Determining macrophyte species richness and dark diversity sources – A novel approach to improve the biodiversity estimation based on species traits

Individual types of waterbodies are characterised by their specific environmental conditions controlling growth of aquatic macrophytes. We focused on effects of environmental factors on macrophyte species richness in canals, ponds, rivers and streams within Central European region. We employed generalised linear models (GLM) to assess separately overall macrophyte species data and data on wetland species (true aquatic plants and helophytes). No significant difference was revealed by comparing species richness among water body types, though canals were the richest water bodies and streams supported the lowest diversity of macrophytes. The models for all the waterbodies, except streams, contained at least two variables and the explained variability ranged from 37% to 77%. The most recurring variables were the coverage of fine substrate, turbidity, shading by bank and shore trees and shrubs, and altitude. Nevertheless, no obvious pattern of factors was observed for particular water body types. Our study confirmed that aquatic macrophyte species richness is shaped by a complexity of factors and necessity of targeting survey and further generalisation of results not only on one specific water body.

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Theoretical habitat templets, species traits, and species richness: aquatic Coleoptera in the Upper Rhone River and its floodplain

Freshwater Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2427.1994.tb01747.x ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 377-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

PHILIPPE RICHOUX

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Traits ◽

Rhône River ◽

Rhone River

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Butterfly biodiversity in the city is driven by the interaction of the urban landscape and species traits: a call for contextualised management

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01347-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Clàudia Pla-Narbona ◽

Constantí Stefanescu ◽

Joan Pino ◽

Francisco J. Cabrero-Sañudo ◽

Enrique García-Barros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Groups ◽

Urban Landscape ◽

Landscape Planning ◽

Choice Model ◽

Species Traits ◽

Similar Species ◽

Landscape Characteristics ◽

Mobile Species ◽

The City

Abstract Context Urbanisation is an environmental filter for many species that leads to community homogenisation, with a few species inhabiting isolated patches (e.g. public and private gardens and parks) embedded within the urban landscape. Promoting biodiversity in urban areas requires understanding which species traits allow species to survive the urban landscape. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess how species traits and landscape factors combine to allow species functional groups to live in the city. Methods We used butterfly count data collected by volunteers in 24 gardens of Barcelona city, during 2018 and 2019. Species were clustered in functional groups according to their traits. We applied a multinomial choice model to test for the effect of the landscape on the different functional groups. Results Three functional groups became prevalent in the city while a fourth, containing most sedentary specialist species, was filtered out. Although the observed groups had similar species richness, abundances varied depending on urban landscape characteristics. Specialist sedentary specialists and medium mobile species were all favoured by patch connectivity; while the presence of mobile generalist species was only enhanced by habitat quality. Our results indicate that butterfly communities are more diverse in highly connected gardens. Conclusions Our study highlights the need of contextualised management with actions accounting for the species functional groups, rather than a management focused on general species richness. It demonstrates that urban landscape planning must focus on improving connectivity inside the city in order to diversify the community composition.

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Response of fish species to river restoration – the role of species traits

10.7287/peerj.preprints.2173v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Stefanie Höckendorff ◽

Jonathan D Tonkin ◽

Peter Haase ◽

Margret Bunzel-Drüke ◽

Olaf Zimball ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Fish Species ◽

River Restoration ◽

Species Traits ◽

Functional Ecology ◽

Response Patterns ◽

Transfer Of Knowledge ◽

Species Identity ◽

Species Response ◽

Repeated Sampling

Species are known to respond differently to restoration efforts, but we still lack a clear conceptual understanding of these differences. We analyzed the development of an entire fish community as well as the relationship between multi-metric response patterns of fish species and their ecological species traits at a comprehensively monitored river restoration project, the Lippe River in Germany. Using electrofishing data from 21 consecutive years (4 years pre- and 17 years post-restoration) from multiple restored and unrestored control reaches, we demonstrated that this restoration fully reached its targets, approximately doubling both species richness and abundance. Species richness continuously increased while fish density exhibited an overshooting response in the first years post restoration. Both richness and abundances stabilized approximately seven years after the restoration, although interannual variability remained considerable. The response of each species to the restoration was characterized using a set of six parameters. Relating the dissimilarity in species response to their ecological dissimilarity, based on 13 species traits, we found life-history and reproduction-related traits were the most important for species’ responses to restoration. Short-lived species with early female maturity and multiple spawning runs per year exhibited the strongest response, reflecting the ability of fast reproducers to rapidly colonize new habitats. Fusiform-bodied species also responded more positively than deep-bodied species, reflecting the success of this restoration to reform appropriate hydromorphological conditions (riffles and shallow bays), for which these species depend. Our results demonstrate that repeated sampling over periods longer than seven years are necessary to reliably assess river restoration outcomes. Furthermore, this study emphasizes the utility of species traits for examining restoration outcomes, particularly the metapopulation and metacommunity processes driving recovery dynamics. Focusing on species traits instead of species identity also allows for easier transfer of knowledge to other biogeographic areas and promotes coupling to functional ecology.

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