WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
In 61 wetlands, phytoplankton alpha diversity declined along saline-alkaline gradients while rotifer diversity showed no comparable simple association. Both assemblages nevertheless exhibited high spatial turnover, with beta-diversity values around 0.91 and 0.89.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Local species richness and regional community turnover answer different ecological questions; multi-taxon monitoring matters.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Water depth, nutrients, plants and pH co-vary with salinity, and these observational patterns are not experimental effects.
SOURCE
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution — Chen et al. (2026)
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