Environmental change disrupts communication and sexual selection in a stickleback population

Candolin, Ulrika; Tukiainen, Iina; Bertell, Elina

doi:10.1890/15-1090.1

Cited by 40 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…These results suggest that the growth of the stickleback population simultaneously has opposing effects on algal biomass: on the one hand, it promotes the accumulation of algae by reducing grazer abundance (Bergström et al., ; Candolin, Johanson, et al, ; Candolin, Tukiainen, et al., ; Eriksson et al., ; Ljunggren et al., ), but on the other hand, it can limit algal biomass by forcing the invading shrimp to increase its consumption of algae. The shrimp, in contrast, does not increase algal biomass when alone, as it feeds on both grazers and algae and thus does not promote a trophic cascade when not constrained by competition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eutrophication has increased the growth of filamentous algae through bottom‐up processes, while overfishing has promoted the accumulation of algal biomass through top‐down processes, that is by inducing a trophic cascade that reduces grazer abundance and, hence, consumption of algae. In particular, a native mesopredator, the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus , has become more abundant as a consequence of mesopredator release and eutrophication (Bergström et al., ; Bonsdorff, Blomqvist, Mattila, & Norkko, ; Candolin, Nieminen, & Nyman, ; Candolin, Tukiainen, & Bertell, ; Ljunggren et al., ). This has in turn promoted further accumulation of algal biomass as stickleback feed on grazers, particularly amphipods (Candolin, Johanson, & Budria, ; Eriksson et al., ; Sieben, Ljunggren, Bergstrom, & Eriksson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental disturbance alters the ecological impact of an invading shrimp

2018

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Alien species are altering ecosystems around the globe. To predict and manage their impacts, the underlying mechanisms need to be understood. This is challenging in ecosystems undergoing multiple disturbances as unexpected interactions can alter the impact of individual disturbances. Such interactions are likely to be common in disturbed ecosystems, but have so far received little attention. We investigated whether interactions between an invading shrimp Palaemon elegans and another human‐induced disturbance, the population growth of a native mesopredator, the threespine stickleback, influences a third human‐induced disturbance, the increase in biomass of filamentous algae. Increases in both the native mesopredator population and algal biomass have been promoted by eutrophication and a trophic cascade triggered by declining predatory fish stocks. We used mesocosm and field enclosure experiments, combined with analyses of long‐term trends in the abundance of the invader and the native mesopredator, to dissect the influence of the two species on algal biomass when alone and when co‐occurring. The impact of the invader on algal biomass depended on the native mesopredator; shrimp on their own had no effect on algal growth, but mitigated algae accumulation when competing with the stickleback for resources. Competition caused the shrimp to shift its diet from grazers to algae, and its habitat choice from open to vegetated habitats. The native mesopredator, in contrast, increased algal biomass irrespective of the presence of the invader, by preying on grazers and inducing a trophic cascade. Our results show that the presence of a native mesopredator causes an invader to alter its behaviour and thereby its ecological impact. This demonstrates that interactions between invaders and other anthropogenic disturbances can alter the ecological impact of invaders, and, notably, that the impact of invaders can be positive and stabilize disturbed ecosystems. These results stress the importance of considering interactions among disturbances when investigating the ecological impact of alien species. A http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13078/suppinfo is available for this article.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental disturbance alters the ecological impact of an invading shrimp

2018

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“…), and stickleback populations in eutrophic environments have grown (Candolin et al. , ). Increased visibility of small Australian birds due to vegetation clearing has resulted in extirpations in altered landscapes due to increased detection by a dominant aggressive species (Maron et al.…”

Section: Population Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Positive effects through visual signaling are also possible if environmental changes reduce aggression or increase effective population size by reducing reproductive skew (Candolin et al. ). In general, departures from the status quo are considered negative, although cases in which endangered or rare species benefit from the modifications could constitute exceptions.…”

Section: Population Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation implications of anthropogenic impacts on visual communication and camouflage

Delhey

Peters

2016

Conservation Biology

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Anthropogenic environmental impacts can disrupt the sensory environment of animals and affect important processes from mate choice to predator avoidance. Currently, these effects are best understood for auditory and chemosensory modalities, and recent reviews highlight their importance for conservation. We examined how anthropogenic changes to the visual environment (ambient light, transmission, and backgrounds) affect visual communication and camouflage and considered the implications of these effects for conservation. Human changes to the visual environment can increase predation risk by affecting camouflage effectiveness, lead to maladaptive patterns of mate choice, and disrupt mutualistic interactions between pollinators and plants. Implications for conservation are particularly evident for disrupted camouflage due to its tight links with survival. The conservation importance of impaired visual communication is less documented. The effects of anthropogenic changes on visual communication and camouflage may be severe when they affect critical processes such as pollination or species recognition. However, when impaired mate choice does not lead to hybridization, the conservation consequences are less clear. We suggest that the demographic effects of human impacts on visual communication and camouflage will be particularly strong when human-induced modifications to the visual environment are evolutionarily novel (i.e., very different from natural variation); affected species and populations have low levels of intraspecific (genotypic and phenotypic) variation and behavioral, sensory, or physiological plasticity; and the processes affected are directly related to survival (camouflage), species recognition, or number of offspring produced, rather than offspring quality or attractiveness. Our findings suggest that anthropogenic effects on the visual environment may be of similar importance relative to conservation as anthropogenic effects on other sensory modalities.

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Population growth correlates with increased fecundity in three-spined stickleback populations in a human-disturbed environment

Candolin

Voigt

2020

Aquat Sci

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Human activity is altering the dynamics of populations through effects on fecundity, mortality and migration. An increased abundance of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Baltic Sea has been attributed to a human-caused decline of top predators. However, recent research indicates that a top-down effect cannot fully explain the population growth, but the contribution of a bottom-up effect has not been investigated. Yet, anthropogenic eutrophication has increased algae biomass at the spawning sites of the stickleback and, thus, the abundance of benthic prey. We investigated if increased fecundity could have contributed to the population growth of the stickleback by analysing a two decade time series of stickleback abundance, fecundity, and body size at three spawning sites. The results show an increase in the proportion of gravid females in the populations, which correlates with the population growth. In particular, the proportion of gravid females late in the spawning season has increased, which indicates enhanced food intake at the sites during the spawning season. Thus, a bottom-up effect could have contributed to the growth of the populations by increasing the number of egg clutches females produce. These results stress the importance of considering both bottom-up and top-down processes when investigating the mechanisms behind human impact on population dynamics.

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Environmental change disrupts communication and sexual selection in a stickleback population

Cited by 40 publications

References 55 publications

Environmental disturbance alters the ecological impact of an invading shrimp

Environmental disturbance alters the ecological impact of an invading shrimp

Conservation implications of anthropogenic impacts on visual communication and camouflage

Population growth correlates with increased fecundity in three-spined stickleback populations in a human-disturbed environment

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