title: Meta-ecosystem engineering: nutrient fluxes reveal intraspecific and interspecific feedbacks in fragmented mussel beds.
abstract: Ecologists still have to elucidate the complex feedback interactions operating among biodiversity and ecosystem processes in engineered systems. To address this, a field experiment was conducted to mimic natural mussel bed meta-ecosystems (Mytilus spp.) of the lower St. Lawrence Estuary (Quebec, Canada) and partition the effects of their biotic and abiotic properties and spatial structure on ecosystem processes and community dynamics of associated macro-invertebrates. We found positive intraspecific feedbacks between mussels and their recruits, and negative interspecific feedbacks between mussels and their associated ecosystem. These feedbacks were associated with mussel bed ecosystem processes (fluxes of ammonium and oxygen). In addition, we showed that proximity between mussel patches increased within-patch nutrient fluxes. Our study revealed the potential for meta-ecosystem engineering to drive feedback interactions between community and ecosystem functioning in marine fragmented systems. It also shows the relevance of meta-ecosystem theories as a conceptual framework to elucidate biotic and abiotic processes controlling ecosystem and community structure. Such framework could contribute to ecosystem-based management of spatially structured systems such as reserve networks and fragmented ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montréal, Québec H3A 1BI Canada.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Largaespada
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guichard
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Archambault
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011157:Population Dynamics; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D012439:Saccharin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives
chemical_list: C094122:O-carbethoxy-N-hydroxysaccharin; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D012439:Saccharin