Drivers of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities in dominant ground-dwelling arthropods of coastal heathlands

AbstractAlthough functional and phylogenetic diversities are increasingly used in ecology for a large variety of purposes, their relationships remain unclear and likely vary presumably over taxa, yet most recent studies focused on plant communities. Different concepts predict that a community becomes functionally more diverse by adding phylogenetic lineages, subtracting lineages, adding species, reducing or increasing environmental constraints. In this study, we investigated ground-dwelling spider, ground beetle and ant assemblages in coastal heathlands (>11 000 individuals, 216 species), and their estimated functional and phylogenetic diversities as minimum spanning trees using several traits related to the morphology, feeding habits and dispersal of species, and phylogenetic trees, respectively. Correlations were overall positive and high between functional and phylogenetic diversities. Accounting for taxonomic diversities and environments made disappear this relationship in ants, but maintained them in spiders and ground beetles, where taxonomic diversity related to functional diversity only via increasing phylogenetic diversity. Environmental constraints reduced functional diversity in ants, but affected functional diversity only indirectly via phylogenetic diversity (ground beetles) and taxonomic and then phylogenetic diversity (spiders and ground beetles). Results are consistent with phylogenetic conservatism in traits in spiders and ground beetles, while in ants traits appear more neutral with any new species potentially representing a new trait state. Lineage diversities mostly increased with taxonomic diversities, possibly reflecting un-measured environmental conditions.

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Long-term data reveal unimodal responses of ground beetle abundance to precipitation and land use but no changes in taxonomic and functional diversity

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-96910-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Petr Zajicek ◽

Ellen A. R. Welti ◽

Nathan J. Baker ◽

Kathrin Januschke ◽

Oliver Brauner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Community Change ◽

Ecological Communities ◽

Activity Density

AbstractWhile much of global biodiversity is undoubtedly under threat, the responses of ecological communities to changing climate, land use intensification, and long-term changes in both taxonomic and functional diversity over time, has still not been fully explored for many taxonomic groups, especially invertebrates. We compiled time series of ground beetles covering the past two decades from 40 sites located in five regions across Germany. We calculated site-based trends for 21 community metrics representing taxonomic and functional diversity of ground beetles, activity density (a proxy for abundance), and activity densities of functional groups. We assessed both overall and regional temporal trends and the influence of the global change drivers of temperature, precipitation, and land use on ground beetle communities. While we did not detect overall temporal changes in ground beetle taxonomic and functional diversity, taxonomic turnover changed within two regions, illustrating that community change at the local scale does not always correspond to patterns at broader spatial scales. Additionally, ground beetle activity density had a unimodal response to both annual precipitation and land use. Limited temporal change in ground beetle communities may indicate a shifting baseline, where community degradation was reached prior to the start of our observation in 1999. In addition, nonlinear responses of animal communities to environmental change present a challenge when quantifying temporal trends.

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Monoculture and mixture-planting of non-native Douglas fir alters species composition, but promotes the diversity of ground beetles in a temperate forest system

Biodiversity and Conservation ◽

10.1007/s10531-021-02155-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 1479-1499

Author(s):

Peter Kriegel ◽

Dragan Matevski ◽

Andreas Schuldt

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Tree Species ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Assemblage Structure ◽

Species Identity ◽

Native Tree ◽

Native Tree Species

AbstractPlanting non-native tree species, like Douglas fir in temperate European forest systems, is encouraged to mitigate effects of climate change. However, Douglas fir monocultures often revealed negative effects on forest biota, while effects of mixtures with native tree species on forest ecosystems are less well understood. We investigated effects of three tree species (Douglas fir, Norway spruce, native European beech), on ground beetles in temperate forests of Germany. Beetles were sampled in monocultures of each tree species and broadleaf-conifer mixtures with pitfall traps, and environmental variables were assessed around each trap. We used linear mixed models in a two-step procedure to disentangle effects of environment and tree species identity on ground beetle abundance, species richness, functional diversity and species assemblage structure. Contradictory to our expectations, ground beetle abundance and functional diversity was highest in pure Douglas fir stands, while tree mixtures showed intermediate values between pure coniferous and pure beech stands. The main drivers of these patterns were only partially dependent on tree species identity, which highlights the importance of structural features in forest stands. However, our study revealed distinct shifts in assemblage structure between pure beech and pure Douglas fir stands, which were only partially eased through mixture planting. Our findings suggest that effects of planting non-native trees on associated biodiversity can be actively modified by promoting beneficial forest structures. Nevertheless, integrating non-native tree species, even in mixtures with native trees, will invariably alter assemblage structures of associated biota, which can compromise conservation efforts targeted at typical species composition.

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Principal determinants of species and functional diversity of carabid beetle assemblages during succession at post-industrial sites

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485316001085 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 107 (4) ◽

pp. 466-477 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. Sipos ◽

J. Hodecek ◽

T. Kuras ◽

A. Dolny

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Restoration Ecology ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Late Phase ◽

Species Traits ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Trophic Niche ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Post Industrial

AbstractAlthough ecological succession is one of the principal focuses of recent restoration ecology research, it is still unclear which factors drive this process and positively influence species richness and functional diversity. In this study we sought to elucidate how species traits and functional diversity change during forest succession, and to identify important factors that determine the species in the observed assemblages. We analyzed species richness and functional diversity of ground beetle assemblages in relation to succession on post-industrial localities after habitat deterioration caused by spoil deposition. We selected ground beetles as they are known to be sensitive to landscape changes (with a large range of responses), and their taxonomy and ecology are generally well-known. Ground beetles were sampled on the spoil heaps during the last 30 years when spontaneous succession occurred. To calculate functional diversity, we used traits related to habitat and trophic niche, i.e. food specialization, wing morphology, trophic level, and bio-indication value. Ground beetle species were found to be distributed non-randomly in the assemblages in the late phase of succession. Ordination analyses revealed that the ground beetle assemblage was significantly associated with the proportion of forested area. Environmental heterogeneity generated assemblages that contained over-dispersed species traits. Our findings indicated that environmental conditions at late successional stages supported less mobile carnivorous species. Overall, we conclude that the decline in species richness and functional diversity in the middle of the studied succession gradient indicated that the assemblages of open habitats had been replaced by species typical of forest ecosystems.

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Incongruent Spatial Distribution of Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Functional Diversity in Neotropical Cocosoid Palms

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change ◽

10.3389/ffgc.2021.739468 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Author(s):

Cintia Freitas ◽

Fernanda T. Brum ◽

Cibele Cássia-Silva ◽

Leandro Maracahipes ◽

Marcos B. Carlucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Distribution ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ecological Niche Modeling ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Ecological Constraints ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Spatial Congruence

Biodiversity can be quantified by taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity. Current evidence points to a lack of congruence between the spatial distribution of these facets due to evolutionary and ecological constraints. A lack of congruence is especially evident between phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity since the name and number of species are an artificial, yet commonly used, way to measure biodiversity. Here we hypothesize that due to evolutionary constraints that link phylogenetic and functional diversity, areas with higher phylogenetic and functional diversity will be spatially congruent in Neotropical cocosoid palms, but neither will be congruent with areas of high taxonomic diversity. Also, we hypothesize that any congruent pattern differs between rainforests and seasonally dry forests, since these palms recently colonized and diversified in seasonally dry ecosystems. We use ecological niche modeling, a phylogenetic tree and a trait database to test the spatial congruence of the three facets of biodiversity. Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity were negatively correlated. Phylogenetic and functional diversity were positively correlated, even though their spatial congruence was lower than expected at random. Taken together, our results suggest that studies focusing solely on large-scale patterns of taxonomic diversity are missing a wealth of information on diversification potential and ecosystem functioning.

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Habitat filtering differentially modulates phylogenetic and functional diversity relationships between predatory arthropods

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.202093 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 202093

Author(s):

Aurélien Ridel ◽

Denis Lafage ◽

Pierre Devogel ◽

Thomas Lacoue-Labarthe ◽

Julien Pétillon

Keyword(s):

Functional Diversity ◽

Salt Marshes ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Habitat Filtering ◽

Equation Modelling ◽

Colonization Process ◽

Significant Attention

Mechanisms underlying biological diversities at different scales have received significant attention over the last decades. The hypothesis of whether local abiotic factors, driving functional and phylogenetic diversities, can differ among taxa of arthropods remains under-investigated. In this study, we compared correlations and drivers of functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) between spiders and carabids, two dominant taxa of ground-dwelling arthropods in salt marshes. Both taxa exhibited high correlation between FD and PD; the correlation was even higher in carabids, probably owing to their lower species richness. Analyses using structural equation modelling highlighted that FD and PD were positively linked to taxonomic diversity (TD) in both taxa; however, abiotic factors driving the FD and PD differed between spiders and carabids. Salinity particularly drove the TD of carabids, but not that of spiders, suggesting that spiders are phenotypically more plastic and less selected by this factor. Conversely, PD was influenced by salinity in spiders, but not in carabids. This result can be attributed to the different evolutionary history and colonization process of salt marshes between the two model taxa. Finally, our study highlights that, in taxa occupying the same niche in a constrained habitat, FD and PD can have different drivers, and thereby different filtering mechanisms.

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Different response of the taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of birds to forest fragmentation

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76917-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michał Bełcik ◽

Magdalena Lenda ◽

Tatsuya Amano ◽

Piotr Skórka

Keyword(s):

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Forest Fragmentation ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Patch Size ◽

Bird Species ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Forest Stand ◽

Large Set ◽

Forest Patches

AbstractHabitat fragmentation is considered as major threat to biodiversity worldwide. Biodiversity can be described as taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. However, the effect of forest fragmentation on taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity is barely understood. We compare the response of taxonomic (species richness), phylogenetic and functional diversity of birds to forest fragmentation. We hypothesised that with increasing forest patch isolation and/or decreasing patch size the diversity of birds decreases but only if certain thresholds of fragmentation metrics are reached. Specifically, we hypothesized that out of the three diversity components the taxonomic diversity is the most sensitive to forest fragmentation, which means that it starts declining at larger patch size and higher connectivity values than phylogenetic and functional diversity do. We compared the three biodiversity metrics of central European bird species in a large set of forest patches located in an agricultural landscape. General additive modeling and segmented regression were used in analyses. Habitat fragmentation differentially affected studied biodiversity metrics. Bird taxonomic diversity was the most responsive towards changes in fragmentation. We observed an increase in taxonomic diversity with increasing patch area, which then stabilized after reaching certain patch size. Functional diversity turned out to be the least responsive to the fragmentation metrics and forest stand characteristics. It decreased linearly with the decreasing isolation of forest patches. Apart from the habitat fragmentation, bird taxonomic diversity but not phylogenetic diversity was positively associated with forest stand age. The lower share of dominant tree species, the highest taxonomic diversity was. While preserving a whole spectrum of forests (in terms of age, fragmentation and size) is important from the biodiversity perspective, forest bird species might need large, intact, old-growth forests. Since the large and intact forest becomes scarcer, our study underscore their importance for the preservation of forest specialist species.

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Is Phylogeny More Useful than Functional Traits for Assessing Diversity Patterns Under Community Assembly Processes?

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10121159 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1159 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jinshi Xu ◽

Han Dang ◽

Mao Wang ◽

Yongfu Chai ◽

Yaoxin Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Community Assembly ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Functional Trait ◽

Β Diversity ◽

Α Diversity

Phylogenetic and functional diversities and their relationship are important for understanding community assembly, which relates to forest sustainability. Thus, both diversities have been used in ecological studies evaluating community responses to environmental changes. However, it is unclear whether these diversity measures can uncover the actual community assembly processes. Herein, we examined their utility to assess such assembly processes by analyzing similarities in phylogenetic, functional, and taxonomic α- and β-diversities along an elevational gradient. Additionally, we examined the relationships among environment, phylogeny, and functional traits within the community. Based on our results, we evaluated whether phylogenetic or functional diversity could better reveal the actual community assembly processes. We found that taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional α-diversities were correlated with one another. Although the functional α-diversity showed a linear correlation with the elevational gradient, taxonomic and phylogenetic α-diversities showed unimodal patterns. Both phylogenetic and functional β-diversities correlated with taxonomic β-diversity, but there was no significant relationship between the former. Overall, our results evidenced that phylogenetic diversity and taxonomic diversity showed similar patterns, whereas functional diversity showed a relatively independent pattern, which may be due to limitations in the functional trait dimensions used in the present study. Although it is difficult to unravel whether the environment shapes phylogeny or functional traits within a community, phylogenetic diversity is a good proxy for assessing the assembly processes, whereas functional diversity may improve knowledge on the community by maximizing information about the functional trait dimensions.

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Reef fish at a remote tropical island (Principe Island, Gulf of Guinea): disentangling taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity patterns with depth

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf17233 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 395 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

F. Tuya ◽

A. Herrero-Barrencua ◽

N. E. Bosch ◽

A. D. Abreu ◽

R. Haroun

Keyword(s):

Reef Fish ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Species Traits ◽

Gulf Of Guinea ◽

Tropical Island ◽

Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

The ecology of reef fish varies with depth, although patterns in diversity remain largely undescribed, in particular the complementarity of their taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic facets. In the present study we investigated patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of fish on 21 reefs, at depths ranging from 3 to 31m, at Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea). Taxonomic and functional diversity decreased monotonically with depth; the pattern was less accentuated for phylogenetic diversity. Functional diversity was saturated at high levels of taxonomic diversity, reflecting redundancy in species traits, particularly at the shallower reefs. Functional diversity increased linearly with phylogenetic diversity; thus, increasing niche availability seems to translate into a larger diversity of phylogenies. Dissimilarities in the structure and composition of fish assemblages among reefs were correlated with differences in depth, including a progressive turnover in species. Depth affected the functional traits of nearshore reef fish. Trophic breadth decreased with depth; carnivores and planktivores increased with depth, whereas herbivores decreased with depth. Small-sized fusiform fish dominated on the shallowest reefs. In summary, the present study demonstrated decays in biodiversity, from different perspectives, of reef fish with depth, which are connected with shifts in fish traits.

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Functional diversity of Himalayan bat communities declines at high elevation without the loss of phylogenetic diversity

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-01939-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rohit Chakravarty ◽

Ram Mohan ◽

Christian C. Voigt ◽

Anand Krishnan ◽

Viktoriia Radchuk

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Environmental Filtering ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

High Elevation ◽

Elevational Gradients ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Functional Dispersion ◽

Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

AbstractSpecies richness exhibits well-known patterns across elevational gradients in various taxa, but represents only one aspect of quantifying biodiversity patterns. Functional and phylogenetic diversity have received much less attention, particularly for vertebrate taxa. There is still a limited understanding of how functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity change in concert across large gradients of elevation. Here, we focused on the Himalaya—representing the largest elevational gradients in the world—to investigate the patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in a bat assemblage. Combining field data on species occurrence, relative abundance, and functional traits with measures of phylogenetic diversity, we found that bat species richness and functional diversity declined at high elevation but phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged. At the lowest elevation, we observed low functional dispersion despite high species and functional richness, suggesting a niche packing mechanism. The decline in functional richness, dispersion, and divergence at the highest elevation is consistent with patterns observed due to environmental filtering. These patterns are driven by the absence of rhinolophid bats, four congeners with extreme trait values. Our data, some of the first on mammals from the Himalayan region, suggest that in bat assemblages with relatively high species diversity, phylogenetic diversity may not be a substitute to measure functional diversity.

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