Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions
Abstract Climate-driven species range shifts and expansions are changing community composition, yet the functional consequences in natural systems are mostly unknown. By combining a 30-year survey of subalpine pond larval caddisfly assemblages with species-specific functional traits (nitrogen and ph...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Biology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04673-w |
| _version_ | 1797845792232308736 |
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| author | Jared A. Balik Hamish S. Greig Brad W. Taylor Scott A. Wissinger |
| author_facet | Jared A. Balik Hamish S. Greig Brad W. Taylor Scott A. Wissinger |
| author_sort | Jared A. Balik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Climate-driven species range shifts and expansions are changing community composition, yet the functional consequences in natural systems are mostly unknown. By combining a 30-year survey of subalpine pond larval caddisfly assemblages with species-specific functional traits (nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, and detritus processing rates), we tested how three upslope range expansions affected species’ relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nutrient supply and detritus processing. A subdominant resident species (Ag. deflata) consistently made large relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply throughout all range expansions, thus “regulating” the caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply. Whereas, phosphorus supply and detritus processing were regulated by the dominant resident species (L. externus) until the third range expansion (by N. hostilis). Since the third range expansion, N. hostilis’s relative contribution to caddisfly-driven phosphorus supply increased, displacing L. externus’s role in regulating caddisfly-driven phosphorus supply. Meanwhile, detritus processing contributions became similar among the dominant resident, subdominant residents, and range expanding species. Total ecosystem process rates did not change throughout any of the range expansions. Thus, shifts in species’ relative functional roles may occur before shifts in total ecosystem process rates, and changes in species’ functional roles may stabilize processes in ecosystems undergoing change. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:44:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-177910685ff348ccaa8497dee87277f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2399-3642 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:44:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-177910685ff348ccaa8497dee87277f42023-04-16T11:22:41ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422023-04-01611910.1038/s42003-023-04673-wConsequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functionsJared A. Balik0Hamish S. Greig1Brad W. Taylor2Scott A. Wissinger3Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State UniversityRocky Mountain Biological LaboratoryDepartment of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State UniversityRocky Mountain Biological LaboratoryAbstract Climate-driven species range shifts and expansions are changing community composition, yet the functional consequences in natural systems are mostly unknown. By combining a 30-year survey of subalpine pond larval caddisfly assemblages with species-specific functional traits (nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, and detritus processing rates), we tested how three upslope range expansions affected species’ relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nutrient supply and detritus processing. A subdominant resident species (Ag. deflata) consistently made large relative contributions to caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply throughout all range expansions, thus “regulating” the caddisfly-driven nitrogen supply. Whereas, phosphorus supply and detritus processing were regulated by the dominant resident species (L. externus) until the third range expansion (by N. hostilis). Since the third range expansion, N. hostilis’s relative contribution to caddisfly-driven phosphorus supply increased, displacing L. externus’s role in regulating caddisfly-driven phosphorus supply. Meanwhile, detritus processing contributions became similar among the dominant resident, subdominant residents, and range expanding species. Total ecosystem process rates did not change throughout any of the range expansions. Thus, shifts in species’ relative functional roles may occur before shifts in total ecosystem process rates, and changes in species’ functional roles may stabilize processes in ecosystems undergoing change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04673-w |
| spellingShingle | Jared A. Balik Hamish S. Greig Brad W. Taylor Scott A. Wissinger Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions Communications Biology |
| title | Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| title_full | Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| title_fullStr | Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| title_short | Consequences of climate-induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| title_sort | consequences of climate induced range expansions on multiple ecosystem functions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04673-w |
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