The impact of microbial interactions on ecosystem function intensifies
under stress
- Brittni Bertolet,
- Luciana Chavez Rodriguez,
- José Murúa,
- Alonso Favela,
- Steven Allison
Abstract
A major challenge in ecology is to understand how different species
interact to determine ecosystem function, particularly in communities
with large numbers of co-occurring species. We use a trait-based model
of microbial litter decomposition to quantify how different taxa impact
ecosystem function. Further, we build a novel framework that highlights
the interplay between taxon traits and environmental conditions,
focusing on their combined influence on community interactions and
ecosystem function. Our results suggest that the impact of a taxon is
driven by its resource acquisition traits and the community functional
capacity, but that physiological stress amplifies the impact of both
positive and negative interactions. Further, net positive impacts on
ecosystem function can arise even as microbes have negative pairwise
interactions with other taxa. As communities shift in response to global
climate change, our findings reveal the potential to predict the
biogeochemical functioning of communities from taxon traits and
interactions.Submitted to Ecology Letters 08 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
26 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
26 Jul 20241st Revision Received
28 Jul 2024Submission Checks Completed
28 Jul 2024Assigned to Editor
12 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
02 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
04 Sep 20242nd Revision Received
04 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
05 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
05 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
16 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
16 Sep 20243rd Revision Received
17 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept