A trait‐based approach predicting community assembly and dominance of microbial invasive species

Understanding the mechanisms underlying community assembly helps to define
success and susceptibility to biological invasions. A methodological
approach to this aim is to use trait-based approaches. Under the
hypothesis that the morphology-based functional groups (MBFG) clusters
species with similar niche we analyse how trait-related differences in
fitness influence the outcome of invasion. The invasive dinoflagellate
Ceratium furcoides (CF) can be used as the model species considering its
morphological (e.g. volume) and physiological traits (e.g. growth rates)
comparing with species from the same (MBFG V) and different (MBFG VII:
colonial cyanobacteria) MBFG. Here we present the information needed to
apply this approach with similar or different questions including
information from two aquatic environments from South America: the first
one located in Argentina (Miní flood-plain Lake) and the second one in
Uruguay (Salto Grande Reservoir). Phytoplankton morphological traits
measured from field samples, along with richness, abundance, biovolume and
environmental variables are presented. Phytoplankton individuals and
species are classified in terms of MBFG and focus on the invasive species
Ceratium furcoides. The literature derived information includes growth
rates with temperature for phytoplankton species classified in MBFG V
including Ceratium furcoides.