Search results for "ECOLOGY"

Are aquatic and semiaquatic true bugs (Hemiptera: Nepomorpha; Gerromorpha) distinct aquatic communities? A case study in homogeneous habitats

2019

We investigated the environmental factors influencing Nepomorpha and Gerromorpha in lentic, highly vegetated habitats from the Danube Delta. We collected 7032 individuals from 12 species from 23 ha...

Insights from sodium into the impacts of elevated pCO2 and temperature on bivalve shell formation

2017

Ocean acidification and warming are predicted to affect the ability of marine bivalves to build their shells, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Shell formation is an extremely complex process requiring a detailed understanding of biomineralization processes. Sodium incorporation into the shells would increase if bivalves rely on the exchange of Na+/H+ to maintain homeostasis for shell formation, thereby shedding new light on the acid-base and ionic regulation at the calcifying front. Here, we investigated the combined effects of seawater pH (8.1, 7.7 and 7.4) and temperature (16 and 22 °C) on the growth and sodium composition of the shells of the blue mussel, Mytilus edul…

2018

Climatically controlled allocation to reproduction is a key mechanism by which climate influences tree growth and may explain lagged correlations between climate and growth. We used continent-wide datasets of tree-ring chronologies and annual reproductive effort in Fagus sylvatica from 1901 to 2015 to characterise relationships between climate, reproduction and growth. Results highlight that variable allocation to reproduction is a key factor for growth in this species, and that high reproductive effort ('mast years') is associated with stem growth reduction. Additionally, high reproductive effort is associated with previous summer temperature, creating lagged climate effects on growth. Con…

Effects of host abundance on larch budmoth outbreaks in the European Alps

2017

Outbreaks of the larch budmoth (LBM) in the European Alps are among the most documented population cycles and their historical occurrence has been reconstructed over 1200 years. Causes and consequences of cyclic LBM outbreaks are poorly understood and little is known about populations near the margin of the host's distribution range. In the present study, we quantify historical LBM outbreaks and associated growth reductions in host trees (European larch). Tree-ring data collected from 18 sites between approximately 500 and 1700 m a.s.l. in the Northern pre-Alps are compared with data from the Western Alps and Tatra Mountains, as well as with nonhost Norway spruce. Highly synchronized host a…

Diverse growth trends and climate responses across Eurasia’s boreal forest

2016

The area covered by boreal forests accounts for similar to 16% of the global and 22% of the Northern Hemisphere landmass. Changes in the productivity and functioning of this circumpolar biome not o ...

Experimental δ13C evidence for a contribution of methane to pelagic food webs in lakes

2006

We tested the hypothesis that low stable carbon isotope (δ13C) values commonly observed for zooplankton in humic lakes are due to their feeding on isotopically light methane-oxidizing microbes, and thus that methane-derived carbon is important in the food webs of these lakes. In replicate laboratory cultures, Daphnia longispina, a common crustacean zooplankter in humic lakes, were fed microbial suspensions with or without enrichment by biogenic methane. The δ13C values of Daphnia indicated consumption of 13C-depleted methanotrophic bacteria, while growth rates, survival, and reproduction of Daphnia in cultures enriched with methane were equal to or greater than those in nonenriched cultures…

Influence of littoral periphyton on whole-lake metabolism relates to littoral vegetation in humic lakes

2017

The role of littoral habitats in lake metabolism has been underrated, especially in humic lakes, based on an assumption of low benthic primary production (PP) due to low light penetration into water. This assumption has been challenged by recent recognition of littoral epiphyton dominance of whole-lake PP in a small highly humic lake and of epiphyton as an important basal food source for humic lake biota. However, as these studies have mostly concerned single lakes, there is a need to test their wider generality. We studied the whole-lake PP and community respiration (CR) in eight small humic lakes in southern Finland during July 2015 using 14 C incorporation to measure pelagic PP and the c…

Allochthonous carbon is a major regulator to bacterial growth and community composition in subarctic freshwaters

2016

In the subarctic region, climate warming and permafrost thaw are leading to emergence of ponds and to an increase in mobility of catchment carbon. As carbon of terrestrial origin is increasing in subarctic freshwaters the resource pool supporting their microbial communities and metabolism is changing, with consequences to overall aquatic productivity. By sampling different subarctic water bodies for a one complete year we show how terrestrial and algal carbon compounds vary in a range of freshwaters and how differential organic carbon quality is linked to bacterial metabolism and community composition. We show that terrestrial drainage and associated nutrients supported higher bacterial gro…

Disentangling the latitudinal and altitudinal shifts in community composition induced by climate change: The case of riparian birds

2021

11 pages; International audience; Aim: This study investigates whether, and how, the composition of riparian bird communities has been affected by climate warming and habitat change. Although these two forces act separately, their respective contributions are rarely examined. Moreover, while the response of a given community may be a function of latitude and altitude, most studies have focused on these gradients separately. Riparian ecosystems are an opportunity to investigate community change along latitudinal and elevational gradients.Location: France, three major rivers (the Doubs, the Allier and the Loire)Taxon: Birds.Methods: Drawing upon bird community monitoring data over a period of…

Phytoplankton distribution in Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain) during 2017.

2020

The Mar Menor is a Spanish coastal lagoon of great ecological and economic interest. The agricultural and tourist activities developed in the surroundings of the lagoon, together with the modifications in its channels of connection with the Mediterranean Sea, have notably affected the quality of its waters, which is altering the natural balance of the ecosystem. In this work, an analysis of the density of phytoplankton present in the lagoon between the months of May to December 2017 was carried out. The results indicate a significant increase in phytoplankton density between 2500 and 67,300 cells/mL compared to previous data of 1981 (between 10 and 500 cells/mL). Concentration of Chlorophyl…