Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum
Cryptophytes, a group of microalgae, play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems but have been relatively understudied, particularly in terms of their diversity and community assembly along environmental gradients. This study investigated the diversity patterns and assembly mechanisms of cryptophyte co...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000433 |
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| author | Changyun Wang Yao Liu Zhuyin Tong Shujie Cai Yichong Wang Nengwang Chen Bangqin Huang Wupeng Xiao |
| author_facet | Changyun Wang Yao Liu Zhuyin Tong Shujie Cai Yichong Wang Nengwang Chen Bangqin Huang Wupeng Xiao |
| author_sort | Changyun Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cryptophytes, a group of microalgae, play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems but have been relatively understudied, particularly in terms of their diversity and community assembly along environmental gradients. This study investigated the diversity patterns and assembly mechanisms of cryptophyte communities across a river-estuary-coast continuum in southeast China. Contrary to Remane’s Artenminimum hypothesis, which predicts a minimum in species diversity at intermediate salinities, we observed a peak in cryptophyte richness within the estuarine zone. This finding suggests that cryptophytes may follow different ecological rules compared to macrozoobenthos, perhaps because of the complex habitat heterogeneity and the dynamic mixing of freshwater and marine species in estuaries. Our analyses also revealed significant ecological discontinuities along the continuum, particularly at the estuarine interface, where deterministic processes, such as salinity-driven selection, become more influential in community assembly across habitat boundaries. Co-occurrence network analyses further highlighted the estuary as a hotspot of biological interactions, characterized by a complex network structure that supports high species richness. These results underscore the importance of considering ecological discontinuities and habitat-specific processes in the management and conservation of connected aquatic ecosystems, particularly in transitional environments like estuaries that are subject to rapid environmental changes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c4cddaac89d943faa79ae7b5ea6ba0bf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-c4cddaac89d943faa79ae7b5ea6ba0bf2025-01-27T04:21:45ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-02-01171113114Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuumChangyun Wang0Yao Liu1Zhuyin Tong2Shujie Cai3Yichong Wang4Nengwang Chen5Bangqin Huang6Wupeng Xiao7State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaCorresponding author.; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science / Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies/College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, ChinaCryptophytes, a group of microalgae, play crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems but have been relatively understudied, particularly in terms of their diversity and community assembly along environmental gradients. This study investigated the diversity patterns and assembly mechanisms of cryptophyte communities across a river-estuary-coast continuum in southeast China. Contrary to Remane’s Artenminimum hypothesis, which predicts a minimum in species diversity at intermediate salinities, we observed a peak in cryptophyte richness within the estuarine zone. This finding suggests that cryptophytes may follow different ecological rules compared to macrozoobenthos, perhaps because of the complex habitat heterogeneity and the dynamic mixing of freshwater and marine species in estuaries. Our analyses also revealed significant ecological discontinuities along the continuum, particularly at the estuarine interface, where deterministic processes, such as salinity-driven selection, become more influential in community assembly across habitat boundaries. Co-occurrence network analyses further highlighted the estuary as a hotspot of biological interactions, characterized by a complex network structure that supports high species richness. These results underscore the importance of considering ecological discontinuities and habitat-specific processes in the management and conservation of connected aquatic ecosystems, particularly in transitional environments like estuaries that are subject to rapid environmental changes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000433CryptophytesDiversityJiulong RiverRiver-estuary-coast continuumRemane’s Artenminimum |
| spellingShingle | Changyun Wang Yao Liu Zhuyin Tong Shujie Cai Yichong Wang Nengwang Chen Bangqin Huang Wupeng Xiao Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum Ecological Indicators Cryptophytes Diversity Jiulong River River-estuary-coast continuum Remane’s Artenminimum |
| title | Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum |
| title_full | Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum |
| title_fullStr | Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum |
| title_short | Cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river-estuary-coast continuum |
| title_sort | cryptophyte diversity and assembly mechanisms reveal ecological discontinuities in a river estuary coast continuum |
| topic | Cryptophytes Diversity Jiulong River River-estuary-coast continuum Remane’s Artenminimum |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000433 |
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