scholarly journals Phylogenetic structure of angiosperm communities during tropical forest succession

2009 ◽  
Vol 277 (1678) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G. Letcher
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Species Pool ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Stem Size ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽  
Age Category

The phylogenetic structure of ecological communities can shed light on assembly processes, but the focus of phylogenetic structure research thus far has been on mature ecosystems. Here, I present the first investigation of phylogenetic community structure during succession. In a replicated chronosequence of 30 sites in northeastern Costa Rica, I found strong phylogenetic overdispersion at multiple scales: species present at local sites were a non-random assemblage, more distantly related than chance would predict. Phylogenetic overdispersion was evident when comparing the species present at each site with the regional species pool, the species pool found in each age category to the regional pool or the species present at each site to the pool of species found in sites of that age category. Comparing stem size classes within each age category, I found that during early succession, phylogenetic overdispersion is strongest in small stems. Overdispersion strengthens and spreads into larger size classes as succession proceeds, corroborating an existing model of forest succession. This study is the first evidence that succession leaves a distinct signature in the phylogenetic structure of communities.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic overdispersion of plant species in southern Brazilian savannas

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 843-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
IA. Silva ◽  
MA. Batalha
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
History Of ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion

Ecological communities are the result of not only present ecological processes, such as competition among species and environmental filtering, but also past and continuing evolutionary processes. Based on these assumptions, we may infer mechanisms of contemporary coexistence from the phylogenetic relationships of the species in a community. We studied the phylogenetic structure of plant communities in four cerrado sites, in southeastern Brazil. We calculated two raw phylogenetic distances among the species sampled. We estimated the phylogenetic structure by comparing the observed phylogenetic distances to the distribution of phylogenetic distances in null communities. We obtained null communities by randomizing the phylogenetic relationships of the regional pool of species. We found a phylogenetic overdispersion of the cerrado species. Phylogenetic overdispersion has several explanations, depending on the phylogenetic history of traits and contemporary ecological interactions. However, based on coexistence models between grasses and trees, density-dependent ecological forces, and the evolutionary history of the cerrado flora, we argue that the phylogenetic overdispersion of cerrado species is predominantly due to competitive interactions, herbivores and pathogen attacks, and ecological speciation. Future studies will need to include information on the phylogenetic history of plant traits.

scholarly journals Effects of logging and recruitment on community phylogenetic structure in 32 permanent forest plots of Kampong Thom, Cambodia

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hironori Toyama ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kajisa ◽  
Shuichiro Tagane ◽  
Keiko Mase ◽  
Phourin Chhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Tropical Rainforest ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Illegal Logging ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Made In

Ecological communities including tropical rainforest are rapidly changing under various disturbances caused by increasing human activities. Recently in Cambodia, illegal logging and clear-felling for agriculture have been increasing. Here, we study the effects of logging, mortality and recruitment of plot trees on phylogenetic community structure in 32 plots in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Each plot was 0.25 ha; 28 plots were established in primary evergreen forests and four were established in secondary dry deciduous forests. Measurements were made in 1998, 2000, 2004 and 2010, and logging, recruitment and mortality of each tree were recorded. We estimated phylogeny using rbcL and matK gene sequences and quantified phylogenetic α and β diversity. Within communities, logging decreased phylogenetic diversity, and increased overall phylogenetic clustering and terminal phylogenetic evenness. Between communities, logging increased phylogenetic similarity between evergreen and deciduous plots. On the other hand, recruitment had opposite effects both within and between communities. The observed patterns can be explained by environmental homogenization under logging. Logging is biased to particular species and larger diameter at breast height, and forest patrol has been effective in decreasing logging.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic Community Structure and Niche Differentiation in Termites of the Tropical Dry Forests of Colombia

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Robin Casalla Daza ◽  
Judith Korb
Keyword(s):  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Tropical Dry Forests ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽  
Δ15n And Δ13c ◽  
Increasing Temperature ◽  
The Tropics

The mechanisms that structure species communities are still debated. We addressed this question for termite assemblages from tropical dry forests in Colombia. These forests are endangered and poorly understood ecosystems and termites are important ecosystem engineers in the tropics. Using biodiversity and environmental data, combined with phylogenetic community analyses, trait mapping, and stable isotopes studies, we investigated the termite community composition of three protected dry forests in Colombia. Our data suggest that the structuring mechanisms differed between sites. Phylogenetic overdispersion of termite assemblages correlated with decreasing rainfall and elevation and increasing temperature. Food niche traits—classified as feeding groups and quantified by δ15N‰ and δ13C‰ isotope signatures—were phylogenetically conserved. Hence, the overdispersion pattern implies increasing interspecific competition with decreasing drier and warmer conditions, which is also supported by fewer species occurring at the driest site. Our results are in line with a hypothesis that decreased biomass production limits resource availability for termites, which leads to competition. Along with this comes a diet shift: termites from drier plots had higher δ13C signatures, reflecting higher δ13C values in the litter and more C4 plants. Our study shows how a phylogenetic community approach combined with trait analyses can contribute to gaining the first insights into mechanisms structuring whole termite assemblages.

scholarly journals Ecological memory mitigates negative impacts of disturbance on biomass production in benthic diatom metacommunities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike G. Engel ◽  
Birte Matthiessen ◽  
Rosyta Andriana ◽  
Britas Klemens Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Diatom ◽  
Species Pool ◽  
Intertidal Flat ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Response Diversity ◽  
Extreme Heat Events ◽  
Ecological Memory ◽  
Mechanical Disturbance ◽  
Diatom Communities ◽  
Negative Impacts

AbstractDisturbance events to coastal habitats such as extreme heat events, storms, or floods have increased in magnitude and frequency in recent years due to anthropogenic climate change and the destruction of habitats. These events constitute a major threat to many ecological communities and global biodiversity. Disturbance history influences ecosystem response to novel disturbances such that communities that have previously been exposed to disturbances should be more resilient to new disturbances compared to previously sheltered communities. This principle is defined as ecological memory. Resilience should also increase with access to a larger species pool, because a larger species pool increases species and response diversity of a community. One possibility of increasing the local species pool is connectivity via adequate dispersal between habitat patches with different species compositions in metacommunities. In a laboratory experiment, we exposed benthic diatom communities of different origin to a mechanical disturbance, simulated dispersal in half of the communities, and measured their chlorophyll a concentration over time. The local diatom communities originated from different locations on an intertidal flat that varied in hydrodynamic exposure history. Hydrodynamic exposure disturbs the sediment, and thereby determines sediment properties and the composition of intertidal diatom communities. In the experiment, disturbance negatively affected chlorophyll a concentration across all treatments. However, the response to disturbance depended on the ecological memory of the communities; the more exposed areas the communities originated from, the less negative was the effect of the mechanical disturbance. Interestingly, dispersal did not mitigate the negative impacts of disturbance in any of the communities. Our results highlight the importance of ecological memory for ecosystem functioning and demonstrate the limitations of patch connectivity to alleviate the impacts of disturbance events in metacommunities.

scholarly journals Spatial analysis of phylogenetic community structure: New version of a classical method

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Ricotta ◽  
Eszter EA Ari ◽  
Giuliano Bonanomi ◽  
Francesco Giannino ◽  
Duncan Heathfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Point Pattern ◽  
Maximum Deviation ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Phylogenetic Distance ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Point Patterns ◽  
Wide Range

The increasing availability of phylogenetic information facilitates the use of evolutionary methods in community ecology to reveal the importance of evolution in the species assembly process. However, while several methods have been applied to a wide range of communities across different spatial scales with the purpose of detecting non-random phylogenetic patterns, the spatial aspects of phylogenetic community structure have received far less attention. Accordingly, the question for this study is: can point pattern analysis be used for revealing the phylogenetic structure of multi-species assemblages? We introduce a new individual-centered procedure for analyzing the scale-dependent phylogenetic structure of multi-species point patterns based on digitized field data. The method uses nested circular plots with increasing radii drawn around each individual plant and calculates the mean phylogenetic distance between the focal individual and all individuals located in the circular ring delimited by two successive radii. This scale-dependent value is then averaged over all individuals of the same species and the observed mean is compared to a null expectation with permutation procedures. The method detects particular radius values at which the point pattern of a single species exhibits maximum deviation from the expectation towards either phylogenetic aggregation or segregation. Its performance is illustrated using data from a grassland community in Hungary and simulated point patterns. The proposed method can be extended to virtually any distance function for species pairs, such as functional distances.

scholarly journals Unimodal Relationships of Understory Alpha and Beta Diversity along Chronosequence in Coppiced and Unmanaged Beech Forests

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sándor Bartha ◽  
Roberto Canullo ◽  
Stefano Chelli ◽  
Giandiego Campetella
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Coppice Management

Patterns of diversity across spatial scales in forest successions are being overlooked, despite their importance for developing sustainable management practices. Here, we tested the recently proposed U-shaped biodiversity model of forest succession. A chronosequence of 11 stands spanning from 5 to 400 years since the last disturbance was used. Understory species presence was recorded along 200 m long transects of 20 × 20 cm quadrates. Alpha diversity (species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices) and three types of beta diversity indices were assessed at multiple scales. Beta diversity was expressed by a) spatial compositional variability (number and diversity of species combinations), b) pairwise spatial turnover (between plots Sorensen, Jaccard, and Bray–Curtis dissimilarity), and c) spatial variability coefficients (CV% of alpha diversity measures). Our results supported the U-shaped model for both alpha and beta diversity. The strongest differences appeared between active and abandoned coppices. The maximum beta diversity emerged at characteristic scales of 2 m in young coppices and 10 m in later successional stages. We conclude that traditional coppice management maintains high structural diversity and heterogeneity in the understory. The similarly high beta diversities in active coppices and old-growth forests suggest the presence of microhabitats for specialist species of high conservation value.

Change in community phylogenetic structure during tropical forest succession: evidence from New Guinea

Ecography ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 821-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. S. Whitfeld ◽  
W. J. Kress ◽  
D. L. Erickson ◽  
G. D. Weiblen
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Community Phylogenetic Structure

scholarly journals Species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure patterns of exotic and native plants along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kumar Manish
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽  
The Himalaya

Abstract Background So far, macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient. Very few studies have attempted to document the difference in elevational richness patterns of native and exotic species. In this study, this knowledge gap is addressed by integrating data on phylogeny and elevational distribution of species to identify the variation in species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of exotic and native plant species along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya. Results Species distribution patterns for exotic and native species differed; exotics tended to show maximum species richness at low elevations while natives tended to predominate at mid-elevations. Native species assemblages showed higher phylogenetic diversity than the exotic species assemblages over the entire elevational gradient in the Himalaya. In terms of phylogenetic structure, exotic species assemblages showed majorly phylogenetic clustering while native species assemblages were characterized by phylogenetic overdispersion over the entire gradient. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that areas with high native species richness and phylogenetic diversity are less receptive to exotic species and vice versa in the Himalaya. Species assemblages with high native phylogenetic overdispersion are less receptive to exotic species than the phylogenetically clustered assemblages. Different ecological processes (ecological filtering in case of exotics and resource and niche competition in case of natives) may govern the distribution of exotic and native species along the elevational gradient in the Himalaya.

scholarly journals Source range phylogenetic community structure can predict the outcome of avian introductions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S. Maitner ◽  
Daniel S Park ◽  
Brian J Enquist ◽  
Katrina M Dlugosch
Keyword(s):  
Propagule Pressure ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
Phylogenetic Community Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Consistent Support ◽  
Phylogenetic Models

Competing phylogenetic models have been proposed to explain the success of species introduced to other communities. Here, we present a study predicting the establishment success of birds introduced to Florida, Hawaii, and New Zealand using several alternative models, considering species' phylogenetic relatedness to source and recipient range taxa, propagule pressure, and traits. We find consistent support for the predictive ability of source region phylogenetic structure. However, we find that the effects of recipient region phylogenetic structure vary in sign and magnitude depending on inclusion of source region phylogenetic structure, delineation of the recipient species pool, and the use of phylogenetic correction in the models. We argue that tests of alternative phylogenetic hypotheses including the both source and recipient community phylogenetic structure, as well as important covariates such as propagule pressure, are likely to be critical for identifying general phylogenetic patterns in introduction success, predicting future invasions, and for stimulating further exploration of the underlying mechanisms of invasibility.

scholarly journals Synthetic Biology for Terraformation Lessons from Mars, Earth, and the Microbiome

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuria Conde-Pueyo ◽  
Blai Vidiella ◽  
Josep Sardanyés ◽  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Biology ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Ecological Engineering ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Future Developments

What is the potential for synthetic biology as a way of engineering, on a large scale, complex ecosystems? Can it be used to change endangered ecological communities and rescue them to prevent their collapse? What are the best strategies for such ecological engineering paths to succeed? Is it possible to create stable, diverse synthetic ecosystems capable of persisting in closed environments? Can synthetic communities be created to thrive on planets different from ours? These and other questions pervade major future developments within synthetic biology. The goal of engineering ecosystems is plagued with all kinds of technological, scientific and ethic problems. In this paper, we consider the requirements for terraformation, i.e., for changing a given environment to make it hospitable to some given class of life forms. Although the standard use of this term involved strategies for planetary terraformation, it has been recently suggested that this approach could be applied to a very different context: ecological communities within our own planet. As discussed here, this includes multiple scales, from the gut microbiome to the entire biosphere.

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