Functional diversity of the Australian flora: strong links to species richness and climate

The Effect of Climate and Human Pressures on Functional Diversity and Species Richness Patterns of Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals in Europe

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13060275 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 275

Author(s):

Mariana A. Tsianou ◽

Maria Lazarina ◽

Danai-Eleni Michailidou ◽

Aristi Andrikou-Charitidou ◽

Stefanos P. Sgardelis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Influential Factor ◽

Climatic Variables ◽

Quadratic Entropy ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Rao’S Quadratic Entropy ◽

Richness Patterns

The ongoing biodiversity crisis reinforces the urgent need to unravel diversity patterns and the underlying processes shaping them. Although taxonomic diversity has been extensively studied and is considered the common currency, simultaneously conserving other facets of diversity (e.g., functional diversity) is critical to ensure ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here, we explored the effect of key climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, temperature seasonality, and precipitation seasonality) and factors reflecting human pressures (agricultural land, urban land, land-cover diversity, and human population density) on the functional diversity (functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy) and species richness of amphibians (68 species), reptiles (107 species), and mammals (176 species) in Europe. We explored the relationship between different predictors and diversity metrics using generalized additive mixed model analysis, to capture non-linear relationships and to account for spatial autocorrelation. We found that at this broad continental spatial scale, climatic variables exerted a significant effect on the functional diversity and species richness of all taxa. On the other hand, variables reflecting human pressures contributed significantly in the models even though their explanatory power was lower compared to climatic variables. In most cases, functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy responded similarly to climate and human pressures. In conclusion, climate is the most influential factor in shaping both the functional diversity and species richness patterns of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in Europe. However, incorporating factors reflecting human pressures complementary to climate could be conducive to us understanding the drivers of functional diversity and richness patterns.

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

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.2478/eje-2018-0014 ◽

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.

Context-dependency in biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships is driven by nitrogen availability and plant functional composition

10.1101/2020.08.17.254086 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Noémie A. Pichon ◽

Seraina L. Cappelli ◽

Santiago Soliveres ◽

Tosca Mannall ◽

Thu Zar Nwe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Plant Species Richness ◽

Trophic Levels ◽

Context Dependency ◽

Composition Gradient ◽

Nitrogen Enrichment ◽

Functional Composition

SummaryThe ability of an ecosystem to deliver multiple functions at high levels (multifunctionality) typically increases with biodiversity but there is substantial variation in the strength and direction of biodiversity effects, suggesting context-dependency. However, the drivers of this context dependency have not been identified and understood in comparative meta-analyses or experimental studies. To determine how different factors modulate the effect of diversity on multifunctionality, we conducted a large grassland experiment with 216 communities, crossing a manipulation of plant species richness (1-20 species) with manipulations of resource availability (nitrogen enrichment), plant functional composition (gradient in mean specific leaf area [SLA] to manipulate abundances of fast vs. slow species), plant functional diversity (variance in SLA) and enemy abundance (fungal pathogen removal). We measured ten functions, above and belowground, related to productivity, nutrient cycling and energy transfer between trophic levels, and calculated multifunctionality. Plant species richness and functional diversity both increased multifunctionality, but their effects were context dependent. Species richness increased multifunctionality, but only when communities were assembled with fast growing (high SLA) species. This was because slow species were more redundant in their functional effects, whereas fast species tended to promote different functions. Functional diversity also increased multifunctionality but this effect was dampened by nitrogen enrichment, however, unfertilised, functionally diverse communities still delivered more functions than low diversity, fertilised communities. Our study suggests that a shift towards exploitative communities will not only alter ecosystem functioning but also the strength of biodiversity-functioning relationships, which highlights the potentially complex effects of global change on multifunctionality.

Impact of urbanization on functional diversity in macromycete communities along an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12191 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12191

Author(s):

Marko Gómez-Hernández ◽

Emily Avendaño-Villegas ◽

María Toledo-Garibaldi ◽

Etelvina Gándara

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Niche Space ◽

Urbanization Gradient ◽

Urbanization Level ◽

Functional Value ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Available Resources

Macromycetes are a group of fungi characterized by the production of fruit bodies and are highly relevant in most terrestrial ecosystems as pathogens, mutualists, and organic matter decomposers. Habitat transformation can drastically alter macromycete communities and diminish the contribution of these organisms to ecosystem functioning; however, knowledge on the effect of urbanization on macrofungal communities is scarce. Diversity metrics based on functional traits of macromycete species have shown to be valuable tools to predict how species contribute to ecosystem functionality since traits determine the performance of species in ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of species richness, functional diversity, and composition of macrofungi in an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico, and to identify microclimatic, environmental, and urban factors related to these patterns in order to infer the effect of urbanization on macromycete communities. We selected four oak forests along an urbanization gradient and established a permanent sampling area of 0.1 ha at each site. Macromycete sampling was carried out every week from June to October 2017. The indices used to measure functional diversity were functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDig), and functional evenness (FEve). The metric used to assess variation of macrofungal ecological function along the study area was the functional value. We recorded a total of 134 macromycete species and 223 individuals. Our results indicated a decline of species richness with increased urbanization level related mainly to microclimatic variables, and a high turnover of species composition among study sites, which appears to be related to microclimatic and urbanization variables. FRic decreased with urbanization level, indicating that some of the available resources in the niche space within the most urbanized sites are not being utilized. FDig increased with urbanization, which suggests a high degree of niche differentiation among macromycete species within communities in urbanized areas. FEve did not show notable differences along the urbanization gradient, indicating few variations in the distribution of abundances within the occupied sections of the niche space. Similarly, the functional value was markedly higher in the less urbanized site, suggesting greater performance of functional guilds in that area. Our findings suggest that urbanization has led to a loss of macromycete species and a decrease in functional diversity, causing some sections of the niche space to be hardly occupied and available resources to be under-utilized, which could, to a certain extent, affect ecosystem functioning and stability.

Species Richness, Abundance and Functional Diversity of a Bat Community along an Elevational Gradient in the Espinhaço Mountain Range, Southeastern Brazil

Acta Chiropterologica ◽

10.3161/15081109acc2018.20.1.009 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Eduardo De Rodrigues Coelho ◽

Adriano Pereira Paglia ◽

Arleu Barbosa Viana-Junior ◽

Luiz A. Dolabela Falcão ◽

Guilherme B. Ferreira

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Mountain Range

Multiple facets of diversity effects on plant productivity: Species richness, functional diversity, species identity and intraspecific competition

Functional Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2435.13473 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 287-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lucie Mahaut ◽

Florian Fort ◽

Cyrille Violle ◽

Grégoire T. Freschet

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Intraspecific Competition ◽

Plant Productivity ◽

Species Identity ◽

Diversity Effects

Plant Taxonomic Diversity Better Explains Soil Fungal and Bacterial Diversity than Functional Diversity in Restored Forest Ecosystems

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants8110479 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 479 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hanif ◽

Guo ◽

Moniruzzaman ◽

He ◽

Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Microbial Diversity ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Bacterial Diversity ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Taxonomic Diversity ◽

Soil Microbial Diversity ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Bacterial Richness

Plant attributes have direct and indirect effects on soil microbes via plant inputs and plant-mediated soil changes. However, whether plant taxonomic and functional diversities can explain the soil microbial diversity of restored forest ecosystems remains elusive. Here, we tested the linkage between plant attributes and soil microbial communities in four restored forests (Acacia species, Eucalyptus species, mixed coniferous species, mixed native species). The trait-based approaches were applied for plant properties and high-throughput Illumina sequencing was applied for fungal and bacterial diversity. The total number of soil microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) varied among the four forests. The highest richness of fungal OTUs was found in the Acacia forest. However, bacterial OTUs were highest in the Eucalyptus forest. Species richness was positively and significantly related to fungal and bacterial richness. Plant taxonomic diversity (species richness and species diversity) explained more of the soil microbial diversity than the functional diversity and soil properties. Prediction of fungal richness was better than that of bacterial richness. In addition, root traits explained more variation than the leaf traits. Overall, plant taxonomic diversity played a more important role than plant functional diversity and soil properties in shaping the soil microbial diversity of the four forests.

Landscape-scale drivers of mammalian species richness and functional diversity in forest patches within a mixed land-use mosaic

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106176 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 113 ◽

pp. 106176

Author(s):

Yvette C. Ehlers Smith ◽

David A. Ehlers Smith ◽

Tharmalingam Ramesh ◽

Colleen T. Downs

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Mammalian Species ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Forest Patches ◽

Mixed Land Use

Avian Response to Wildfire Severity in a Northern Boreal Region

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11121330 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1330

Author(s):

Michelle Knaggs ◽

Samuel Haché ◽

Scott E. Nielsen ◽

Rhiannon F. Pankratz ◽

Erin Bayne

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Fire Severity ◽

Natural Disturbance ◽

Burn Severity ◽

Vegetation Types ◽

Generalist Species ◽

High Severity

Research Highlights: The effects of fire on birds in the most northern parts of the boreal forest are understudied. We found distinct differences in bird communities with increasing fire severity in two vegetation types with naturally different burn severity. The highest severity burns tended to have communities dominated by generalist species, regardless of the original vegetation type. Background and Objectives: Wildfire is the primary natural disturbance in the boreal ecosystems of northwestern Canada. Increased wildfire frequency, extent, and severity are expected with climate change in this region. In particular, the proportion of burns that are high severity and the area of peatlands burned are increasing, and how this influences birds is poorly understood. Materials and Methods: We quantified the effects of burn severity (low, moderate, and high severity) in uplands and peatlands on occupancy, density, richness, community composition, and functional diversity using point counts (n = 1158) from the first two years post-fire for two large fires in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Results: Burn severity had a significant effect on the occupancy and density of 86% of our focal species (n = 20). Responses to burn severity depended on vegetation type for four of the 18 species using occupancy and seven of the 18 using density, but were typically in a similar direction. Species richness and functional diversity were lower in areas of high severity burns than unburned areas and low severity burns in peatlands. Richness was not related to severity in uplands, but functional diversity was. Peatlands had higher species richness than uplands in all burn severities, but as burn severity increased the upland and peatland communities became more similar. Conclusions: Our results suggest that high severity burns in both vegetation types support five generalist species and two fire specialists that may benefit from alterations in vegetation structure as a result of climate induced changes to fire regimes. However, eight species avoided burns, particularly birds preferring peatlands, and are likely to be more susceptible to fire-driven changes to their habitat caused by climate change. Understanding the long-term risks to these species from climate change requires additional efforts that link fire to bird populations.

Species richness and functional diversity of isopod communities vary across an urbanisation gradient, but the direction and strength depend on soil type

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107851 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 148 ◽

pp. 107851

Author(s):

A. Ooms ◽

A.T.C. Dias ◽

A.R. van Oosten ◽

J.H.C. Cornelissen ◽

J. Ellers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Soil Type ◽

Urbanisation Gradient