Title
Nestedness in sessile and periphytic rotifer communities: A meta-analysis
Publication Date
2014
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The freshwater littoral comprises a mosaic of habitats structured at several scales by a combination of hydrophyte architecture and physiology. Within this complex environment littoral invertebrates should distribute themselves to maximize fitness: that is, for sessile animals selection of permanent substrata is critical, while distribution of motile (periphytic) animals should follow predictions of Ideal Free Distribution theory. Here we explore the relationships between littoral rotifers and hydrophytes by conducting nestedness analyses on 10 published datasets (7 sessile; 3 periphytic); one dataset each of microcrustaceans and insects were included for comparison. We used four metrics to assess nestedness: mean matrix temperature (T); counts of discrepancy shifts and species segregation; and percent singletons. Six sessile rotifer datasets exhibited nestedness (T = 9.25–30.2°, supported by ≥2 null models; the other metrics varied widely). Our results indicate that distribution of sessile rotifers and periphytic insects was highly structured, but until more data is available little can be said about the distribution of the periphytic rotifer or microcrustacean community structure. Sessile rotifer species possessing idiosyncratic temperatures (T>T +1.5 SD) exhibited a trend toward a record of cosmopolitanism. Important idiosyncratic hydrophytes included Ceratophyllum, Chara, and Utricularia. Two of the three periphytic, rotifer datasets exhibited nestedness (T = 19.2°, 39.9°), but each was supported by only one of the four null models. The periphytic microcrustaceans did not show nestedness, while the insects did (T = 15.5°; supported by four null models). The three other metrics varied considerably among the periphytic datasets, showing no discernable pattern.
Comments
Meksuwan, P. , Pholpunthin, P. , Walsh, E. J., Segers, H. and Wallace, R. L. (2014), Nestedness in sessile and periphytic rotifer communities: A meta‐analysis. Internat. Rev. Hydrobiol., 99: 48-57. doi:10.1002/iroh.201301703