Intraspecific demographic and trait responses to environmental change drivers are linked in two species of ciliate
(2024) BMC Ecology and Evolution — Vol. 24, n° 1, p. 1-16 (2024)
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- Abstract
- Over the past decade, theory and observations have suggested intraspecific variation, trait-based differences within species, as a buffer against biodiversity loss from multiple environmental changes. This buffering effect can only occur when different populations of the same species respond differently to environmental change. More specifically, variation of demographic responses fosters buffering of demography, while variation of trait responses fosters buffering of functioning. Understanding how both responses are related is important for predicting biodiversity loss and its consequences. In this study, we aimed to empirically assess whether population-level trait responses to multiple environmental change drivers are related to the demographic response to these drivers. To this end, we measured demographic and trait responses in microcosm experiments with two species of ciliated protists. For three clonal strains of each species, we measured responses to two environmental change drivers (climate change and pollution) and their combination. We also examined if relationships between demographic and trait responses existed across treatments and strains.
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Citations
de Bruin, T., De Laender, F., Jadoul, J., & Schtickzelle, N. (2024). Intraspecific demographic and trait responses to environmental change drivers are linked in two species of ciliate. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02241-2 (Original work published 2024)