Disturbance Regimes Predictably Alter Diversity in an Ecologically Complex Bacterial System

570 0303 health sciences Ultraviolet Rays Microbial Consortia Biodiversity Environment Models, Theoretical 15. Life on land 551 Microbiology QR1-502 03 medical and health sciences Theoretical Models 13. Climate action 14. Life underwater Ecosystem Research Article
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01372-16 Publication Date: 2016-12-23T18:48:16Z
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Diversity is often associated with the functional stability of ecological communities from microbes to macroorganisms. Understanding how diversity responds environmental perturbations and consequences this relationship for ecosystem function are thus central challenges in microbial ecology. Unimodal diversity-disturbance relationships, which maximum occurs at intermediate levels disturbance, have been predicted ecosystems where life history tradeoffs separate organisms along a disturbance gradient. However, empirical support such peaked relationships macrosystems mixed, few studies explored these systems. Here we use complex microcosm systematically determine over range regimes. We observed reproducible switch between community states, gave rise transient maxima when states were forced mix. Communities showed reduced compositional was highest. To further explore dynamics, formulated simple model that reveals specific regimes under stable. Together, our results show both unimodal non-unimodal can be as system switches two distinct states; process likely across wide spatially temporally heterogeneous ecosystems. IMPORTANCE The linked functioning As humanity continues impact worldwide, diet disease perturb own commensal communities, ability predict will respond critical importance. Using experiments, find different predictable way. Maximum each suited conditions, mixed due disturbance. This except mathematical model, unimodality common feature fluctuating environments.
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