Data from: Species contributions to ecosystem stability change with disturbance type
Cite this dataset
White, Lydia; O'Connor, Nessa; Gilson, Abby; Donohue, Ian (2024). Data from: Species contributions to ecosystem stability change with disturbance type [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sj3tx96c8
Abstract
Simultaneous exposure to multiple stressors complicates the challenge of predicting ecological responses to global environmental change. Here, we show that the contributions of individual species and functional groups to the overall stability of ecosystems can be modified by the presence of different stressors, both individually and in combination. By disturbing natural rocky shore communities with nutrients and sediments and simulating extinction of predatory whelks and grazers, we also found that consumers can simultaneously stabilise and destabilise communities along different stability dimensions, irrespective of their trophic position. Our results suggest that our experimental disturbances influenced consumer contributions to stability indirectly by modifying the interactions between consumers and macroalgae in different ways. These findings merit further exploration in different systems exposed to a range of different stressors to better understand how perturbations of different kinds can modify the multifaceted contributions of species to the overall stability of ecosystems.
README: Data from: Species contributions to ecosystem stability change with disturbance type
Contact
Lydia White, Tvärminne Zoological Station, University of Helsinki, lydia.white@helsinki.fi
Description
This dataset contains species abundance matrices for monthly surveys of experimental intertidal plots at Rush, Co. Dublin, Ireland (53.524° N, 6.078° W) over 15 months from August 2015. Each row is a plot described by the following fields:
- Time: Timepoint of the survey, ranging from 0, the beginning of the experiment, to 15 the end of the experiment. Timpoint: 6 corresponds to the last survey before the disturbance phase, which then continues to time 12.
- Month: Month and year that the survey occurred
- Plot: Experimental plot (n = 80) with unique identifier (letters or numbers)
- Diversity: consumer treatment (C = none removed; B = Nucella lapillus (predator) removed; A = Nucella lapillus (predator) & Patella, Littorina & Gibbula (grazers) removed; D = uncaged controls)
- Nutrients: Nutrient treatment (N1 = nutrients added, N0 = undisturbed)
- Sediment: Sediment treatment (S1 = sediment added, S0 = undisturbed)
- Treatment: Combination of Diversity, Nutrients, & Sediment treatments to give unique treatment groups.
- macroalgal_cover (one field per species, see abbreviation section): data are the number of intersections on a 25x25cm quadrat (64 intersections total) under which the species lies converted into % cover values (species present in the quadrat, but not found under any of the intersections were assigned a cover value of 1%).
Species names abbreviations
- Bryopsis_sp: Bryopsis spp.
- Cer_Ech: Ceramium echiontum
- Cer_Nod: Ceramium nodulosum
- Cer_Spiky: Ceramium spp
- Cha_Lin: Chaetomorpha linum
- Cho_Cri: Chondrus crispus
- Chylo_Vert: Chylocladia verticillata
- Clad_Spong: Cladostephus spongiosus
- Cla_Rup: Cladophora rupestris
- Cla_sp: Cladophora spp
- Comp_Thu: Compsothamnioin thuyoides
- Cor_Ofi: Corallina officinalis
- Dic_Dic: Dictyota dichotoma
- Dum_Cort: Dumontia cortorta
- Ecto: Ectocarpus spp
- Bro_Flu: Elachista spp
- Fuc_Juv: Fucus juvenile
- Fuc_Ves: Fucus vesiculosus
- Fuc_Ser: Fucus serratus
- Gel_Cri: Gelidium crinale
- Hilden: Hildenbrandia spp
- Lam_Juv: Laminaria juvenile
- Leath_Dif: Leathesia difformis
- Lith: Lithothamniun spp
- Lom_Art: Lomentaria articulata
- Mas_Stel: Mastocarpus stellatus
- Osm_Hyb: Osmundea hybrida
- Osm_sp: Osmundea pinnatifida
- Pal_Pal: Palmaria palmata
- Poly_Fuc: Polysiphonia fucoides
- Porphyra: Porphyra spp
- Rhizo_Rip: Rhizoclonium riparium
- Gre_Fil: Ulva compressa
- Ulva_Int: Ulva intestinalis
- Ulva_Lac: Ulva lactuca
Methods
This dataset contains species abundance matrices for monthly surveys of experimental plots at Rush, Co. Dublin, Ireland (53.524° N, 6.078° W) over 15 months from August 2015. We measured the percent cover of macroalgae monthly using a 25 x 25 cm quadrat with 64 intersections, positioned centrally within cages to avoid sampling edge effects. Species present within the quadrat but not occurring underneath any of the intersections were assigned a cover value of 1%. We used the dataset to quantify four components of ecological stability, separately for both total algal cover (as a proxy for total algal biomass) and assemblage structure as measures of, respectively, functional and compositional stability. Please see Table 1 and methods section in the associated manuscript for details on calculating stability measures. R scripts for calculating stability measures and producing figures within the manuscript can be found here: https://github.com/lydiajanewhite/rush-paper-analysis
Funding
Department for Economy, Northern Ireland