TY - JOUR A1 - Lozada Gobilard, Sissi Donna A1 - Stang, Susanne A1 - Pirhofer-Walzl, Karin A1 - Kalettka, Thomas A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Schröder, Boris A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Joshi, Jasmin Radha T1 - Environmental filtering predicts plant-community trait distribution and diversity BT - Kettle holes as models of meta-community systems JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - Meta-communities of habitat islands may be essential to maintain biodiversity in anthropogenic landscapes allowing rescue effects in local habitat patches. To understand the species-assembly mechanisms and dynamics of such ecosystems, it is important to test how local plant-community diversity and composition is affected by spatial isolation and hence by dispersal limitation and local environmental conditions acting as filters for local species sorting.We used a system of 46 small wetlands (kettle holes)natural small-scale freshwater habitats rarely considered in nature conservation policiesembedded in an intensively managed agricultural matrix in northern Germany. We compared two types of kettle holes with distinct topographies (flat-sloped, ephemeral, frequently plowed kettle holes vs. steep-sloped, more permanent ones) and determined 254 vascular plant species within these ecosystems, as well as plant functional traits and nearest neighbor distances to other kettle holes.Differences in alpha and beta diversity between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes were mainly explained by species sorting and niche processes and mass effect processes in ephemeral flat kettle holes. The plant-community composition as well as the community trait distribution in terms of life span, breeding system, dispersal ability, and longevity of seed banks significantly differed between the two habitat types. Flat ephemeral kettle holes held a higher percentage of non-perennial plants with a more persistent seed bank, less obligate outbreeders and more species with seed dispersal abilities via animal vectors compared with steep-sloped, more permanent kettle holes that had a higher percentage of wind-dispersed species. In the flat kettle holes, plant-species richness was negatively correlated with the degree of isolation, whereas no such pattern was found for the permanent kettle holes.Synthesis: Environment acts as filter shaping plant diversity (alpha and beta) and plant-community trait distribution between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes supporting species sorting and niche mechanisms as expected, but we identified a mass effect in ephemeral kettle holes only. Flat ephemeral kettle holes can be regarded as meta-ecosystems that strongly depend on seed dispersal and recruitment from a seed bank, whereas neighboring permanent kettle holes have a more stable local species diversity. KW - biodiversity KW - dispersal KW - disturbance KW - landscape diversity KW - life-history traits KW - plant diversity KW - seed bank KW - species assembly KW - wetland vegetation Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4883 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 9 IS - 4 SP - 1898 EP - 1910 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lozada Gobilard, Sissi Donna A1 - Stang, Susanne A1 - Pirhofer-Walzl, Karin A1 - Kalettka, Thomas A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Schröder, Boris A1 - Eccard, Jana A1 - Jasmin Radha, Jasmin T1 - Environmental filtering predicts plant‐community trait distribution and diversity BT - Kettle holes as models of meta‐community systems JF - Ecology and Evolution N2 - Meta‐communities of habitat islands may be essential to maintain biodiversity in anthropogenic landscapes allowing rescue effects in local habitat patches. To understand the species‐assembly mechanisms and dynamics of such ecosystems, it is important to test how local plant‐community diversity and composition is affected by spatial isolation and hence by dispersal limitation and local environmental conditions acting as filters for local species sorting. We used a system of 46 small wetlands (kettle holes)—natural small‐scale freshwater habitats rarely considered in nature conservation policies—embedded in an intensively managed agricultural matrix in northern Germany. We compared two types of kettle holes with distinct topographies (flatsloped, ephemeral, frequently plowed kettle holes vs. steep‐sloped, more permanent ones) and determined 254 vascular plant species within these ecosystems, as well as plant functional traits and nearest neighbor distances to other kettle holes. Differences in alpha and beta diversity between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes were mainly explained by species sorting and niche processes and mass effect processes in ephemeral flat kettle holes. The plant‐community composition as well as the community trait distribution in terms of life span, breeding system, dispersal ability, and longevity of seed banks significantly differed between the two habitat types. Flat ephemeral kettle holes held a higher percentage of non‐perennial plants with a more persistent seed bank, less obligate outbreeders and more species with seed dispersal abilities via animal vectors compared with steep‐sloped, more permanent kettle holes that had a higher percentage of wind‐dispersed species. In the flat kettle holes, plant‐species richness was negatively correlated with the degree of isolation, whereas no such pattern was found for the permanent kettle holes. Synthesis: Environment acts as filter shaping plant diversity (alpha and beta) and plant‐community trait distribution between steep permanent compared with ephemeral flat kettle holes supporting species sorting and niche mechanisms as expected, but we identified a mass effect in ephemeral kettle holes only. Flat ephemeral kettle holes can be regarded as meta‐ecosystems that strongly depend on seed dispersal and recruitment from a seed bank, whereas neighboring permanent kettle holes have a more stable local species diversity. KW - biodiversity KW - dispersal KW - disturbance KW - landscape diversity KW - life‐history traits KW - plant diversity KW - seed bank KW - species assembly KW - wetland vegetation Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4883 SN - 2045-7758 PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Premke, Katrin A1 - Attermeyer, Katrin A1 - Augustin, Jürgen A1 - Cabezas, Alvaro A1 - Casper, Peter A1 - Deumlich, Detlef A1 - Gelbrecht, Jörg A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Gessler, Arthur A1 - Großart, Hans-Peter A1 - Hilt, Sabine A1 - Hupfer, Michael A1 - Kalettka, Thomas A1 - Kayler, Zachary A1 - Lischeid, Gunnar A1 - Sommer, Michael A1 - Zak, Dominik T1 - The importance of landscape diversity for carbon fluxes at the landscape level: small-scale heterogeneity matters JF - Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews : Water N2 - Landscapes can be viewed as spatially heterogeneous areas encompassing terrestrial and aquatic domains. To date, most landscape carbon (C) fluxes have been estimated by accounting for terrestrial ecosystems, while aquatic ecosystems have been largely neglected. However, a robust assessment of C fluxes on the landscape scale requires the estimation of fluxes within and between both landscape components. Here, we compiled data from the literature on C fluxes across the air–water interface from various landscape components. We simulated C emissions and uptake for five different scenarios which represent a gradient of increasing spatial heterogeneity within a temperate young moraine landscape: (I) a homogeneous landscape with only cropland and large lakes; (II) separation of the terrestrial domain into cropland and forest; (III) further separation into cropland, forest, and grassland; (IV) additional division of the aquatic area into large lakes and peatlands; and (V) further separation of the aquatic area into large lakes, peatlands, running waters, and small water bodies These simulations suggest that C fluxes at the landscape scale might depend on spatial heterogeneity and landscape diversity, among other factors. When we consider spatial heterogeneity and diversity alone, small inland waters appear to play a pivotal and previously underestimated role in landscape greenhouse gas emissions that may be regarded as C hot spots. Approaches focusing on the landscape scale will also enable improved projections of ecosystems’ responses to perturbations, e.g., due to global change and anthropogenic activities, and evaluations of the specific role individual landscape components play in regional C fluxes. WIREs Water 2016, 3:601–617. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1147 Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1147 SN - 2049-1948 SN - 2049-1948 VL - 3 SP - 601 EP - 617 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER -