There is increasing evidence that closely related species have contrasting ecosystem effects, but very little is known about the temporal scale of these effects. When organisms' ecosystem-effects persist beyond or emerge after their presence in the ecosystem, this might increase the potential for eco-evolutionary feedbacks to accompany evolutionary diversification. Here we studied lab-raised whitefish of a benthic-limnetic species pair from a postglacial adaptive radiation to test whether closely related species have contrasting effects on mesocosm ecosystems (hereafter ecosystem effects). We found that the presence of whitefish (ecological effect) had strong effects on some ecosystem components, for example by reducing snail and mussel abundance and increasing phytoplankton abundance. Whitefish species had contrasting effects (evolutionary effect) on benthic algal cover, dissolved organic carbon, and zooplankton community composition, but these effects only emerged several months after whitefish were removed from the ecosystem. The effects of plasticity and the interactive effects of species and plasticity were relatively weak and, with one exception, not significant. Ecological and evolutionary effect sizes were uncorrelated over both phases of the experiment, as were effect sizes between phases for both ecological and evolutionary contrasts. Overall, our results suggest that adaptive radiation can have effects on the structure and functioning of ecosystems, but that the temporal dynamics and mechanistic basis of these effects are insufficiently understood.
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Symposium Proceedings: Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics in Cold Blood|
September 27 2017
The Legacy of Ecosystem Effects Caused by Adaptive Radiation
Bänz Lundsgaard-Hansen;
Bänz Lundsgaard-Hansen
1Division of Aquatic Ecology & Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
2Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Email: (OS) Ole.Seehausen@eawag.ch. Send reprint requests to OS.
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Blake Matthews;
Blake Matthews
2Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Email: (OS) Ole.Seehausen@eawag.ch. Send reprint requests to OS.
3Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Aquatic Ecology, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland.
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Thierry Aebischer;
Thierry Aebischer
1Division of Aquatic Ecology & Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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Ole Seehausen
Ole Seehausen
1Division of Aquatic Ecology & Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
2Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution, Centre of Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Seestrasse 79, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland; Email: (OS) Ole.Seehausen@eawag.ch. Send reprint requests to OS.
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Copeia (2017) 105 (3): 550–557.
Citation
Bänz Lundsgaard-Hansen, Blake Matthews, Thierry Aebischer, Ole Seehausen; The Legacy of Ecosystem Effects Caused by Adaptive Radiation. Copeia 1 September 2017; 105 (3): 550–557. doi: https://doi.org/10.1643/CE-16-514
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