@article{GuislainBeisnerKoehler2019,
  author    = {Guislain, Alexis and Beisner, Beatrix E. and K{\"o}hler, Jan},
  title     = {Variation in species light acquisition traits under fluctuating light regimes},
  series = {Oikos},
  volume    = {128},
  journal   = {Oikos},
  number    = {5},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0030-1299},
  doi       = {10.1111/oik.05297},
  pages     = {716 -- 728},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Resource distribution heterogeneity offers niche opportunities for species with different functional traits to develop and potentially coexist. Available light (photosynthetically active radiation or PAR) for suspended algae (phytoplankton) may fluctuate greatly over time and space. Species-specific light acquisition traits capture important aspects of the ecophysiology of phytoplankton and characterize species growth at either limiting or saturating daily PAR supply. Efforts have been made to explain phytoplankton coexistence using species-specific light acquisition traits under constant light conditions, but not under fluctuating light regimes that should facilitate non-equilibrium coexistence. In the well-mixed, hypertrophic Lake TaiHu (China), we incubated the phytoplankton community in bottles placed either at fixed depths or moved vertically through the water column to mimic vertical mixing. Incubations at constant depths received only the diurnal changes in light, while the moving bottles received rapidly fluctuating light. Species-specific light acquisition traits of dominant cyanobacteria (Anabaena flos-aquae, Microcystis spp.) and diatom (Aulacoseira granulata, Cyclotella pseudostelligera) species were characterized from their growth-light relationships that could explain relative biomasses along the daily PAR gradient under both constant and fluctuating light. Our study demonstrates the importance of interspecific differences in affinities to limiting and saturating light for the coexistence of phytoplankton species in spatially heterogeneous light conditions. Furthermore, we observed strong intraspecific differences in light acquisition traits between incubation under constant and fluctuating light - leading to the reversal of light utilization strategies of species. This increased the niche space for acclimated species, precluding competitive exclusion. These observations could enhance our understanding of the mechanisms behind the Paradox of the Plankton.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LeachBeisnerCareyetal.2018,
  author    = {Leach, Taylor H. and Beisner, Beatrix E. and Carey, Cayelan C. and Pernica, Patricia and Rose, Kevin C. and Huot, Yannick and Brentrup, Jennifer A. and Domaizon, Isabelle and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Ibelings, Bastiaan W. and Jacquet, Stephan and Kelly, Patrick T. and Rusak, James A. and Stockwell, Jason D. and Straile, Dietmar and Verburg, Piet},
  title     = {Patterns and drivers of deep chlorophyll maxima structure in 100 lakes},
  series = {Limnology and oceanography},
  volume    = {63},
  journal   = {Limnology and oceanography},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Hoboken},
  issn      = {0024-3590},
  doi       = {10.1002/lno.10656},
  pages     = {628 -- 646},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {The vertical distribution of chlorophyll in stratified lakes and reservoirs frequently exhibits a maximum peak deep in the water column, referred to as the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). DCMs are ecologically important hot spots of primary production and nutrient cycling, and their location can determine vertical habitat gradients for primary consumers. Consequently, the drivers of DCM structure regulate many characteristics of aquatic food webs and biogeochemistry. Previous studies have identified light and thermal stratification as important drivers of summer DCM depth, but their relative importance across a broad range of lakes is not well resolved. We analyzed profiles of chlorophyll fluorescence, temperature, and light during summer stratification from 100 lakes in the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) and quantified two characteristics of DCM structure: depth and thickness. While DCMs do form in oligotrophic lakes, we found that they can also form in eutrophic to dystrophic lakes. Using a random forest algorithm, we assessed the relative importance of variables associated with light attenuation vs. thermal stratification for predicting DCM structure in lakes that spanned broad gradients of morphometry and transparency. Our analyses revealed that light attenuation was a more important predictor of DCM depth than thermal stratification and that DCMs deepen with increasing lake clarity. DCM thickness was best predicted by lake size with larger lakes having thicker DCMs. Additionally, our analysis demonstrates that the relative importance of light and thermal stratification on DCM structure is not uniform across a diversity of lake types.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WeithoffBeisner2019,
  author    = {Weithoff, Guntram and Beisner, Beatrix E.},
  title     = {Measures and Approaches in Trait-Based Phytoplankton Community Ecology},
  series = {Frontiers in Marine Science},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Marine Science},
  publisher = {Frontiers Media},
  address   = {Lausanne},
  issn      = {2296-7745},
  doi       = {10.3389/fmars.2019.00040},
  pages     = {11},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Trait-based approaches to investigate (short- and long-term) phytoplankton dynamics and community assembly have become increasingly popular in freshwater and marine science. Although the nature of the pelagic habitat and the main phytoplankton taxa and ecology are relatively similar in both marine and freshwater systems, the lines of research have evolved, at least in part, separately. We compare and contrast the approaches adopted in marine and freshwater ecosystems with respect to phytoplankton functional traits. We note differences in study goals relating to functional trait use that assess community assembly and those that relate to ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling that affect the type of characteristics assigned as traits to phytoplankton taxa. Specific phytoplankton traits relevant for ecological function are examined in relation to herbivory, amplitude of environmental change and spatial and temporal scales of study. Major differences are identified, including the shorter time scale for regular environmental change in freshwater ecosystems compared to that in the open oceans as well as the type of sampling done by researchers based on site-accessibility. Overall, we encourage researchers to better motivate why they apply trait-based analyses to their studies and to make use of process-driven approaches, which are more common in marine studies. We further propose fully comparative trait studies conducted along the habitat gradient spanning freshwater to brackish to marine systems, or along geographic gradients. Such studies will benefit from the combined strength of both fields.},
  language  = {en}
}