Eco-phenotypic feedback loops differ in multistressor environments.

ABSTRACT: Natural communities are exposed to multiple environmental stressors, which simultaneously impact the population and trait dynamics of the species embedded within these communities. Given that certain traits, such as body size, are known to rapidly respond to environmental change, and given that they can strongly influence the density of populations, this raises the question of whether the strength of the eco-phenotypic feedback loop depends on the environment, and whether stressful environments would enhance or disrupt this feedback or causal linkage. We use two competing freshwater ciliates-Colpidium striatum and Paramecium aurelia-and expose their populations to a full-factorial design of increasing salinity and temperature conditions as well as interspecific competition. We found that s

SUBMITTER: Govaert L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11733661 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature