scholarly journals Exploring dimensions of biodiversity in Japanese ferns

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Nitta ◽  
Brent D. Mishler ◽  
Wataru Iwasaki ◽  
Atsushi Ebihara
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Reproductive Mode ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Grid Cells ◽  
Categorical Analysis ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
Peak Areas ◽  
Conservation Zones

Aim: To characterize multiple facets and drivers of biodiversity and understand how these relate to bioregions and conservation status. Location: Japan. Taxon: Ferns. Methods: We used data from >300,000 fern specimens in Japan to compile a community dataset of 1,240 0.2 degree grid-cells including 674 native, non-hybrid taxa. We combined this with a phylogenetic tree and functional trait data to analyze taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity, and modeled the distribution of biodiversity in response to environmental factors and reproductive mode. We conducted categorical analysis of neo- and paleo-endemism to identify areas of significant phylogenetic endemism. We used hierarchical clustering of taxonomic and phylogenetic distances to analyze bioregions. We compared the overlap of significantly diverse grid-cells with existing conservation zones to assess conservation status. Results: We observe three major patterns in the spatial distribution of biodiversity: that of taxonomic richness, which is highest at mid-latitudes, that of phylogenetic and functional diversity and phylogenetic endemism, which are highest in small southern islands, and that of relative phylogenetic and functional diversity, which are high at both high and low latitudes, and low at mid-latitudes. Grid-cells were grouped in to three (phylogenetic) or four (taxonomic) major bioregions. Temperature and apomixis were identified as likely drivers of patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity. Conservation status (% protected area) is generally higher than the overall rate for grid-cells with significantly high biodiversity. Main conclusions: The integrative approach used here reveals previously undetected patterns and drivers of biodiversity in the ferns of Japan. The different distributions of each diversity type reflect the major bioregions. Although peak areas of different diversity types are largely non-overlapping, each one has a relatively high protection status. Despite this, future conservation efforts must be cognizant of dangers not addressed here such as climate change and herbivory by deer.

scholarly journals Integrating genetics, morphology, and fungal host specificity in conservation studies of a vulnerable, selfing, mycoheterotrophic orchid

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Fama ◽  
Brandon T. Sinn ◽  
Craig F. Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Host Specificity ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Reproductive Mode ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Fungal Host ◽  
Fragmented Habitat ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Multiple Data

ABSTRACTMycoheterotrophic plants derive most or all carbon and nutrients from fungal partners and represent poorly understood components of forest biodiversity. Many are rare or endangered yet can be ecological indicators of forest ecosystem function due to their often highly specific fungal host requirements. One such species is the IUCN red-listed (‘vulnerable’), fully mycoheterotrophic orchid, Corallorhiza bentleyi. This recently described species is among the rarest plants in Appalachia, known from five counties in Virginia and West Virginia, USA. The species has a restricted range, small population size, and is self-pollinating. Here we take an integrative approach to conservation genetic assessment in C. bentleyi using floral morphometrics, simple-sequence repeats, and fungal host DNA to characterize variation within and among sampling localities. Morphology reveals some differentiation among individuals from six sampling localities. Surprisingly, most genetic variation is found within localities, contra to the expectation for a selfing species. Fungal host DNA reveals extreme specificity upon a few genotypes of a single ectomycorrhizal host species, Tomentella fuscocinerea, across all localities. We discuss the conservation implications of morphological, genetic, and symbiotic diversity in this vulnerable species, and recommend additional assessment of conservation status based on: an obligate reproductive mode of selfing, preventing benefits of outcrossing among genetically non-identical individuals; extreme host specificity, severely restricting niche space; and highly fragmented habitat under threat from anthropogenic disturbance. This study underscores the importance of integrative conservation assessment, analyzing multiple data sources, and reveals patterns not readily apparent from census-based assessments alone.

scholarly journals Congruence between breeding and wintering biodiversity hotspots: A case study in farmlands of Western Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽  
Piotr Indykiewicz ◽  
Łukasz Jankowiak ◽  
Paweł Szymański ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Complete Representation ◽  
Evolutionary Distinctiveness

Abstract Farmland landscapes are recognized as important ecosystems, not only for their rich biodiversity but equally so for the human beings who live and work in these places. However, biodiversity varies among sites (spatial change) and among seasons (temporal change). In this work, we tested the hypothesis that bird diversity hotspots distribution for breeding is congruent with bird diversity hotspots for wintering season, focusing also the representation of protected areas for the conservation of local hotspots. We proposed a framework based on the use of species richness, functional diversity, and evolutionary distinctiveness to characterize avian communities. Although our findings show that the spatial distribution of local bird hotspots differed slightly between seasons, the protected areas’ representation was similar in both seasons. Protected areas covered 65% of the most important zones for breeding and 71% for the wintering season in the farmland studied. Functional diversity showed similar patterns as did bird species richness, but this measure can be most effective for highlighting differences on bird community composition. Evolutionary distinctiveness was less congruent with species richness and functional diversity, among seasons. Our findings suggest that inter-seasonal spatial congruence of local hotspots can be considered as suitable areas upon which to concentrate greater conservation efforts. However, even considering the relative congruence of avian diversity metrics at a local spatial scale, simultaneous analysis of protected areas while inter-seasonally considering hotspots, can provide a more complete representation of ecosystems for assessing the conservation status and designating priority areas.

Cryptic speciation in the herbaceous bamboo genus Piresia (Poaceae, Olyreae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria L Silveira de Carvalho ◽  
Izabela S D de Jesus ◽  
Rilquer M da Silva ◽  
Kelly R B Leite ◽  
Alessandra S Schnadelbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Leaf Surface ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Niche Modelling ◽  
The North ◽  
Abaxial Leaf Surface ◽  
Herbaceous Bamboos ◽  
North Eastern

Abstract Piresia, a small genus of herbaceous bamboos, has a geographical disjunction between the Caribbean and northern/western South America and the north-eastern Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Piresia leptophylla is reported from western Amazonia (WA) and the north-eastern Atlantic Forest (NAF), but its occurrence in western Amazonia is questionable. Using an integrative approach, we combined traditional morphological analysis, anatomy and niche modelling. The results revealed few macromorphological differences between WA and NAF specimens (only plant height, leaf length, lodicule dimensions, shape and position), contrasting with consistent differences in leaf anatomy (macrohairs and cruciform silica bodies in the costal zone of the adaxial/abaxial leaf surfaces, crenate silica bodies on the abaxial leaf surface, lack of panicoid hairs on the abaxial leaf surface, bicellular microhairs and lobed papillae over the abaxial leaf surface, and sparse but elongated fusoid cells in the mesophyll of WA specimens) and in niche patterns. The anatomical/micromorphological characters suggest environmental adaptations to the Amazonian and ‘restinga’ forests, respectively. We therefore propose the segregation of the WA populations into a new species, Piresia tenella sp. nov. We provide a formal description, photographs, a line illustration, a distribution map and discussion of the conservation status for the new species.

Vertical dynamics in community functioning of biofilm-dwelling ciliates during the colonisation process in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyun Bai ◽  
Congcong Guo ◽  
Mamun Abdullah Al ◽  
Alan Warren ◽  
Henglong Xu
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Yellow Sea ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
The Yellow Sea ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Trait Distribution

Multifunctional trait analysis is increasingly recognised as an effective tool for assessing ecosystem function and environmental quality. Here, a baseline study was performed at four depths (i.e. 1, 2, 3.5 and 5m) in Yellow Sea coastal waters of northern China in order to determine the optimal depth for bioassessment using biological traits of biofilm-dwelling ciliates. Community-weighted means (CWM) from functional traits system were used to summarise the trait distribution and functional diversity of ciliates among the four depths during a 1-month colonisation period. Functional trait distribution revealed a clear temporal variation among the four depths. In total, 3 of 17 functional traits (i.e. feeding type, body size and flexibility) showed significant temporal patterns. Bootstrapped averaging and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) tests demonstrated that the colonisation pattern of biofilm-dwelling ciliates as expressed by CWM at 1 and 2m differed significantly from those at 3.5 and 5m. Functional diversity indices showed lower variability at 1 and 2m than at 3.5 and 5m. These results suggest that 1 and 2m are the preferred sampling depths for bioassessment of marine water quality using biological traits of biofilm-dwelling ciliates.

scholarly journals Global change in the functional diversity of marine fisheries exploitation over the past 65 years

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1933) ◽  
pp. 20200889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Trindade-Santos ◽  
Faye Moyes ◽  
Anne E. Magurran
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Marine Fisheries ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Trends

Overexploitation is recognized as one of the main threats to global biodiversity. Here, we report a widespread change in the functional diversity of fisheries catches from the large marine ecosystems (LMEs) of the world over the past 65 years (1950 to 2014). The spatial and temporal trends of functional diversity exploited from the LMEs were calculated using global reconstructed marine fisheries catch data provided by the Sea Around Us initiative (including subsistence, artisanal, recreational, industrial fisheries, and discards) and functional trait data available in FishBase. Our analyses uncovered a substantial increase in the functional richness of both ray-finned fishes (80% of LMEs) and cartilaginous species (sharks and rays) (75% of LMESs), in line with an increase in the taxonomic richness, extracted from these ecosystems. The functional evenness and functional divergence of these catches have also altered substantially over the time span of this study, with considerable geographic variation in the patterns detected. These trends show that global fisheries are increasingly targeting species that play diverse roles within the marine ecosystem and underline the importance of incorporating functional diversity in ecosystem management.

scholarly journals Do forest over- and understory respond to the same environmental variables when viewed at the taxonomic and trait level?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenny Helsen ◽  
Yeng-Chen Shen ◽  
Tsung-Yi Lin ◽  
Chien-Fan Chen ◽  
Chu-Mei Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Soil Variation

While the relative importance of climate filtering is known to be higher for woody species assemblages than herbaceous assemblage, it remains largely unexplored whether this pattern is also reflected between the woody overstory and herbaceous understory of forests. While climatic variation will be more buffered by the tree layer, the understory might also respond more to small-scale soil variation, next to experiencing additional environmental filtering due to the overstory's effects on light and litter quality. For (sub)tropical forests, the understory often contains a high proportion of fern and lycophyte species, for which environmental filtering is even less well understood. We explored the proportional importance of climate proxies and soil variation on the species, functional trait and (functional) diversity patterns of both the forest overstory and fern and lycophyte understory along an elevational gradient from 850 to 2100 m a.s.l. in northern Taiwan. We selected nine functional traits expected to respond to soil nutrient or climatic stress for this study and furthermore verified whether they were positively related across vegetation layers, as expected when driven by similar environmental drivers. We found that climate was a proportionally more important predictor than soil for the species composition of both vegetation layers and trait composition of the understory. The stronger than expected proportional effect of climate for the understory was likely due to fern and lycophytes' higher vulnerability to drought, while the high importance of soil for the overstory seemed driven by deciduous species. The environmental drivers affected different response traits in both vegetation layers, however, which together with additional overstory effects on understory traits, resulted in a strong disconnection of community-level trait values across layers. Interestingly, species and functional diversity patterns could be almost exclusively explained by climate effects for both vegetational layers, with the exception of understory species richness. This study illustrates that environmental filtering can differentially affect species, trait and diversity patterns and can be highly divergent for forest overstory and understory vegetation, and should consequently not be extrapolated across vegetation layers or between composition and diversity patterns.

scholarly journals The evolution of trait variance creates a tension between species diversity and functional diversity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
György Barabás ◽  
Christine Parent ◽  
Andrew Kraemer ◽  
Frederik Van de Perre ◽  
Frederik De Laender
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Leaf Chemistry ◽  
Trait Variance ◽  
Trait Space

AbstractIt seems intuitive that species diversity promotes functional diversity. For example, more plant species imply more diverse leaf chemistry and thus more kinds of food for herbivores. Here we argue that the evolution of functional trait variance challenges this view. We show that trait-based eco-evolutionary processes force species to evolve narrower trait breadths in tightly packed communities, in their effort to avoid competition with neighboring species. This effect is so strong as to reduce overall trait space coverage, overhauling the expected positive relationship between species- and functional diversity. Empirical data from Galápagos land snail communities proved consistent with this claim. As a consequence, trait data from species-poor communities may misjudge functional diversity in species-rich ones, and vice versa.

scholarly journals Multitrophic functional diversity predicts ecosystem functioning in experimental assemblages of estuarine consumers

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S Lefcheck ◽  
J. Emmett Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Experimental Investigations

The use of functional traits to explain how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning has attracted intense interest, yet few studies have a priori altered functional diversity, especially in multitrophic communities. Here, we manipulated multivariate functional diversity of estuarine grazers and predators within multiple levels of species richness to test how species richness and functional diversity predicted ecosystem functioning in a multitrophic food web. Community functional diversity was a better predictor than species richness for the majority of ecosystem properties, based on general linear mixed effects models. Combining inferences from 8 traits into a single multivariate index increased prediction accuracy of these models relative to any individual trait. Structural equation modeling revealed that functional diversity of both grazers and predators was important in driving final biomass within trophic levels, with stronger effects observed for predators. We also show that different species drove different ecosystem responses, with evidence for both sampling effects and complementarity. Our study extends experimental investigations of functional trait diversity to a multilevel food web, and demonstrates that functional diversity can be more accurate and effective than species richness in predicting community biomass in a food web context.

scholarly journals Multitrophic functional diversity predicts ecosystem functioning in experimental assemblages of estuarine consumers

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S Lefcheck ◽  
J. Emmett Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Experimental Investigations

The use of functional traits to explain how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning has attracted intense interest, yet few studies have a priori manipulated functional diversity, especially in multitrophic communities. Here, we manipulated multivariate functional diversity of estuarine grazers and predators within two levels of species richness to test how species richness and functional diversity predicted ecosystem functioning in a multitrophic food web. Community functional diversity was a better predictor than species richness for the majority of ecosystem properties, based on general linear mixed effects models. Combining inferences from 8 traits into a single multivariate index increased prediction accuracy of these properties relative to any individual trait. Structural equation modeling revealed that functional diversity of both grazers and predators was important in driving final biomass within and between trophic levels, with stronger effects observed for predators. We also show that different species drove different ecosystem responses, with evidence for both sampling effects and complementarity. Our study extends experimental investigations of functional trait diversity to a multilevel food web, and demonstrates that functional diversity can be more accurate and effective than species richness in predicting community biomass in a food web context.

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