Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities

Abstract The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are driving significant biodiversity shifts across ecosystems. Yet, the extent to which these climate legacies will shape the response of ecosystems to future perturbations remains poorly understood. Here, we tracked taxon and...

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Main Authors: Luca Rindi, Jianyu He, Mara Miculan, Matteo Dell’Acqua, Mario Enrico Pè, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57258-y
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author Luca Rindi
Jianyu He
Mara Miculan
Matteo Dell’Acqua
Mario Enrico Pè
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
author_facet Luca Rindi
Jianyu He
Mara Miculan
Matteo Dell’Acqua
Mario Enrico Pè
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
author_sort Luca Rindi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are driving significant biodiversity shifts across ecosystems. Yet, the extent to which these climate legacies will shape the response of ecosystems to future perturbations remains poorly understood. Here, we tracked taxon and trait dynamics of rocky intertidal biofilm communities under contrasting regimes of warming (fixed vs. fluctuating) and assessed how they influenced stability dimensions in response to temperature extremes. Fixed warming enhanced the resistance of biofilm by promoting the functional redundancy of stress-tolerance traits. In contrast, fluctuating warming boosted recovery rate through the selection of fast-growing taxa at the expense of functional redundancy. This selection intensified a trade-off between stress tolerance and growth further limiting the ability of biofilm to cope with temperature extremes. Anticipating the challenges posed by future extreme events, our findings offer a forward-looking perspective on the stability of microbial communities in the face of ongoing climatic change.
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institution DOAJ
issn 2041-1723
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publishDate 2025-03-01
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series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-36e4db71c41d445a836373c833d6b8472025-08-20T03:01:38ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-57258-yLegacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communitiesLuca Rindi0Jianyu He1Mara Miculan2Matteo Dell’Acqua3Mario Enrico Pè4Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi5Department of Biology, University of PisaDepartment of Biology, University of PisaInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’AnnaInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’AnnaInstitute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’AnnaDepartment of Biology, University of PisaAbstract The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme climate events are driving significant biodiversity shifts across ecosystems. Yet, the extent to which these climate legacies will shape the response of ecosystems to future perturbations remains poorly understood. Here, we tracked taxon and trait dynamics of rocky intertidal biofilm communities under contrasting regimes of warming (fixed vs. fluctuating) and assessed how they influenced stability dimensions in response to temperature extremes. Fixed warming enhanced the resistance of biofilm by promoting the functional redundancy of stress-tolerance traits. In contrast, fluctuating warming boosted recovery rate through the selection of fast-growing taxa at the expense of functional redundancy. This selection intensified a trade-off between stress tolerance and growth further limiting the ability of biofilm to cope with temperature extremes. Anticipating the challenges posed by future extreme events, our findings offer a forward-looking perspective on the stability of microbial communities in the face of ongoing climatic change.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57258-y
spellingShingle Luca Rindi
Jianyu He
Mara Miculan
Matteo Dell’Acqua
Mario Enrico Pè
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi
Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
Nature Communications
title Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
title_full Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
title_fullStr Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
title_full_unstemmed Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
title_short Legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
title_sort legacies of temperature fluctuations promote stability in marine biofilm communities
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57258-y
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