caa a22 4500 445892501 CHVBK 20180317145621.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10750-010-0491-5 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10750-010-0491-5 Using the guild ratio to characterize pelagic rotifer communities [Elektronische Daten] [Ulrike Obertegger, Hilary Smith, Giovanna Flaim, Robert Wallace] Ecological research is moving from a species-based to a functional-based approach to better understand the underlying principles that govern community dynamics. Studies of functional-based ecology, however, have been limited for zooplankton and particularly for rotifers. While rotifers show a variety of trophi types and coronal shapes, suggesting the importance of niche differentiation in their feeding strategy, relatively little is known of how this relates to rotifer dynamics. We used the guild ratio (GR′, a ratio of raptorial to microphagous species), an index based on a functional trait (i.e. feeding strategy), as a novel approach to rotifer dynamics. We extracted the seasonal GR′ by using seasonal trend decomposition and investigated similarities between study sites (Lake Washington, USA and Lake Caldonazzo, Italy) and its relation to cladocerans by cross-correlation analysis. Our study indicated that (i) raptorial and microphagous rotifers showed alternating dominance, and that raptorial rotifers and cladocerans had a synchronous pattern, (ii) the seasonal pattern of the GR′ was consistent across different sampling frequencies, and (iii) the GR′ was similar in both lakes. We interpreted these patterns as the general strength of the GR′: discernment of species-environment relationships and robustness across sampling regimes. The limitations of the GR′ (i.e. species identity is neglected, simplification of food preferences) can also be seen as its strong point: synthesis of multi-species patterns. In addition, the independence of GR′ from species-level identification and its potential to make use of datasets with infrequent sampling intervals and low taxon resolution could further support its innovative aspect. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2010 Biodiversity nationallicence Zooplankton nationallicence Community structure nationallicence Trait-based nationallicence Trophi nationallicence Seasonal pattern nationallicence Obertegger Ulrike IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Via E. Mach 2, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy aut Smith Hilary School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332, Atlanta, GA, USA aut Flaim Giovanna IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Via E. Mach 2, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy aut Wallace Robert Department of Biology, Ripon College, 54971, Ripon, WI, USA aut Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 662/1(2011-03-01), 157-162 0018-8158 662:1<157 2011 662 10750 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0491-5 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0491-5 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Obertegger Ulrike IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Via E. Mach 2, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Smith Hilary School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332, Atlanta, GA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Flaim Giovanna IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Environment and Natural Resources Area, Via E. Mach 2, 38010, San Michele all'Adige, TN, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wallace Robert Department of Biology, Ripon College, 54971, Ripon, WI, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 662/1(2011-03-01), 157-162 0018-8158 662:1<157 2011 662 10750 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer