scholarly journals Functional diversity of marine megafauna in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaay7650 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pimiento ◽  
F. Leprieur ◽  
D. Silvestro ◽  
J. S. Lefcheck ◽  
C. Albouy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
If Current ◽  
Marine Megafauna

Marine megafauna, the largest animals in the oceans, serve key roles in ecosystem functioning. Yet, one-third of these animals are at risk of extinction. To better understand the potential consequences of megafaunal loss, here we quantify their current functional diversity, predict future changes under different extinction scenarios, and introduce a new metric [functionally unique, specialized and endangered (FUSE)] that identifies threatened species of particular importance for functional diversity. Simulated extinction scenarios forecast marked declines in functional richness if current trajectories are maintained during the next century (11% globally; up to 24% regionally), with more marked reductions (48% globally; up to 70% at the poles) beyond random expectations if all threatened species eventually go extinct. Among the megafaunal groups, sharks will incur a disproportionate loss of functional richness. We identify top FUSE species and suggest a renewed focus on these species to preserve the ecosystem functions provided by marine megafauna.

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

PeerJ ◽  
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.

Using evidence of decline and extinction risk to identify priority regions, habitats and threats for plant conservation in Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Silcock ◽  
R. J. Fensham
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
State Legislation ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
The Status ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Efficient Recovery

Threatened species lists are used at global, national and regional scales to identify species at risk of extinction. Many species are listed due to restricted population size or geographic distribution, and decline is often inferred rather than quantified. Vascular plants comprise over 70% of nationally listed threatened species, but there is an incomplete picture of which species are most at risk of extinction, where these occur and the factors behind their declines. We compiled published information and the best available field knowledge including 125 expert interviews to identify declining and at risk species. The candidate list comprised 1135 taxa, which were mostly listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered under Federal and/or State legislation, but included 80 that are currently unlisted but considered to be highly threatened. In total, 418 taxa were assessed as having a documented, suspected or projected continuing decline. These were ranked based on extinction risk and magnitude of continuing decline, which suggest that 296 are at risk of extinction under current management regimes, including 55 at high risk of extinction. Declining and imperilled taxa are concentrated in a relatively small number of regions and habitats, and six threatening processes are driving the majority of declines. Field surveys and robust, repeatable monitoring are required to better inform population trends and extinction risk, as well as inform the status of almost 200 taxa that are potentially imperilled but poorly known. Identification of declining taxa can identify key issues for flora conservation across a continent, and allow for targeted and efficient recovery efforts.

scholarly journals Introduction to Conservation Genetics

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Leong Lim
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Conservation Genetics ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Risk Of Extinction

WITH regards to threatened species, section SA (a) reads: "Whether ... a viable local population of the species is likely to be placed at risk of extinction."

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

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan S Lefcheck ◽  
J. Emmett Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Experimental Investigations

The use of functional traits to explain biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning has attracted intense recent interest, yet very few a priori manipulations of functional diversity have been attempted to date, especially from a food web perspective. Here, we simultaneously manipulated multiple functional traits of estuarine grazers and predators within multiple levels of species richness to test whether species richness or functional diversity is a better predictor of ecosystem functioning in multitrophic estuarine food webs. Community functional diversity better predicted the majority of ecosystem responses based on results from generalized linear mixed effects models. Structural equation modeling revealed that this outcome was independently attributable to functional diversity of both trophic levels, with stronger effects observed for predators. Functional complementarity was also important, as species with different combinations of traits influenced different ecosystem functions. Our study is the first to extend experimental investigations of functional diversity to a multilevel food web, and demonstrates that functional diversity is more effective than species richness in predicting ecosystem functioning in a food web context.

scholarly journals Intraspecific diversity loss in a predator species alters prey community structure and ecosystem functions

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. e3001145
Author(s):  
Allan Raffard ◽  
Julien Cucherousset ◽  
José M. Montoya ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Samson Acoca-Pidolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Intraspecific Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Invertebrate Diversity ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Genotypic Richness

Loss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity–ecosystem function (iBEF) relationships have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (Phoxinus phoxinus) to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness. We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or interactively. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high. Finally, losses in genotypic and functional richness altered functions (decomposition) through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. The loss of genotypic richness impacted ecological properties as much as the loss of functional richness, probably because it sustains “cryptic” functional diversity.

scholarly journals A decrease in taxonomic and functional diversity of dung beetles impacts the ecosystem function of manure removal in altered subtropical habitats

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244783
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Sarmiento-Garcés ◽  
Malva Isabel Medina Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Soil Temperatures

The loss of biodiversity—caused mainly by habitat destruction—is one of the environmental problems with major repercussions on ecosystem functioning. Nevertheless, our understanding of the functional consequences of habitat changes on the communities and ecosystems remains limited to a small number of case studies. We evaluated the change in taxonomic and functional diversity of copro-necrophagous beetles (Scarabaeinae) and their relationship with the varying environmental factors present in four habitats with different degrees of disturbance. Furthermore, we evaluated how changes in taxonomic and functional diversity affect the rates of excrement removal. The collections were carried out at four locations in the state of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil, on natural systems with different degrees of disturbances (forests in advanced and initial succession) and agroecosystems (silviculture and pastures dedicated to livestock). We collected a total of 1266 dung beetles distributed in 35 species and classified into 11 functional groups. The taxonomic and functional diversity analyses showed that habitats that still maintain an arboreal stratum do not present differences between them, in contrast to habitats dedicated to livestock where there was a significant loss of species and functional groups. The distance between the trees, as well as the air and soil temperatures were determining factors in the selection of species and functional groups. Some of these environmental factors explain the differences in functional traits, represented as varying abundances of the species found. The rates of manure removal from the ecosystem were positively correlated to taxonomic and functional richness as well as biomass of beetles. Thus, we can conclude that habitats with tree strata have the capacity to preserve a larger proportion of the regional set of species as well as the important ones, while preserving the taxonomic and functional diversity and the ecosystem functions, such as the excrement removal rate.

Conservation priorities, necessity in the tarai region of Kumaun, Uttarakhand

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-133
Author(s):  
Anjali Mathur ◽  
Hema Joshi
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
Urgent Necessity

A threatened species is any plant or animal species that is at risk of extinction. The present study was conducted in tarai region of Kumaun, Uttarakhand between the years 2008 to 2011 in three different sites and eight communities. During the study it was found that 28 plant species belonged of threatened categories. The present study concluded that, conservation is urgent necessity in this area.

scholarly journals Intraspecific diversity loss in a predator species alters prey community structure and ecosystem functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Raffard ◽  
Julien Cucherousset ◽  
José M. Montoya ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Samson Acoca-Pidolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Intraspecific Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Invertebrate Diversity ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Genotypic Richness

AbstractLoss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships (iBEF) have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (Phoxinus phoxinus), to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species, and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness. We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or in interaction. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high. Finally, both losses in genotypic and functional richness altered essential functions (e.g. decomposition) through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. The loss of genotypic richness impacted ecological properties as much as the loss of functional richness, probably because it sustains “cryptic” functional diversity.

scholarly journals A remote sensing-based dataset to characterize the ecosystem functioning and functional diversity in the Biosphere Reserve of Sierra Nevada (SE Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz P. Cazorla ◽  
Javier Cabello ◽  
Andrés Reyes ◽  
Emilio Guirado ◽  
Julio Peñas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Functional Attributes

Abstract. Conservation Biology faces the challenge of safeguarding the ecosystem functions and ecological processes (water cycle, nutrients, energy flow, and community dynamics) that sustain the multiple facets of biodiversity. Characterization and evaluation of these processes and functions can be carried out through functional attributes or traits related to the exchanges of matter and energy between vegetation and the atmosphere. Based on this principle, satellite imagery can provide integrative spatiotemporal characterizations of ecosystem functions at local to global scales. Here, we provide a multi-temporal dataset at protected area level, that characterizes the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of ecosystem functioning in the Biosphere Reserve of Sierra Nevada (Spain), captured through the spectral vegetation index EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index, product MOD13Q1.006 from MODIS sensor) from 2001 to 2018. The database contains, at the annual scale, a synthetic map of Ecosystem Functional Types (EFTs) classes from three Ecosystem Functional Attributes (EFAs): i) descriptors of annual primary production, ii) seasonality, and iii) phenology of carbon gains. It also includes two ecosystem functional diversity indices derived from the above datasets: i) EFT richness, and ii) EFT rarity. Finally, it provides inter-annual summaries for all previous variables, i.e., their long-term means and inter-annual variabilities. The datasets are available in two open-source sites (PANGAEA: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.924792 (Cazorla et al., 2020a) and http://obsnev.es/apps/efts_SN.html). This dataset brings to scientists, managers, and the general public, valuable information on the first characterization of ecosystem functional diversity based on primary production developed in Sierra Nevada, a biodiversity hotspot in the Mediterranean basin, and an exceptional natural laboratory for ecological research within the Long-Term Social-Ecological Research (LTSER) network.

scholarly journals Extinct flagships: linking extinct and threatened species

Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Kyne ◽  
Vanessa M. Adams
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Extinct Species ◽  
The Public ◽  
Raphus Cucullatus ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
The Status ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Conservation Marketing

AbstractDespite much effort to promote the conservation and recovery of threatened species, the extent of the current list of threatened vertebrates (> 7,600 species) underscores the need to develop novel communication and marketing tools to raise awareness and funding for their conservation. Although flagship species have been widely used in conservation marketing, the flagship role of extinct species has been largely overlooked and the status of lost species is rarely associated with the status of extant species facing a high risk of extinction. Some extinct species (e.g. the dodo Raphus cucullatus and the thylacine Thylacinus cynocephalus) are cultural and commercial icons and therefore familiar, and may appeal to the public as conservation flagships. We propose a wider use of extinct flagships to raise awareness for the conservation of threatened species by making a direct link between already extinct species and extant species at risk of extinction. We present examples of publicly recognized and iconic extinct species that could be used in marketing for the conservation of threatened species. These extinct species are familiar and may be readily linked to threatened species or species groups. We outline a roadmap for testing their appeal under the extinct flagship concept, through market research. If research identifies that a cognitive link is made between the fate of an extinct species (i.e. they went extinct from human causes) and what may happen to threatened species (i.e. they are at risk of extinction from human causes), extinct species may well have a wider role to play as conservation flagships.

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