Influence of freshwater tidal disturbance on meta-community processes in interconnected ponds

Influence of freshwater tidal disturbance on meta-community processes in interconnected ponds | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 30 March 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Influence of freshwater tidal disturbance on meta-community processes in interconnected ponds Authors : Stéphanie L'Italien-Simard 0009-0004-2334-3927 and Eric Harvey 0000-0002-8601-7326 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177486889.90061671/v1 103 views 64 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Environmental disturbances that vary in space and intensity are major drivers of ecological community structure and ecosystem functioning. Such spatially heterogeneous disturbances can generate environmental gradients that influence species composition and abundance through mechanisms including species sorting, mass effects, or priority effects. Understanding how these processes interact with biodiversity and ecosystem functions remains challenging, particularly in well-connected meta-communities where dispersal can either buffer or amplify local disturbance effects. Here, we investigated these dynamics in a network of interconnected artificial ponds exposed to a natural gradient of tidal influence, which generates variation in water chemistry and hydrology across the system. We found that tidal exposure was strongly associated with environmental variation among ponds, which peaked at intermediate levels of tidal influence. In contrast, beta diversity among macroinvertebrate communities was highest under strong tidal influence and declined at lower tidal intensity. Overall, our result suggests that high connectivity and stochastic processes, overriding environmental filtering, play a key role in structuring communities in ponds most affected by tides, while species sorting dominates under lower tidal intensity. At the landscape scale, the disturbance gradient generates a mosaic of habitats with contrasting environmental conditions and community dynamics. Finally, decomposition rates increased with increasing tidal influence, reflecting the combined effects of tidal dynamics on environmental conditions and macroinvertebrate community structure. These findings provide a framework for understanding how spatially heterogeneous disturbances influence biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in freshwater networks, with implications for the management and conservation of connected ponds. Supplementary Material File (oik-12537-file001.docx) Download 2.36 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 30 March 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords artificial ponds biodiversity decomposition environmental heterogeneity macroinvertebrates spatial ecology Authors Affiliations Stéphanie L'Italien-Simard 0009-0004-2334-3927 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières View all articles by this author Eric Harvey 0000-0002-8601-7326 [email protected] Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 103 views 64 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Stéphanie L'Italien-Simard, Eric Harvey. Influence of freshwater tidal disturbance on meta-community processes in interconnected ponds. Authorea . 30 March 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177486889.90061671/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. 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