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Biodiversity modulates the cross-community scaling relationship in changing environments

Gjoni, Vojsava ; Altermatt, Florian ; Garnier, Aurélie ; Palamara, Gian Marco ; Seymour, Mathew ; Pontarp, Mikael LU and Pennekamp, Frank (2025) In Ecology Letters 28(9).
Abstract

Organismal abundance tends to decline with increasing body size. Metabolic theory links this size structure with energy use and productivity, postulating a size–abundance slope of −0.75 that is invariant across environments. We tested the robustness of this relationship across gradients of protist species richness (1–6 species), temperature (15°C–25°C) and time. Using replicated microcosms, we provide an empirical test of how temperature and biodiversity jointly shape the cross-community scaling relationship (CCSR). While our results support the expected slope of −0.75, we also found interactive effects showing the relationship is not invariant. Warming altered abundance scaling with size depending on richness; in high-richness... (More)

Organismal abundance tends to decline with increasing body size. Metabolic theory links this size structure with energy use and productivity, postulating a size–abundance slope of −0.75 that is invariant across environments. We tested the robustness of this relationship across gradients of protist species richness (1–6 species), temperature (15°C–25°C) and time. Using replicated microcosms, we provide an empirical test of how temperature and biodiversity jointly shape the cross-community scaling relationship (CCSR). While our results support the expected slope of −0.75, we also found interactive effects showing the relationship is not invariant. Warming altered abundance scaling with size depending on richness; in high-richness communities, temperature favoured small protists, steepening the CCSR slope. These context-dependent responses emerged over time, suggesting a role of size-dependent species interactions in shaping responses to environmental change. Our findings demonstrate that cross-community size scaling is not fixed but shifts dynamically with ecological context.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
body size, protists, size–abundance relationship, species richness, temperature
in
Ecology Letters
volume
28
issue
9
article number
e70208
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:105016053222
  • pmid:40946207
ISSN
1461-023X
DOI
10.1111/ele.70208
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
b03c26f1-5bb8-40fb-90a4-33f66d02c1dc
date added to LUP
2025-10-15 14:13:53
date last changed
2025-10-29 15:12:16
@article{b03c26f1-5bb8-40fb-90a4-33f66d02c1dc,
  abstract     = {{<p>Organismal abundance tends to decline with increasing body size. Metabolic theory links this size structure with energy use and productivity, postulating a size–abundance slope of −0.75 that is invariant across environments. We tested the robustness of this relationship across gradients of protist species richness (1–6 species), temperature (15°C–25°C) and time. Using replicated microcosms, we provide an empirical test of how temperature and biodiversity jointly shape the cross-community scaling relationship (CCSR). While our results support the expected slope of −0.75, we also found interactive effects showing the relationship is not invariant. Warming altered abundance scaling with size depending on richness; in high-richness communities, temperature favoured small protists, steepening the CCSR slope. These context-dependent responses emerged over time, suggesting a role of size-dependent species interactions in shaping responses to environmental change. Our findings demonstrate that cross-community size scaling is not fixed but shifts dynamically with ecological context.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gjoni, Vojsava and Altermatt, Florian and Garnier, Aurélie and Palamara, Gian Marco and Seymour, Mathew and Pontarp, Mikael and Pennekamp, Frank}},
  issn         = {{1461-023X}},
  keywords     = {{body size; protists; size–abundance relationship; species richness; temperature}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Ecology Letters}},
  title        = {{Biodiversity modulates the cross-community scaling relationship in changing environments}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.70208}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/ele.70208}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}