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Habitat complexity drives the turnover and nestedness patterns in a periphytic algae community

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Abstract

Habitat complexity drives aquatic community attributes, including the beta diversity components. We tested the hypothesis that community diversity, richness and density are higher on complex artificial substrates than on simple ones. Additionally, we hypothesised that the species occurrence would change from the simplest substrates to the more complex ones because complex habitats provide more niches and methods of exploiting environmental resources, thereby supporting larger numbers of organisms. We expected that the periphytic community would present a nestedness pattern when considering the quantitative index and turnover for the qualitative index. The effect of habitat complexity on the beta diversity was mediated by the relative species abundances. The periphytic algae density was higher on the complex substrates, but contrary to our expectations, the species richness and diversity did not increase on the complex substrates. Based on our findings, we suggest that habitat complexity can play a crucial role in structuring beta diversity patterns. However, we highlight that the responses of species turnover and nestedness to the variation in habitat complexity contrasted with the abundance and species occurrence approach. Additionally, we suggest that the species richness patterns in the periphytic community are independent of increases in the number of individuals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for the provision of scholarships and funds and the Núcleo de Pesquisas em Limnologia, Ictiologia e Aquicultura (Nupélia) for technical and logistical support. ERC thanks Fundação Araucária and Itaipu Binacional for providing funds. We emphasize that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, PEA, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, UEM, Av. Colombo 5790, Bloco G90, Jd. Universtário, Maringá, PR, CEP 87020-900, Brazil

    Nicolli Cristina Osório, Eduardo Ribeiro Cunha & Rafael Prandini Tramonte

  2. Departamento de Biologia, DBI, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, UEM, Av. Colombo 5790, Bloco H78, Jd. Universtário, Maringá, PR, CEP 87020-900, Brazil

    Roger Paulo Mormul & Liliana Rodrigues

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  1. Nicolli Cristina Osório
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Correspondence to Nicolli Cristina Osório.

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Appendix

Appendix

Periphytic algae species colonising simple and complex structures. Proportional recorded abundance between simple (light blue bars) and complex (dark blue bars) structures are shown, as well as proportional recorded frequency (light and dark red). The total abundance of species recorded in simple (light purple bars) and complex (dark purple bars) structures is also shown. “*” indicates few occasions where abundance in simple structures overcome abundance in complex structures. “A” frequency-dominant species exclusive to each level of structural complexity; “B” shows frequency-dominant but not exclusive species to each level of structural complexity; “C” shows more frequency-even species in levels of structural complexity. The class abbreviation: Bacillariophyceae (Baci), Chlorophyceae (Chlo), Craspedomonadophyceae (Cras), Cyanophyceae (Cyan), Euglenophyceae (Eugl), Oeodogoniophyceae (Oeod), Xanthophyceae (Xant) and Zygnemaphyceae (Zygn).

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Osório, N.C., Cunha, E.R., Tramonte, R.P. et al. Habitat complexity drives the turnover and nestedness patterns in a periphytic algae community. Limnology 20, 297–307 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-019-00578-y

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