scholarly journals Effects of functional diversity loss on ecosystem functions are influenced by compensation

Ecology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (9) ◽  
pp. 2293-2302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingmin Pan ◽  
Dashuan Tian ◽  
Shahid Naeem ◽  
Karl Auerswald ◽  
James J. Elser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Diversity Loss

Crop functional diversity drives multiple ecosystem functions during early agroforestry succession

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego dos Santos ◽  
Fernando Joner ◽  
Bill Shipley ◽  
Marinice Teleginski ◽  
Renata Rodrigues Lucas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions

Mammal functional diversity loss under human-induced disturbances in arid lands

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Chillo ◽  
R.A. Ojeda
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Arid Lands ◽  
Diversity Loss

scholarly journals Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cristina Müller ◽  
Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin ◽  
Kauane Maiara Bordin ◽  
Joice Klipel ◽  
Milena Fermina Rosenfield
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Functional Composition ◽  
Forest Age

Secondary forests originate from natural regeneration after fallow (succession) or restoration. Species assembly in these communities, which can affect ecosystem functions and successional trajectories, is very unpredictable. Trait-based trajectories can shed light on the recovery of ecosystem functions and enable predictions of how the regenerating communities will change with forest age. Regeneration communities are affected by initial conditions and also by canopy structure and functional traits that alter dispersers' attractiveness and coexistence mechanisms. Here we evaluated how community functional traits change over time and tested if functional diversity and composition of the established canopy, as well as the structure of the canopy and forest age, influence the functional structure of regenerating tree communities when compared to their reference forests. For this, we calculated dissimilarity in trait composition (community-weighted means) and in functional diversity of regenerating communities of each succession/restoration stand, using the tree stratum of nearby mature forests as baseline values. Functional trait information comprises leaf, wood density, and reproductive traits from tree species. Our community data contain information from natural successional forests and restoration sites, in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Predictor variables of functional dissimilarities were forest age, canopy structural variables, canopy functional composition, and functional diversity. Results showed leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio) and seed mass varying with forest age. Canopy functional composition based on leaf traits and total basal area significantly predicted multiple trait functional dissimilarity between the regeneration component of secondary forests and their reference community values. Dissimilarity increased when the canopy was composed of species with more acquisitive traits. Difference in functional diversity was only influenced by forest age. Mid-stage secondary forests showed lower functional diversity than early-stage forests. Our results indicated the importance of canopy traits on the natural regeneration of secondary subtropical forests. If functional similarity with reference forests is a desired objective in order to recover ecosystem functions through natural regeneration, leaf functional traits of canopy trees that establish or are planted in degraded areas must be considered in the successional processes.

scholarly journals Increased functional diversity warns of ecological transition in the Arctic

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1948) ◽  
Author(s):  
André Frainer ◽  
Raul Primicerio ◽  
Andrey Dolgov ◽  
Maria Fossheim ◽  
Edda Johannesen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Arctic Species ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Motile Species ◽  
Ecological Transition

As temperatures rise, motile species start to redistribute to more suitable areas, potentially affecting the persistence of several resident species and altering biodiversity and ecosystem functions. In the Barents Sea, a hotspot for global warming, marine fish from boreal regions have been increasingly found in the more exclusive Arctic region. Here, we show that this shift in species distribution is increasing species richness and evenness, and even more so, the functional diversity of the Arctic. Higher diversity is often interpreted as being positive for ecosystem health and is a target for conservation. However, the increasing trend observed here may be transitory as the traits involved threaten Arctic species via predation and competition. If the pressure from global warming continues to rise, the ensuing loss of Arctic species will result in a reduction in functional diversity.

scholarly journals Large home range scavengers support higher rates of carcass removal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas ◽  
Marcos Moleón ◽  
Patricia Mateo-Tomás ◽  
Pedro P. Olea ◽  
Esther Sebastián-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Equivalence ◽  
List Type ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Functional Identity ◽  
Niche Complementarity ◽  
Consumption Rates

AbstractVertebrate scavenger communities vary in species composition across the globe, and include a wide array of species with diverse ecological strategies and life-histories that support essential ecosystem functions, such as carrion removal. While previous studies have mostly focussed on how community aspects such as species richness and composition affect carrion consumption rates, it remains unclear whether this important function of scavengers is better explained by the dominance of key functional traits or niche complementarity as a result of a diverse functional representation.Here, we test three competitive hypotheses to assess if carrion consumption in vertebrate scavenger communities depends on: i) the presence of key dominant traits (functional identity hypothesis), ii) functional diversity that promotes niche complementarity (functional diversity hypothesis), or iii) the accumulation of individuals and species, irrespective of their trait representation (functional equivalence). To explore these hypotheses, we used five study areas in Spain and South Africa, which represent a gradient of scavenger biodiversity, i.e., ranging from communities dominated by facultative scavengers, such as generalists and meso-predators, to those including vultures and large carnivores.Within study areas, traits that characterise obligate scavengers or large carnivores (e.g. mean home range, proportion of social foragers) were positively linked to rapid carrion consumption, while the biomass of functional groups including facultative scavengers were either weakly or negatively associated with carrion consumption.When combining all study areas, higher rates of carrion consumption were related to scavenger communities dominated by species with large home ranges (e.g. Gyps vultures), which was found to be a key trait. In contrast, metrics describing functional diversity (functional dispersion) and functional equivalence (species richness and abundance) had lower predictive power in explaining carrion consumption patterns.Our data support the functional identity hypothesis as a better framework for explaining carrion consumption rates than functional diversity or equivalence. Our findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms sustaining ecosystem functioning in vertebrate communities and reinforce the role of obligate scavengers and large carnivores as keystone species in terrestrial ecosystems.

FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY LOSS AT THE TERMINAL PLEISTOCENE: A SITE-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carson P Hedberg ◽  
◽  
Felisa A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Diversity Loss ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
A Site

scholarly journals Functional diversity loss with increasing livestock grazing intensity in drylands: the mechanisms and their consequences depend on the taxa

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 986-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica Chillo ◽  
Ricardo A. Ojeda ◽  
Virginia Capmourteres ◽  
Madhur Anand
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Diversity Loss

scholarly journals Functional diversity of marine megafauna in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaay7650 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pimiento ◽  
F. Leprieur ◽  
D. Silvestro ◽  
J. S. Lefcheck ◽  
C. Albouy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
If Current ◽  
Marine Megafauna

Marine megafauna, the largest animals in the oceans, serve key roles in ecosystem functioning. Yet, one-third of these animals are at risk of extinction. To better understand the potential consequences of megafaunal loss, here we quantify their current functional diversity, predict future changes under different extinction scenarios, and introduce a new metric [functionally unique, specialized and endangered (FUSE)] that identifies threatened species of particular importance for functional diversity. Simulated extinction scenarios forecast marked declines in functional richness if current trajectories are maintained during the next century (11% globally; up to 24% regionally), with more marked reductions (48% globally; up to 70% at the poles) beyond random expectations if all threatened species eventually go extinct. Among the megafaunal groups, sharks will incur a disproportionate loss of functional richness. We identify top FUSE species and suggest a renewed focus on these species to preserve the ecosystem functions provided by marine megafauna.

scholarly journals Marine epibenthic functional diversity on Flemish Cap (north‐west Atlantic)—Identifying trait responses to the environment and mapping ecosystem functions

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-478
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Murillo ◽  
Benjamin Weigel ◽  
Marieve Bouchard Marmen ◽  
Ellen Kenchington
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
North West

scholarly journals Functional Diversity Can Predict Ecosystem Functions Better Than Dominant Species: The Case of Desert Plants in the Ebinur Lake Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2858
Author(s):  
Zhufeng Hou ◽  
Guanghui Lv ◽  
Lamei Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Soil Available Phosphorus ◽  
Ebinur Lake ◽  
Ebinur Lake Basin

Studying the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality is helpful for clarifying the ecological mechanisms (such as niche complementary effects and selection) of ecosystems providing multiple services. Biodiversity has a significant impact on ecosystem versatility, but the relative importance of functional diversity and dominant species to ecosystem functions needs further evaluation. We studied the desert plant community in Ebinur Lake Basin. Based on field survey data and experimental analysis, the relationship between the richness and functional diversity of dominant species and the single function of ecosystem was analyzed. The relative importance of niche complementary effect and selective effect in explaining the function of plant diversity in arid areas is discussed. There was no significant correlation between desert ecosystem functions (soil available phosphorus, organic matter, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen) and the richness of the dominant species Nitraria tangutorum (p < 0.05). Soil organic matter and available phosphorus had significant effects on specific leaf area and plant height (p < 0.05). Functional dispersion (FDis) had a significant effect on soil available phosphorus, while dominant species dominant species richness (SR) had no obvious effect on single ecosystem function. A structural equation model showed that dominant species had no direct effect on plant functional diversity and ecosystem function, but functional diversity had a strong direct effect on ecosystem function, and its direct coefficients of action were 0.226 and 0.422. The results can help to explain the response mechanism of multifunctionality to biodiversity in arid areas, which may provide referential significance for vegetation protection and restoration for other similar areas.

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