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River flow intermittence influence biodiversity-stability relationships across spatial scales: Implications for an
Andros T Gianuca1,2, Victor R di Cavalcanti3, Leonardo Cruz3
1Department of Ecology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Global Change Biology
|August 20, 2024
Summary
River flow intermittence alters biodiversity, increasing spatial asynchrony which stabilizes regional ecosystems. Conserving multiple sites is crucial for intermittent rivers facing climate change.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Freshwater Science
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Climate change is increasing river flow intermittence globally.
- Flow intermittence affects local (α-diversity) and among-site (β-diversity) biodiversity.
- The influence of intermittence on scale-dependent biodiversity and ecosystem stability remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how river flow intermittence influences biodiversity across spatial scales.
- To determine the mechanisms stabilizing metacommunities in intermittent versus perennial rivers.
- To assess the role of spatial asynchrony in regional stability under varying flow regimes.
Main Methods:
- Studied multiple metacommunities in French rivers with contrasting flow intermittence.
- Analyzed scale-dependent biodiversity changes (α-diversity, β-diversity).
- Quantified the contribution of local processes and spatial asynchrony to regional stability.
Main Results:
- Spatial asynchrony contributed more to regional stability in intermittent rivers than perennial ones.
- Asynchronous population dynamics among sites, not β-diversity, drove spatial asynchrony.
- These findings were consistent for both aquatic macroinvertebrates and aerial-dispersing taxa.
Conclusions:
- Intermittent and perennial rivers are stabilized by different processes at contrasting spatial scales.
- Flow intermittence promotes spatial asynchrony, enhancing regional stability in river networks.
- Conservation strategies for intermittent rivers should prioritize landscape-level spatial dynamics over local processes.
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