On the relationship between phylogenetic diversity and trait diversity

The diversity–stability relationship has been addressed and debated for decades, but how this relationship is affected by nutrient availability remains contentious. In the present study we assessed the effects of plant diversity, in terms of species richness, functional group composition and functional trait diversity, on the spatial stability of net primary productivity (NPP) following nitrogen and phosphorus application. In addition, we explored how functional traits at the species level contribute to the spatial stability of NPP. The results support the hypothesis that greater diversity leads to higher spatial stability. This relationship was highly dependent on soil nutrient availability, and increasing species richness or functional trait diversity significantly increased spatial variation of NPP under a high N fertilisation level. The effects of high mineral fertilisation rates may perhaps have masked the effects of plant diversity. Although species richness or functional trait diversity of the original and modified communities from which species with particular functional traits had been removed were significantly different, there were no differences in the coefficients of variation in the NPP of those communities. The lack of difference demonstrated that the relationship between spatial variability and biodiversity depended on the measure of diversity applied and that the functional group composition exerted a stronger effect than other diversity measures. Further analyses revealed that spatial stability of NPP was enhanced with increased diversity in vegetative plant height, rooting depth and the presence of legume, and diminished with diversity in the root system type and life cycle under some fertilisation treatments. The present study demonstrates that the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is variable with different diversity, identity and environmental factors. Evaluating the contribution of particular traits to community stability will ultimately help us better understand the mechanisms underlying the diversity–stability relationship.

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Shifts in gut and vaginal microbiomes are associated with cancer recurrence time in women with ovarian cancer

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11574 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11574

Author(s):

David Jacobson ◽

Kathleen Moore ◽

Camille Gunderson ◽

Michelle Rowland ◽

Rita Austin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Residual Disease ◽

Human Microbiome ◽

Cancer Recurrence ◽

Recurrence Time ◽

Platinum Resistance ◽

Vaginal Microbiome ◽

The Relationship

Many studies investigating the human microbiome-cancer interface have focused on the gut microbiome and gastrointestinal cancers. Outside of human papillomavirus driving cervical cancer, little is known about the relationship between the vaginal microbiome and other gynecological cancers, such as ovarian cancer. In this retrospective study, we investigated the relationship between ovarian cancer, platinum-free interval (PFI) length, and vaginal and gut microbiomes. We observed that Lactobacillus-dominated vaginal communities were less common in women with ovarian cancer, as compared to existing datasets of similarly aged women without cancer. Primary platinum-resistance (PPR) disease is strongly associated with survivability under one year, and we found over one-third of patients with PPR (PFI < 6 months, n = 17) to have a vaginal microbiome dominated by Escherichia (>20% relative abundance), while only one platinum super-sensitive (PFI > 24 months, n = 23) patient had an Escherichia-dominated microbiome. Additionally, L. iners was associated with little, or no, gross residual disease, while other Lactobacillus species were dominant in women with >1 cm gross residual disease. In the gut microbiome, we found patients with PPR disease to have lower phylogenetic diversity than platinum-sensitive patients. The trends we observe in women with ovarian cancer and PPR disease, such as the absence of Lactobacillus and presence of Escherichia in the vaginal microbiome as well as low gut microbiome phylogenetic diversity have all been linked to other diseases and/or pro-inflammatory states, including bacterial vaginosis and autoimmune disorders. Future prospective studies are necessary to explore the translational potential and underlying mechanisms driving these associations.

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Malpighiaceae de Colombia: Patrones de distribución, riqueza, endemismo y diversidad filogenética

Darwiniana nueva serie ◽

10.14522/darwiniana.2021.91.923 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 39-54

Author(s):

Diego Giraldo-Cañas

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

American Continent ◽

Altitudinal Gradients ◽

The Andes ◽

Plant Group ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Family ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Malpighiaceae constitutes a family of 77 genera and ca. 1300 species, distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. They are mainly diversified in the American continent and distributed in a wide range of habitats and altitudinal gradients. For this reason, this family can be a model plant group to ecological and biogeographical analyses, as well as evolutive studies. In this context, an analysis of distribution, richness, endemism and phylogenetic diversity of Malpighiaceae in natural regions and their altitudinal gradients was undertaken. Malpighiaceae are represented in Colombia by 34 genera and 246 species (19.1% of endemism). Thus, Colombia and Brazil (44 genera, 584 species, 61% of endemism) are the two richest countries on species of this family. The highest species richness and endemism in Colombia is found in the lowlands (0-500 m a.s.l.: 212 species, 28 endemics); only ten species are distributed on highlands (2500-3200 m a.s.l.). Of the Malpighiaceae species in Colombia, Heteropterys leona and Stigmaphyllon bannisterioides have a disjunct amphi-Atlantic distribution, and six other species show intra-American disjunctions. Both richness and endemism decrease with altitude (y = -0.061x + 173.57; R2 = 0.82; y = -0.009x + 27.76; R2 = 0.95, respectively). Amazonia (116 species, 4 endemics) and the Andes (89 species, 23 endemics) exhibit the highest richness among the family. In Colombia, 15 of the 19 clades among the family are represented, where the most diversified are the Stigmaphyllon clade (5 genera, 48 species, 10 endemics), the Byrsonima clade (3/39/5) and the Hiraea clade (3/31/9). The relationship of phylogenetic diversity with altitude is similar to the pattern of specific richness by altitudinal interval. Amazonia, Orinoquia, and Magdalena Valley show highest phylogenetic diversity. These results, combined with those of other highly diversified biological groups in the country, could be important to define and delimitate new priority areas for conservation in Colombia.

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Radiating despite a lack of character: closely related, morphologically similar, co-occurring honeyeaters have diverged ecologically

10.1101/034389 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Eliot T Miller ◽

Sarah K Wagner ◽

Luke J Harmon ◽

Robert E Ricklefs

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Foraging Behavior ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Morphological Trait ◽

New Method ◽

Similar Degree ◽

Similar Species ◽

Trait Evolution ◽

Trait Diversity

The 75 species of Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are morphologically and ecologically diverse, with species feeding on nectar, insects, fruit, and other resources. We investigated ecomorphology and community structure of honeyeaters across Australia. First, we asked to what degree morphology and ecology (foraging behavior) are concordant. Second, we estimated rates of trait evolution. Third, we compared phylogenetic and trait community structure across the broad environmental gradients of continental Australia. We found that morphology explained 37% of the variance in ecology (and 62% vice versa), and that recovered multivariate ecomorphological relationships incorporated well-known bivariate relationships. Clades of large-bodied species exhibited elevated rates of morphological trait evolution, while members of Melithreptus showed slightly faster rates of ecological trait evolution. Finally, ecological trait diversity did not decline in parallel with phylogenetic diversity along a gradient of decreasing precipitation. We employ a new method (trait fields) and extend another (phylogenetic fields) to show that while species from phylogenetically clustered assemblages co-occur with morphologically similar species, these species are as varied in foraging behavior as those from more diverse assemblages. Thus, although closely related, these arid-adapted species have diverged in ecological space to a similar degree as their mesic counterparts, perhaps mediated by competition.

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Microhabitats shape diversity-productivity relationships in freshwater bacterial communities

10.1101/231688 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Marian L. Schmidt ◽

Bopaiah A. Biddanda ◽

Anthony D. Weinke ◽

Edna Chiang ◽

Fallon Januska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Communities ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Community Diversity ◽

Bacterial Productivity ◽

Free Living ◽

Biodiversity And Ecosystem Function ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Heterotrophic Production

AbstractEukaryotic communities commonly display a positive relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF) but the results have been mixed when assessed in bacterial communities. Habitat heterogeneity, a factor in eukaryotic BEFs, may explain these variable observations but it has not been thoroughly evaluated in bacterial communities. Here, we examined the impact of habitat on the relationship between diversity assessed based on richness, evenness, or phylogenetic diversity, and heterotrophic productivity. We sampled co-occurring free-living (more homogenous) and particle-associated (more heterogeneous) bacterial habitats in a freshwater, estuarine lake. Diversity measures, and not environmental variables, were the best predictors of particle-associated heterotrophic production. There was a strong, positive, linear relationship between particle-associated bacterial richness and heterotrophic productivity that strengthened with evenness. There were no observable BEF trends in free-living bacterial communities. Across both habitats, communities with more phylogenetically related taxa had higher per-capita heterotrophic production than communities of phylogenetically distantly related taxa. Our findings show that heterotrophic bacterial productivity is positively correlated with evenness and richness, negatively with phylogenetic diversity, and that BEF relationships are contingent on microhabitats. Our work adds to the understanding of the highly distinct contributions to community diversity and ecosystem functioning contributed by bacteria in free-living and particle-associated aquatic habitats.

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Variation in species diversity and functional traits of sponge communities near human populations in Bocas del Toro, Panama

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1385 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. e1385 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Cole G. Easson ◽

Kenan O. Matterson ◽

Christopher J. Freeman ◽

Stephanie K. Archer ◽

Robert W. Thacker

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Beta Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Coastal Development ◽

Human Populations ◽

Bocas Del Toro ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Sponge Diversity

Recent studies have renewed interest in sponge ecology by emphasizing the functional importance of sponges in a broad array of ecosystem services. Many critically important habitats occupied by sponges face chronic stressors that might lead to alterations in their diversity, relatedness, and functional attributes. We addressed whether proximity to human activity might be a significant factor in structuring sponge community composition, as well as potential functional roles, by monitoring sponge diversity and abundance at two structurally similar sites that vary in distance to areas of high coastal development in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. We surveyed sponge communities at each site using belt transects and differences between two sites were compared using the following variables: (1) sponge species richness, Shannon diversity, and inverse Simpson’s diversity; (2) phylogenetic diversity; (3) taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity; (4) trait diversity and dissimilarity; and (5) phylogenetic and trait patterns in community structure. We observed significantly higher sponge diversity at Punta Caracol, the site most distant from human development (∼5 km). Although phylogenetic diversity was lower at Saigon Bay, the site adjacent to a large village including many houses, businesses, and an airport, the sites did not exhibit significantly different patterns of phylogenetic relatedness in species composition. However, each site had a distinct taxonomic and phylogenetic composition (beta diversity). In addition, the sponge community at Saigon included a higher relative abundance of sponges with high microbial abundance and high chlorophyllaconcentration, whereas the community at Punta Caracol had a more even distribution of these traits, yielding a significant difference in functional trait diversity between sites. These results suggest that lower diversity and potentially altered community function might be associated with proximity to human populations. This study highlights the importance of evaluating functional traits and phylogenetic diversity in addition to common diversity metrics when assessing potential environmental impacts on benthic communities.

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Host community assembly modifies the relationship between host and parasite richness

10.1101/857151 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Fletcher W. Halliday ◽

Robert W. Heckman ◽

Peter A. Wilfahrt ◽

Charles E. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Community Assembly ◽

Host Species ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Host Community ◽

Parasite Transmission ◽

Host Diversity ◽

Parasite Richness ◽

The Stability ◽

The Relationship ◽

Exotic Host

AbstractHost and parasite richness are generally positively correlated, but the stability of this relationship during community assembly remains untested. The composition of host communities can alter parasite transmission, and the relationship between host and parasite richness is sensitive to parasite transmission. Thus, changes in composition during host community assembly could strengthen or weaken the relationship between host and parasite richness. Host community assembly, in turn, can be driven by many processes, including resource enrichment. To test the hypothesis that host community assembly can alter the relationship between host and parasite richness, we experimentally crossed host diversity and resource supply to hosts, then allowed communities to assemble. As previously shown, initial host diversity and resource supply determined the trajectory of host community assembly, altering post-assembly host species richness, richness-independent host phylogenetic diversity, and colonization by exotic host species. Throughout community assembly, host richness predicted parasite richness. As predicted, this effect was moderated by exotic abundance: communities dominated by exotic species exhibited a stronger positive relationship between post-assembly host and parasite richness. Ultimately, these results suggest that, by modulating parasite transmission, community assembly can modify the relationship between host and parasite richness, providing a novel mechanism to explain contingencies in this relationship.

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Soil microbes drive phylogenetic diversity-productivity relationships in a subtropical forest

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aax5088 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (10) ◽

pp. eaax5088 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Minxia Liang ◽

Xubing Liu ◽

Ingrid M. Parker ◽

David Johnson ◽

Yi Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Pathogenic Fungi ◽

Subtropical Forest ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Plant Soil ◽

Extensive Field ◽

Adult Trees ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between plant diversity and productivity and the mechanisms underpinning that relationship remain poorly resolved in species-rich forests. We combined extensive field observations and experimental manipulations in a subtropical forest to test how species richness (SR) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) interact with putative root-associated pathogens and how these interactions mediate diversity-productivity relationships. We show that (i) both SR and PD were positively correlated with biomass for both adult trees and seedlings across multiple spatial scales, but productivity was best predicted by PD; (ii) significant positive relationships between PD and productivity were observed in nonsterile soil only; and (iii) root fungal diversity was positively correlated with plant PD and SR, while the relative abundance of putative pathogens was negatively related to plant PD. Our findings highlight the key role of soil pathogenic fungi in tree diversity-productivity relationships and suggest that increasing PD may counteract negative effects of plant-soil feedback.

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Increasing ground-layer plant taxonomic diversity masks declining phylogenetic diversity along a silvicultural disturbance gradient

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2020-0055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (12) ◽

pp. 1259-1267

Author(s):

Stefan F. Hupperts ◽

Christopher R. Webster ◽

Robert E. Froese ◽

Erik A. Lilleskov ◽

Amy M. Marcarelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Community ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Community Assembly ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Site Preparation ◽

Ground Layer ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Plant Community Assembly

Most plant diversity in temperate deciduous forests is found in the ground layer, but nearly all studies comparing plant community assembly using taxonomic, trait, and phylogenetic diversity indices are limited to woody plants. To examine the relationship between short-term ground-layer plant community assembly and disturbance severity, we leveraged a silvicultural experiment that applied a combination of harvest and site preparation treatments in a northern hardwood forest in Michigan, USA. We predicted that after two growing seasons, plant communities would be less sensitive to harvest treatments when compared with site preparation treatments that disturb the rhizosphere and modify rooting substrate. We also predicted that an increase in taxonomic diversity would accompany a decline in trait diversity and phylogenetic diversity. Instead, plant species composition responded similarly to harvest treatment and site preparation treatment. However, our measure of disturbance severity was positively correlated with both trait diversity and taxonomic diversity but negatively correlated with phylogenetic diversity, indicating that increasingly diverse traits and taxonomies along this disturbance severity gradient were comprised of more phylogenetically simple plant communities. Informed management decisions should therefore consider the underlying value of each diversity measure, as taxonomic diversity alone may not be the best metric for assessing plant community assembly.

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The relationship between pond habitat depth and functional tadpole diversity in an agricultural landscape

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.150165 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (7) ◽

pp. 150165 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Cássia de Souza Queiroz ◽

Fernando Rodrigues da Silva ◽

Denise de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Bell Curve ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Frog Tadpole ◽

The Relationship ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

One of the most important goals of biodiversity studies is to identify which characteristics of local habitats act as filters that determine the diversity of functional traits along environmental gradients. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the environmental variables of ponds and the functional trait diversity distribution of anuran tadpoles in an agricultural area in southeastern Brazil. Our results show that the functional trait diversity of frog tadpoles has a bell-curve-shaped relationship with the depths of ponds inserted in a pasture matrix. Because we are witnessing increasing human pressure on land use, simple acts (e.g. maintaining reproductive habitats with medium depth) can be the first steps towards preserving the diversity of Neotropical frog tadpole traits in agricultural landscapes.

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