ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8475-5109
Current Organisation
Nottingham Trent University
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Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Date: 31-08-2018
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-08-2020
DOI: 10.1111/FWB.13599
Abstract: According to metacommunity theories, the structure of natural communities is the result of both environmental filtering and spatial processes, with their relative importance depending on factors including local habitat characteristics, functional features of organisms, and the spatial scale considered. However, few studies have explored environmental and spatial processes in riverine systems at local scales, explicitly incorporating spatial coordinates into multi‐taxa distribution models. To address this gap, we conducted a small‐scale study to discriminate between abiotic and biotic factors affecting the distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates, applying metacommunity concepts. We studied a mountain section in each of three perennial streams within the Po River Basin (northern Italy). We s led macroinvertebrates both in summer and winter, using specific in situ 50‐point random s ling grids. Environmental factors, including benthic organic matter (BOM), flow velocity, water depth, and substrate were recorded together with spatial coordinates for each s ling point. The relationships between community metrics (taxon richness, abundance, biomass, biomass–abundance ratio, and functional feeding groups) and explanatory variables (environmental and spatial) were assessed using generalised additive models. The influence of the explanatory variables on community structure was analysed with joint species distribution models. Environmental variables—primarily BOM—were the main drivers affecting community metrics, whereas the effects of spatial variables varied among metrics, streams, and seasons. During summer, community structure was strongly affected by BOM and spatial position within the riverbed, the latter probably being a proxy for mass effects mediated by biotic and stochastic processes. In contrast, community structure was mainly shaped by hydraulic variables in winter. Using macroinvertebrate communities as a model group, our results demonstrate that metacommunity concepts can explain small‐scale variability in community structure. We found that both environmental filtering and biotic processes shape local communities, with the strength of these drivers depending on the season. These insights provide baseline knowledge that informs our understanding of ecological responses to environmental variability in contexts including restoration ecology, habitat suitability modelling, and biomonitoring.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-04-2019
DOI: 10.1002/PAN3.22
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 25-04-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.16207
Abstract: Globalization has led to the introduction of thousands of alien species worldwide. With growing impacts by invasive species, understanding the invasion process remains critical for predicting adverse effects and informing efficient management. Theoretically, invasion dynamics have been assumed to follow an “invasion curve” (S‐shaped curve of available area invaded over time), but this dynamic has lacked empirical testing using large‐scale data and neglects to consider invader abundances. We propose an “impact curve” describing the impacts generated by invasive species over time based on cumulative abundances. To test this curve's large‐scale applicability, we used the data‐rich New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum , one of the most damaging freshwater invaders that has invaded almost all of Europe. Using long‐term (1979–2020) abundance and environmental data collected across 306 European sites, we observed that P. antipodarum abundance generally increased through time, with slower population growth at higher latitudes and with lower runoff depth. Fifty‐nine percent of these populations followed the impact curve, characterized by first occurrence, exponential growth, then long‐term saturation. This behaviour is consistent with boom‐bust dynamics, as saturation occurs due to a rapid decline in abundance over time. Across sites, we estimated that impact peaked approximately two decades after first detection, but the rate of progression along the invasion process was influenced by local abiotic conditions. The S‐shaped impact curve may be common among many invasive species that undergo complex invasion dynamics. This provides a potentially unifying approach to advance understanding of large‐scale invasion dynamics and could inform timely management actions to mitigate impacts on ecosystems and economies.
Publisher: Research Square Platform LLC
Date: 19-09-2023
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Date: 10-2019
DOI: 10.1029/2019GB006276
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-02-2019
DOI: 10.1111/GCB.14537
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Rachel Stubbington.