10.5061/DRYAD.560CH
Leibold, Mathew A.
The University of Texas at Austin
Hall, Spencer R.
Indiana University Bloomington
Smith, Val H.
University of Kansas
Lytle, David A.
Oregon State University
Data from: Herbivory enhances the diversity of primary producers in pond
ecosystems
Dryad
dataset
2017
shading
Stoichiometry
Cladocera
Copepoda
grazers
Holocene
Chlorophyta
National Science Foundation
https://ror.org/021nxhr62
DEB 9815799
2017-10-04T00:00:00Z
2017-10-04T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1636
57374 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Diversity of primary producer is often surprisingly high, despite few
limiting factors such as nutrients and light to facilitate species
coexistence. In theory, the presence of herbivores could increase the
diversity of primary producers, resolving this “paradox of the plankton”.
Little experimental evidence supports this natural enemies hypothesis, but
previous tests suffer from several deficiencies. Previous experiments
often did not allow for multigeneration effects; utilized low diversity
assemblages of herbivores; and limited opportunities for new primary
producer and herbivore species to colonize and undergo species sorting
that favors some species over others. Using pond plankton, we designed a
mesocosm experiment that overcame these problems by allowing more time for
interactions over multiple generations, openness to allow new colonists,
and manipulated higher diversity of primary producers and grazers than
have previous studies. With this design, the presence of zooplankton
grazers doubled phytoplankton richness. The additional phytoplankton
species in grazed mesocosms were larger, and therefore likely more
grazer-resistant. Furthermore, phytoplankton richness in grazed mesocosms
was similar to that observed in natural ponds whereas it was much lower in
mesocosms without grazers. However, stoichiometric imbalance caused by
variation in nitrogen:phosphorus ratios and light supply did not alter
phytoplankton richness. Therefore, grazers enhanced primary producer
richness more strongly than ratios of nutrient supply (even though both
grazing and ratios of resource supply altered composition of primary
producer assemblages). Taken together, these experimental and field data
show that grazing from a diverse assemblage of herbivores greatly elevated
richness of phytoplankton producers in pond ecosystems.
Diversity in pond mesocosmsThis data set gives Chao 1 estimates for each
mesocosm for zooplankton and phytoplankton. Each mesocosm is identified by
a number and by the treatments imposed.SummaryDataforDryad.xlsx
N. America