| Title | Patterns of diversity in soft-bodied meiofauna: dispersal ability and body size matter |
| Abstract | Background: Biogeographical and macroecological principles are derived from patterns of distribution in large organisms, whereas microscopic ones have often been considered uninteresting, because of their supposed wide distribution. Here, after reporting the results of an intensive faunistic survey of marine microscopic animals (meiofauna) in Northern Sardinia, we test for the effect of body size, dispersal ability, and habitat features on the patterns of distribution of several groups. Methodology/Principal Findings: As a dataset we use the results of a workshop held at La Maddalena (Sardinia, Italy) in September 2010, aimed at studying selected taxa of soft-bodied meiofauna (Acoela, Annelida, Gastrotricha, Nemertodermatida, Platyhelminthes and Rotifera), in conjunction with data on the same taxa obtained during a previous workshop hosted at Tja¨rno¨ (Western Sweden) in September 2007. Using linear mixed effects models and model averaging while accounting for sampling bias and potential pseudoreplication, we found evidence that: (1) meiofaunal groups with more restricted distribution are the ones with low dispersal potential; (2) meiofaunal groups with higher probability of finding new species for science are the ones with low dispersal potential; (3) the proportion of the global species pool of each meiofaunal group present in each area at the regional scale is negatively related to body size, and positively related to their occurrence in the endobenthic habitat. Conclusion/Significance: Our macroecological analysis of meiofauna, in the framework of the ubiquity hypothesis for microscopic organisms, indicates that not only body size but mostly dispersal ability and also occurrence in the endobenthic habitat are important correlates of diversity for these understudied animals, with different importance at different spatial scales. Furthermore, since the Western Mediterranean is one of the best-studied areas in the world, the large number of undescribed species (37%) highlights that the census of marine meiofauna is still very far from being complete. |
| Source | PloS one 7, pp. e33801–e33813 |
| Journal | PloS one |
| Editor | Public Library of Science, San Francisco, CA, Stati Uniti d'America |
| Year | 2012 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0033801 |
| Authors | Curini-Galletti, Marco ;Artois, Tom ;Delogu, Valentina ;De Smet, Willem H. ;Fontaneto, Diego;Jondelius, Ulf ;Leasi, Francesca ;Mart?nez, Alejandro ;Meyer-Wachsmuth, Inga ;Meyer-Wachsmuth, Inga ;Nilsson, Karin Sara ;Tongiorgi, Paolo ;Worsaae, Katrine ;Todaro, M. Antonio |
| Text | 220789 2012 10.1371/journal.pone.0033801 Patterns of diversity in soft bodied meiofauna dispersal ability and body size matter Curini Galletti, Marco ;Artois, Tom ;Delogu, Valentina ;De Smet, Willem H. ;Fontaneto, Diego;Jondelius, Ulf ;Leasi, Francesca ;Mart nez, Alejandro ;Meyer Wachsmuth, Inga ;Meyer Wachsmuth, Inga ;Nilsson, Karin Sara ;Tongiorgi, Paolo ;Worsaae, Katrine ;Todaro, M. Antonio Dipartimento di Zoologia e Genetica Evoluzionistica, Universita di Sassari, Sassari ;Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium ; Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium ;CNR ISE, Pallanza Verbania ;Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden ;Division of Biology, Imperial College London ;Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark ; Dipartimento di Biologia, Universtita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena ; Background Biogeographical and macroecological principles are derived from patterns of distribution in large organisms, whereas microscopic ones have often been considered uninteresting, because of their supposed wide distribution. Here, after reporting the results of an intensive faunistic survey of marine microscopic animals meiofauna in Northern Sardinia, we test for the effect of body size, dispersal ability, and habitat features on the patterns of distribution of several groups. Methodology/Principal Findings As a dataset we use the results of a workshop held at La Maddalena Sardinia, Italy in September 2010, aimed at studying selected taxa of soft bodied meiofauna Acoela, Annelida, Gastrotricha, Nemertodermatida, Platyhelminthes and Rotifera , in conjunction with data on the same taxa obtained during a previous workshop hosted at Tja¨rno¨ Western Sweden in September 2007. Using linear mixed effects models and model averaging while accounting for sampling bias and potential pseudoreplication, we found evidence that 1 meiofaunal groups with more restricted distribution are the ones with low dispersal potential; 2 meiofaunal groups with higher probability of finding new species for science are the ones with low dispersal potential; 3 the proportion of the global species pool of each meiofaunal group present in each area at the regional scale is negatively related to body size, and positively related to their occurrence in the endobenthic habitat. Conclusion/Significance Our macroecological analysis of meiofauna, in the framework of the ubiquity hypothesis for microscopic organisms, indicates that not only body size but mostly dispersal ability and also occurrence in the endobenthic habitat are important correlates of diversity for these understudied animals, with different importance at different spatial scales. Furthermore, since the Western Mediterranean is one of the best studied areas in the world, the large number of undescribed species 37% highlights that the census of marine meiofauna is still very far from being complete. 7 http //www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0033801 Patterns of diversity in soft bodied meiofauna dispersal ability and body size matter 2012_A0_022.pdf Articolo in rivista Public Library of Science 1932 6203 PloS one PloS one PLoS ONE PloS one Public Library of Science one PLoS 1 diego.fontaneto FONTANETO DIEGO TA.P04.016.004 Ecologia teorica e applicata degli ecosistemi acquatici |
