scholarly journals The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically and horizontally heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography model, version 2.2 – Part 2: Model evaluation for tropical South America

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4347-4374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Longo ◽  
Ryan G. Knox ◽  
Naomi M. Levine ◽  
Abigail L. S. Swann ◽  
David M. Medvigy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Emergent Properties ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Carbon Cycles ◽  
Model Version ◽  
Tropical South America

Abstract. The Ecosystem Demography model version 2.2 (ED-2.2) is a terrestrial biosphere model that simulates the biophysical, ecological, and biogeochemical dynamics of vertically and horizontally heterogeneous terrestrial ecosystems. In a companion paper (Longo et al., 2019a), we described how the model solves the energy, water, and carbon cycles, and verified the high degree of conservation of these properties in long-term simulations that include long-term (multi-decadal) vegetation dynamics. Here, we present a detailed assessment of the model's ability to represent multiple processes associated with the biophysical and biogeochemical cycles in Amazon forests. We use multiple measurements from eddy covariance towers, forest inventory plots, and regional remote-sensing products to assess the model's ability to represent biophysical, physiological, and ecological processes at multiple timescales, ranging from subdaily to century long. The ED-2.2 model accurately describes the vertical distribution of light, water fluxes, and the storage of water, energy, and carbon in the canopy air space, the regional distribution of biomass in tropical South America, and the variability of biomass as a function of environmental drivers. In addition, ED-2.2 qualitatively captures several emergent properties of the ecosystem found in observations, specifically observed relationships between aboveground biomass, mortality rates, and wood density; however, the slopes of these relationships were not accurately captured. We also identified several limitations, including the model's tendency to overestimate the magnitude and seasonality of heterotrophic respiration and to overestimate growth rates in a nutrient-poor tropical site. The evaluation presented here highlights the potential of incorporating structural and functional heterogeneity within biomes in Earth system models (ESMs) and to realistically represent their impacts on energy, water, and carbon cycles. We also identify several priorities for further model development.

scholarly journals The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically- and horizontally-heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography Model, version 2.2 – Part 2: Model evaluation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Longo ◽  
Ryan G. Knox ◽  
Naomi M. Levine ◽  
Abigail L. S. Swann ◽  
David M. Medvigy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Carbon Cycles ◽  
Model Version

Abstract. The Ecosystem Demography Model version 2.2 (ED-2.2) is a terrestrial biosphere model that simulates the biophysical and biogeochemical cycles of dynamic ecosystems while considering the role of vertical structure of plant communities and the heterogeneity of such structures across the landscape. In a companion paper, we described in detail how the model solves the energy, water, and carbon cycles, and verified the excellent conservation of such properties in long-term simulation. Here, we present a thorough assessment of the model's ability to represent multiple processes associated with the biophysical and biogeochemical cycles, with focus on the Amazon forest. We used multiple measurements from eddy covariance towers, forest inventory plots and regional remote-sensing products to assess the model's ability to represent biophysical, physiological, and ecological processes at multiple time scales ranging from sub-daily to century-long. The ED-2.2 model accurately describes the vertical distribution of light, water fluxes and the storage of water, energy and carbon in the canopy air space, the regional distribution of biomass in tropical South America, and the variability of biomass as a function of environmental drivers. In addition, ED-2.2 also simulates emerging properties of the ecosystem found in observations, such as the relationship between biomass and mortality rates and wood density, although the relationships predicted by the model were biased. We also identified some of the model limitations, such as the model's tendency to overestimate the magnitude and seasonality of heterotrophic respiration, and to overestimate growth rates in a nutrient-poor tropical site. The evaluation presented here highlights the potential of incorporating structural and functional heterogeneity within biomes in ESMs, to realistically represent the role of forest structure and composition on energy, water, and carbon cycles, as well as the priority areas for further model development.

scholarly journals Linking Genes to Traits in Fungi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Romero-Olivares ◽  
E. W. Morrison ◽  
A. Pringle ◽  
S. D. Frey
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Uptake ◽  
Brown Rot ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Organic Matter Decomposition ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Linked Gene ◽  
Carbon Cycles ◽  
Brown Rot Fungi

AbstractFungi are mediators of the nitrogen and carbon cycles in terrestrial ecosystems. Examining how nitrogen uptake and organic matter decomposition potential differs in fungi can provide insight into the underlying mechanisms driving fungal ecological processes and ecosystem functioning. In this study, we assessed the frequency of genes encoding for specific enzymes that facilitate nitrogen uptake and organic matter decomposition in 879 fungal genomes with fungal taxa grouped into trait-based categories. Our linked gene-trait data approach revealed that gene frequencies vary across and within trait-based groups and that trait-based categories differ in trait space. We present two examples of how this linked gene-trait approach can be used to address ecological questions. First, we show that this type of approach can help us better understand, and potentially predict, how fungi will respond to environmental stress. Specifically, we found that trait-based categories with high nitrogen uptake gene frequency increased in relative abundance when exposed to high soil nitrogen enrichment. Second, by comparing frequencies of nitrogen uptake and organic matter decomposition genes, we found that most ectomycorrhizal fungi in our dataset have similar gene frequencies to brown rot fungi. This demonstrates that gene-trait data approaches can shed light on potential evolutionary trajectories of life history traits in fungi. We present a framework for exploring nitrogen uptake and organic matter decomposition gene frequencies in fungal trait-based groups and provide two concise examples on how to use our framework to address ecological questions from a mechanistic perspective.

scholarly journals The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically- and horizontally-heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography Model, version 2.2 — Part 1: Model description

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Longo ◽  
Ryan G. Knox ◽  
David M. Medvigy ◽  
Naomi M. Levine ◽  
Michael C. Dietze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Model Description ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Detailed Model ◽  
Carbon Cycles ◽  
Model Version ◽  
Vertical Heterogeneity ◽  
Individual Trees ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Abstract. Earth System Models (ESMs) have been developed to represent the role of terrestrial ecosystems on the energy, water, and carbon cycles. However, many ESMs still lack representation of within-ecosystem heterogeneity and diversity. In this manuscript, we present the Ecosystem Demography Model version 2.2 (ED-2.2). In ED-2.2, the biophysical and physiological cycles account for the horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of the ecosystem: the energy, water, and carbon cycles are solved separately for each group of individual trees of similar size and functional group (cohorts) living in a micro-environment with similar disturbance history (patches). We define the equations that describe the energy, water, and carbon cycles in terms of total energy, water, and carbon, which simplifies the ordinary differential equations and guarantees excellent conservation of these quantities in long-term simulation ( < 0.1 % error over 50 years). We also show examples of ED-2.2 simulation results at single sites and across tropical South America. These results demonstrate the model's ability to characterize the variability of ecosystem structure, composition and functioning both at stand- and continental-scales. In addition, a detailed model evaluation was carried out and presented in a companion paper. Finally, we highlight some of the ongoing developments in ED-2.2 that aim at reducing the uncertainties identified in this study and the inclusion of processes hitherto not represented in the model.

scholarly journals The biophysics, ecology, and biogeochemistry of functionally diverse, vertically and horizontally heterogeneous ecosystems: the Ecosystem Demography model, version 2.2 – Part 1: Model description

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4309-4346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Longo ◽  
Ryan G. Knox ◽  
David M. Medvigy ◽  
Naomi M. Levine ◽  
Michael C. Dietze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Model Description ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Detailed Model ◽  
Carbon Cycles ◽  
Model Version ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Vertical Heterogeneity ◽  
And Performance

Abstract. Earth system models (ESMs) have been developed to represent the role of terrestrial ecosystems on the energy, water, and carbon cycles. However, many ESMs still lack representation of within-ecosystem heterogeneity and diversity. In this paper, we present the Ecosystem Demography model version 2.2 (ED-2.2). In ED-2.2, the biophysical and physiological processes account for the horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of the ecosystem: the energy, water, and carbon cycles are solved separately for a series of vegetation cohorts (groups of individual plants of similar size and plant functional type) distributed across a series of spatially implicit patches (representing collections of micro-environments that have a similar disturbance history). We define the equations that describe the energy, water, and carbon cycles in terms of total energy, water, and carbon, which simplifies the differential equations and guarantees excellent conservation of these quantities in long-term simulation (< 0.1 % error over 50 years). We also show examples of ED-2.2 simulation results at single sites and across tropical South America. These results demonstrate the model's ability to characterize the variability of ecosystem structure, composition, and functioning both at stand and continental scales. A detailed model evaluation was conducted and is presented in a companion paper (Longo et al., 2019a). Finally, we highlight some of the ongoing model developments designed to improve the model's accuracy and performance and to include processes hitherto not represented in the model.

scholarly journals Urban Ecological Restoration

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul H. Gobster
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Fixed Set ◽  
Natural Diversity ◽  
Urban Ecological Restoration

What does ecological restoration mean in an urban context? More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and in response to the dynamic patterns of urbanization, a growing number of ecologists, land managers, and volunteers are focusing their efforts in and around cities to restore remnants of natural diversity (Ingram 2008). Ecological restoration is still a quite youthful field, yet many scientists and practitioners hold a relatively fixed set of criteria for what defines a successful restoration project, irrespective of where sites are located. Among the criteria commonly stated, sites should be composed of indigenous species, have a structure and diversity characteristic of currently undisturbed or historically documented “reference” sites, and be maintained through ecological processes such as fire that ensure long-term sustainability with minimal human assistance (Ruiz-Jaén and Aide 2005; SER International 2004). Application of these criteria has led to many ecologically successful restorations, but some ecologists in the field have begun to question whether the same standards can be realistically applied to sites such as those within urban areas that have been radically altered by past human activity (e.g., Martínez and López-Barerra 2008) or are being influenced by novel conditions that result in unpredictable trajectories (Choi 2007). Perhaps more significantly, it is becoming increasingly recognized that the broader viability of restoration projects, especially those in urban areas, hinges on how socially successful they are in gaining public acceptance for restoration activities and practices, building constituencies to assist with implementation and maintenance, and addressing a broader set of sustainability goals that reach beyond the protection of native biodiversity (e.g., Choi et al. 2008; Hobbs 2007; Rosenzweig 2003).

scholarly journals Long-term UVB exposure promotes predator-inspection behaviour in a fish

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 20170497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Vitt ◽  
Janina E. Zierul ◽  
Theo C. M. Bakker ◽  
Ingolf P. Rick
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Ultraviolet B ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Uvb Radiation ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Natural Sunlight ◽  
Predator Inspection

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) reaching the earth's surface has increased due to human-caused stratospheric ozone depletion. Whereas the harmful effects of UVB on aquatic organisms are well studied at the molecular and cellular level, recent studies have also begun to address behavioural changes caused by sublethal amounts of UVB. However, the behavioural consequences of long-term exposure to ecologically relevant UVB levels over several life stages are virtually unknown, particularly with regard to predator–prey behaviour. We found increased predator-inspection behaviour together with a smaller body length in three-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) after fish were exposed for about seven months to natural sunlight conditions with enhanced UVB, compared with full siblings exposed to natural sunlight only. The observed change in antipredator behaviour may reflect a direct behavioural response mediated through UVB-induced oxidative stress during development. Alternatively, the smaller body size in UVB-exposed fish may result in an increased inspection effort allowing them to spend more time foraging. Our findings suggest that, within the scope of environmental change, UVB radiation constitutes an important stress factor by eliciting behavioural responses that influence crucial ecological processes, such as predator–prey interactions.

Avian Speciation in Tropical South America

Bird-Banding ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
Burt L. Monroe, ◽  
J. Haffer
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Tropical South America
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