The shape of a defense-growth trade-off governs seasonal trait dynamics in natural phytoplankton
- Theory predicts that trade-offs, quantifying costs of functional trait adjustments, crucially affect community trait adaptation to altered environmental conditions, but empirical verification is scarce. We evaluated trait dynamics (antipredator defense, maximum growth rate, and phosphate affinity) of a lake phytoplankton community in a seasonally changing environment, using literature trait data and 21 years of species-resolved high-frequency biomass measurements. The trait data indicated a concave defense-growth trade-off, promoting fast-growing species with intermediate defense. With seasonally increasing grazing pressure, the community shifted toward higher defense levels at the cost of lower growth rates along the trade-off curve, while phosphate affinity explained some deviations from it. We discuss how low fitness differences of species, inferred from model simulations, in concert with stabilizing mechanisms, e.g., arising from further trait dimensions, may lead to the observed phytoplankton diversity. In conclusion, quantifyingTheory predicts that trade-offs, quantifying costs of functional trait adjustments, crucially affect community trait adaptation to altered environmental conditions, but empirical verification is scarce. We evaluated trait dynamics (antipredator defense, maximum growth rate, and phosphate affinity) of a lake phytoplankton community in a seasonally changing environment, using literature trait data and 21 years of species-resolved high-frequency biomass measurements. The trait data indicated a concave defense-growth trade-off, promoting fast-growing species with intermediate defense. With seasonally increasing grazing pressure, the community shifted toward higher defense levels at the cost of lower growth rates along the trade-off curve, while phosphate affinity explained some deviations from it. We discuss how low fitness differences of species, inferred from model simulations, in concert with stabilizing mechanisms, e.g., arising from further trait dimensions, may lead to the observed phytoplankton diversity. In conclusion, quantifying trade-offs is key for predictions of community trait adaptation and biodiversity under environmental change.…
Author details: | Elias EhrlichORCiDGND, Nadja Jeanette KathORCiDGND, Ursula GaedkeORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-0619-1 |
ISSN: | 1751-7362 |
ISSN: | 1751-7370 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32127656 |
Title of parent work (English): | The ISME journal |
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
Place of publishing: | London |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2020/03/03 |
Publication year: | 2020 |
Release date: | 2023/01/18 |
Tag: | coexistence; community ecology; diversity; evolution; fitness; functional traits; lake; maintenance; mechanisms; plankton |
Volume: | 14 |
Issue: | 6 |
Number of pages: | 12 |
First page: | 1451 |
Last Page: | 1462 |
Funding institution: | German Research Foundation (DFG) German Research Foundation (DFG) [GA; 401/26-1/2]; Projekt DEAL |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access / Hybrid Open-Access |
License (German): | CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
External remark: | Zweitveröffentlichung in der Schriftenreihe Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe ; 1390 |