Linking resource competition and biodiversity in meta-ecosystems

• Applicant: Dr. Alexey Ryabov
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 265554662

Resource competition is one of the most fundamental species interactions in ecology. It has been studied intensely in the last decade as a major driver for the structure and species richness of biological communities. Recently, it is increasingly acknowledged that spatially structured communities are not only connected by dispersal of organisms but also by flows of matter and resources. However, despite the fact that such meta-ecosystems are an emerging topic in community ecology, not much is known about competition in spatially structured environments where species may modify resource distributions. In the proposed research project we aim to gain a mechanistic understanding about the relationship between resource competition, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in meta-ecosystems. To address this question we will develop a framework for describing resource competition in meta-ecosystems. We will model a meta-ecosystem as a system of diffusively connected patches that differ in the levels and ratios of resources. This approach enables us to study the effects of spatial resource distributions on the eco-system functioning. In particular, we will (i) determine species traits that enhance competitive abilities in a spatially structured environment, (ii) quantify how a single species shapes its spatial resource environment, (iii) investigate two-species and multi-species competition in a meta-ecosystem, as well as conditions that maximize biodiversity, (iv) analyse feedbacks between resource and biomass distributions, and their influence on the resource-use, productivity and biodiversity, and (v) explore the relationship between resource-use, primary production and biodiversity patterns in patchy meta-ecosystems. Finally, we have the unique opportunity to validate our theoretical predictions against experiments with plankton communities in a chemostat-like system consisting of serially connected vessels where two essential nutrients are supplied from opposing ends of the system (so-called gradostat). Our approach will enable to assess the diversity and productivity both at the system and the patch level and admits theoretical investigations, yielding a novel, high-resolution analysis of meta-ecosystem processes. The results of this research project will help to bridge the gap between classic competition theory and spatially structured meta-ecosystems and will be of general relevance for enhancing our understanding of species coexistence and biodiversity-functioning relationships in field communities.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Austria
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Bernd Blasius; Professor Dr. Robert Ptacnik