July 2020- Our latest paper published in Science of the Total Environment shows that variation within a species can functionally supersede diversity between species in shaping community structure.
Can intraspecific diversity functionally supersede interspecific diversity?
We focused on a coastal ecosystem dominated by two coexisting bioengineering mussel species, one of which, Perna perna, displays two distinct phylogeographic lineages. A manipulative field experiment revealed greater habitat structural complexity and a more benign microscale environment within beds of the eastern lineage than those of the western lineage or the second species (Mytilus galloprovincialis); the latter two did not differ. Similarly, while infaunal species abundance and biomass differed significantly between the two lineages of Perna, there was no such difference between Mytilus and the western Perna lineage. The evenness and diversity of associated infaunal assemblages responded differently. Diversity differed relatively weakly between species, while evenness showed a very strong difference between conspecific lineages. Our results show that variation within a species can functionally supersede diversity between species.
Further, our findings indicate that predicting the ecosystem-level consequences of climate change requires an understanding of the relative strengths of within- and between-species differences in functionality.
We focused on a coastal ecosystem dominated by two coexisting bioengineering mussel species, one of which, Perna perna, displays two distinct phylogeographic lineages. A manipulative field experiment revealed greater habitat structural complexity and a more benign microscale environment within beds of the eastern lineage than those of the western lineage or the second species (Mytilus galloprovincialis); the latter two did not differ. Similarly, while infaunal species abundance and biomass differed significantly between the two lineages of Perna, there was no such difference between Mytilus and the western Perna lineage. The evenness and diversity of associated infaunal assemblages responded differently. Diversity differed relatively weakly between species, while evenness showed a very strong difference between conspecific lineages. Our results show that variation within a species can functionally supersede diversity between species.
Further, our findings indicate that predicting the ecosystem-level consequences of climate change requires an understanding of the relative strengths of within- and between-species differences in functionality.
March 2020- Our latest paper published in Science of the Total Environment shows species-specific plastic accumulation in the sediment and canopy of coastal vegetated habitats.
We assessed the occurrence, abundance and physical properties of macro and microplastics in the canopy and superficial sediment of two intertidal (seagrass Zostera noltei, saltmarsh Sporobolus maritimus) and two subtidal (mixed seagrass meadows of Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera marina, rhizophytic macroalga Caulerpa prolifera) habitats in the Ria Formosa lagoon (Portugal).
We conclude that generalizations in the trapping effect of coastal vegetated areas should be done with caution, since it may be highly variable and may depend on the plastic size, habitat and tidal position.
