Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure.
Species' ecology and evolution can have strong effects on communities. Both may change concurrently when species colonize a new ecosystem. We know little, however, about the combined effects of ecological and evolutionary change on community structure. We simultaneously examined the effects of...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3616105?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1830355877876465664 |
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| author | Simone Des Roches Jonathan B Shurin Dolph Schluter Luke J Harmon |
| author_facet | Simone Des Roches Jonathan B Shurin Dolph Schluter Luke J Harmon |
| author_sort | Simone Des Roches |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Species' ecology and evolution can have strong effects on communities. Both may change concurrently when species colonize a new ecosystem. We know little, however, about the combined effects of ecological and evolutionary change on community structure. We simultaneously examined the effects of top-predator ecology and evolution on freshwater community parameters using recently evolved generalist and specialist ecotypes of three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used a mesocosm experiment to directly examine the effects of ecological (fish presence and density) and evolutionary (phenotypic diversity and specialization) factors on community structure at lower trophic levels. We evaluated zooplankton biomass and composition, periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration, and net primary production among treatments containing different densities and diversities of stickleback. Our results showed that both ecological and evolutionary differences in the top-predator affect different aspects of community structure and composition. Community structure, specifically the abundance of organisms at each trophic level, was affected by stickleback presence and density, whereas composition of zooplankton was influenced by stickleback diversity and specialization. Primary productivity, in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration and net primary production was affected by ecological but not evolutionary factors. Our results stress the importance of concurrently evaluating both changes in density and phenotypic diversity on the structure and composition of communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:55:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4e62dd90268e470488206fc45d7937b1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:55:52Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-4e62dd90268e470488206fc45d7937b12022-12-21T19:57:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0184e5964410.1371/journal.pone.0059644Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure.Simone Des RochesJonathan B ShurinDolph SchluterLuke J HarmonSpecies' ecology and evolution can have strong effects on communities. Both may change concurrently when species colonize a new ecosystem. We know little, however, about the combined effects of ecological and evolutionary change on community structure. We simultaneously examined the effects of top-predator ecology and evolution on freshwater community parameters using recently evolved generalist and specialist ecotypes of three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We used a mesocosm experiment to directly examine the effects of ecological (fish presence and density) and evolutionary (phenotypic diversity and specialization) factors on community structure at lower trophic levels. We evaluated zooplankton biomass and composition, periphyton and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a concentration, and net primary production among treatments containing different densities and diversities of stickleback. Our results showed that both ecological and evolutionary differences in the top-predator affect different aspects of community structure and composition. Community structure, specifically the abundance of organisms at each trophic level, was affected by stickleback presence and density, whereas composition of zooplankton was influenced by stickleback diversity and specialization. Primary productivity, in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration and net primary production was affected by ecological but not evolutionary factors. Our results stress the importance of concurrently evaluating both changes in density and phenotypic diversity on the structure and composition of communities.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3616105?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Simone Des Roches Jonathan B Shurin Dolph Schluter Luke J Harmon Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. PLoS ONE |
| title | Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. |
| title_full | Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. |
| title_fullStr | Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. |
| title_short | Ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure. |
| title_sort | ecological and evolutionary effects of stickleback on community structure |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3616105?pdf=render |
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