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Species-rich networks and eco-evolutionary synthesis at the metacommunity level

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 1, Article number: 0024 (2017) Cite this article

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Abstract

Understanding how ecological and evolutionary processes interdependently structure biosphere dynamics is a major challenge in the era of worldwide ecosystem degradation. However, our knowledge of ‘eco-evolutionary feedbacks’ depends largely on findings from simple systems representing limited spatial scales and involving few species. Here we review recent conceptual developments for the understanding of multispecies coevolutionary processes and then discuss how new lines of concepts and methods will accelerate the integration of ecology and evolutionary biology. To build a research workflow for integrating insights into spatiotemporal dynamics of species-rich systems, we focus on the roles of ‘metacommunity hub’ species, whose population size and/or genetic dynamics potentially control landscape- or regional-scale phenomena. As large amounts of network data are becoming available with high-throughput sequencing of various host–symbiont, prey–predator, and symbiont–symbiont interactions, we suggest it is now possible to develop bases for the integrated understanding and management of species-rich ecosystems.

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Figure 1: Evolving metacommunities and species-rich networks.
Figure 2: Flow of high-throughput sequencing and network analysis.
Figure 3: Local community- and metacommunity-level networks.
Figure 4: Empirical study framework for spatiotemporal dynamics in metacommunities.

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Acknowledgements

We thank N. G. Hairston Jr, H. Hillebrand, T. Fukami, E. A. Mordecai, K. G. Peay, A. D. Letten, P.-J. Ke, M. Ushio, S. B. Munch, F. Maruyama, S. Fukuda and S. Sakaguchi for their insightful comments that improved the manuscript. This work was financially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant (26711026), JST PRESTO (11118), and the Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers of Cabinet Office, the Government of Japan (GS014) to H.T. M.Y. was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant (16K18618), P.R.G. by FAPESP (2009/54422-8) and CNPq, J.M.O. by the Danish Science Research Council (1323-00278), A.M. by JSPS KAKENHI Grant (25840164), T.Y. by JSPS KAKENHI Grant (26291088) and J.N.T. by NSF (DEB-1048333).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Hirokazu Toju

  2. Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Masato Yamamichi

  3. Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Otsu, Shiga, 520-2133, Japan

    Masato Yamamichi

  4. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 05508-900, SP, Brazil

    Paulo R. Guimarães Jr

  5. Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, Aarhus C, 8000, Denmark

    Jens M. Olesen

  6. Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu-cho, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan

    Akihiko Mougi

  7. Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 135-8902, Japan

    Takehito Yoshida

  8. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 95064, California, USA

    John N. Thompson

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Contributions

H.T. designed the study and wrote the first draft based on discussion with M.Y. and J.N.T.; M.Y. and T.Y. made significant inputs from the perspective of eco-evolutionary feedbacks and added some paragraphs to the first draft. H.T., P.R.G., J.M.O. and J.N.T. revised the manuscript from the aspects of coevolutionary biology and ecological interaction networks based on discussion with all authors. A.M. added essential insights into the conceptual backgrounds of theoretical community ecology. All authors contributed to the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hirokazu Toju.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Methods, Supplementary References (PDF 310 kb)

Supplementary Data 1

Network data used in the latent variable model analysis of human gut microbiome data. (XLSX 78 kb)

Supplementary Data 2

Network data used in the analysis of the local plant-fungus networks. (XLSX 191 kb)

Supplementary Data 3

Internal transcribed spacer sequences of the fungi analyzed in the analysis of local plant-fungus networks. (TXT 350 kb)

Supplementary Data 4

Network data used in the analysis of the metacommunity-level plant-fungus network. (XLSX 2225 kb)

Supplementary Data 5

Internal transcribed spacer sequences of the fungi that appeared in multiple local communities. (TXT 56 kb)

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Toju, H., Yamamichi, M., Guimarães, P. et al. Species-rich networks and eco-evolutionary synthesis at the metacommunity level. Nat Ecol Evol 1, 0024 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-016-0024

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