Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments
Beta diversity, the compositional variation among communities, is often associated with environmental gradients. Other drivers of beta diversity include stochastic processes, priority effects, predation, or competitive exclusion. Temporal turnover may also explain differences in faunal composition b...
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PeerJ Inc.
2020-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/9139.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797418794184867840 |
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| author | Vanessa Julie Roden Martin Zuschin Alexander Nützel Imelda M. Hausmann Wolfgang Kiessling |
| author_facet | Vanessa Julie Roden Martin Zuschin Alexander Nützel Imelda M. Hausmann Wolfgang Kiessling |
| author_sort | Vanessa Julie Roden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Beta diversity, the compositional variation among communities, is often associated with environmental gradients. Other drivers of beta diversity include stochastic processes, priority effects, predation, or competitive exclusion. Temporal turnover may also explain differences in faunal composition between fossil assemblages. To assess the drivers of beta diversity in reef-associated soft-bottom environments, we investigate community patterns in a Middle to Late Triassic reef basin assemblage from the Cassian Formation in the Dolomites, Northern Italy, and compare results with a Recent reef basin assemblage from the Northern Bay of Safaga, Red Sea, Egypt. We evaluate beta diversity with regard to age, water depth, and spatial distance, and compare the results with a null model to evaluate the stochasticity of these differences. Using pairwise proportional dissimilarity, we find very high beta diversity for the Cassian Formation (0.91 ± 0.02) and slightly lower beta diversity for the Bay of Safaga (0.89 ± 0.04). Null models show that stochasticity only plays a minor role in determining faunal differences. Spatial distance is also irrelevant. Contrary to expectations, there is no tendency of beta diversity to decrease with water depth. Although water depth has frequently been found to be a key factor in determining beta diversity, we find that it is not the major driver in these reef-associated soft-bottom environments. We postulate that priority effects and the biotic structuring of the sediment may be key determinants of beta diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:39:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43bdee83531349278db2f32480fb1f3a |
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| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:39:06Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-43bdee83531349278db2f32480fb1f3a2023-12-03T10:53:59ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592020-05-018e913910.7717/peerj.9139Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environmentsVanessa Julie Roden0Martin Zuschin1Alexander Nützel2Imelda M. Hausmann3Wolfgang Kiessling4GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Section Paleobiology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, GermanyDepartment of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaSNSB—Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, GermanySNSB—Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Munich, GermanyGeoZentrum Nordbayern, Section Paleobiology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, GermanyBeta diversity, the compositional variation among communities, is often associated with environmental gradients. Other drivers of beta diversity include stochastic processes, priority effects, predation, or competitive exclusion. Temporal turnover may also explain differences in faunal composition between fossil assemblages. To assess the drivers of beta diversity in reef-associated soft-bottom environments, we investigate community patterns in a Middle to Late Triassic reef basin assemblage from the Cassian Formation in the Dolomites, Northern Italy, and compare results with a Recent reef basin assemblage from the Northern Bay of Safaga, Red Sea, Egypt. We evaluate beta diversity with regard to age, water depth, and spatial distance, and compare the results with a null model to evaluate the stochasticity of these differences. Using pairwise proportional dissimilarity, we find very high beta diversity for the Cassian Formation (0.91 ± 0.02) and slightly lower beta diversity for the Bay of Safaga (0.89 ± 0.04). Null models show that stochasticity only plays a minor role in determining faunal differences. Spatial distance is also irrelevant. Contrary to expectations, there is no tendency of beta diversity to decrease with water depth. Although water depth has frequently been found to be a key factor in determining beta diversity, we find that it is not the major driver in these reef-associated soft-bottom environments. We postulate that priority effects and the biotic structuring of the sediment may be key determinants of beta diversity.https://peerj.com/articles/9139.pdfBeta diversityMacrobenthosReef basinsMollusksCommunity assemblyTriassic |
| spellingShingle | Vanessa Julie Roden Martin Zuschin Alexander Nützel Imelda M. Hausmann Wolfgang Kiessling Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments PeerJ Beta diversity Macrobenthos Reef basins Mollusks Community assembly Triassic |
| title | Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments |
| title_full | Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments |
| title_fullStr | Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments |
| title_short | Drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef-associated soft-bottom environments |
| title_sort | drivers of beta diversity in modern and ancient reef associated soft bottom environments |
| topic | Beta diversity Macrobenthos Reef basins Mollusks Community assembly Triassic |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/9139.pdf |
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