Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles
Dystrophic lakes undergo natural disharmonic succession, in the course of which an increasingly complex and diverse, mosaic-like pattern of habitats evolves. In the final seral stage, the most important role is played by a spreading Sphagnum mat, which gradually reduces the lake’s open water surface...
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| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2018-09-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/5662.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797424714095788032 |
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| author | Joanna Pakulnicka Andrzej Zawal |
| author_facet | Joanna Pakulnicka Andrzej Zawal |
| author_sort | Joanna Pakulnicka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dystrophic lakes undergo natural disharmonic succession, in the course of which an increasingly complex and diverse, mosaic-like pattern of habitats evolves. In the final seral stage, the most important role is played by a spreading Sphagnum mat, which gradually reduces the lake’s open water surface area. Long-term transformations in the primary structure of lakes cause changes in the structure of lake-dwelling fauna assemblages. Knowledge of the succession mechanisms in lake fauna is essential for proper lake management. The use of fractal concepts helps to explain the character of fauna in relation to other aspects of the changing complexity of habitats. Our 12-year-long study into the succession of water beetles has covered habitats of 40 selected lakes which are diverse in terms of the fractal dimension. The taxonomic diversity and density of lake beetles increase parallel to an increase in the fractal dimension. An in-depth analysis of the fractal structure proved to be helpful in explaining the directional changes in fauna induced by the natural succession of lakes. Negative correlations appear between the body size and abundance. An increase in the density of beetles within the higher dimension fractals is counterbalanced by a change in the size of individual organisms. As a result, the biomass is constant, regardless of the fractal dimension. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:06:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f752e6b374804d15b134958f09b34e01 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:06:01Z |
| publishDate | 2018-09-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f752e6b374804d15b134958f09b34e012023-12-03T00:23:33ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-09-016e566210.7717/peerj.5662Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetlesJoanna Pakulnicka0Andrzej Zawal1Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury Olsztyn, Olsztyn, PolandDepartment of Invertebrate Zoology and Limnology, Institute for Research for Biodiversity, Centre of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, PolandDystrophic lakes undergo natural disharmonic succession, in the course of which an increasingly complex and diverse, mosaic-like pattern of habitats evolves. In the final seral stage, the most important role is played by a spreading Sphagnum mat, which gradually reduces the lake’s open water surface area. Long-term transformations in the primary structure of lakes cause changes in the structure of lake-dwelling fauna assemblages. Knowledge of the succession mechanisms in lake fauna is essential for proper lake management. The use of fractal concepts helps to explain the character of fauna in relation to other aspects of the changing complexity of habitats. Our 12-year-long study into the succession of water beetles has covered habitats of 40 selected lakes which are diverse in terms of the fractal dimension. The taxonomic diversity and density of lake beetles increase parallel to an increase in the fractal dimension. An in-depth analysis of the fractal structure proved to be helpful in explaining the directional changes in fauna induced by the natural succession of lakes. Negative correlations appear between the body size and abundance. An increase in the density of beetles within the higher dimension fractals is counterbalanced by a change in the size of individual organisms. As a result, the biomass is constant, regardless of the fractal dimension.https://peerj.com/articles/5662.pdfWater beetlesLakesDisharmonic successionFractal dimensionBody size |
| spellingShingle | Joanna Pakulnicka Andrzej Zawal Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles PeerJ Water beetles Lakes Disharmonic succession Fractal dimension Body size |
| title | Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| title_full | Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| title_fullStr | Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| title_short | Effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance, body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| title_sort | effect of changes in the fractal structure of a littoral zone in the course of lake succession on the abundance body size sequence and biomass of beetles |
| topic | Water beetles Lakes Disharmonic succession Fractal dimension Body size |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/5662.pdf |
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