Light, but Not Nutrients, Drives Seasonal Congruence of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Phytoplankton in a Eutrophic Highland Lake in China

Wang, Huan; Zhao, Dandan; Chen, Liang; Giesy, John P.; Zhang, Weizhen; Yuan, Chao; Ni, Leyi; Shen, Hong; Xie, Ping

doi:10.3389/fpls.2020.00179

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…It may influence spatial and temporal distribution (e.g., Clegg et al, 2007 ); indeed, a relatively widespread behavioural and physiological predilection for quite low light generally supports their often-common occurrence in such conditions (e.g., Clegg et al, 2012 ). It can also have a crucial impact on growth and survival (e.g., Ensminger et al, 2005 ), with differences between species not only being energetically beneficial (e.g., Richardson et al, 1983 ), influencing fitness (e.g., Geider et al, 2009 ), and the ability of this family to thrive in many different environments (with applied implications: e.g., Smayda, 1997 ; Benning, 2015 ), but it may also shape niche processes, competition, succession, community composition, and ecosystem dynamics (e.g., Litchman and Klausmeier, 2008 ; Wang et al, 2020 ; Ajani et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity of Photoresponse Across an Environmentally Contrasting Family of Phytoflagellates

2021

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Organisms often employ ecophysiological strategies to exploit environmental conditions and ensure bio-energetic success. However, the many complexities involved in the differential expression and flexibility of these strategies are rarely fully understood. Therefore, for the first time, using a three-part cross-disciplinary laboratory experimental analysis, we investigated the diversity and plasticity of photoresponsive traits employed by one family of environmentally contrasting, ecologically important phytoflagellates. The results demonstrated an extensive inter-species phenotypic diversity of behavioural, physiological, and compositional photoresponse across the Chlamydomonadaceae, and a multifaceted intra-species phenotypic plasticity, involving a broad range of beneficial photoacclimation strategies, often attributable to environmental predisposition and phylogenetic differentiation. Deceptively diverse and sophisticated strong (population and individual cell) behavioural photoresponses were observed, with divergence from a general preference for low light (and flexibility) dictated by intra-familial differences in typical habitat (salinity and trophy) and phylogeny. Notably, contrasting lower, narrow, and flexible compared with higher, broad, and stable preferences were observed in freshwater vs. brackish and marine species. Complex diversity and plasticity in physiological and compositional photoresponses were also discovered. Metabolic characteristics (such as growth rates, respiratory costs and photosynthetic capacity, efficiency, compensation and saturation points) varied elaborately with species, typical habitat (often varying more in eutrophic species, such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), and culture irradiance (adjusting to optimise energy acquisition and suggesting some propensity for low light). Considerable variations in intracellular pigment and biochemical composition were also recorded. Photosynthetic and accessory pigments (such as chlorophyll a, xanthophyll-cycle components, chlorophyll a:b and chlorophyll a:carotenoid ratios, fatty acid content and saturation ratios) varied with phylogeny and typical habitat (to attune photosystem ratios in different trophic conditions and to optimise shade adaptation, photoprotection, and thylakoid architecture, particularly in freshwater environments), and changed with irradiance (as reaction and harvesting centres adjusted to modulate absorption and quantum yield). The complex, concomitant nature of the results also advocated an integrative approach in future investigations. Overall, these nuanced, diverse, and flexible photoresponsive traits will greatly contribute to the functional ecology of these organisms, addressing environmental heterogeneity and potentially shaping individual fitness, spatial and temporal distribution, prevalence, and ecosystem dynamics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity of Photoresponse Across an Environmentally Contrasting Family of Phytoflagellates

2021

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“…High FD PA was related to high light intensity and zooplankton biomass (low water level) and to low productivity (high water level) in floodplain lakes (Cardoso et al, 2017). If the FD BV is considered, a positive correlation with light is provided in an eutrophic lake (Wang et al, 2020). The functional phytoplankton composition based on biovolume changed more than 200 km downstream in a tropical river, suggesting that damming can filter species by their traits Graco-Roza et al (2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Some studies have examined phytoplankton patterns and mechanisms underlying FD compare to taxonomical diversity (TD), although differences in functionality are easily distinguishable from morphological traits (Weithoff, 2003;Kruk et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2020). The majority of research on phytoplankton FD is based on identities (presence-absence, FD PA , e.g., Bergkemper et al, 2018;Santos et al, 2015;Cardoso et al, 2017;Ye et al, 2019) and, in minor extension, on abundance or biovolume, FD BV (Santos et al, 2015;Graco-Roza et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020). FD PA and FD BV have been indicated as driven by similar environmental variables, such as water temperature, productivity, light, flushing, grazing, or macrophytes, that can mediate changes in phytoplankton assemblages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their main ecological drivers are temperature (positive relationship; Weyhenmeyer et al, 2013;Kruk et al, 2017;Cardoso et al, 2017), system area (positive relationship; Smith et al, 2005), and productivity (unimodal relationship; Dodson et al, 2000;Smith, 2007;Santos et al, 2015). Light availability is an essential control of TD PA (positive relationship; Weyhenmeyer et al, 2013;Stomp et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2020) by favoring growth and increasing the number of available niches due to stratification. Although less frequently assessed, relationships of TD PA to hydraulic flow (negative relationship, Borges & Train, 2009;Nabout et al, 2007;Huszar et al, 1998;or positive, Train & Rodrigues, 1998) and to grazing pressure (negative relationship, Muylaert et al, 2010;Kruk et al, 2017) have also been noted as important factors for controlling phytoplankton TD PA .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Responses of Functional and Taxonomic Phytoplankton Diversity to Environmental Gradients in Subtropical and Tropical Reservoirs

Santos

Brasil²,

Huszar³

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Understanding the influence of environmental conditions on biodiversity is a major task in ecology. We investigated how phytoplankton taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD) diversities vary with environmental factors in eight subtropical and tropical reservoirs. We hypothesized that i) environmental variables affect phytoplankton TD and FD; ii) FD provides better relationships to environmental changes than TD, and; iii) indices based on biomass are better related to the environment than those based on identities. The relationships between phytoplankton diversities and environmental drivers were assessed through generalized linear models. Our hypotheses were partly confirmed. TD and FD were, in fact, dependent on the environment, with higher values occurring in warmer, clearer, and more enriched systems, under lower zooplankton grazing pressure; but FD based on identities was not predicted better from environmental conditions than TD based on identities. As expected, indices based on biomass are better related to the environment than their counterpart based on identities.

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“…Numerous studies have documented many factors that contribute to phytoplankton diversity, which mostly include alpha diversity, such as salinity (Elliot and Whitfield, 2011;Mousing et al, 2016;Bode et al, 2017;Stefanidou et al, 2020), nutrients (Bode et al, 2017), organic matter variables (Bode et al, 2017), hydromorphology (Elliot and Whitfield, 2011), sunlight (Wang et al, 2020), and spatial structure (Moresco et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2017). However, there is only limited information on potential factors that influence beta diversity patterns (Mousing et al, 2016;Moresco et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2017;Stefanidou et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020), and even less on the different factors between alpha and beta diversity. It is important to note that the significant role that nutrients concentrations play in phytoplankton diversity is widely recognized among researchers (Huppert et al, 2002(Huppert et al, , 2005Ji et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoplankton Species Diversity Patterns and Associated Driving Factors in China’s Jiulong River Estuary: Roles That Nutrients and Nutrient Ratios Play

Chen

et al. 2022

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Understanding diversity patterns and associated driving factors are the critical topics in macroecology and conservation biology. Phytoplankton are highly susceptible to environmental changes in estuaries, particularly eutrophication. This study examined phytoplankton alpha and beta diversity using investigation data in May (springtime), August (summer) and November (autumn) 2009 in China’s Jiulong River estuary, where it was easily polluted because of considerable discharge from a highly dense human population and low self-purification capacity with its limited river basin area, potentially resulting in eutrophication and then influencing phytoplankton diversity. Potential influencing factors were also explored, including dissolved oxygen, salinity, nutrients, nutrient ratios, geographic and hydrologic distance, and so on. The results indicated that Shannon’s index (H’) and Pielou’s index (J) decreased from the estuary’s upper to middle and then increased from middle to lower reaches, Simpson’s (D) observed the opposite trend and species number (S) gradually increased from the estuary’s upper to lower reaches. For beta diversity, all the indices showed a gradual decrease trend from the estuary’s upper to lower reaches, where also, turnover dominated beta diversity for all seasons. It is noteworthy that the significant roles that nutrients and nutrient ratios played in shaping phytoplankton diversity patterns and the nutrient balance were characterized by excess nitrogen (N) and silicon (Si) and limited phosphorus (P), which could potentially cause diatom blooms. Findings also showed that decreasing Si concentrations can help to reduce overall pollution levels as well as the restoration of the estuary’s ecosystem better than just reducing N alone. Accordingly, this study advocates for the protection of the entire estuary system with particular emphasis on its upper reaches. Moreover, greater attention should also be paid to impacts associated with N input and nutrient ratio trade-offs to the prospective watershed management of this estuary. This study provides a practical approach to explore estuarine diversity in a comprehensive way, which can inform effective biodiversity conservation and also be applied to other marine ecosystems to better guide sustainable management and conservation practices.

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Light, but Not Nutrients, Drives Seasonal Congruence of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Phytoplankton in a Eutrophic Highland Lake in China

Cited by 13 publications

References 92 publications

Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity of Photoresponse Across an Environmentally Contrasting Family of Phytoflagellates

Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity of Photoresponse Across an Environmentally Contrasting Family of Phytoflagellates

Responses of Functional and Taxonomic Phytoplankton Diversity to Environmental Gradients in Subtropical and Tropical Reservoirs

Phytoplankton Species Diversity Patterns and Associated Driving Factors in China’s Jiulong River Estuary: Roles That Nutrients and Nutrient Ratios Play

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