@Article{PiresLealPeet:2017:RaChAf,
author = "Pires, Aliny Patricia Flauzino and Leal, Juliana da Silva and
Peeters, Edwin T. H. M.",
affiliation = "{Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)} and
{Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)} and {Wageningen
University}",
title = "Rainfall changes affect the algae dominance in tank bromeliad
ecosystems",
journal = "PLoS One",
year = "2017",
volume = "12",
number = "4",
pages = "e0175436",
month = "Apr.",
keywords = "chlorophyll a, rain.",
abstract = "Climate change and biodiversity loss have been reported as major
disturbances in the biosphere which can trigger changes in the
structure and functioning of natural ecosystems. Nonetheless,
empirical studies demonstrating how both factors interact to
affect shifts in aquatic ecosystems are still unexplored. Here, we
experimentally test how changes in rainfall distribution and
litter diversity affect the occurrence of the algae-dominated
condition in tank bromeliad ecosystems. Tank bromeliads are
miniature aquatic ecosystems shaped by the rainwater and
allochthonous detritus accumulated in the bases of their leaves.
Here, we demonstrated that changes in the rainfall distribution
were able to reduce the chlorophyll-a concentration in the water
of bromeliad tanks affecting significantly the occurrence of
algaedominated conditions. On the other hand, litter diversity did
not affect the algae dominance irrespective to the rainfall
scenario. We suggest that rainfall changes may compromise
important self-reinforcing mechanisms responsible for maintaining
high levels of algae on tank bromeliads ecosystems. We summarized
these results into a theoretical model which suggests that tank
bromeliads may show two different regimes, determined by the
bromeliad ability in taking up nutrients from the water and by the
total amount of light entering the tank. We concluded that
predicted climate changes might promote regime shifts in tropical
aquatic ecosystems by shaping their structure and the relative
importance of other regulating factors.",
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0175436",
url = "http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175436",
issn = "1932-6203",
language = "en",
targetfile = "pires_rainfall.pdf",
urlaccessdate = "15 jun. 2024"
}