TY - JOUR A1 - Gaedke, Ursula A1 - Klauschies, Toni T1 - Analyzing the shape of observed trait distributions enables a data-based moment closure of aggregate models JF - Limnology and Oceanography: Methods N2 - The shape of trait distributions may inform about the selective forces that structure ecological communities. Here, we present a new moment-based approach to classify the shape of observed biomass-weighted trait distributions into normal, peaked, skewed, or bimodal that facilitates spatio-temporal and cross-system comparisons. Our observed phytoplankton trait distributions exhibited substantial variance and were mostly skewed or bimodal rather than normal. Additionally, mean, variance, skewness und kurtosis were strongly correlated. This is in conflict with trait-based aggregate models that often assume normally distributed trait values and small variances. Given these discrepancies between our data and general model assumptions we used the observed trait distributions to test how well different aggregate models with first- or second-order approximations and different types of moment closure predict the biomass, mean trait, and trait variance dynamics using weakly or moderately nonlinear fitness functions. For weakly non-linear fitness functions aggregate models with a second-order approximation and a data-based moment closure that relied on the observed correlations between skewness and mean, and kurtosis and variance predicted biomass and often also mean trait changes fairly well and better than models with first-order approximations or a normal-based moment closure. In contrast, none of the models reflected the changes of the trait variances reliably. Aggregate model performance was often also poor for moderately nonlinear fitness functions. This questions a general applicability of the normal-based approach, in particular for predicting variance dynamics determining the speed of trait changes and maintenance of biodiversity. We evaluate in detail how and why better approximations can be obtained. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10218 SN - 1541-5856 VL - 15 SP - 979 EP - 994 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hilt, Sabine A1 - Wanke, Thomas A1 - Scharnweber, Inga Kristin A1 - Brauns, Mario A1 - Syvaranta, Jari A1 - Brothers, Soren M. A1 - Gaedke, Ursula A1 - Köhler, Jan A1 - Lischke, Betty A1 - Mehner, Thomas T1 - Contrasting response of two shallow eutrophic cold temperate lakes to a partial winterkill of fish JF - Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica N2 - Food-web effects of winterkill are difficult to predict as the enhanced mortality of planktivorous fish may be counterbalanced by an even higher mortality of piscivores. We hypothesised that a winterkill in a clear and a turbid shallow lake would equalise their fish community composition, but seasonal plankton successions would differ between lakes. After a partial winterkill, we observed a reduction of fish biomass by 16 and 43% in a clear-water and a turbid small temperate lake, respectively. Fish biomass and piscivore shares (5% of fish biomass) were similar in both lakes after this winterkill, but young-of-the-year (YOY) abundances were higher in the turbid lake. Top-down control by crustaceans was only partly responsible for low phytoplankton biomass at the end of May following the winterkill in both lakes. Summer phytoplankton biomass remained low in the clear-water lake despite high abundances of YOY fish (mainly roach). In contrast, the crustacean biomass of the turbid lake was reduced in summer by a high YOY abundance (sunbleak and roach), leading to a strong increase in phytoplankton biomass. The YOY abundance of fish in shallow eutrophic lakes may thus be more important for their summer phytoplankton development after winterkill than the relative abundance of piscivores. KW - Anoxia KW - Fish KW - Regime shifts KW - Roach KW - Shallow lakes KW - Submerged macrophytes Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-014-2143-7 SN - 0018-8158 SN - 1573-5117 VL - 749 IS - 1 SP - 31 EP - 42 PB - Springer CY - Dordrecht ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seiler, Claudia A1 - van Velzen, Ellen A1 - Neu, Thomas R. A1 - Gaedke, Ursula A1 - Berendonk, Thomas U. A1 - Weitere, Markus T1 - Grazing resistance of bacterial biofilms: a matter of predators’ feeding trait JF - FEMS microbiology ecology N2 - Biofilm formation in bacteria is considered to be one strategy to avoid protozoan grazing. However, this assumption is largely based on experiments with suspension-feeding protozoans. Here we test the hypothesis that grazing resistance depends on both the grazers’ feeding trait and the bacterial phenotype, rather than being a general characteristic of bacterial biofilms. We combined batch experiments with mathematical modelling, considering the bacterium Pseudomonas putida and either a suspension-feeding (i.e. the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia) or a surface-feeding grazer (i.e. the amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii). We find that both plankton and biofilm phenotypes were consumed, when exposed to their specialised grazer, whereas the other phenotype remained grazing-resistant. This was consistently shown in two experiments (starting with either only planktonic bacteria or with additional pre-grown biofilms) and matches model predictions. In the experiments, the plankton feeder strongly stimulated the biofilm biomass. This stimulation of the resistant prey phenotype was not predicted by the model and it was not observed for the biofilm feeders, suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms that stimulate biofilm formation besides selective feeding. Overall, our results confirm our hypothesis that grazing resistance is a matter of the grazers’ trait (i.e. feeding type) rather than a biofilm-specific property. KW - protozoa KW - biofilm KW - plankton KW - predator-prey model KW - grazing defence KW - feeding trait Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fix112 SN - 0168-6496 SN - 1574-6941 VL - 93 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - Lake ecosystems : Rapid evolution revealed by dormant eggs Y1 - 1999 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehrlich, Elias A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - Not attackable or not crackable BT - How pre- and post-attack defenses with different competition costs affect prey coexistence and population dynamics JF - Ecology and evolution N2 - It is well-known that prey species often face trade-offs between defense against predation and competitiveness, enabling predator-mediated coexistence. However, we lack an understanding of how the large variety of different defense traits with different competition costs affects coexistence and population dynamics. Our study focusses on two general defense mechanisms, that is, pre-attack (e.g., camouflage) and post-attack defenses (e.g., weaponry) that act at different phases of the predator—prey interaction. We consider a food web model with one predator, two prey types and one resource. One prey type is undefended, while the other one is pre- or post-attack defended paying costs either by a higher half-saturation constant for resource uptake or a lower maximum growth rate. We show that post-attack defenses promote prey coexistence and stabilize the population dynamics more strongly than pre-attack defenses by interfering with the predator's functional response: Because the predator spends time handling “noncrackable” prey, the undefended prey is indirectly facilitated. A high half-saturation constant as defense costs promotes coexistence more and stabilizes the dynamics less than a low maximum growth rate. The former imposes high costs at low resource concentrations but allows for temporally high growth rates at predator-induced resource peaks preventing the extinction of the defended prey. We evaluate the effects of the different defense mechanisms and costs on coexistence under different enrichment levels in order to vary the importance of bottom-up and top-down control of the prey community. KW - coexistence KW - competition-defense trade-off KW - defense against predation KW - functional response KW - indirect facilitation KW - predator-prey cycles Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4145 SN - 2045-7758 VL - 8 IS - 13 SP - 6625 EP - 6637 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Raatz, Michael A1 - Schälicke, Svenja A1 - Sieber, M. A1 - Wacker, Alexander A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - One man's trash is another man's treasure BT - the effect of bacteria on phytoplankton–zooplankton interactions in chemostat systems JF - Limnology and Oceanography: Methods N2 - Chemostat experiments are employed to study predator-prey and other trophic interactions, frequently using phytoplankton-zooplankton systems. These experiments often use population dynamics as fingerprints of ecological and evolutionary processes, assuming that the contributions of all major actors to these dynamics are known. However, bacteria are often neglected although they are frequently present. We argue that even without external carbon input bacteria may affect the experimental outcomes depending on experimental conditions and the physiological traits of bacteria, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. Using a static carbon flux model and a dynamic simulation model, we predict the minimum and maximum impact of bacteria on phytoplankton-zooplankton population dynamics. Under bacteria-suppressing conditions, we find that the effect of bacteria is indeed negligible and their omission justified. Under bacteria-favoring conditions, however, bacteria may strongly affect average biomasses of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The population dynamics may become highly complex, which may result in wrong interpretations when inferring processes (e.g., trait changes) from population dynamic patterns without considering bacteria. We provide suggestions to reduce the bacterial impact experimentally. Besides optimizing experimental conditions (e.g., the dilution rate) the appropriate choice of the zooplankton predator is decisive. Counterintuitively, bacteria have a larger impact if the predator is not bacterivorous as high bacterial biomasses and complex population dynamics arise via competition for nutrients with the phytoplankton. Only at least partial bacterivory minimizes the impact of bacteria. Our results help to improve the design of chemostat experiments and their interpretation, and advance the study of ecological and evolutionary processes in aquatic food webs. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/lom3.10269 SN - 1541-5856 VL - 16 IS - 10 SP - 629 EP - 639 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Quintana, Xavier D. A1 - Arim, Matias A1 - Badosa, Anna A1 - Maria Blanco, Jose A1 - Boix, Dani A1 - Brucet, Sandra A1 - Compte, Jordi A1 - Egozcue, Juan J. A1 - de Eyto, Elvira A1 - Gaedke, Ursula A1 - Gascon, Stephanie A1 - Gil de Sola, Luis A1 - Irvine, Kenneth A1 - Jeppesen, Erik A1 - Lauridsen, Torben L. A1 - Lopez-Flores, Rocio A1 - Mehner, Thomas A1 - Romo, Susana A1 - Sondergaard, Martin T1 - Predation and competition effects on the size diversity of aquatic communities JF - Aquatic sciences : research across boundaries N2 - Body size has been widely recognised as a key factor determining community structure in ecosystems. We analysed size diversity patterns of phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish assemblages in 13 data sets from freshwater and marine sites with the aim to assess whether there is a general trend in the effect of predation and resource competition on body size distribution across a wide range of aquatic ecosystems. We used size diversity as a measure of the shape of size distribution. Size diversity was computed based on the Shannon-Wiener diversity expression, adapted to a continuous variable, i.e. as body size. Our results show that greater predation pressure was associated with reduced size diversity of prey at all trophic levels. In contrast, competition effects depended on the trophic level considered. At upper trophic levels (zooplankton and fish), size distributions were more diverse when potential resource availability was low, suggesting that competitive interactions for resources promote diversification of aquatic communities by size. This pattern was not found for phytoplankton size distributions where size diversity mostly increased with low zooplankton grazing and increasing nutrient availability. Relationships we found were weak, indicating that predation and competition are not the only determinants of size distribution. Our results suggest that predation pressure leads to accumulation of organisms in the less predated sizes, while resource competition tends to favour a wider size distribution. KW - Phytoplankton KW - Zooplankton KW - Fish KW - Size distribution KW - Predation KW - Competition KW - Compositional data analysis Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-014-0368-1 SN - 1015-1621 SN - 1420-9055 VL - 77 IS - 1 SP - 45 EP - 57 PB - Springer CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gaedke, Ursula T1 - The impact of weather conditions on the seasonal plankton development N2 - Long-term measurements (1979-1994) of meteorological parameters and of algal and crustacean biomass were used in conjunction with a comprehensive hydrodynamic model to evaluate the impact of weather conditions on plankton dynamics in a large, deep, temperate lake (Upper Lake Constance), and to identify potential causal mechanisms. The natural variability of weather conditions, including the exceptionally mild winters during the late eighties, allowed us the investigation of the covariation of meteorological parameters such as irradiance, air temperature, and wind with vernal algal and crustacean population growth. Crustacean zooplankton responded strongly to differences in surface water temperature, but not to mixing depth or algal biomass. Clear relationships between changes of algal biomass and meteorological factors were only found during the rare occasions when acted together to favour or hamper algal development. Otherwise, the impact of meterological conditions on the physical conditions which were most likely conducive to phytoplankton development, could not be followed by this simple approach. This problem was overcome with a one-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulent exchange model driven by the meteorological boundary conditions at the water surface. It was used to simulate the development of the vernal density stratification and to investigate the relationships between meteorological conditions and exchange rates from the euphotic to the aphotic zone. The beginning of the spring algal bloom was shown to depend on the stabilization of the upper part of the water column. As soon as mixing below 20 m was inhibited, confining the algae to the euphotic zone for prolonged periods of time, substantial increases in algal standing stock occurred consistently. In contrast, during periods when high vertical mixing rates were computed with the model no substantial increases of algal biomass were found. This tight coupling between the estimates of vertical mixing intensity and observed algal development, combined with knowledge about the impact of individual meteorological factors on mixing, enabled predictions about the response of algae to different weather conditions during spring. Y1 - 1998 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seifert, Linda I. A1 - Weithoff, Guntram A1 - Gaedke, Ursula A1 - Vos, Matthijs T1 - Warming-induced changes in predation, extinction and invasion in an ectotherm food web JF - Oecologia N2 - Climate change will alter the forces of predation and competition in temperate ectotherm food webs. This may increase local extinction rates, change the fate of invasions and impede species reintroductions into communities. Invasion success could be modulated by traits (e.g., defenses) and adaptations to climate. We studied how different temperatures affect the time until extinction of species, using bitrophic and tritrophic planktonic food webs to evaluate the relative importance of predatory overexploitation and competitive exclusion, at 15 and 25 A degrees C. In addition, we tested how inclusion of a subtropical as opposed to a temperate strain in this model food web affects times until extinction. Further, we studied the invasion success of the temperate rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus into the planktonic food web at 15 and 25 A degrees C on five consecutive introduction dates, during which the relative forces of predation and competition differed. A higher temperature dramatically shortened times until extinction of all herbivore species due to carnivorous overexploitation in tritrophic systems. Surprisingly, warming did not increase rates of competitive exclusion among the tested herbivore species in bitrophic communities. Including a subtropical herbivore strain reduced top-down control by the carnivore at high temperature. Invasion attempts of temperate B. calyciflorus into the food web always succeeded at 15 A degrees C, but consistently failed at 25 A degrees C due to voracious overexploitation by the carnivore. Pre-induction of defenses (spines) in B. calyciflorus before the invasion attempt did not change its invasion success at the high temperature. We conclude that high temperatures may promote local extinctions in temperate ectotherms and reduce their chances of successful recovery. KW - Community dynamics KW - Freshwater ecosystem KW - Global warming KW - Species range shift KW - Trophic interactions Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3211-4 SN - 0029-8549 SN - 1432-1939 VL - 178 IS - 2 SP - 485 EP - 496 PB - Springer CY - New York ER -