Search results for "ECOSYSTEM"

Top predators, mesopredators and their prey: interference ecosystems along bioclimatic productivity gradients

2010

1. The Mesopredator Release Hypothesis (MRH) suggests that top predator suppression of mesopredators is a key ecosystem function with cascading impacts on herbivore prey, but it remains to be shown that this top-down cascade impacts the large-scale structure of ecosystems. 2. The Exploitation Ecosystems Hypothesis (EEH) predicts that regional ecosystem structures are determined by top-down exploitation and bottom-up productivity. In contrast to MRH, EEH assumes that interference among predators has a negligible impact on the structure of ecosystems with three trophic levels. 3. We use the recolonization of a top predator in a three-level boreal ecosystem as a natural experiment to test if l…

Functional diversity of decomposer organisms in relation to primary production

1998

Abstract The term `biodiversity' is claimed to lack connections to a serious scientific background. In this work, we approached the concept of biodiversity from a functional point of view by asking: “At what level of the ecological organization (species, trophic species/feeding guilds, trophic levels etc.) should reduction in biodiversity matter to bring about visible changes in ecosystem performance?” We investigate the concepts of `functional diversity' and `ecosystem performance' in relation to feeding habits (such as fungivory, detritivory etc.) of soil fauna and plant growth. After analysing the results of a number of microcosm studies, we came into the following conclusions: (i) troph…

Retrieval and assessment of CO2 uptake by mediterranean ecosystems using remote sensing and

2014

Photosynthesis is a process by which carbon and energy enter ecosystems. The knowledge of where,when, and how carbon dioxide (CO2) is exchanged between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere is crucial to close the Earth's carbon budget and predict feedbacks in a likely warming climate. Gross photosynthesis (uptake of CO2) by vegetation is responsible for the gross primary production (GPP) of the ecosystem. Normally GPP refers to the sum of the photosynthesis by all leaves measured at the ecosystem scale. John Monteith proposed in 1972 a simple approach that has become the paradigm for understanding GPP. It considers GPP as proportional to the incident short wave radiation (PAR), the fractio…

Sensitivity of ecosystem functioning to changes in trophic structure, functional group composition and species diversity in belowground food webs

2002

The objective of the present paper, using decomposer food webs as a tool, is to explore the levels of the ecological hierarchy (trophic groups, feeding guilds, species populations) at which reduction in complexity brings about significant changes in ecosystem performance. A review is given of various mini-ecosystem studies that have recently been conducted at the University of Jyvaskyla. It is hypothesized that the typical features of soils as a habitat, and the peculiarities of belowground food webs, such as the commonness of indirect interactions (mediated through abiotic resources) among the biota, together with the high frequency of polyphagy/omnivory among soil organisms, produce a div…

Differential attributes of phytoplankton across the trophic gradient: a conceptual landscape with gaps

1998

I provide a conceptual landscape of attributes of phytoplankton related to trophic gradients, by reviewing 69 papers and books on eutrophication, with special reference to the ecology of the phytoplankton. Forty-eight ecological variables such as total phosphorus and Chl-a, are used, each related to the trophic gradient measured. They are subdivided in structural features of the phytoplankton, functional or dynamic features, and other relevant properties of the plankton community. Only twelve of the forty-eight variables are statistically related to trophic gradient. In most cases, variability across a trophic gradient is only nominally described. Less attention is given to functional, stru…

Presence of illicit drugs in surface waters of protected natural wetlands connected to traditional irrigation systems and urban areas

2013

Ponencia presentada en el I Simposio sobre Gestión del Agua en Espacios Protegidos celebrado en La Habana (Cuba) del 2 al 6 de noviembre de 2010

Ecological indicators – Schrödinger Ratio

2008

Climate variation during the Holocene influenced the skeletal properties of Chamelea gallina shells in the North Adriatic Sea (Italy)

2021

Understanding how marine taxa will respond to near-future climate changes is one of the main challenges for management of coastal ecosystem services. Ecological studies that investigate relationships between the environment and shell properties of commercially important marine species are commonly restricted to latitudinal gradients or small-scale laboratory experiments. This paper aimed to explore the variations in shell features and growth of the edible bivalve Chamelea gallina from the Holocene sedimentary succession to present-day thanatocoenosis of the Po Plain-Adriatic Sea system (Italy). Comparing the Holocene sub-fossil record to modern thanatocoenoses allowed obtaining an insight o…

Soil microbial activity and functional diversity in primeval beech forests

2015

Virgin forests are unique ecosystems, which can be used as etalon for basic biocoenotic investigation. Soil microorganisms are very sensitive reagents on influence of biotical factors, and at the same time are the active producers of phytotoxic and phytostimulating exometabolites. Studies of soil microbiota were conducted in virgin beech forests of Shyrokoluzhansky massif of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. It was found the ratio and the number of different ecological-trophic groups of soil microorganisms changes with altitude. So the number of ammonificators with increasing of altitude above sea level was reduced. The soil at altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level was characterized by m…

Impact of trace metals from past mining on the aquatic ecosystem: a multi-proxy approach in the Morvan (France).

2014

10 pages; International audience; This study seeks to determine to what extent trace metals resulting from past mining activities are transferred to the aquatic ecosystem, and whether such trace metals still exert deleterious effects on biota. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were measured in streambed sediments, transplanted bryophytes and wild brown trout. This study was conducted at two scales: (i) the entire Morvan Regional Nature Park and (ii) three small watersheds selected for their degree of contamination, based on the presence or absence of past mining sites. The overall quality of streambed sediments was assessed using Sediment Quality Indices (SQIs). According to these standar…