Scholarlink

<p>The 2015 collapse of the Fundão Dam, one of the world’s largest mining-related disasters, released millions of cubic meters of iron ore tailings into Brazil’s Rio Doce Basin. This event drastically dragged biomass and sediments of riverbeds and riverbanks as well as altered the habitat posing threats to aquatic biodiversity. Focusing on macrophyte metacommunities, that are critical for ecosystem stability, we assessed taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity across 18 sites in affected and unaffected areas six years later to test the following hypotheses: (i) Tailing-disturbed macrophyte communities show reduced species richness and phylogenetic diversity; (ii) Environmental filtering drives taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity loss by inducing phylogenetic clustering. Using <i>Picante</i> and <i>V.Phylomaker2</i> for phylogenetic analyses, we calculated standardized effect sizes for phylogenetic diversity (<i>ses.PD</i>: evolutionary relationships among species), mean pairwise distance (<i>ses.MPD</i>: overall phylogenetic divergence), and mean nearest taxon distance (<i>ses.MNTD</i>: terminal branch clustering). Taxonomic richness significantly declined in disturbed sites, reflecting disturbance. However, phylogenetic indices showed no significant differences between affected and unaffected areas, suggesting evolutionary history remained relatively conserved despite species loss. This disconnect implies that while disturbance eliminates species, surviving lineages retain broad phylogenetic representation, potentially buffering ecosystem functions. Our findings highlight that species with distinct evolutionary histories could enhance functional resilience in recovering ecosystems. These insights are critical for guiding conservation strategies in degraded basins, emphasizing that phylogenetic redundancy may attenuate biodiversity loss impacts. By identifying reservoirs of evolutionary diversity, managers can target areas for habitat rehabilitation, ensuring long-term adaptive capacity in the face of ongoing environmental degradation.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Taxonomic diversity loss without phylogenetic decline in macrophytes after catastrophic disturbance in Brazil’s Rio Doce Basin

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月18日

查看全文
  • Cecília Loren-Silva,
  • Carlos M. Galván-Cisneros,
  • Alex Josélio Pires Coelho,
  • João Augusto Alves Meira-Neto

摘要

The 2015 collapse of the Fundão Dam, one of the world’s largest mining-related disasters, released millions of cubic meters of iron ore tailings into Brazil’s Rio Doce Basin. This event drastically dragged biomass and sediments of riverbeds and riverbanks as well as altered the habitat posing threats to aquatic biodiversity. Focusing on macrophyte metacommunities, that are critical for ecosystem stability, we assessed taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity across 18 sites in affected and unaffected areas six years later to test the following hypotheses: (i) Tailing-disturbed macrophyte communities show reduced species richness and phylogenetic diversity; (ii) Environmental filtering drives taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity loss by inducing phylogenetic clustering. Using Picante and V.Phylomaker2 for phylogenetic analyses, we calculated standardized effect sizes for phylogenetic diversity (ses.PD: evolutionary relationships among species), mean pairwise distance (ses.MPD: overall phylogenetic divergence), and mean nearest taxon distance (ses.MNTD: terminal branch clustering). Taxonomic richness significantly declined in disturbed sites, reflecting disturbance. However, phylogenetic indices showed no significant differences between affected and unaffected areas, suggesting evolutionary history remained relatively conserved despite species loss. This disconnect implies that while disturbance eliminates species, surviving lineages retain broad phylogenetic representation, potentially buffering ecosystem functions. Our findings highlight that species with distinct evolutionary histories could enhance functional resilience in recovering ecosystems. These insights are critical for guiding conservation strategies in degraded basins, emphasizing that phylogenetic redundancy may attenuate biodiversity loss impacts. By identifying reservoirs of evolutionary diversity, managers can target areas for habitat rehabilitation, ensuring long-term adaptive capacity in the face of ongoing environmental degradation.