Functional diversity and trait–environment relationshipsof periphytic algae in subtropical floodplain lakes
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2016
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Assembly rules are ecological processes imposed on a regional species bank to establish the structureof communities and define diversity patterns regarding space and time. Here, we investigated the traitdistribution of periphytic algae in floodplain lakes that are naturally under contrasting environmentalpressures with and without flood pulse action (low and high water phases) and the relationship betweenfunctional traits and environmental variables at regional and local scales. We hypothesized that func-tional clustering will be related to the low water phase in local scale, based on environment filters, andfunctional overdispersion to the high water phase in regional scale. With respect to traits, we can expectthat the flood pulse would favored the prevalence of nanoperiphyton, filamentous forms and looselyattached. For this, we conducted a two-year assessment of the structure and dynamic of periphytic algaecommunities regarding their functional traits in lakes belonging to two sub-basins in a subtropical flood-plain (upper Paraná River floodplain). The samplings occurred during the high water phase in 2010and 2011 and the low water phase in 2011. The functional diversity values of the communities werequantified and compared with the mean value of communities randomly generated using null mod-els. The relationships between functional traits and environmental variables were examined using RLQanalysis. We have shown that the traits respond to abiotic factors, and they indicated overdispersion inhigh water phase, and higher functional diversity in most preserved environments with absence of thepulse. The flood pulse favored the prevalence of colonial life form, stalked, entangled and heterotrichousspecies. This study showed spatial and temporal differences in the limnological characteristics betweenthe lakes caused by hydrological phase and local forces in different sub-basins and the importance mainlyof assimilable nutrients in the evaluation of trait–environment relationships. The overdispersion resultcan be assigned to flood pulse, which promotes a higher probability of dispersion and colonization ofnew areas for rare species, disturbance and more heterogeneous habitats, allowing opportunities forresource partitioning and regeneration of different species strategies. Moreover, the higher periphyticalgae functional diversity in preserved sites emphasizes the importance of understanding ecologicalpatterns linked to environmental degradation, as well as of conservation initiatives, because variation inperiphytic algal communities implies in changes in the trophic structure, dynamics and in the functioningof environments.
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Assembly rules, Benthic algae, Null models, Overdispersion, RLQa
Citação
DUNCK, Bárbara; ALGARTE, Vanessa Majewski; CIANCIARUSO, Marcus Vinicius; RODRIGUES, Liliana. Functional diversity and trait-environment relationships of periphytic algae in subtropical floodplain lakes. Ecological Indicators, London, v. 67, p. 257-266, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.060 1470-160X/. Disponível em: https://www-sciencedirect.ez49.periodicos.capes.gov.br/journal/ecological-indicators. Acesso em: 20 jan. 2023.