The functional syndrome: linking individual trait variability to ecosystem functioning

Raffard, Allan; Lecerf, Antoine; Côté, Julien; Buoro, Mathieu; Lassus, Rémy; Cucherousset, Julien

doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.1893

Cited by 52 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Chelae are important organs involved in multiple ecological functions of crayfish (e.g., predator–prey and competitor interactions, feeding behavior, biological engineering; Gherardi, Acquistapace, & Barbaresi, ; Matsuzaki, Usio, Takamura, & Washitani, ) and are known to display intraspecific morphological variations (Claussen, Gerald, Kotcher, & Miskell, ; Malavé, Styga, & Clotfelter, ). In the studied system, previous investigations have revealed the existence of intraspecific variability among P. clarkii populations in terms of body morphology (Evangelista, Cucherousset, Olden, & Lecerf, ), trophic ecology (Jackson et al, ), and ecosystem impacts (Alp et al, ; Evangelista, Lecerf, & Cucherousset, ), as well as the presence of within‐population phenotypic variability (Raffard et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Stable resource polymorphism along the benthic littoral–pelagic axis in an invasive crayfish

Lang

Evangelista

Everts

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Although intraspecific variability is now widely recognized as affecting evolutionary and ecological processes, our knowledge on the importance of intraspecific variability within invasive species is still limited. This is despite the fact that understanding the linkage between within‐population morphological divergences and the use of different trophic or spatial resources (i.e., resource polymorphism) can help to better predict their ecological impacts on recipient ecosystems. Here, we quantified the extent of resource polymorphism within populations of a worldwide invasive crayfish species, Procambarus clarkii, in 16 lake populations by comparing their trophic (estimated using stable isotope analyses) and morphological characteristics between individuals from the littoral and pelagic habitats. Our results first demonstrated that crayfish occured in both littoral and pelagic habitats of seven lakes and that the use of pelagic habitat was associated with increased abundance of littoral crayfish. We then found morphological (i.e., body and chelae shapes) and trophic divergence (i.e., reliance on littoral carbon) among individuals from littoral and pelagic habitats, highlighting the existence of resource polymorphism in invasive populations. There was no genetic differentiation between individuals from the two habitats, implying that this resource polymorphism was stable (i.e., high gene flow between individuals). Finally, we demonstrated that a divergent adaptive process was responsible for the morphological divergence in body and chela shapes between habitats while difference in littoral reliance neutrally evolved under genetic drift. These findings demonstrated that invasive P. clarkii can display strong within‐population phenotypic variability in recent populations, and this could lead to contrasting ecological impacts between littoral and pelagic individuals.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Stable resource polymorphism along the benthic littoral–pelagic axis in an invasive crayfish

Lang

Evangelista

Everts

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The various biological mechanisms-such as pleiotropy or allometry-underlying the links among traits might therefore be modulated differently among populations, resulting in difference of syndromes (Peiman & Robinson, 2017). Hence, it would be worth further investigating the biological mechanisms driving trait covariations to better appraise the variability of functional syndromes (Killen, Atkinson, & Glazier, 2010;Raffard et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the meantime, community ecologists have investigated how covariations in functional traits, measured at the community level, can affect ecosystem functioning (Díaz et al, 2016;Lavorel & Garnier, 2002). More recently, it has been demonstrated that functional trait covariations also occur within species, forming a so-called functional syndrome (Raffard et al, 2017). Functional syndromes have been shown to exist in several species (e.g., Defossez, Pellissier, & Rasmann, 2018;Raffard et al, 2017), but the variability of these syndromes across populations and environmental conditions remains unexplored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, it has been demonstrated that functional trait covariations also occur within species, forming a so-called functional syndrome (Raffard et al, 2017). Functional syndromes have been shown to exist in several species (e.g., Defossez, Pellissier, & Rasmann, 2018;Raffard et al, 2017), but the variability of these syndromes across populations and environmental conditions remains unexplored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variability of functional traits and their syndromes in a freshwater fish species (Phoxinus phoxinus): The role of adaptive and nonadaptive processes

Raffard

Prunier

Loot

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Functional traits can covary to form “functional syndromes.” Describing and understanding functional syndromes is an important prerequisite for predicting the effects of organisms on ecosystem functioning. At the intraspecific level, functional syndromes have recently been described, but very little is known about their variability among populations and—if they vary—what the ecological and evolutionary drivers of this variation are. Here, we quantified and compared the variability in four functional traits (body mass, metabolic rate, excretion rate, and boldness), their covariations and the subsequent syndromes among thirteen populations of a common freshwater fish (the European minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus ). We then tested whether functional traits and their covariations, as well as the subsequent syndromes, were underpinned by the phylogenetic relatedness among populations (historical effects) or the local environment (i.e., temperature and predation pressure), and whether adaptive (selection or plasticity) or nonadaptive (genetic drift) processes sustained among‐population variability. We found substantial among‐population variability in functional traits and trait covariations, and in the emerging syndromes. We further found that adaptive mechanisms (plasticity and/or selection) related to water temperature and predation pressure modulated the covariation between body mass and metabolic rate. Other trait covariations were more likely driven by genetic drift, suggesting that nonadaptive processes can also lead to substantial differences in trait covariations among populations. Overall, we concluded that functional syndromes are population‐specific, and that both adaptive and nonadaptive processes are shaping functional traits. Given the pivotal role of functional traits, differences in functional syndromes within species provide interesting perspectives regarding the role of intraspecific diversity for ecosystem functioning.

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“…) and ecosystem processes (Raffard et al. ). For example, divergence in foraging traits of predatory alewife alters body size and species richness of their zooplankton prey (Palkovacs and Post ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partial migration alters population ecology and food chain length: evidence from a salmonid fish

et al. 2020

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Many migratory species, from monarch butterflies to wildebeest, express partial migration, where only a subset of a population migrates. This intraspecific variation is likely to have large ecological consequences. We studied the ecological consequences of partial migration in a salmonid fish, Oncorhynchus mykiss, in coastal streams in California, USA. One ecotype, steelhead trout, migrates to the ocean, whereas the other, rainbow trout, completes its lifecycle in freshwater. Migration has a strong genetic basis in O. mykiss. In one stream, we found differences in the frequency of migration‐linked genotypes below and above a waterfall barrier (migratory allele frequency of 60% below vs. 31% above). Below the waterfall, in the migratory‐dominated region, the density of young fish (<1 yr old) was approximately twice that in the resident‐dominated region above the waterfall (0.46 vs. 0.26 individuals/m2, respectively), presumably reflecting the higher fecundity of migratory females. Additionally, there were half as many older fish (>1 yr old) in pools downstream of the waterfall (0.05 vs. 0.13 individuals/m2). In a second stream, between‐year variation in the dominance of migratory vs. resident fish allowed us to explore differences in fish density and size structure through time, and we found a consistent pattern. In brief, when migratory genotypes dominated, we found higher densities of young fish and lower densities of older fish, resulting in a simpler size structure, compared to when resident genotypes dominated. Moreover, large resident trout had a slightly higher trophic position than young fish (3.92 vs. 3.42 in one creek and 3.77 vs. 3.17 in the other), quantified with stable isotope data. The difference in fish size structure did not generate trophic cascades. Partial migration is widespread among migratory populations, as is phenotypic divergence between resident and migratory forms, suggesting the potential for widespread ecological effects arising from this common form of intraspecific variation.

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The functional syndrome: linking individual trait variability to ecosystem functioning

Cited by 52 publications

References 66 publications

Stable resource polymorphism along the benthic littoral–pelagic axis in an invasive crayfish

Stable resource polymorphism along the benthic littoral–pelagic axis in an invasive crayfish

Variability of functional traits and their syndromes in a freshwater fish species (Phoxinus phoxinus): The role of adaptive and nonadaptive processes

Partial migration alters population ecology and food chain length: evidence from a salmonid fish

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