-ecosystem function (BEF)
perspective provides an opportunity to integrate these views
and potentially improve the success of restoration. First,
the restoration of biodiversity may lead to desired levels
of ecosystem properties and processes through "classical"
BEF mechanisms such as complementarity or selection effects.
Second, BEF theory suggests that biodiversity may enhance
temporal stability of the provisioning of ecosystem services
in restored ecosystems. Finally, in restored ecosystems with
multiple management goals, biodiversity may enhance the
provisioning of multiple services. Assessing the relative
benefits of biodiversity for risk management and the
provisioning of multiple services requires economic as well
as ecological analyses. Scientists, managers and policy
makers will need to ask relevant questions and collaborate
in interpreting results if BEF theory's potential to impact
restoration is to be realized.},
Doi = {10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547951.003.0012},
Key = {fds231620}
}
@article{fds231656,
Author = {Srivastava, DS and Cardinale, BJ and Downing, AL and Duffy, JE and Jouseau, C and Sankaran, M and Wright, JP},
Title = {Diversity has stronger top-down than bottom-up effects on
decomposition.},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {90},
Number = {4},
Pages = {1073-1083},
Year = {2009},
Month = {April},
ISSN = {0012-9658},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/08-0439.1},
Abstract = {The flow of energy and nutrients between trophic levels is
affected by both the trophic structure of food webs and the
diversity of species within trophic levels. However, the
combined effects of trophic structure and diversity on
trophic transfer remain largely unknown. Here we ask whether
changes in consumer diversity have the same effect as
changes in resource diversity on rates of resource
consumption. We address this question by focusing on
consumer-resource dynamics for the ecologically important
process of decomposition. This study compares the top-down
effect of consumer (detritivore) diversity on the
consumption of dead organic matter (decomposition) with the
bottom-up effect of resource (detrital) diversity, based on
a compilation of 90 observations reported in 28 studies. We
did not detect effects of either detrital or consumer
diversity on measures of detrital standing stock, and
effects on consumer standing stock were equivocal. However,
our meta-analysis indicates that reductions in detritivore
diversity result in significant reductions in the rate of
decomposition. Detrital diversity has both positive and
negative effects on decomposition, with no overall trend.
This difference between top-down and bottom-up effects of
diversity is robust to different effect size metrics and
could not be explained by differences in experimental
systems or designs between detritivore and detrital
manipulations. Our finding that resource diversity has no
net effect on consumption in "brown" (detritus-consumer)
food webs contrasts with previous findings from "green"
(plant-herbivore) food webs and suggests that effects of
plant diversity on consumption may fundamentally change
after plant death.},
Doi = {10.1890/08-0439.1},
Key = {fds231656}
}
@article{fds231655,
Author = {Cardinale, B and Srivastava, D and Duffy, J and Wright, J and Downing,
A and Sankaran, M and Jouseau, C and Cadotte, M and Carroll, I and Weis, J and Hector, A and Loreau, M},
Title = {Effects of biodiversity on the functioning of ecosystems: A
summary of 164 experimental manipulations of species
richness},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {90},
Pages = {854},
Year = {2009},
Key = {fds231655}
}
@article{fds231657,
Author = {Wright, J},
Title = {Biodiversity scenarios resulting from changes in the
population dynamics of an ecosystem engineer, the
beaver},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {90},
Year = {2009},
Key = {fds231657}
}
@article{fds231633,
Author = {Wilson, WG and Wright, JP},
Title = {11 Community responses to environmental change: Results of
Lotka-Volterra community theory},
Volume = {4},
Number = {C},
Pages = {211-227},
Publisher = {Elsevier},
Year = {2007},
Month = {January},
ISSN = {1875-306X},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1875-306X(07)80013-X},
Doi = {10.1016/S1875-306X(07)80013-X},
Key = {fds231633}
}
@misc{fds70493,
Author = {Naeem, S. and R. Colwell and S. Díaz and J. Hughes and C. Jouseau and S.
Lavorel, P. Morin and O. Petchey and J. Wright},
Title = {Predicting the ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss:
the BioMERGE framework},
Pages = {113-126},
Booktitle = {Terrestrial Ecosystems in a Changing World.},
Publisher = {Springer},
Editor = {J. Canadell and Pataki, D. and Pitelka, L.},
Year = {2007},
Key = {fds70493}
}
@misc{fds70494,
Author = {Wilson, W.G. and J. Wright},
Title = {Community Responses to Environmental Change:},
Pages = {211-228},
Booktitle = {Ecosystem Engineers: Plants to Protists},
Publisher = {Elsevier},
Editor = {Cuddington, K. and J. Byers and A. Hastings and W.
Wilson},
Year = {2007},
Key = {fds70494}
}
@article{fds231650,
Author = {Cardinale, B and Wright, JP and Cadotte, M and Carroll, I and Hector, A and Srivastiva, D and Loreau, M and Weis, J},
Title = {Impacts of plant diversity on biomass production increase
through time because of species complementarity},
Journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
Volume = {104},
Number = {46},
Pages = {18123-18128},
Year = {2007},
ISSN = {0027-8424},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0709069104},
Abstract = {Accelerating rates of species extinction have prompted a
growing number of researchers to manipulate the richness of
various groups of organisms and examine how this aspect of
diversity impacts ecological processes that control the
functioning of ecosystems. We summarize the results of 44
experiments that have manipulated the richness of plants to
examine how plant diversity affects the production of
biomass. We show that mixtures of species produce an average
of 1.7 times more biomass than species monocultures and are
more productive than the average monoculture in 79% of all
experiments. However, in only 12% of all experiments do
diverse polycultures achieve greater biomass than their
single most productive species. Previously, a positive net
effect of diversity that is no greater than the most
productive species has been interpreted as evidence for
selection effects, which occur when diversity maximizes the
chance that highly productive species will be included in
and ultimately dominate the biomass of polycultures.
Contrary to this, we show that although productive species
do indeed contribute to diversity effects, these
contributions are equaled or exceeded by species
complementarity, where biomass is augmented by biological
processes that involve multiple species. Importantly, both
the net effect of diversity and the probability of
polycultures being more productive than their most
productive species increases through time, because the
magnitude of complementarity increases as experiments are
run longer. Our results suggest that experiments to date
have, if anything, underestimated the impacts of species
extinction on the productivity of ecosystems.},
Doi = {10.1073/pnas.0709069104},
Key = {fds231650}
}
@misc{fds367047,
Author = {Wilson, WG and Wright, JP},
Title = {COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE: RESULTS OF
LOTKA-VOLTERRA COMMUNITY THEORY},
Pages = {211-227},
Booktitle = {ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS: PLANTS TO PROTISTS},
Year = {2007},
ISBN = {978-0-12-373857-8},
Key = {fds367047}
}
@article{fds304350,
Author = {I. Badano and E and G. Jones and C and A. Cavieres and L and P. Wright,
J},
Title = {Assessing impacts of ecosystem engineers on community
organization: A general approach illustrated by effects of a
high-Andean cushion plant},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {115},
Number = {2},
Pages = {369-385},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2006},
Month = {November},
ISSN = {0030-1299},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.15132.x},
Abstract = {Comparative and integrative tools are of fundamental value
in ecology for understanding outcomes of biological
processes, and making generalizations and predictions.
Although ecosystem engineering has been shown to play a
fundamental role in community organization, there are no
standardized methods to measure such effects. We present a
framework and methodology for assessing the impact of
physical ecosystem engineers on three general features of
community organization: (1) species richness and
composition, (2) stability of richness over time, and (3)
dominance patterns of species assemblages. We then apply the
framework and methodology to assess the effects of the
cushion plant Azorella monantha on high-Andean plant
communities on two mountaintops. Substrate temperatures,
soil moisture and the availability of mineral nutrient
resources were compared between A. monantha and surrounding
open areas to ascertain whether cushions altered abiotic
environmental conditions, while community analysis assessed
changes in species richness, composition and abundances at
patch and landscape levels. Cushions thermally buffered
temperature extremes and increased soil moisture, but had no
detectable effect on soil mineral nutrients. Cushion habitat
was not more species rich than surrounding areas, but
cushions added new species into the community, altering
species composition and markedly enhancing landscape-level
richness. Cushions also showed potential for stabilizing
species richness over time, and changed patterns of species
dominance. Findings were consistent across mountaintops. We
evaluate the general utility of the framework and call for
its application in other systems as a means to generate
comparative data sets for assessing the general effects of
ecosystem engineers on community organization. ©
OIKOS.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.15132.x},
Key = {fds304350}
}
@article{fds304349,
Author = {Cardinale, BJ and Srivastava, DS and Duffy, JE and Wright, JP and Downing, AL and Sankaran, M and Jouseau, C},
Title = {Effects of biodiversity on the functioning of trophic groups
and ecosystems.},
Journal = {Nature},
Volume = {443},
Number = {7114},
Pages = {989-992},
Year = {2006},
Month = {October},
ISSN = {0028-0836},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature05202},
Abstract = {Over the past decade, accelerating rates of species
extinction have prompted an increasing number of studies to
reduce species diversity experimentally and examine how this
alters the efficiency by which communities capture resources
and convert those into biomass. So far, the generality of
patterns and processes observed in individual studies have
been the subjects of considerable debate. Here we present a
formal meta-analysis of studies that have experimentally
manipulated species diversity to examine how it affects the
functioning of numerous trophic groups in multiple types of
ecosystem. We show that the average effect of decreasing
species richness is to decrease the abundance or biomass of
the focal trophic group, leading to less complete depletion
of resources used by that group. At the same time, analyses
reveal that the standing stock of, and resource depletion
by, the most species-rich polyculture tends to be no
different from that of the single most productive species
used in an experiment. Of the known mechanisms that might
explain these trends, results are most consistent with what
is called the 'sampling effect', which occurs when diverse
communities are more likely to contain and become dominated
by the most productive species. Whether this mechanism is
widespread in natural communities is currently
controversial. Patterns we report are remarkably consistent
for four different trophic groups (producers, herbivores,
detritivores and predators) and two major ecosystem types
(aquatic and terrestrial). Collectively, our analyses
suggest that the average species loss does indeed affect the
functioning of a wide variety of organisms and ecosystems,
but the magnitude of these effects is ultimately determined
by the identity of species that are going
extinct.},
Doi = {10.1038/nature05202},
Key = {fds304349}
}
@article{fds231661,
Author = {Wright, JP and Naeem, S and Hector, A and Lehman, C and Reich, PB and Schmid, B and Tilman, D},
Title = {Conventional functional classification schemes underestimate
the relationship with ecosystem functioning.},
Journal = {Ecology letters},
Volume = {9},
Number = {2},
Pages = {111-120},
Year = {2006},
Month = {February},
ISSN = {1461-023X},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00850.x},
Keywords = {biodiversity • classification • complementarity
• ecosystem function • functional
groups},
Abstract = {Studies linking the functional diversity of a biota to
ecosystem functioning typically employ a priori
classifications of species into hypothetically complementary
groups. However, multiple alternate classifications exist in
which the number of functional groups, the number of species
per functional group, and the grouping of species differ
from the a priori scheme. Without assessing the relative
precision, or ability of an a priori scheme to accurately
predict ecosystem functioning relative to its many
alternatives, the validity and utility of analyses based on
a single a priori classification scheme remains unclear. We
examine the precision of a priori classifications used in 10
experimental grassland systems in Europe and the United
States that have found evidence for a significant role of
functional plant diversity in governing ecosystem function.
The predictive precision of the a priori classifications
employed in these studies was seldom significantly higher
than the precision of random classifications. Post-hoc
classification schemes that performed well in predicting
ecosystem function resembled each other more with regard to
species composition than average classifications, but there
was still considerable variability in the manner in which
these classification schemes grouped species. These results
suggest that we need a more nuanced understanding of how the
diversity of functional traits of species in an assemblage
affects ecosystem functioning.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00850.x},
Key = {fds231661}
}
@article{fds231658,
Author = {Wright, JP and Jones, CG},
Title = {The concept of organisms as ecosystem engineers ten years
on: Progress, limitations, and challenges},
Journal = {BioScience},
Volume = {56},
Number = {3},
Pages = {203-209},
Publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)},
Year = {2006},
ISSN = {0006-3568},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2006)056[0203:TCOOAE]2.0.CO;2},
Abstract = {The modification of the physical environment by organisms is
a critical interaction in most ecosystems. The concept of
ecosystem engineering acknowledges . this fact and allows
ecologists to develop the conceptual tools for uncovering
general patterns and building broadly applicable models.
Although the concept has occasioned some controversy during
its development, it is quickly gaining acceptance among
ecologists. We outline the nature of some of these
controversies and describe some of the major insights gained
by viewing ecological systems through the lens of ecosystem
engineering. We close by discussing areas of research where
we believe the concept of organisms as ecosystem engineers
will be most likely to lead to significant insights into the
structure and function of ecological systems. © 2006
American Institute of Biological Sciences.},
Doi = {10.1641/0006-3568(2006)056[0203:TCOOAE]2.0.CO;2},
Key = {fds231658}
}
@article{fds231659,
Author = {Badano, EI and Jones, CG and Cavieres, LA and Wright,
JP},
Title = {Assessing impacts of ecosystem engineers on community
organization: effects of the high-Andean cushion plant
Azorella monantha},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {115},
Number = {2},
Pages = {369-385},
Year = {2006},
ISSN = {0030-1299},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.15132.x},
Abstract = {Comparative and integrative tools are of fundamental value
in ecology for understanding outcomes of biological
processes, and making generalizations and predictions.
Although ecosystem engineering has been shown to play a
fundamental role in community organization, there are no
standardized methods to measure such effects. We present a
framework and methodology for assessing the impact of
physical ecosystem engineers on three general features of
community organization: (1) species richness and
composition, (2) stability of richness over time, and (3)
dominance patterns of species assemblages. We then apply the
framework and methodology to assess the effects of the
cushion plant Azorella monantha on high-Andean plant
communities on two mountaintops. Substrate temperatures,
soil moisture and the availability of mineral nutrient
resources were compared between A. monantha and surrounding
open areas to ascertain whether cushions altered abiotic
environmental conditions, while community analysis assessed
changes in species richness, composition and abundances at
patch and landscape levels. Cushions thermally buffered
temperature extremes and increased soil moisture, but had no
detectable effect on soil mineral nutrients. Cushion habitat
was not more species rich than surrounding areas, but
cushions added new species into the community, altering
species composition and markedly enhancing landscape-level
richness. Cushions also showed potential for stabilizing
species richness over time, and changed patterns of species
dominance. Findings were consistent across mountaintops. We
evaluate the general utility of the framework and call for
its application in other systems as a means to generate
comparative data sets for assessing the general effects of
ecosystem engineers on community organization. ©
OIKOS.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.15132.x},
Key = {fds231659}
}
@article{fds231660,
Author = {Cardinale, B and Srivastiva, D and Duffy, E and Wright, J and Downing,
A and Sankaranan, M and Jouseau, C},
Title = {Consistent effects of biodiversity on the functioning of
trophic groups and ecosystems},
Journal = {Nature},
Volume = {443},
Number = {7114},
Pages = {989-992},
Year = {2006},
ISSN = {0028-0836},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature05202},
Abstract = {Over the past decade, accelerating rates of species
extinction have prompted an increasing number of studies to
reduce species diversity experimentally and examine how this
alters the efficiency by which communities capture resources
and convert those into biomass. So far, the generality of
patterns and processes observed in individual studies have
been the subjects of considerable debate. Here we present a
formal meta-analysis of studies that have experimentally
manipulated species diversity to examine how it affects the
functioning of numerous trophic groups in multiple types of
ecosystem. We show that the average effect of decreasing
species richness is to decrease the abundance or biomass of
the focal trophic group, leading to less complete depletion
of resources used by that group. At the same time, analyses
reveal that the standing stock of, and resource depletion
by, the most species-rich polyculture tends to be no
different from that of the single most productive species
used in an experiment. Of the known mechanisms that might
explain these trends, results are most consistent with what
is called the 'sampling effect', which occurs when diverse
communities are more likely to contain and become dominated
by the most productive species. Whether this mechanism is
widespread in natural communities is currently
controversial. Patterns we report are remarkably consistent
for four different trophic groups (producers, herbivores,
detritivores and predators) and two major ecosystem types
(aquatic and terrestrial). Collectively, our analyses
suggest that the average species loss does indeed affect the
functioning of a wide variety of organisms and ecosystems,
but the magnitude of these effects is ultimately determined
by the identity of species that are going extinct. ©2006
Nature Publishing Group.},
Doi = {10.1038/nature05202},
Key = {fds231660}
}
@article{fds231662,
Author = {Wright, JP and Jones, CG and Boeken, B and Shachak,
M},
Title = {Predictability of ecosystem engineering effects on species
richness across environmental variability and spatial
scales.},
Journal = {Journal of Ecology},
Volume = {94},
Number = {4},
Pages = {815-824},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2006},
ISSN = {0022-0477},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01132.x},
Abstract = {1 The effect of physical ecosystem engineering -
structurally mediated modification of the abiotic
environment by organisms - on species richness and
composition probably depends on the area of observation and
environmental context. 2 We develop specific hypotheses to
evaluate how such effects will vary with spatial scale and
environmental variability, and test these hypotheses by
examining the effects of shrub mounds on the diversity of
annual plant communities in the Negev Desert, Israel. 3 We
find that previously reported increases in species richness
at small spatial scales as a result of shrub mounds are
maintained at large spatial scales because shrub mounds host
a number of species never found in adjacent crust patches. 4
We find that the magnitude of this effect is dependent on
annual precipitation, with shrub mounds having a smaller
effect in years with higher precipitation. 5 The results
generally support our hypotheses. Given the ubiquity of
ecosystem engineering, these results have the potential to
explain variation in patterns of ecosystem engineer-induced
diversity across ecosystems and environmental gradients. In
general, understanding the interactions between resources
modified by an ecosystem engineer and the availability of
these resources in unmodified habitats aids prediction of
the magnitude of the effects of an ecosystem engineer on
diversity. © 2006 British Ecological Society.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01132.x},
Key = {fds231662}
}
@article{fds304347,
Author = {Wright, JP and Gurney, WSC and Jones, CG},
Title = {Patch dynamics in a landscape modified by ecosystem
engineers},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {105},
Number = {2},
Pages = {336-348},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2004},
Month = {May},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12654.x},
Abstract = {Ecosystem engineers, organisms that modify the environment,
have the potential to dramatically alter ecosystem structure
and function at large spatial scales. The degree to which
ecosystem engineering produces large-scale effects is, in
part, dependent on the dynamics of the patches that
engineers create. Here we develop a set of models that links
the population dynamics of ecosystem engineers to the
dynamics of the patches that they create. We show that the
relative abundance of different patch types in an engineered
landscape is dependent upon the production of successful
colonists from engineered patches and the rate at which
critical resources are depleted by engineers and then
renewed. We also consider the effects of immigration from
either outside the system or from engineers that are present
in non-engineered patches, and the effects of engineers that
can recolonize patches before they are fully recovered on
the steady state distribution of different patch types. We
use data collected on the population dynamics of a model
engineer, the beaver, to estimate the per-patch production
rate of new colonists, the decay rate of engineered patches,
and the recovery rate of abandoned patches. We use these
estimated parameters as a baseline to determine the effects
of varying parameters on the distribution of different patch
types. We suggest a number of hypotheses that derive from
model predictions and that could serve as tests of the
model.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12654.x},
Key = {fds304347}
}
@article{fds231663,
Author = {Wright, JP and Jones, CG},
Title = {Predicting effects of ecosystem engineers on patch-scale
species richness from primary productivity},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {85},
Number = {8},
Pages = {2071-2081},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2004},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/02-8018},
Abstract = {Ecosystem engineering - the physical modification of
habitats by organisms - can create patches with altered
species richness relative to adjacent, unmodified patches.
The effect of ecosystem engineering on patch-scale species
richness is likely to be difficult to predict from the
identity of the engineer, the resources altered as a result
of engineering, or the identities of the affected species.
Here we develop a simple conceptual model that predicts the
effects of ecosystem engineers on species richness based on
how the habitat modifications caused by engineers affect
primary productivity, assuming a hump-shaped relationship
between productivity and species richness. We review data
from 35 studies that contained 60 comparisons of species
richness on patches that had been modified by ecosystem
engineers vs. unmodified patches. We found no general
patterns in whether species richness at the patch scale was
increased or decreased by ecosystem engineering. However, 14
of these studies also contained data on primary productivity
on and off engineered patches, giving 30 cases to: (1) test
whether the effects of ecosystem engineering on richness
depend upon the productivity of the ecosystem, and (2)
examine the effect of the engineer on productivity. Matching
the predictions of the conceptual model, we found a
significant negative relationship between productivity and
the engineering effect on species richness when ecosystem
engineers increased productivity and a weak positive
relationship when engineers decreased productivity. We
compare the conceptual model developed here to models
predicting the effects of grazing and facilitation on
species richness. These results, if supported by further
studies, can contribute to our general understanding of
ecosystem engineering and have important implications
regarding the consequences of the loss or introduction of
ecosystem engineers on species richness and ecosystem
function across landscapes that vary in productivity.},
Doi = {10.1890/02-8018},
Key = {fds231663}
}
@article{fds304348,
Author = {Wright, JP and Flecker, AS},
Title = {Deforesting the riverscape: The effects of wood on fish
diversity in a Venezuelan piedmont stream},
Journal = {Biological Conservation},
Volume = {120},
Number = {3},
Pages = {439-447},
Publisher = {Elsevier BV},
Year = {2004},
Month = {January},
ISSN = {0006-3207},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.022},
Abstract = {While deforestation of tropical ecosystems has been shown to
have significant impacts on terrestrial habitats, its
effects on aquatic habitats are poorly studied.
Deforestation dramatically reduces the input of woody debris
to streams, and given the importance of large woody debris
to fish communities in temperate streams, this might be one
mechanism by which logging could affect aquatic ecosystems
in the tropics. To examine the effects of large woody debris
on the diverse fish assemblage of a tropical stream, we
surveyed pools with and without wood at Rio Las Marias,
Venezuela. Pools containing wood contained greater numbers
of individuals and more species of fish than pools without
wood, and the two types of pools differed in their
composition. To test whether these results were due to the
presence of woody debris, we conducted an experimental wood
addition. Pools to which wood was added showed marked
increases in both fish abundance and species richness
relative to wood-free pools, and the composition of the fish
assemblage in experimental pools approached that of pools
with naturally occurring woody debris. These results
demonstrate that large woody debris plays a major role in
structuring fish communities in tropical streams. As a
consequence, logging practices that reduce the input of
woody debris to tropical streams or directly remove wood
from streams could have serious impacts on aquatic habitats,
affecting both the diverse fish communities and local
economies dependent on stream fisheries. © 2004 Elsevier
Ltd. All rights reserved.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.022},
Key = {fds304348}
}
@article{fds26059,
Author = {Wright, J.P.},
Title = {The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands
Engineer},
Journal = {The Quarterly Review of Biology},
Volume = {79},
Number = {2},
Pages = {215},
Year = {2004},
Key = {fds26059}
}
@article{fds231667,
Author = {Wright, JP and Gurney, WSC and Jones, CG},
Title = {Patch dynamics in an engineered landscape},
Journal = {Oikos},
Volume = {105},
Number = {2},
Pages = {336-348},
Year = {2004},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12654.x},
Abstract = {Ecosystem engineers, organisms that modify the environment,
have the potential to dramatically alter ecosystem structure
and function at large spatial scales. The degree to which
ecosystem engineering produces large-scale effects is, in
part, dependent on the dynamics of the patches that
engineers create. Here we develop a set of models that links
the population dynamics of ecosystem engineers to the
dynamics of the patches that they create. We show that the
relative abundance of different patch types in an engineered
landscape is dependent upon the production of successful
colonists from engineered patches and the rate at which
critical resources are depleted by engineers and then
renewed. We also consider the effects of immigration from
either outside the system or from engineers that are present
in non-engineered patches, and the effects of engineers that
can recolonize patches before they are fully recovered on
the steady state distribution of different patch types. We
use data collected on the population dynamics of a model
engineer, the beaver, to estimate the per-patch production
rate of new colonists, the decay rate of engineered patches,
and the recovery rate of abandoned patches. We use these
estimated parameters as a baseline to determine the effects
of varying parameters on the distribution of different patch
types. We suggest a number of hypotheses that derive from
model predictions and that could serve as tests of the
model.},
Doi = {10.1111/j.0030-1299.2004.12654.x},
Key = {fds231667}
}
@article{fds231668,
Author = {Wright, JP and Flecker, AS},
Title = {The role of large woody debris in maintaining fish diversity
in a Venezuelan piedmont stream},
Journal = {Biological Conservation},
Volume = {120},
Number = {3},
Pages = {443-451},
Year = {2004},
ISSN = {0006-3207},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.022},
Abstract = {While deforestation of tropical ecosystems has been shown to
have significant impacts on terrestrial habitats, its
effects on aquatic habitats are poorly studied.
Deforestation dramatically reduces the input of woody debris
to streams, and given the importance of large woody debris
to fish communities in temperate streams, this might be one
mechanism by which logging could affect aquatic ecosystems
in the tropics. To examine the effects of large woody debris
on the diverse fish assemblage of a tropical stream, we
surveyed pools with and without wood at Rio Las Marias,
Venezuela. Pools containing wood contained greater numbers
of individuals and more species of fish than pools without
wood, and the two types of pools differed in their
composition. To test whether these results were due to the
presence of woody debris, we conducted an experimental wood
addition. Pools to which wood was added showed marked
increases in both fish abundance and species richness
relative to wood-free pools, and the composition of the fish
assemblage in experimental pools approached that of pools
with naturally occurring woody debris. These results
demonstrate that large woody debris plays a major role in
structuring fish communities in tropical streams. As a
consequence, logging practices that reduce the input of
woody debris to tropical streams or directly remove wood
from streams could have serious impacts on aquatic habitats,
affecting both the diverse fish communities and local
economies dependent on stream fisheries. © 2004 Elsevier
Ltd. All rights reserved.},
Doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.022},
Key = {fds231668}
}
@article{fds304346,
Author = {Naeem, S and Wright, JP},
Title = {Disentangling biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning:
Deriving solutions to a seemingly insurmountable
problem},
Journal = {Ecology Letters},
Volume = {6},
Number = {6},
Pages = {567-579},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2003},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00471.x},
Abstract = {Experimental investigations of the relationship between
biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) directly
manipulate diversity then monitor ecosystem response to the
manipulation. While these studies have generally confirmed
the importance of biodiversity to the functioning of
ecosystems, their broader significance has been difficult to
interpret. The main reasons for this difficulty concern the
small scales of the experiment, a bias towards plants and
grasslands, and most importantly a general lack of clarity
in terms of what attributes of functional diversity (FD)
were actually manipulated. We review how functional traits,
functional groups, and the relationship between functional
and taxonomic diversity have been used in current BEF
research. Several points emerged from our review. First, it
is critical to distinguish between response and effect
functional traits when quantifying or manipulating FD.
Second, although it is widely done, using trophic position
as a functional group designator does not fit the
effect-response trait division needed in BEF research.
Third, determining a general relationship between taxonomic
and FD is neither necessary nor desirable in BEF research.
Fourth, fundamental principles in community and
biogeographical ecology that have been largely ignored in
BEF research could serve to dramatically improve the scope
and predictive capabilities of BEF research. We suggest that
distinguishing between functional response traits and
functional effect traits both in combinatorial manipulations
of biodiversity and in descriptive studies of BEF could
markedly improve the power of such studies. We construct a
possible framework for predictive, broad-scale BEF research
that requires integrating functional, community,
biogeographical, and ecosystem ecology with
taxonomy.},
Doi = {10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00471.x},
Key = {fds304346}
}
@article{fds231666,
Author = {Wright, JP and Flecker, AS and Jones, CG},
Title = {Local vs. landscape controls on plant species richness in
beaver meadows},
Journal = {Ecology},
Volume = {84},
Number = {12},
Pages = {3162-3173},
Publisher = {WILEY},
Year = {2003},
Month = {January},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/02-0598},
Abstract = {There is considerable interest in determining whether the
species richness of communities is determined by forces
controlling dispersal into patches that operate at the
landscape scale, or forces controlling persistence that act
at the local scale. Understanding the relative importance of
these two classes of factors in controlling within-patch
species richness is particularly important when patches are
created via ecosystem engineering. In such cases, factors
affecting the population dynamics or behavior of a single
species could indirectly affect species richness if richness
is controlled primarily by landscape-level factors. We used
a combination of experimental mesocosms and field
observations to determine whether species richness in beaver
wetlands in the Adirondack Mountains (New York) is more
strongly controlled by the position of the wetland in the
landscape or by within-wetland hydrology. Drainage rate had
a significant effect on both richness and composition in
mesocosms, with well-drained treatments having significantly
higher richness than poorly drained treatments. Seed
germinated from the seed bank in sediments collected from
different ponds showed relatively small differences in
richness or community composition in mesocosms, suggesting a
comparatively small effect of dispersal limitation on
species richness. Experimental results were mirrored in a
survey of 14 meadows over two years, which indicated that
variability in water table depth was consistently a
significant predictor of species richness, while meadow area
and isolation showed little relation to richness. The survey
also suggested that the number of years since beaver had
abandoned a site was a significant predictor of the number
of species found in beaver meadows. The results indicate
that species richness in beaver meadows is strongly
controlled by local factors, but that the population
dynamics of beaver could also potentially affect species
richness by altering the age distribution of meadows across
the landscape.},
Doi = {10.1890/02-0598},
Key = {fds231666}
}
@misc{fds347324,
Author = {Ewing, HA and Hogan, K and Keesing, F and Bugmann, HM and Berkowitz, AR and Gross, LJ and Oris, JT and Wright, JP},
Title = {The role of modeling in undergraduate education},
Journal = {MODELS IN ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE},
Pages = {413-427},
Booktitle = {Models in Ecosystem Science},
Publisher = {PRINCETON UNIV PRESS},
Editor = {Canham, CD and Cole, JJ and Lauenroth, WK},
Year = {2003},
Month = {January},
ISBN = {0-691-09288-5},
Key = {fds347324}
}
@article{fds231664,
Author = {Naeem, S and Wright, JP},
Title = {Disentangling biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning:
deriving solutions to a seemingly insurmountable
problem},
Journal = {Ecology Letters},
Volume = {6},
Number = {6},
Pages = {569-579},
Year = {2003},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00471.x},
Abstract = {Experimental investigations of the relationship between
biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) directly
manipulate diversity then monitor ecosystem response to the
manipulation. While these studies have generally confirmed
the importance of biodiversity to the functioning of
ecosystems, their broader significance has been difficult to
interpret. The main reasons for this difficulty concern the
small scales of the experiment, a bias towards plants and
grasslands, and most importantly a general lack of clarity
in terms of what attributes of functional diversity (FD)
were actually manipulated. We review how functional traits,
functional groups, and the relationship between functional
and taxonomic diversity have been used in current BEF
research. Several points emerged from our review. First, it
is critical to distinguish between response and effect
functional traits when quantifying or manipulating FD.
Second, although it is widely done, using trophic position
as a functional group designator does not fit the
effect-response trait division needed in BEF research.
Third, determining a general relationship between taxonomic
and FD is neither necessary nor desirable in BEF research.
Fourth, fundamental principles in community and
biogeographical ecology that have been largely ignored in
BEF research could serve to dramatically improve the scope
and predictive capabilities of BEF research. We suggest that
distinguishing between functional response traits and
functional effect traits both in combinatorial manipulations
of biodiversity and in descriptive studies of BEF could
markedly improve the power of such studies. We construct a
possible framework for predictive, broad-scale BEF research
that requires integrating functional, community,
biogeographical, and ecosystem ecology with
taxonomy.},
Doi = {10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00471.x},
Key = {fds231664}
}
@article{fds231665,
Author = {Wright, JP and Jones, CG and Flecker, AS},
Title = {An ecosystem engineer, the beaver, increases species
richness at the landscape scale.},
Journal = {Oecologia},
Volume = {132},
Number = {1},
Pages = {96-101},
Publisher = {Springer Nature},
Year = {2002},
Month = {June},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-002-0929-1},
Abstract = {Ecosystem engineering - the physical modification of
habitats by organisms - has been proposed as an important
mechanism for maintaining high species richness at the
landscape scale by increasing habitat heterogeneity. Dams
built by beaver (Castor canadensis) dramatically alter
riparian landscapes throughout much of North America. In the
central Adirondacks, New York, USA, ecosystem engineering by
beaver leads to the formation of extensive wetland habitat
capable of supporting herbaceous plant species not found
elsewhere in the riparian zone. We show that by increasing
habitat heterogeneity, beaver increase the number of species
of herbaceous plants in the riparian zone by over 33% at a
scale that encompasses both beaver-modified patches and
patches with no history of beaver occupation. We suggest
that ecosystem engineers will increase species richness at
the landscape scale whenever there are species present in a
landscape that are restricted to engineered habitats during
at least some stages of their life cycle.},
Doi = {10.1007/s00442-002-0929-1},
Key = {fds231665}
}