Phytoplankton Community Stability Across Eutrophic Gradients: Insights From Annual and Monthly Timescales

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Freshwater Biology Pub Date : 2025-02-22 DOI:10.1111/fwb.70009

Wang Liya, Yang Zhen, Shi Limei, Yu Yang, Shi Xiaoli, Zhang Min

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Exploring the response of natural community stability to anthropogenic environmental changes, such as eutrophication, is an important topic in current ecological research. Eutrophication directly affects species dynamics, abundance and succession in phytoplankton communities, potentially leading to shifts in ecological processes in these communities over multiple years. However, it remains unclear how the annual and monthly dynamics of phytoplankton communities shift along eutrophication gradients to maintain stability.
We conducted an 8-year survey in a large shallow lake, where the entire area exhibited a gradient of eutrophication. Using this dataset, we analysed three dynamic characteristics of phytoplankton communities: biomass stability (BS), composition stability (CS) and species rank-abundance curve change (Curve_change). These variables were analysed at annual (from 2014 to 2021, with annual data collected at each sampling site) and monthly (extending to 96 months within the same period, with monthly data) scales to examine how they changed in response to the eutrophication gradient.
Annual and monthly BS was only slightly affected by the eutrophication gradient, whereas monthly composition stability and changes in species rank-abundance curves were significantly altered. BS correlated positively with CS but negatively with changes in the species rank-abundance curve.
This indicates that phytoplankton can maintain BS through specific adjustments in community structure over shorter timescales, with distinct mechanisms operating across the eutrophication gradient. At high nutrient concentrations, this stability is associated with shifts in the relative abundance of non-dominant species, which buffer fluctuations in dominant species abundances and ensure functional redundancy. In contrast, at relatively low-nutrient concentrations, BS is achieved through compensatory dynamics among dominant species, where declines in one species are offset by increases in another with similar ecological functions. However, this internal regulatory mechanism is less evident over longer timescales.
These findings highlight the importance of timescales in studying the impact of eutrophication on phytoplankton community stability, providing important clues for assessing and predicting the response of lake ecosystems to future environmental changes.

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来源期刊

Freshwater Biology 生物-海洋与淡水生物学

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

3.70%

发文量

162

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Freshwater Biology publishes papers on all aspects of the ecology of inland waters, including rivers and lakes, ground waters, flood plains and other freshwater wetlands. We include studies of micro-organisms, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish and other vertebrates, as well as those concerning whole systems and related physical and chemical aspects of the environment, provided that they have clear biological relevance. Studies may focus at any level in the ecological hierarchy from physiological ecology and animal behaviour, through population dynamics and evolutionary genetics, to community interactions, biogeography and ecosystem functioning. They may also be at any scale: from microhabitat to landscape, and continental to global. Preference is given to research, whether meta-analytical, experimental, theoretical or descriptive, highlighting causal (ecological) mechanisms from which clearly stated hypotheses are derived. Manuscripts with an experimental or conceptual flavour are particularly welcome, as are those or which integrate laboratory and field work, and studies from less well researched areas of the world. Priority is given to submissions that are likely to interest a wide range of readers. We encourage submission of papers well grounded in ecological theory that deal with issues related to the conservation and management of inland waters. Papers interpreting fundamental research in a way that makes clear its applied, strategic or socio-economic relevance are also welcome. Review articles (FRESHWATER BIOLOGY REVIEWS) and discussion papers (OPINION) are also invited: these enable authors to publish high-quality material outside the constraints of standard research papers.