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34 results on '"Altermatt, Florian"'

1. Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics

Author

0000-0003-0787-7342, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0009-0006-6199-9200, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-4714-0305, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-5861-7551, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-7385-8302, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Sinclair, James S., Welti, Ellen A. R., Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Aroviita, Jukka, Baker, Nathan J., Barešová, Libuše, Barquín, José, Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Goethals, Peter L. M., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jähnig, Sonja C., Johnson, Richard K., Kuglerová, Lenka, Kupilas, Benjamin, L'Hoste, Lionel, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, Lorenz, Armin W., McKie, Brendan G., Muotka, Timo, Osadčaja, Diana, Paavola, Riku, Palinauskas, Vaidas, Pařil, Petr, Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes J., Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Skuja, Agnija, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta, Tziortzis, Iakovos, Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vray, Sarah, Haase, Peter, 0000-0003-0787-7342, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0009-0006-6199-9200, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-4714-0305, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-5861-7551, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-7385-8302, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Sinclair, James S., Welti, Ellen A. R., Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Aroviita, Jukka, Baker, Nathan J., Barešová, Libuše, Barquín, José, Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Goethals, Peter L. M., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jähnig, Sonja C., Johnson, Richard K., Kuglerová, Lenka, Kupilas, Benjamin, L'Hoste, Lionel, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, Lorenz, Armin W., McKie, Brendan G., Muotka, Timo, Osadčaja, Diana, Paavola, Riku, Palinauskas, Vaidas, Pařil, Petr, Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes J., Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Skuja, Agnija, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta, Tziortzis, Iakovos, Vannevel, Rudy, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vray, Sarah, and Haase, Peter

Abstract

Humans impact terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, yet many broad-scale studies have found no systematic, negative biodiversity changes (for example, decreasing abundance or taxon richness). Here we show that mixed biodiversity responses may arise because community metrics show variable responses to anthropogenic impacts across broad spatial scales. We first quantified temporal trends in anthropogenic impacts for 1,365 riverine invertebrate communities from 23 European countries, based on similarity to least-impacted reference communities. Reference comparisons provide necessary, but often missing, baselines for evaluating whether communities are negatively impacted or have improved (less or more similar, respectively). We then determined whether changing impacts were consistently reflected in metrics of community abundance, taxon richness, evenness and composition. Invertebrate communities improved, that is, became more similar to reference conditions, from 1992 until the 2010s, after which improvements plateaued. Improvements were generally reflected by higher taxon richness, providing evidence that certain community metrics can broadly indicate anthropogenic impacts. However, richness responses were highly variable among sites, and we found no consistent responses in community abundance, evenness or composition. These findings suggest that, without sufficient data and careful metric selection, many common community metrics cannot reliably reflect anthropogenic impacts, helping explain the prevalence of mixed biodiversity trends.

Published
2024

2. Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers

Author

European Commision, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-9493-2279, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1390-6736, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-0036-363X, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0001-5629-3007, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72], Welti, Ellen A. R., Bowler, Diana E., Sinclair, James S, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud, Gaït, Arrate Jorrín, Iñaki, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Baker, Nathan Jay, Bañares, Iñaki, Barquín Ortiz, José, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Domisch, Sami, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A, England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E, Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas Correll, Johnson, Richard K., Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Hélène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Manzanos Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto, Mckie, Brendan, Millán, Andrés, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas Silva, Francisco Jesús, Polasek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, Haase, Peter, European Commision, 0000-0001-6944-3422, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0001-9493-2279, 0000-0002-2983-3335, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1390-6736, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-6675-4751, 0000-0001-7979-6563, 0000-0002-0185-9154, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-0036-363X, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0001-5629-3007, 0000-0001-8475-5109, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-9340-0438, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72], Welti, Ellen A. R., Bowler, Diana E., Sinclair, James S, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud, Gaït, Arrate Jorrín, Iñaki, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Baker, Nathan Jay, Bañares, Iñaki, Barquín Ortiz, José, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bonada, Núria, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Domisch, Sami, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A, England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E, Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas Correll, Johnson, Richard K., Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Hélène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Manzanos Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto, Mckie, Brendan, Millán, Andrés, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas Silva, Francisco Jesús, Polasek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Stubbington, Rachel, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, and Haase, Peter

Abstract

Freshwater macroinvertebrates are a diverse group and play key ecological roles, including accelerating nutrient cycling, filtering water, controlling primary producers, and providing food for predators. Their differences in tolerances and short generation times manifest in rapid community responses to change. Macroinvertebrate community composition is an indicator of water quality. In Europe, efforts to improve water quality following environmental legislation, primarily starting in the 1980s, may have driven a recovery of macroinvertebrate communities. Towards understanding temporal and spatial variation of these organisms, we compiled the TREAM dataset (Time seRies of European freshwAter Macroinvertebrates), consisting of macroinvertebrate community time series from 1,816 river and stream sites (mean length of 19.2 years and 14.9 sampling years) of 22 European countries sampled between 1968 and 2020. In total, the data include >93 million sampled individuals of 2,648 taxa from 959 genera and 212 families. These data can be used to test questions ranging from identifying drivers of the population dynamics of specific taxa to assessing the success of legislative and management restoration efforts.

Published
2024

3. Freshwater fish diversity in the western Amazon basin shaped by Andean uplift since the Late Cretaceous

Author

Mantle dynamics & theoretical geophysics, Boschman, Lydian M., Carraro, Luca, Cassemiro, Fernanda A.S., de Vries, Jorad, Altermatt, Florian, Hagen, Oskar, Hoorn, Carina, Pellissier, Loïc, Mantle dynamics & theoretical geophysics, Boschman, Lydian M., Carraro, Luca, Cassemiro, Fernanda A.S., de Vries, Jorad, Altermatt, Florian, Hagen, Oskar, Hoorn, Carina, and Pellissier, Loïc

Published
2023

4. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

Author

0000-0002-9340-0438, 0000-0002-7775-1668, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-1235-6613, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0003-2709-5030, 0000-0003-2197-7470, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0002-3391-3100, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-5247-4812, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0003-4921-2189, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-3367-3802, 0000-0002-6470-8919, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0003-2777-2759, 0000-0002-7238-2509, 0000-0002-4371-6434, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-3219-1772, 0000-0003-2102-7686, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-5225-9557, 0000-0003-1766-0761, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0002-3656-417X, 0000-0001-9324-0430, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-8731-682X, 0000-0002-2382-9191, 0000-0001-5907-3472, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-6438-2349, 0000-0001-6944-3422, Haase, Peter, Bowler, Diana E., Baker, Nathan J., Bonada, Núria, Domisch, Sami, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Jähnig, Sonja C., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Stubbington, Rachel, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Jorrín, Iñaki Arrate, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Bañares, Iñaki, Ortiz, José Barquín, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A., England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., Graf, Wolfram, House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas C., Johnson, Richard K, Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Kuglerová, Lenka, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Helène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto Manzanos, McKie, Brendan G., Millán, Andrés, Monteith, Don, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas, Francisco J., Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes Jessen, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez-Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, Welti, Ellen A. R., 0000-0002-9340-0438, 0000-0002-7775-1668, 0000-0001-7948-106X, 0000-0002-8127-9335, 0000-0003-1235-6613, 0000-0002-6349-9561, 0000-0001-8839-5913, 0000-0002-4831-6958, 0000-0003-2709-5030, 0000-0003-2197-7470, 0000-0003-1897-2636, 0000-0002-4695-5932, 0000-0002-6352-3699, 0000-0003-3864-7451, 0000-0003-1700-2574, 0000-0003-2281-2491, 0000-0003-2962-7387, 0000-0003-0209-4648, 0000-0002-3391-3100, 0000-0001-5037-7509, 0000-0001-5247-4812, 0000-0003-2033-6399, 0000-0002-6358-8011, 0000-0003-0362-6802, 0000-0001-6740-3654, 0000-0002-4952-5807, 0000-0003-4921-2189, 0000-0001-6326-5653, 0000-0003-3367-3802, 0000-0002-6470-8919, 0000-0003-0488-1274, 0000-0003-2777-2759, 0000-0002-7238-2509, 0000-0002-4371-6434, 0000-0003-0239-9468, 0000-0002-3262-6396, 0000-0003-0920-773X, 0000-0003-3219-1772, 0000-0003-2102-7686, 0000-0003-3752-2040, 0000-0002-4708-1413, 0000-0002-7471-997X, 0000-0003-1848-3154, 0000-0003-3213-7135, 0000-0002-5932-3125, 0000-0001-5225-9557, 0000-0003-1766-0761, 0000-0003-3510-1701, 0000-0002-3656-417X, 0000-0001-9324-0430, 0000-0002-9315-7773, 0000-0002-8731-682X, 0000-0002-2382-9191, 0000-0001-5907-3472, 0000-0002-5603-271X, 0000-0002-4126-7452, 0000-0002-0977-5975, 0000-0002-6438-2349, 0000-0001-6944-3422, Haase, Peter, Bowler, Diana E., Baker, Nathan J., Bonada, Núria, Domisch, Sami, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R., Heino, Jani, Hering, Daniel, Jähnig, Sonja C., Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid, Stubbington, Rachel, Altermatt, Florian, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G., Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Jorrín, Iñaki Arrate, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Bañares, Iñaki, Ortiz, José Barquín, Bodin, Christian L., Bonacina, Luca, Bottarin, Roberta, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel, Csabai, Zoltán, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira, Dohet, Alain, Dörflinger, Gerald, Drohan, Emma, Eikland, Knut A., England, Judy, Eriksen, Tor E., Evtimova, Vesela, Feio, Maria J., Ferréol, Martial, Floury, Mathieu, Forcellini, Maxence, Forio, Marie Anne Eurie, Fornaroli, Riccardo, Friberg, Nikolai, Fruget, Jean-François, Georgieva, Galia, Goethals, Peter, Graça, Manuel A. S., Graf, Wolfram, House, Andy, Huttunen, Kaisa-Leena, Jensen, Thomas C., Johnson, Richard K, Jones, J Iwan, Kiesel, Jens, Kuglerová, Lenka, Larrañaga, Aitor, Leitner, Patrick, L'Hoste, Lionel, Lizée, Marie-Helène, Lorenz, Armin W., Maire, Anthony, Arnaiz, Jesús Alberto Manzanos, McKie, Brendan G., Millán, Andrés, Monteith, Don, Muotka, Timo, Murphy, John F., Ozolins, Davis, Paavola, Riku, Paril, Petr, Peñas, Francisco J., Pilotto, Francesca, Polášek, Marek, Rasmussen, Jes Jessen, Rubio, Manu, Sánchez-Fernández, David, Sandin, Leonard, Schäfer, Ralf B., Scotti, Alberto, Shen, Longzhu Q., Skuja, Agnija, Stoll, Stefan, Straka, Michal, Timm, Henn, Tyufekchieva, Violeta G., Tziortzis, Iakovos, Uzunov, Yordan, van der Lee, Gea H., Vannevel, Rudy, Varadinova, Emilia, Várbíró, Gábor, Velle, Gaute, Verdonschot, Piet F. M., Verdonschot, Ralf C. M., Vidinova, Yanka, Wiberg-Larsen, Peter, and Welti, Ellen A. R.

Abstract

Owing to a long history of anthropogenic pressures, freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to biodiversity loss1. Mitigation measures, including wastewater treatment and hydromorphological restoration, have aimed to improve environmental quality and foster the recovery of freshwater biodiversity2. Here, using 1,816 time series of freshwater invertebrate communities collected across 22 European countries between 1968 and 2020, we quantified temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity and their responses to environmental pressures and gradients. We observed overall increases in taxon richness (0.73% per year), functional richness (2.4% per year) and abundance (1.17% per year). However, these increases primarily occurred before the 2010s, and have since plateaued. Freshwater communities downstream of dams, urban areas and cropland were less likely to experience recovery. Communities at sites with faster rates of warming had fewer gains in taxon richness, functional richness and abundance. Although biodiversity gains in the 1990s and 2000s probably reflect the effectiveness of water-quality improvements and restoration projects, the decelerating trajectory in the 2010s suggests that the current measures offer diminishing returns. Given new and persistent pressures on freshwater ecosystems, including emerging pollutants, climate change and the spread of invasive species, we call for additional mitigation to revive the recovery of freshwater biodiversity.

Published
2023

5. Integrating citizen science and environmental DNA metabarcoding to study biodiversity of groundwater amphipods in Switzerland

Author

Couton, Marjorie; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9880-8646, Studer, Angela, Hürlemann, Samuel, Locher, Nadine, Knüsel, Mara; https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2346-984X, Alther, Roman; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-3966, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Couton, Marjorie; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9880-8646, Studer, Angela, Hürlemann, Samuel, Locher, Nadine, Knüsel, Mara; https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2346-984X, Alther, Roman; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-3966, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

Groundwater is the physically largest freshwater ecosystem, yet one of the least explored habitats on earth, both because of accessing difficulties and the scarcity of the organisms inhabiting it. Here, we demonstrate how a two-fold approach provides complementary information on the occurrence and diversity of groundwater amphipods. Firstly, we used a citizen science approach in collaboration with municipal water providers who sampled groundwater organisms in their spring catchment boxes over multiple weeks, followed by DNA barcoding. Secondly, we collected four 10 L water samples at each site, in one sampling event, for environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. We found that citizen science was very effective in describing the distribution and abundance of groundwater amphipods. Although the single time-point of eDNA sampling did not detect as many amphipods, it allowed the assessment of the entire groundwater community, including microorganisms. By combining both methods, we found different amphipod species co-occurring with distinct sequences from the eDNA-metabarcoding dataset, representing mainly micro-eukaryotic species. We also found a distinct correlation between the diversity of amphipods and the overall biodiversity of groundwater organisms detected by eDNA at each site. We thus suggest that these approaches can be used to get a better understanding of subterranean biodiversity.

Published
2023

6. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt

Author

Haase, Peter; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9340-0438, Bowler, Diana E; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7775-1668, Baker, Nathan J; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7948-106X, Bonada, Núria, Domisch, Sami; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8127-9335, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R, Heino, Jani; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1235-6613, Hering, Daniel, Jähnig, Sonja C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6349-9561, Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8839-5913, Stubbington, Rachel, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2709-5030, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2197-7470, Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Jorrín, Iñaki Arrate, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Bañares, Iñaki, Ortiz, José Barquín; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1897-2636, Bodin, Christian L, Bonacina, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4695-5932, Bottarin, Roberta; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6352-3699, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-7451, Csabai, Zoltán; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-2574, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2281-2491, Dohet, Alain; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2962-7387, Dörflinger, Gerald; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0209-4648, et al, Haase, Peter; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9340-0438, Bowler, Diana E; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7775-1668, Baker, Nathan J; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7948-106X, Bonada, Núria, Domisch, Sami; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8127-9335, Garcia Marquez, Jaime R, Heino, Jani; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1235-6613, Hering, Daniel, Jähnig, Sonja C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6349-9561, Schmidt-Kloiber, Astrid; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8839-5913, Stubbington, Rachel, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Álvarez-Cabria, Mario; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2709-5030, Amatulli, Giuseppe, Angeler, David G; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2197-7470, Archambaud-Suard, Gaït, Jorrín, Iñaki Arrate, Aspin, Thomas, Azpiroz, Iker, Bañares, Iñaki, Ortiz, José Barquín; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1897-2636, Bodin, Christian L, Bonacina, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4695-5932, Bottarin, Roberta; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6352-3699, Cañedo-Argüelles, Miguel; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-7451, Csabai, Zoltán; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1700-2574, Datry, Thibault, de Eyto, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2281-2491, Dohet, Alain; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2962-7387, Dörflinger, Gerald; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0209-4648, and et al

Abstract

Owing to a long history of anthropogenic pressures, freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to biodiversity loss$^{1}$. Mitigation measures, including wastewater treatment and hydromorphological restoration, have aimed to improve environmental quality and foster the recovery of freshwater biodiversity$^{2}$. Here, using 1,816 time series of freshwater invertebrate communities collected across 22 European countries between 1968 and 2020, we quantified temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity and their responses to environmental pressures and gradients. We observed overall increases in taxon richness (0.73% per year), functional richness (2.4% per year) and abundance (1.17% per year). However, these increases primarily occurred before the 2010s, and have since plateaued. Freshwater communities downstream of dams, urban areas and cropland were less likely to experience recovery. Communities at sites with faster rates of warming had fewer gains in taxon richness, functional richness and abundance. Although biodiversity gains in the 1990s and 2000s probably reflect the effectiveness of water-quality improvements and restoration projects, the decelerating trajectory in the 2010s suggests that the current measures offer diminishing returns. Given new and persistent pressures on freshwater ecosystems, including emerging pollutants, climate change and the spread of invasive species, we call for additional mitigation to revive the recovery of freshwater biodiversity.

Published
2023

7. Freshwater fish diversity in the western Amazon basin shaped by Andean uplift since the Late Cretaceous

Author

Boschman, Lydian M; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1802-0187, Carraro, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-1144, Cassemiro, Fernanda A S; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3015-5524, de Vries, Jorad; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2656-2231, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Hagen, Oskar; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7931-6571, Hoorn, Carina; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5402-6191, Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259, Boschman, Lydian M; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1802-0187, Carraro, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-1144, Cassemiro, Fernanda A S; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3015-5524, de Vries, Jorad; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2656-2231, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Hagen, Oskar; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7931-6571, Hoorn, Carina; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5402-6191, and Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259

Abstract

South America is home to the highest freshwater fish biodiversity on Earth, and the hotspot of species richness is located in the western Amazon basin. The location of this hotspot is enigmatic, as it is inconsistent with the pattern observed in river systems across the world of increasing species richness towards a river’s mouth. Here we investigate the role of river capture events caused by Andean mountain building and repeated episodes of flooding in western Amazonia in shaping the modern-day richness pattern of freshwater fishes in South America, and in Amazonia in particular. To this end, we combine a reconstruction of river networks since 80 Ma with a mechanistic model simulating dispersal, allopatric speciation and extinction over the dynamic landscape of rivers and lakes. We show that Andean mountain building and consequent numerous small river capture events in western Amazonia caused freshwater habitats to be highly dynamic, leading to high diversification rates and exceptional richness. The history of marine incursions and lakes, including the Miocene Pebas mega-wetland system in western Amazonia, played a secondary role.

Published
2023

8. Blue and green food webs respond differently to elevation and land use

Author

Ho, Hsi-Cheng; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0734-0249, Brodersen, Jakob, Gossner, Martin M; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1516-6364, Graham, Catherine H, Kaeser, Silvana, Reji Chacko, Merin; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6069-4281, Seehausen, Ole; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6598-1434, Zimmermann, Niklaus E; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3099-9604, Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Ho, Hsi-Cheng; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0734-0249, Brodersen, Jakob, Gossner, Martin M; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1516-6364, Graham, Catherine H, Kaeser, Silvana, Reji Chacko, Merin; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6069-4281, Seehausen, Ole; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6598-1434, Zimmermann, Niklaus E; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3099-9604, Pellissier, Loïc; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2289-8259, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

While aquatic (blue) and terrestrial (green) food webs are parts of the same landscape, it remains unclear whether they respond similarly to shared environmental gradients. We use empirical community data from hundreds of sites across Switzerland and a synthesis of interaction information in the form of a metaweb to show that inferred blue and green food webs have different structural and ecological properties along elevation and among various land-use types. Specifically, in green food webs, their modular structure increases with elevation and the overlap of consumers’ diet niche decreases, while the opposite pattern is observed in blue food webs. Such differences between blue and green food webs are particularly pronounced in farmland-dominated habitats, indicating that anthropogenic habitat modification modulates the climatic effects on food webs but differently in blue versus green systems. These findings indicate general structural differences between blue and green food webs and suggest their potential divergent future alterations through land-use or climatic changes.

Published
2022

9. Spatio-temporal patterns of multi-trophic biodiversity and food-web characteristics uncovered across a river catchment using environmental DNA

Author

Blackman, Rosetta C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-8691, Ho, Hsi-Cheng, Walser, Jean-Claude, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Blackman, Rosetta C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-8691, Ho, Hsi-Cheng, Walser, Jean-Claude, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

Accurate characterisation of ecological communities with respect to their biodiversity and food-web structure is essential for conservation. However, combined empirical study of biodiversity and multi-trophic food webs at a large spatial and temporal resolution has been prohibited by the lack of appropriate access to such data from natural systems. Here, we assessed biodiversity and food-web characteristics across a 700 km$^{2}$ riverine network over seasons using environmental DNA. We found contrasting biodiversity patterns between major taxonomic groups. Local richness showed statistically significant, season-dependent increases and decreases towards downstream location within the catchment for fish and bacteria, respectively. Meanwhile, invertebrate richness remained spatially unchanged but varied across seasons. The structure of local food webs, such as link density and nestedness, also varied across space and time. However, these patterns did not necessarily mirror those observed for biodiversity and functional feeding characteristics. Our results suggest that biodiversity patterns and food-web dynamics are not directly scalable to each other even at the same spatial and temporal scales. In order to conserve species diversity as well as the functional trophic integrity of communities, patterns of biodiversity and food-web characteristics must thus be jointly studied.

Published
2022

10. Optimal Channel Networks accurately model ecologically-relevant geomorphological features of branching river networks

Author

Carraro, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-1144, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Carraro, Luca; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-1144, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

River networks’ universal fractal structure not only defines their hydrology and connectivity, but has also profound biological consequences, especially regarding stability and persistence of organismal populations. While rivers’ scaling features are captured by Optimal Channel Networks, knowledge on adequate network topologies has hitherto been only partially transferred across geo- and biosciences. Consequently, ecologists have often studied riverine populations via random networks not respecting real rivers’ scaling character. Here we show that an alleged property of such random networks (branching probability) is a scale-dependent quantity that does not reflect any recognized metric of rivers’ fractal character, and hence cannot be a driver of ecological dynamics. Moreover, we show that random networks lead to biased estimates of population stability and persistence, while only Optimal Channel Networks yield estimates comparable to real rivers. We hence advocate Optimal Channel Networks as model landscapes for realistic and generalizable projections of ecohydrological dynamics in riverine networks.

Published
2022

11. Biodiversity increases and decreases ecosystem stability

Author

Pennekamp, Frank, Pontarp, Mikael, Tabi, Andrea, Altermatt, Florian, Alther, Roman, Choffat, Yves, and Fronhofer, Emanuel A.

Subjects
Biodiversity -- Research -- Influence, Ecosystems -- Research -- Environmental aspects, Ecological research, Sustainable development, Environmental issues, Science and technology, Zoology and wildlife conservation
Abstract

Losses and gains in species diversity affect ecological stability.sup.1-7 and the sustainability of ecosystem functions and services.sup.8-13. Experiments and models have revealed positive, negative and no effects of diversity on individual components of stability, such as temporal variability, resistance and resilience.sup.2,3,6,11,12,14. How these stability components covary remains poorly understood.sup.15. Similarly, the effects of diversity on overall ecosystem stability.sup.16, which is conceptually akin to ecosystem multifunctionality.sup.17,18, remain unknown. Here we studied communities of aquatic ciliates to understand how temporal variability, resistance and overall ecosystem stability responded to diversity (that is, species richness) in a large experiment involving 690 micro-ecosystems sampled 19 times over 40 days, resulting in 12,939 samplings. Species richness increased temporal stability but decreased resistance to warming. Thus, two stability components covaried negatively along the diversity gradient. Previous biodiversity manipulation studies rarely reported such negative covariation despite general predictions of the negative effects of diversity on individual stability components.sup.3. Integrating our findings with the ecosystem multifunctionality concept revealed hump- and U-shaped effects of diversity on overall ecosystem stability. That is, biodiversity can increase overall ecosystem stability when biodiversity is low, and decrease it when biodiversity is high, or the opposite with a U-shaped relationship. The effects of diversity on ecosystem multifunctionality would also be hump- or U-shaped if diversity had positive effects on some functions and negative effects on others. Linking the ecosystem multifunctionality concept and ecosystem stability can transform the perceived effects of diversity on ecological stability and may help to translate this science into policy-relevant information.Species richness was found to increase temporal stability but decrease resistance to warming in an experiment involving 690 micro-ecosystems consisting of 1 to 6 species of bacterivorous ciliates that were sampled over 40 days., Author(s): Frank Pennekamp [sup.1] , Mikael Pontarp [sup.1] [sup.2] , Andrea Tabi [sup.1] , Florian Altermatt [sup.1] [sup.3] , Roman Alther [sup.1] [sup.3] , Yves Choffat [sup.1] , Emanuel A. [...]

Published
2018
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13. Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA

Author

Blackman, Rosetta C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-8691, Osathanunkul, Maslin; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6154-2813, Brantschen, Jeanine; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-3607, Di Muri, Cristina; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4072-0662, Harper, Lynsey R; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0923-1801, Mächler, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0430-6173, Hänfling, Bernd; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7630-9360, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Blackman, Rosetta C; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-8691, Osathanunkul, Maslin; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6154-2813, Brantschen, Jeanine; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-3607, Di Muri, Cristina; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4072-0662, Harper, Lynsey R; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0923-1801, Mächler, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0430-6173, Hänfling, Bernd; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7630-9360, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

Large tropical and subtropical rivers are among the most biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, but also suffer from high anthropogenic pressures. These rivers are hitherto subject to little or no routine biomonitoring, which would be essential for identification of conservation areas of high importance. Here, we use a single environmental DNA multi-site sampling campaign across the 200,000 km2 Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on fish diversity. We found a total of 108 fish taxa and identified key biodiversity patterns within the river network. By using hierarchical clustering, we grouped the fish communities of all sites across the catchment into distinct clusters. The clusters not only accurately matched the topology of the river network, but also revealed distinct groups of sites enabling informed conservation measures. Our study reveals novel opportunities of large-scale monitoring via eDNA to identify relevant areas within whole river catchments for conservation and habitat protection.

Published
2021

14. Competition alters species’ plastic and genetic response to environmental change

Author

Govaert, Lynn, Gilarranz, Luis J, Altermatt, Florian, Govaert, Lynn, Gilarranz, Luis J, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

Species react to environmental change via plastic and evolutionary responses. While both of them determine species’ survival, most studies quantify these responses individually. As species occur in communities, competing species may further influence their respective response to environmental change. Yet, how environmental change and competing species combined shape plastic and genetic responses to environmental change remains unclear. Quantifying how competition alters plastic and genetic responses of species to environmental change requires a trait-based, community and evolutionary ecological approach. We exposed unicellular aquatic organisms to long-term selection of increasing salinity—representing a common and relevant environmental change. We assessed plastic and genetic contributions to phenotypic change in biomass, cell shape, and dispersal ability along increasing levels of salinity in the presence and absence of competition. Trait changes in response to salinity were mainly due to mean trait evolution, and differed whether species evolved in the presence or absence of competition. Our results show that species’ evolutionary and plastic responses to environmental change depended both on competition and the magnitude of environmental change, ultimately determining species persistence. Our results suggest that understanding plastic and genetic responses to environmental change within a community will improve predictions of species’ persistence to environmental change.

Published
2021

15. Environmental DNA allows upscaling spatial patterns of biodiversity in freshwater ecosystems

Author

Carraro, Luca, Mächler, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0430-6173, Wüthrich, Remo, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Carraro, Luca, Mächler, Elvira; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0430-6173, Wüthrich, Remo, and Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958

Abstract

The alarming declines of freshwater biodiversity call for efficient biomonitoring at fine spatiotemporal scales, such that conservation measures be grounded upon accurate biodiversity data. Here, we show that combining environmental DNA (eDNA) extracted from stream water samples with models based on hydrological first principles allows upscaling biodiversity estimates for aquatic insects at very high spatial resolution. Our model decouples the diverse upstream contributions to the eDNA data, enabling the reconstruction of taxa distribution patterns. Across a 740-km2 basin, we obtain a space-filling biodiversity prediction at a grain size resolution of 1-km long stream sections. The model’s accuracy in matching direct observations of aquatic insects’ local occurrence ranges between 57–100%. Our results demonstrate how eDNA can be used for high-resolution biodiversity assessments in rivers with minimal prior knowledge of the system. Our approach allows identification of biodiversity hotspots that could be otherwise overlooked, enabling implementation of focused conservation strategies.

Published
2020

16. Bottom-up and top-down control of dispersal across major organismal groups

Author

UCL - SST/ELI/ELIB - Biodiversity, Fronhofer, Emanuel A., Legrand, Delphine, Altermatt, Florian, Ansart, Armelle, Blanchet, Simon, Bonte, Dries, Chaine, Alexis, Dahirel, Maxime, De Laender, Frederik, De Raedt, Jonathan, di Gesu, Lucie, Jacob, Staffan, Kaltz, Oliver, Laurent, Estelle, Little, Chelsea J., Madec, Luc, Manzi, Florent, Masier, Stefano, Pellerin, Felix, Pennekamp, Frank, Schtickzelle, Nicolas, Therry, Lieven, Vong, Alexandre, Winandy, Laurane, Cote, Julien, UCL - SST/ELI/ELIB - Biodiversity, Fronhofer, Emanuel A., Legrand, Delphine, Altermatt, Florian, Ansart, Armelle, Blanchet, Simon, Bonte, Dries, Chaine, Alexis, Dahirel, Maxime, De Laender, Frederik, De Raedt, Jonathan, di Gesu, Lucie, Jacob, Staffan, Kaltz, Oliver, Laurent, Estelle, Little, Chelsea J., Madec, Luc, Manzi, Florent, Masier, Stefano, Pellerin, Felix, Pennekamp, Frank, Schtickzelle, Nicolas, Therry, Lieven, Vong, Alexandre, Winandy, Laurane, and Cote, Julien

Abstract

Ecology and evolution unfold in spatially structured communities, where dispersal links dynamics across scales. Because dispersal is multicausal, identifying general drivers remains challenging. In a coordinated distributed experiment spanning organisms from protozoa to vertebrates, we tested whether two fundamental determinants of local dynamics, top-down and bottom-up control, generally explain active dispersal. We show that both factors consistently increased emigration rates and use metacommunity modelling to highlight consequences on local and regional dynamics.

Published
2018

17. Bottom-up and top-down control of dispersal across major organismal groups

Author

Fronhofer, Emanuel A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2219-784X, Legrand, Delphine, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Ansart, Armelle, Blanchet, Simon, Bonte, Dries; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3320-7505, Chaine, Alexis, Dahirel, Maxime, De Laender, Frederik, De Raedt, Jonathan, di Gesu, Lucie, Jacob, Staffan, Kaltz, Oliver, Laurent, Estelle, Little, Chelsea J, Madec, Luc, Manzi, Florent, Masier, Stefano, Pellerin, Felix, Pennekamp, Frank; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0679-1045, Schtickzelle, Nicolas, Therry, Lieven, Vong, Alexandre, Winandy, Laurane, Cote, Julien, Fronhofer, Emanuel A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2219-784X, Legrand, Delphine, Altermatt, Florian; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4831-6958, Ansart, Armelle, Blanchet, Simon, Bonte, Dries; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3320-7505, Chaine, Alexis, Dahirel, Maxime, De Laender, Frederik, De Raedt, Jonathan, di Gesu, Lucie, Jacob, Staffan, Kaltz, Oliver, Laurent, Estelle, Little, Chelsea J, Madec, Luc, Manzi, Florent, Masier, Stefano, Pellerin, Felix, Pennekamp, Frank; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0679-1045, Schtickzelle, Nicolas, Therry, Lieven, Vong, Alexandre, Winandy, Laurane, and Cote, Julien

Abstract

Ecology and evolution unfold in spatially structured communities, where dispersal links dynamics across scales. Because dispersal is multicausal, identifying general drivers remains challenging. In a coordinated distributed experiment spanning organisms from protozoa to vertebrates, we tested whether two fundamental determinants of local dynamics, top-down and bottom-up control, generally explain active dispersal. We show that both factors consistently increased emigration rates and use metacommunity modelling to highlight consequences on local and regional dynamics.

Published
2018

18. A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways

Author

Datry, T; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1390-6736, Foulquier, A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8308-5841, et al, Altermatt, Florian, Little, Chelsea J, Bruder, A, Datry, T; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1390-6736, Foulquier, A; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8308-5841, et al, Altermatt, Florian, Little, Chelsea J, and Bruder, A

Abstract

Perennial rivers and streams make a disproportionate contribution to global carbon (C) cycling. However, the contribution of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), which sometimes cease to flow and can dry completely, is largely ignored although they represent over half the global river network. Substantial amounts of terrestrial plant litter (TPL) accumulate in dry riverbeds and, upon rewetting, this material can undergo rapid microbial processing. We present the results of a global research collaboration that collected and analysed TPL from 212 dry riverbeds across major environmental gradients and climate zones. We assessed litter decomposability by quantifying the litter carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and oxygen (O2) consumption in standardized assays and estimated the potential short-term CO2 emissions during rewetting events. Aridity, cover of riparian vegetation, channel width and dry-phase duration explained most variability in the quantity and decomposability of plant litter in IRES. Our estimates indicate that a single pulse of CO2 emission upon litter rewetting contributes up to 10% of the daily CO2 emission from perennial rivers and stream, particularly in temperate climates. This indicates that the contributions of IRES should be included in global C-cycling assessments.

Published
2018

19. Cross-ecosystem carbon flows connecting ecosystems worldwide

Author

Gounand, Isabelle, Little, Chelsea J, Harvey, Eric, Altermatt, Florian, Gounand, Isabelle, Little, Chelsea J, Harvey, Eric, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

Ecosystems are widely interconnected by spatial flows of material, but the overall importance of these flows relative to local ecosystem functioning remains unclear. Here we provide a quan- titative synthesis on spatial flows of carbon connecting ecosystems worldwide. Cross- ecosystem flows range over eight orders of magnitude, bringing between 10−3 and 105 gC m−2 year−1 to recipient ecosystems. Magnitudes are similar to local fluxes in freshwater and benthic ecosystems, but two to three orders of magnitude lower in terrestrial systems, demonstrating different dependencies on spatial flows among ecosystem types. The strong spatial couplings also indicate that ecosystems are vulnerable to alterations of cross-ecosystem flows. Thus, a reconsideration of ecosystem functioning, including a spatial perspective, is urgently needed.

Published
2018

20. The Nagoya Protocol could backfire on the Global South

Author

Deplazes-Zemp, Anna; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1992-1622, Abiven, Samuel, Schaber, Peter; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9613-629X, Schaepman, Michael; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9627-9565, Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela, Schmid, Bernhard; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3214, Shimizu, Kentaro K; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6483-1781, Altermatt, Florian, Deplazes-Zemp, Anna; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1992-1622, Abiven, Samuel, Schaber, Peter; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9613-629X, Schaepman, Michael; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9627-9565, Schaepman-Strub, Gabriela, Schmid, Bernhard; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8430-3214, Shimizu, Kentaro K; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6483-1781, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

Regulations designed to prevent global inequalities in the use of genetic resources apply to both commercial and non-commercial research. Conflating the two may have unintended consequences for collaboration between the Global North and biodiverse countries in the Global South, which may promote global injustice rather than mitigate it.

Published
2018

21. Disentangling the co-structure of multilayer interaction networks: degree distribution and module composition in two-layer bipartit networks

Author

Astegiano, Julia, Altermatt, Florian, Massol, François, Astegiano, Julia, Altermatt, Florian, and Massol, François

Abstract

Species establish di erent interactions (e.g. antagonistic, mutualistic) with multiple species, forming multilayer ecological networks. Disentangling network co-structure in multilayer networks is crucial to predict how biodiversity loss may affect the persistence of multispecies assemblages. Existing methods to analyse multilayer networks often fail to consider network co-structure. We present a new method to evaluate the modular co-structure of multilayer networks through the assessment of species degree co-distribution and network module composition. We focus on modular structure because of its high prevalence among ecological networks. We apply our method to two Lepidoptera-plant networks, one describing caterpillar-plant herbivory interactions and one representing adult Lepidoptera nectaring onflowers, thereby possibly pollinating them. More than 50% of the species established either herbivory or visitation interactions, but not both. These species were over-represented among plants and lepidopterans, and were present in most modules in both networks. Similarity in module composition between networks was high but not different from random expectations. Our method clearly delineates the importance of interpreting multilayer module composition similarity in the light of the constraints imposed by network structure to predict the potential indirect effects of species loss through interconnected modular networks.

Published
2017

22. Environmental DNA reveals that rivers are conveyer belts of biodiversity information

Author

Deiner, Kristy, Fronhofer, Emanuel A, Mächler, Elvira, Walser, Jean-Claude, Altermatt, Florian, Deiner, Kristy, Fronhofer, Emanuel A, Mächler, Elvira, Walser, Jean-Claude, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

DNA sampled from the environment (eDNA) is a useful way to uncover biodiversity patterns. By combining a conceptual model and empirical data, we test whether eDNA transported in river networks can be used as an integrative way to assess eukaryotic biodiversity for broad spatial scales and across the land–water interface. Using an eDNA metabarcode approach, we detect 296 families of eukaryotes, spanning 19 phyla across the catchment of a river. We show for a subset of these families that eDNA samples overcome spatial autocorrelation biases associated with the classical community assessments by integrating biodiversity information over space. In addition, we demonstrate that many terrestrial species are detected; thus suggesting eDNA in river water also incorporates biodiversity information across terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Environmental DNA transported in river networks offers a novel and spatially integrated way to assess the total biodiversity for whole landscapes and will transform biodiversity data acquisition in ecology.

Published
2016

23. Eco-evolutionary feedbacks during experimental range expansions

Author

Fronhofer, Emanuel A, Altermatt, Florian, Fronhofer, Emanuel A, and Altermatt, Florian

Abstract

Understanding biological range expansions and invasions is of great ecological and economical interest. Importantly, spatial dynamics can be deeply affected by rapid evolution depending on the ecological context. Using experimental evolution in replicated microcosm landscapes and numerical analyses we show experimentally that the ecological process of range expansions leads to the evolution of increased dispersal. This evolutionary change counter-intuitively feeds back on (macro-)ecological patterns affecting the spatial distribution of population densities. While existing theory suggests that densities decrease from range cores to range margins due to K-selection, we show the reverse to be true when competition is considered explicitly including resource dynamics. We suggest that a dispersal-foraging trade-off, leading to more ‘prudent’ foraging at range margins, is the driving mechanism behind the macroecological pattern reported. In conclusion, rapid multi-trait evolution and eco-evolutionary feedbacks are highly relevant for understanding macroecological patterns and designing appropriate conservation strategies.

Published
2015

24. A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways

Author

Datry, Thibault, Foulquier, Arnaud, Corti, Roland, Von Schiller, Daniel, Tockner, Klement, Mendoza-Lera, Clara, Gessner, Mark O., Moleón, Marcos, Stubbington, Rachel, Gücker, Björn, Albarinõ, R., Allen, Daniel C., Altermatt, Florian, Arce, María I., Arnon, Shai, Banas, D., Banegas-Medina, A., Beller, Erin E., Blanchette, Melanie L., Blanco-Libreros, Juan Felipe, Blessing, J. J., Boëchat, Iola G., Boersma, Kate S., Bogan, Michael T., Bonada, Núria, Bond, Nick R., Brintrup Barriá, K. C., Bruder, Andreas, Burrows, R. M., Cancellario, Tommaso, Canhoto, Cristin M., Carlson, Stephanie M., Cauvy-Fraunié, Sophie, Cid, Núria, Danger, Michaël, De Freitas Terra, Bianca, De Girolamo, Anna M., De La Barra, Evans, Del Campo, R., Díaz-Villanueva, Verónica D., Dyer, Fiona J., Elosegi, Arturo, Faye, E., Febria, Catherine M., Four, Brian, Gafny, Sarig, Ghate, Sudeep D., Gómez, R., Gómez-Gener, Lluís, Graça, Manuel A., Guareschi, Simone, Hoppeler, Felicitas, Hwan, Jason L., Jones, J. I., Kubheka, S., Laini, Alex, Langhans, Simone D., Leigh, Catherine, Little, Chelsea J., Lorenz, Stefan, Marshall, Jonathan C., Martín, Eduardo J., McIntosh, Angus R., Meyer, Elisabeth I., Miliša, Marko, Mlambo, M. C., Morais, Manuela, Moya, N., Negus, Peter M., Niyogi, D. K., Papatheodoulou, Athina, Pardo, Isabel, Pařil, Petr, Pauls, S. U., Pešić, Vladimir M., Polášek, Marek, Robinson, Christopher T., Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo, Rolls, Robert J., Sánchez-Montoya, María M., Savić, Ana V., Shumilova, O., Sridhar, Kandikere R., Steward, Alisha L., Storey, Richard G., Taleb, Amina, Uzan, A., Vander Vorste, Ross, Waltham, Nathan J., Woelfle-Erskine, Cleo, Zak, Dominik, Zarfl, Christiane, Zoppini, Annamaria, Datry, Thibault, Foulquier, Arnaud, Corti, Roland, Von Schiller, Daniel, Tockner, Klement, Mendoza-Lera, Clara, Gessner, Mark O., Moleón, Marcos, Stubbington, Rachel, Gücker, Björn, Albarinõ, R., Allen, Daniel C., Altermatt, Florian, Arce, María I., Arnon, Shai, Banas, D., Banegas-Medina, A., Beller, Erin E., Blanchette, Melanie L., Blanco-Libreros, Juan Felipe, Blessing, J. J., Boëchat, Iola G., Boersma, Kate S., Bogan, Michael T., Bonada, Núria, Bond, Nick R., Brintrup Barriá, K. C., Bruder, Andreas, Burrows, R. M., Cancellario, Tommaso, Canhoto, Cristin M., Carlson, Stephanie M., Cauvy-Fraunié, Sophie, Cid, Núria, Danger, Michaël, De Freitas Terra, Bianca, De Girolamo, Anna M., De La Barra, Evans, Del Campo, R., Díaz-Villanueva, Verónica D., Dyer, Fiona J., Elosegi, Arturo, Faye, E., Febria, Catherine M., Four, Brian, Gafny, Sarig, Ghate, Sudeep D., Gómez, R., Gómez-Gener, Lluís, Graça, Manuel A., Guareschi, Simone, Hoppeler, Felicitas, Hwan, Jason L., Jones, J. I., Kubheka, S., Laini, Alex, Langhans, Simone D., Leigh, Catherine, Little, Chelsea J., Lorenz, Stefan, Marshall, Jonathan C., Martín, Eduardo J., McIntosh, Angus R., Meyer, Elisabeth I., Miliša, Marko, Mlambo, M. C., Morais, Manuela, Moya, N., Negus, Peter M., Niyogi, D. K., Papatheodoulou, Athina, Pardo, Isabel, Pařil, Petr, Pauls, S. U., Pešić, Vladimir M., Polášek, Marek, Robinson, Christopher T., Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo, Rolls, Robert J., Sánchez-Montoya, María M., Savić, Ana V., Shumilova, O., Sridhar, Kandikere R., Steward, Alisha L., Storey, Richard G., Taleb, Amina, Uzan, A., Vander Vorste, Ross, Waltham, Nathan J., Woelfle-Erskine, Cleo, Zak, Dominik, Zarfl, Christiane, and Zoppini, Annamaria

Abstract

Datry, T., Foulquier, A., Corti, R., Schiller, D., Tockner, K., Mendoza-Lera, C., ... & Gücker, B. (2018). A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways. Nature Geoscience, 11(7), 497-503. Available here.

25. Correction: A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways (Nature Geoscience DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0134-4)

Author

Datry, Thibault, Foulquier, Arnaud, Corti, Roland, Von Schiller, Daniel, Tockner, Klement, Mendoza-Lera, Clara, Gessner, Mark O., Moleón, Marcos, Stubbington, Rachel, Gücker, Björn, Albarinõ, R., Allen, Daniel C., Altermatt, Florian, Arce, María I., Arnon, Shai, Banas, D., Banegas-Medina, A., Beller, Erin E., Blachette, Melanie L., Blanco-Liberos, Juan Felipe, Blessing, J. J., Boëchat, Iola G., Boersma, Kate S., Bogan, Michaael T., Bonada, Núria, Bond, Nick R., Brintrup Barriá, K. C., Bruder, Andreas, Burrows, R. M., Cancellario, Tommaso, Canhoto, Cristin M., Carlson, Stephanie M., Cauvy-Fraunié, Sophie, Cid, Núria, Danger, Michaël, De Freitas Terra, Bianca, De Girolamo, Anna M., De La Barra, Evans, Del Campo, R., Díaz-Villanueva, Verónica D., Dyer, Fiona J., Elosegi, Arturo, Faye, E., Febria, Catherine M., Four, Brian, Gafny, Sarig, Ghate, Sudeep D., Gómez, R., Gómez-Gener, Lluís, Graça, Manuel A., Guareschi, Simone, Hoppeler, Felicitas, Hwan, Jason, Jones, J. I., Kubheka, S., Laini, Alex, Langhans, Simone D., Leigh, Catherine, Little, Chelsea J., Lorenz, Stefan, Marshall, Jonathan C., Martín, Eduardo J., McIntosh, Angus R., Myer, Elisabeth I., Miliša, Marko, Mlambo, M. C., Morais, Manuela, Moya, N., Negus, Peter M., Niyogi, D. K., Papatheodoulou, Athina, Pardo, Isabel, Pařil, Petr, Pauls, S. U., Pešić, Vladmir M., Polášek, Marek, Robinson, Christopher T., Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo, Rolls, Robert J., Sánchez-Montoya, María M., Savić, Ana V., Shumilova, O., Sridhar, Kandikere R., Steward, Alisha L., Storey, Richard G., Taleb, Amina, Uzan, A., Vander Vorste, Ross, Waltham, Nathan J., Woelfle-Erskine, Cleo, Zak, Dominik, Zarfl, Christiane, Zoppini, Annamaria, Datry, Thibault, Foulquier, Arnaud, Corti, Roland, Von Schiller, Daniel, Tockner, Klement, Mendoza-Lera, Clara, Gessner, Mark O., Moleón, Marcos, Stubbington, Rachel, Gücker, Björn, Albarinõ, R., Allen, Daniel C., Altermatt, Florian, Arce, María I., Arnon, Shai, Banas, D., Banegas-Medina, A., Beller, Erin E., Blachette, Melanie L., Blanco-Liberos, Juan Felipe, Blessing, J. J., Boëchat, Iola G., Boersma, Kate S., Bogan, Michaael T., Bonada, Núria, Bond, Nick R., Brintrup Barriá, K. C., Bruder, Andreas, Burrows, R. M., Cancellario, Tommaso, Canhoto, Cristin M., Carlson, Stephanie M., Cauvy-Fraunié, Sophie, Cid, Núria, Danger, Michaël, De Freitas Terra, Bianca, De Girolamo, Anna M., De La Barra, Evans, Del Campo, R., Díaz-Villanueva, Verónica D., Dyer, Fiona J., Elosegi, Arturo, Faye, E., Febria, Catherine M., Four, Brian, Gafny, Sarig, Ghate, Sudeep D., Gómez, R., Gómez-Gener, Lluís, Graça, Manuel A., Guareschi, Simone, Hoppeler, Felicitas, Hwan, Jason, Jones, J. I., Kubheka, S., Laini, Alex, Langhans, Simone D., Leigh, Catherine, Little, Chelsea J., Lorenz, Stefan, Marshall, Jonathan C., Martín, Eduardo J., McIntosh, Angus R., Myer, Elisabeth I., Miliša, Marko, Mlambo, M. C., Morais, Manuela, Moya, N., Negus, Peter M., Niyogi, D. K., Papatheodoulou, Athina, Pardo, Isabel, Pařil, Petr, Pauls, S. U., Pešić, Vladmir M., Polášek, Marek, Robinson, Christopher T., Rodríguez-Lozano, Pablo, Rolls, Robert J., Sánchez-Montoya, María M., Savić, Ana V., Shumilova, O., Sridhar, Kandikere R., Steward, Alisha L., Storey, Richard G., Taleb, Amina, Uzan, A., Vander Vorste, Ross, Waltham, Nathan J., Woelfle-Erskine, Cleo, Zak, Dominik, Zarfl, Christiane, and Zoppini, Annamaria

Abstract

Datry, T., Foulquier, A., Corti, R., Schiller, D., Tockner, K., Mendoza-Lera, C., ... & Gücker, B. (2018). Author Correction: A global analysis of terrestrial plant litter dynamics in non-perennial waterways. Nature Geoscience, 11, 542. Available here

26. A meeting framework for inclusive and sustainable science

Author

Mary Alphonce Kishe, Florian Altermatt, Ole Seehausen, Jan Pawlowski, Peter Convey, Sonja C. Jähnig, Andreas Bruder, Francis J. Burdon, Rosetta C. Blackman, Rachel Stubbington, Xiaowei Zhang, W. Chris Funk, Marcelo S. Moretti, Vianny Natugonza, University of Zurich, and Altermatt, Florian

Subjects
0106 biological sciences, Ecological footprint, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Ecology, Range (biology), UFSP13-8 Global Change and Biodiversity, education, Sustainability science, respiratory system, Viewpoints, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, 10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, 1105 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Carbon transport, 590 Animals (Zoology), 570 Life sciences, biology, Environmental planning, Freshwater ecology, 2303 Ecology, human activities, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract

The ABCD conference format (All continents, Balanced gender, low Carbon transport, Diverse backgrounds) mixes live-streamed and pre-recorded talks with in-person ones to reflect a diverse range of viewpoints and reduce the environmental footprint of meetings while also lowering barriers to inclusiveness.

Published
2020
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27. Time series of freshwater macroinvertebrate abundances and site characteristics of European streams and rivers.

Author

Welti EAR, Bowler DE, Sinclair JS, Altermatt F, Álvarez-Cabria M, Amatulli G, Angeler DG, Archambaud G, Arrate Jorrín I, Aspin T, Azpiroz I, Baker NJ, Bañares I, Barquín Ortiz J, Bodin CL, Bonacina L, Bonada N, Bottarin R, Cañedo-Argüelles M, Csabai Z, Datry T, de Eyto E, Dohet A, Domisch S, Dörflinger G, Drohan E, Eikland KA, England J, Eriksen TE, Evtimova V, Feio MJ, Ferréol M, Floury M, Forcellini M, Forio MAE, Fornaroli R, Friberg N, Fruget JF, Garcia Marquez JR, Georgieva G, Goethals P, Graça MAS, House A, Huttunen KL, Jensen TC, Johnson RK, Jones JI, Kiesel J, Larrañaga A, Leitner P, L'Hoste L, Lizée MH, Lorenz AW, Maire A, Manzanos Arnaiz JA, Mckie B, Millán A, Muotka T, Murphy JF, Ozolins D, Paavola R, Paril P, Peñas Silva FJ, Polasek M, Rasmussen J, Rubio M, Sánchez Fernández D, Sandin L, Schäfer RB, Schmidt-Kloiber A, Scotti A, Shen LQ, Skuja A, Stoll S, Straka M, Stubbington R, Timm H, Tyufekchieva VG, Tziortzis I, Uzunov Y, van der Lee GH, Vannevel R, Varadinova E, Várbíró G, Velle G, Verdonschot PFM, Verdonschot RCM, Vidinova Y, Wiberg-Larsen P, and Haase P

Subjects
Animals, Europe, Fresh Water, Population Dynamics, Water Quality, Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Invertebrates, Rivers
Abstract

Freshwater macroinvertebrates are a diverse group and play key ecological roles, including accelerating nutrient cycling, filtering water, controlling primary producers, and providing food for predators. Their differences in tolerances and short generation times manifest in rapid community responses to change. Macroinvertebrate community composition is an indicator of water quality. In Europe, efforts to improve water quality following environmental legislation, primarily starting in the 1980s, may have driven a recovery of macroinvertebrate communities. Towards understanding temporal and spatial variation of these organisms, we compiled the TREAM dataset (Time seRies of European freshwAter Macroinvertebrates), consisting of macroinvertebrate community time series from 1,816 river and stream sites (mean length of 19.2 years and 14.9 sampling years) of 22 European countries sampled between 1968 and 2020. In total, the data include >93 million sampled individuals of 2,648 taxa from 959 genera and 212 families. These data can be used to test questions ranging from identifying drivers of the population dynamics of specific taxa to assessing the success of legislative and management restoration efforts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Published
2024
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28. SWECO25: a cross-thematic raster database for ecological research in Switzerland.

Author

Külling N, Adde A, Fopp F, Schweiger AK, Broennimann O, Rey PL, Giuliani G, Goicolea T, Petitpierre B, Zimmermann NE, Pellissier L, Altermatt F, Lehmann A, and Guisan A

Abstract

Standard and easily accessible cross-thematic spatial databases are key resources in ecological research. In Switzerland, as in many other countries, available data are scattered across computer servers of research institutions and are rarely provided in standard formats (e.g., different extents or projections systems, inconsistent naming conventions). Consequently, their joint use can require heavy data management and geomatic operations. Here, we introduce SWECO25, a Swiss-wide raster database at 25-meter resolution gathering 5,265 layers. The 10 environmental categories included in SWECO25 are: geologic, topographic, bioclimatic, hydrologic, edaphic, land use and cover, population, transportation, vegetation, and remote sensing. SWECO25 layers were standardized to a common grid sharing the same resolution, extent, and geographic coordinate system. SWECO25 includes the standardized source data and newly calculated layers, such as those obtained by computing focal or distance statistics. SWECO25 layers were validated by a data integrity check, and we verified that the standardization procedure had a negligible effect on the output values. SWECO25 is available on Zenodo and is intended to be updated and extended regularly., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Published
2024
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29. Integrating citizen science and environmental DNA metabarcoding to study biodiversity of groundwater amphipods in Switzerland.

Author

Couton M, Studer A, Hürlemann S, Locher N, Knüsel M, Alther R, and Altermatt F

Subjects
Animals, Ecosystem, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic methods, Switzerland, Biodiversity, Environmental Monitoring methods, DNA, Environmental genetics, Amphipoda genetics, Citizen Science, Groundwater
Abstract

Groundwater is the physically largest freshwater ecosystem, yet one of the least explored habitats on earth, both because of accessing difficulties and the scarcity of the organisms inhabiting it. Here, we demonstrate how a two-fold approach provides complementary information on the occurrence and diversity of groundwater amphipods. Firstly, we used a citizen science approach in collaboration with municipal water providers who sampled groundwater organisms in their spring catchment boxes over multiple weeks, followed by DNA barcoding. Secondly, we collected four 10 L water samples at each site, in one sampling event, for environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. We found that citizen science was very effective in describing the distribution and abundance of groundwater amphipods. Although the single time-point of eDNA sampling did not detect as many amphipods, it allowed the assessment of the entire groundwater community, including microorganisms. By combining both methods, we found different amphipod species co-occurring with distinct sequences from the eDNA-metabarcoding dataset, representing mainly micro-eukaryotic species. We also found a distinct correlation between the diversity of amphipods and the overall biodiversity of groundwater organisms detected by eDNA at each site. We thus suggest that these approaches can be used to get a better understanding of subterranean biodiversity., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Published
2023
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30. The recovery of European freshwater biodiversity has come to a halt.

Author

Haase P, Bowler DE, Baker NJ, Bonada N, Domisch S, Garcia Marquez JR, Heino J, Hering D, Jähnig SC, Schmidt-Kloiber A, Stubbington R, Altermatt F, Álvarez-Cabria M, Amatulli G, Angeler DG, Archambaud-Suard G, Jorrín IA, Aspin T, Azpiroz I, Bañares I, Ortiz JB, Bodin CL, Bonacina L, Bottarin R, Cañedo-Argüelles M, Csabai Z, Datry T, de Eyto E, Dohet A, Dörflinger G, Drohan E, Eikland KA, England J, Eriksen TE, Evtimova V, Feio MJ, Ferréol M, Floury M, Forcellini M, Forio MAE, Fornaroli R, Friberg N, Fruget JF, Georgieva G, Goethals P, Graça MAS, Graf W, House A, Huttunen KL, Jensen TC, Johnson RK, Jones JI, Kiesel J, Kuglerová L, Larrañaga A, Leitner P, L'Hoste L, Lizée MH, Lorenz AW, Maire A, Arnaiz JAM, McKie BG, Millán A, Monteith D, Muotka T, Murphy JF, Ozolins D, Paavola R, Paril P, Peñas FJ, Pilotto F, Polášek M, Rasmussen JJ, Rubio M, Sánchez-Fernández D, Sandin L, Schäfer RB, Scotti A, Shen LQ, Skuja A, Stoll S, Straka M, Timm H, Tyufekchieva VG, Tziortzis I, Uzunov Y, van der Lee GH, Vannevel R, Varadinova E, Várbíró G, Velle G, Verdonschot PFM, Verdonschot RCM, Vidinova Y, Wiberg-Larsen P, and Welti EAR

Subjects
Animals, Introduced Species trends, Europe, Human Activities, Hydrobiology, Time Factors, Crop Production, Urbanization, Global Warming, Water Pollutants analysis, Biodiversity, Fresh Water, Invertebrates classification, Invertebrates physiology, Conservation of Water Resources statistics & numerical data, Conservation of Water Resources trends, Environmental Monitoring
Abstract

Owing to a long history of anthropogenic pressures, freshwater ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to biodiversity loss 1 . Mitigation measures, including wastewater treatment and hydromorphological restoration, have aimed to improve environmental quality and foster the recovery of freshwater biodiversity 2 . Here, using 1,816 time series of freshwater invertebrate communities collected across 22 European countries between 1968 and 2020, we quantified temporal trends in taxonomic and functional diversity and their responses to environmental pressures and gradients. We observed overall increases in taxon richness (0.73% per year), functional richness (2.4% per year) and abundance (1.17% per year). However, these increases primarily occurred before the 2010s, and have since plateaued. Freshwater communities downstream of dams, urban areas and cropland were less likely to experience recovery. Communities at sites with faster rates of warming had fewer gains in taxon richness, functional richness and abundance. Although biodiversity gains in the 1990s and 2000s probably reflect the effectiveness of water-quality improvements and restoration projects, the decelerating trajectory in the 2010s suggests that the current measures offer diminishing returns. Given new and persistent pressures on freshwater ecosystems, including emerging pollutants, climate change and the spread of invasive species, we call for additional mitigation to revive the recovery of freshwater biodiversity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Published
2023
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31. Modelling environmental DNA transport in rivers reveals highly resolved spatio-temporal biodiversity patterns.

Author

Carraro L, Blackman RC, and Altermatt F

Subjects
Animals, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, Environmental Monitoring, Biodiversity, DNA genetics, Fishes genetics, Bacteria genetics, Ecosystem, DNA, Environmental genetics
Abstract

The ever-increasing threats to riverine ecosystems call for novel approaches for highly resolved biodiversity assessments across taxonomic groups and spatio-temporal scales. Recent advances in the joint use of environmental DNA (eDNA) data and eDNA transport models in rivers (e.g., eDITH) allow uncovering the full structure of riverine biodiversity, hence elucidating ecosystem processes and supporting conservation measures. We applied eDITH to a metabarcoding dataset covering three taxonomic groups (fish, invertebrates, bacteria) and three seasons for a catchment sampled for eDNA at 73 sites. We upscaled eDNA-based biodiversity predictions to approximately 1900 reaches, and assessed α- and β-diversity patterns across seasons and taxonomic groups over the whole network. Genus richness predicted by eDITH was generally higher than values from direct eDNA analysis. Both predicted α- and β-diversity varied depending on season and taxonomic group. Predicted fish α-diversity increased downstream in all seasons, while invertebrate and bacteria α-diversity either decreased downstream or were unrelated to network position. Spatial β-diversity mostly decreased downstream, especially for bacteria. The eDITH model yielded a more refined assessment of freshwater biodiversity as compared to raw eDNA data, both in terms of spatial coverage, diversity patterns and effect of covariates, thus providing a more complete picture of freshwater biodiversity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Published
2023
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32. Competition alters species' plastic and genetic response to environmental change.

Author

Govaert L, Gilarranz LJ, and Altermatt F

Subjects
Biological Evolution, Climate Change, Ecosystem, Environment, Genetics, Population Dynamics, Aquatic Organisms genetics, Aquatic Organisms physiology
Abstract

Species react to environmental change via plastic and evolutionary responses. While both of them determine species' survival, most studies quantify these responses individually. As species occur in communities, competing species may further influence their respective response to environmental change. Yet, how environmental change and competing species combined shape plastic and genetic responses to environmental change remains unclear. Quantifying how competition alters plastic and genetic responses of species to environmental change requires a trait-based, community and evolutionary ecological approach. We exposed unicellular aquatic organisms to long-term selection of increasing salinity-representing a common and relevant environmental change. We assessed plastic and genetic contributions to phenotypic change in biomass, cell shape, and dispersal ability along increasing levels of salinity in the presence and absence of competition. Trait changes in response to salinity were mainly due to mean trait evolution, and differed whether species evolved in the presence or absence of competition. Our results show that species' evolutionary and plastic responses to environmental change depended both on competition and the magnitude of environmental change, ultimately determining species persistence. Our results suggest that understanding plastic and genetic responses to environmental change within a community will improve predictions of species' persistence to environmental change., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Published
2021
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33. Mapping biodiversity hotspots of fish communities in subtropical streams through environmental DNA.

Author

Blackman RC, Osathanunkul M, Brantschen J, Di Muri C, Harper LR, Mächler E, Hänfling B, and Altermatt F

Subjects
Animals, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic statistics & numerical data, DNA, Environmental genetics, Environmental Monitoring statistics & numerical data, Fishes classification, Rivers, Thailand, Biodiversity, Conservation of Natural Resources, Environmental Monitoring methods, Fishes genetics
Abstract

Large tropical and subtropical rivers are among the most biodiverse ecosystems worldwide, but also suffer from high anthropogenic pressures. These rivers are hitherto subject to little or no routine biomonitoring, which would be essential for identification of conservation areas of high importance. Here, we use a single environmental DNA multi-site sampling campaign across the 200,000 km 2 Chao Phraya river basin, Thailand, to provide key information on fish diversity. We found a total of 108 fish taxa and identified key biodiversity patterns within the river network. By using hierarchical clustering, we grouped the fish communities of all sites across the catchment into distinct clusters. The clusters not only accurately matched the topology of the river network, but also revealed distinct groups of sites enabling informed conservation measures. Our study reveals novel opportunities of large-scale monitoring via eDNA to identify relevant areas within whole river catchments for conservation and habitat protection.

Published
2021
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34. Disentangling the co-structure of multilayer interaction networks: degree distribution and module composition in two-layer bipartite networks.

Author

Astegiano J, Altermatt F, and Massol F

Subjects
Animals, Biodiversity, Flowers, Herbivory physiology, Plants, Symbiosis physiology, Food Chain, Lepidoptera physiology, Models, Biological, Plant Physiological Phenomena
Abstract

Species establish different interactions (e.g. antagonistic, mutualistic) with multiple species, forming multilayer ecological networks. Disentangling network co-structure in multilayer networks is crucial to predict how biodiversity loss may affect the persistence of multispecies assemblages. Existing methods to analyse multilayer networks often fail to consider network co-structure. We present a new method to evaluate the modular co-structure of multilayer networks through the assessment of species degree co-distribution and network module composition. We focus on modular structure because of its high prevalence among ecological networks. We apply our method to two Lepidoptera-plant networks, one describing caterpillar-plant herbivory interactions and one representing adult Lepidoptera nectaring on flowers, thereby possibly pollinating them. More than 50% of the species established either herbivory or visitation interactions, but not both. These species were over-represented among plants and lepidopterans, and were present in most modules in both networks. Similarity in module composition between networks was high but not different from random expectations. Our method clearly delineates the importance of interpreting multilayer module composition similarity in the light of the constraints imposed by network structure to predict the potential indirect effects of species loss through interconnected modular networks.

Published
2017
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