Diatoms (Eunotia sp.) growing on a red alga (Batrachospermum sp.). Algae form the base of the food chain in stream ecosystems and are instrumental in maintaining water quality, which necessitates a better understanding of the factors controlling their species and communities. Budnick et al. demonstrate that both algal species co-occurrence networks and community composition depend on climate and dispersal across nutrient supplies and ratios but to a different extent. Therefore, multi-level approaches are needed to predict how algae would respond to changes in their environment. 

 

Credit: MAREK MIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY  

 

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