Diversity components and assembly patterns of plant functional traits determine community spatial stability under resource gradients in a desert steppe

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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What does species richness tell us about functional trait diversity? Predictions and evidence for responses of species and functional trait diversity to land-use change

Global Ecology and Biogeography ◽

10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00532.x ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

M. M. Mayfield ◽

S. P. Bonser ◽

J. W. Morgan ◽

I. Aubin ◽

S. McNamara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

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The Potential of Mapping Grassland Plant Diversity with the Links among Spectral Diversity, Functional Trait Diversity, and Species Diversity

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13153034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 3034

Author(s):

Yujin Zhao ◽

Yihan Sun ◽

Wenhe Chen ◽

Yanping Zhao ◽

Xiaoliang Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Plant Species ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Plant Diversity ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Remotely Sensed ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Grass Species ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

Mapping biodiversity is essential for assessing conservation and ecosystem services in global terrestrial ecosystems. Compared with remotely sensed mapping of forest biodiversity, that of grassland plant diversity has been less studied, because of the small size of individual grass species and the inherent difficulty in identifying these species. The technological advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based or proximal imaging spectroscopy with high spatial resolution provide new approaches for mapping and assessing grassland plant diversity based on spectral diversity and functional trait diversity. However, relatively few studies have explored the relationships among spectral diversity, remote-sensing-estimated functional trait diversity, and species diversity in grassland ecosystems. In this study, we examined the links among spectral diversity, functional trait diversity, and species diversity in a semi-arid grassland monoculture experimental site. The results showed that (1) different grassland plant species harbored different functional traits or trait combinations (functional trait diversity), leading to different spectral patterns (spectral diversity). (2) The spectral diversity of grassland plant species increased gradually from the visible (VIR, 400–700 nm) to the near-infrared (NIR, 700–1100 nm) region, and to the short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1100–2400 nm) region. (3) As the species richness increased, the functional traits and spectral diversity increased in a nonlinear manner, finally tending to saturate. (4) Grassland plant species diversity could be accurately predicted using hyperspectral data (R2 = 0.73, p < 0.001) and remotely sensed functional traits (R2 = 0.66, p < 0.001) using cluster algorithms. This will enhance our understanding of the effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functions and support regional grassland biodiversity conservation.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of What does species richness tell us about functional trait diversity? Predictions and evidence for responses of species and functional trait diversity to land-use change.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.3551958.3254056 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Ferdinando Boero ◽

Joachim Claudet

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Land Use Change ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

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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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The mediation roles of intraspecific and interspecific functional trait diversity for linking the response of aboveground biomass to species richness across forest strata in a subtropical forest

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.057 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 85 ◽

pp. 493-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Arshad Ali ◽

En-Rong Yan

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Aboveground Biomass ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Subtropical Forest ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Forest Strata ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

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The unimodal relationship between species’ functional traits and habitat gradients provides a family of indices supporting the conservation of functional trait diversity

Plant Ecology ◽

10.1007/s11258-015-0454-z ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 216 (5) ◽

pp. 725-740 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Daniel P. Faith

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Habitat Gradients ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Functional Trait Diversity ◽

Unimodal Relationship

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Phylogenetic diversity, functional trait diversity and extinction: avoiding tipping points and worst-case losses

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2014.0011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 370 (1662) ◽

pp. 20140011 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Daniel P. Faith

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Tipping Points ◽

Worst Case ◽

Diversity Measure ◽

Trait Diversity ◽

Option Values ◽

Phylogenetic Model ◽

Functional Trait Diversity

The phylogenetic diversity measure, (‘PD’), measures the relative feature diversity of different subsets of taxa from a phylogeny. At the level of feature diversity, PD supports the broad goal of biodiversity conservation to maintain living variation and option values. PD calculations at the level of lineages and features include those integrating probabilities of extinction, providing estimates of expected PD. This approach has known advantages over the evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (EDGE) methods. Expected PD methods also have limitations. An alternative notion of expected diversity, expected functional trait diversity, relies on an alternative non-phylogenetic model and allows inferences of diversity at the level of functional traits. Expected PD also faces challenges in helping to address phylogenetic tipping points and worst-case PD losses. Expected PD may not choose conservation options that best avoid worst-case losses of long branches from the tree of life. We can expand the range of useful calculations based on expected PD, including methods for identifying phylogenetic key biodiversity areas.

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