scholarly journals Similar Trait Structure and Vulnerability in Pelagic Fish Faunas on Two Remote Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Steinberg ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Juhel ◽  
Virginie Marques ◽  
Clara Péron ◽  
Régis Hocdé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Video Systems ◽  
Significant Divergence ◽  
Pelagic Communities

Abstract The link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has been the topic of considerable research, but it remains unclear how biodiversity decline is compromising ecosystem functionality, particularly in the pelagic realm. Here, we explore how pelagic fish species diversity relates to functional diversity by sampling two locations, which, on the basis of biogeography, environmental conditions, and human pressures, were expected to host pronounced differences in species composition and abundances, and therefore functionality. Strings of five drifting mid-water Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems were used to survey pelagic vertebrate diversity and abundance in two isolated oceanic island systems, the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary – a large, 25-year-old marine protected area – and an unprotected area in Cape Verde. Functional diversity, which offers insight into a community’s resilience against disturbance, was analysed using six key functional traits of marine fishes. Cape Verde showed high overall abundance (Total MaxN 873) and low biomass (3,559 kg), with a predominance of smaller fishes. Malpelo showed high biomass (7,839 kg) but lower abundance (Total MaxN 465), with a predominance of large species. Species and functional diversity were marginally different between locations. Multivariate analysis of species relative abundances showed significant divergence between locations, although community functional traits overlapped strongly, suggesting that both communities share a similar structure and vulnerability. The existence of a common functional ‘backbone’ in diverging species communities across the oceans, under different productivity regimes, and under different protection levels, suggests that although pelagic communities may differ considerably in terms of species composition, this does not translate into a differing functional structure and resilience potential. Whether this vulnerability is a common feature of pelagic communities and how this contrasts with benthic systems warrants further research.

scholarly journals Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe ◽  
Grant S. Joseph ◽  
Colleen L. Seymour ◽  
Thinandavha C. Munyai ◽  
Stefan H. Foord
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Composition Analysis ◽  
Fine Scale

AbstractHigh-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone.

Contrasting Trophic Level Interactions in Lake St. George and Haynes Lake (Ontario, Canada)

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Lafontaine ◽  
Donald J. McQueen
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Total Zooplankton ◽  
Clear Water ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Water Lake ◽  
Pelagic Communities

Two small, adjacent kettle lakes in southern Ontario were sampled during spring and summer 1987. The data comprised weekly samples of zooplankton and water chemistry, monthly diel assessments of the densities of pelagic fish and zooplankton found at 1-m depth intervals in the water column, and an annual mark and recapture assessment of the entire fish population. The two lakes had very different community structures. Haynes Lake was characterized by high piscivore numbers, few planktivores, a relatively large assemblage of large bodied zooplankton, low chlorophyll a concentrations, and clear water. Lake St. George had a lower piscivore to planktivore ratio, smaller zooplankton, more chlorophyll a, and murkier water. Comparisons of trophic level biomasses for the two lakes suggested that in both communities, the relationships between piscivores and planktivores and between planktivores and zooplankton were strongly correlated with predator abundances. In the more oligotrophy community (Haynes Lake) this influence extended weakly to the phytoplankton, but in the more eutrophic system, little of the variability in chlorophyll a with respect to total phosphorus could be explained by total zooplankton (or Daphnia) abundance. This suggests that for freshwater pelagic communities, top-down effects may be stronger in more oligotrophic systems.

scholarly journals Plasticity in plant functional traits is shaped by variability in neighbourhood species composition

2016 ◽  
Vol 211 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Abakumova ◽  
Kristjan Zobel ◽  
Anu Lepik ◽  
Marina Semchenko
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Traits

scholarly journals KOMPOSISI JENIS DAN DISTRIBUSI UKURAN IKANPELAGIS BESAR HASILTANGKAPANPANCINGULURDI SENDANGBIRU, JAWATIMUR

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Ria Faizah ◽  
Aisayah Aisayah
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Landing Site ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
Yellowfin Tuna ◽  
Thunnus Albacares ◽  
Bigeye Tuna ◽  
Katsuwonus Pelamis ◽  
Individual Weight ◽  
Thunnus Obesus

Sendang Biru merupakan salah satu tempat pendaratan ikan pelagis besar di Jawa Timur. Penelitian tentang komposisi jenis dan ukuran ikan pelagis besar hasil tangkapan pancing ulur yang didaratkan di PPI Pondok Dadap, Sendang Biru, Jawa Timur, dilakukan pada bulanApril dan Oktober 2010. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan hasil tangkapan pancing ulur didominasi oleh jenis tuna (Thunnus albacares dan Thunnus obesus) 45%, cakalang (Katsuwonus pelamis) sebesar 38 %, dan lainnya (marlin, lemadang, lauro) sebesar 1,7 %. Ikan tuna yang didaratkan terdiri dari jenis yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) dan bigeye tuna (T. obesus) dengan ukuran panjang cagakmasing –masing berkisar antara 40 - 170 cmFL dan 40 - 140 cmFL. Berat individumasing-masing berkisar antara 0.1 - 71 kg dan 0.5 - 43 kg. Sendang Biru is one of big pelagic’s landing site in East Java. Tuna on this research are caught by handline that landing in PPI Pondok Dadap, Sendang Biru, East Java. Research on the species composition and size distribution of big pelagic fish caught by handline were carried out during April and October 2010 at Sendang Biru, East Java. The result showed that Thunnus sp. are the most landed (45%) followed by Katsuwonus pelamis (38 %) and others (Xiphias gladius, Coriphaena sp., Elagatis bipinnulatus) of 1.7 %. The dominant fork lengthof Thunnus albacares and Thunnus obesus ranged from about 40 - 170 cm and 40 – 140 cm. Individual weight ranged between 0.1 - 71 kg and 0.5 - 43 kg respectivelly.

scholarly journals Canopy Leaf Traits, Basal Area, and Age Predict Functional Patterns of Regenerating Communities in Secondary Subtropical Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Cristina Müller ◽  
Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin ◽  
Kauane Maiara Bordin ◽  
Joice Klipel ◽  
Milena Fermina Rosenfield
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Functional Composition ◽  
Forest Age

Secondary forests originate from natural regeneration after fallow (succession) or restoration. Species assembly in these communities, which can affect ecosystem functions and successional trajectories, is very unpredictable. Trait-based trajectories can shed light on the recovery of ecosystem functions and enable predictions of how the regenerating communities will change with forest age. Regeneration communities are affected by initial conditions and also by canopy structure and functional traits that alter dispersers' attractiveness and coexistence mechanisms. Here we evaluated how community functional traits change over time and tested if functional diversity and composition of the established canopy, as well as the structure of the canopy and forest age, influence the functional structure of regenerating tree communities when compared to their reference forests. For this, we calculated dissimilarity in trait composition (community-weighted means) and in functional diversity of regenerating communities of each succession/restoration stand, using the tree stratum of nearby mature forests as baseline values. Functional trait information comprises leaf, wood density, and reproductive traits from tree species. Our community data contain information from natural successional forests and restoration sites, in the South-Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Predictor variables of functional dissimilarities were forest age, canopy structural variables, canopy functional composition, and functional diversity. Results showed leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, leaf nitrogen-phosphorus ratio) and seed mass varying with forest age. Canopy functional composition based on leaf traits and total basal area significantly predicted multiple trait functional dissimilarity between the regeneration component of secondary forests and their reference community values. Dissimilarity increased when the canopy was composed of species with more acquisitive traits. Difference in functional diversity was only influenced by forest age. Mid-stage secondary forests showed lower functional diversity than early-stage forests. Our results indicated the importance of canopy traits on the natural regeneration of secondary subtropical forests. If functional similarity with reference forests is a desired objective in order to recover ecosystem functions through natural regeneration, leaf functional traits of canopy trees that establish or are planted in degraded areas must be considered in the successional processes.

scholarly journals Functional Diversity: An Epistemic Roadmap

BioScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 800-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Malaterre ◽  
Antoine C Dussault ◽  
Sophia Rousseau-Mermans ◽  
Gillian Barker ◽  
Beatrix E Beisner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Ecological Management ◽  
Diversity Studies

Abstract Functional diversity holds the promise of understanding ecosystems in ways unattainable by taxonomic diversity studies. Underlying this promise is the intuition that investigating the diversity of what organisms actually do (i.e., their functional traits) within ecosystems will generate more reliable insights into the ways these ecosystems behave, compared to considering only species diversity. But this promise also rests on several conceptual and methodological (i.e., epistemic) assumptions that cut across various theories and domains of ecology. These assumptions should be clearly addressed, notably for the sake of an effective comparison and integration across domains, and for assessing whether or not to use functional diversity approaches for developing ecological management strategies. The objective of this contribution is to identify and critically analyze the most salient of these assumptions. To this aim, we provide an epistemic roadmap that pinpoints these assumptions along a set of historical, conceptual, empirical, theoretical, and normative dimensions.

scholarly journals Functional Diversity of Evolutionary Novelties: Insights from Waterfall-Climbing Kinematics and Performance of Juvenile Gobiid Fishes

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R W Blob ◽  
R Lagarde ◽  
K M Diamond ◽  
R M Keeffe ◽  
R S Bertram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
La Réunion ◽  
Similar Performance ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Single Genus ◽  
Functional Pathways ◽  
Functional Complexity ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Multiple Species

Synopsis The evolution of novel functional traits can contribute substantially to the diversification of lineages. Older functional traits might show greater variation than more recently evolved novelties, due to the accrual of evolutionary changes through time. However, functional complexity and many-to-one mapping of structure to function could complicate such expectations. In this context, we compared kinematics and performance across juveniles from multiple species for two styles of waterfall-climbing that are novel to gobiid fishes: ancestral “powerburst” climbing, and more recently evolved “inching”, which has been confirmed only among species of a single genus that is nested within the clade of powerburst climbers. Similar net climbing speeds across inching species seem, at first, to indicate that this more recently evolved mode of climbing exhibits less functional diversity. However, these similar net speeds arise through different pathways: Sicyopterus stimpsoni from Hawai’i move more slowly than S. lagocephalus from La Réunion, but may also spend more time moving. The production of similar performance between multiple functional pathways reflects a situation that resembles the phenomenon of many-to-one mapping of structure to function. Such similarity has the potential to mask appropriate interpretations of relative functional diversity between lineages, unless the mechanisms underlying performance are explored. More specifically, similarity in net performance between “powerburst” and “inching” styles indicates that selection on climbing performance was likely a limited factor in promoting the evolution of inching as a new mode of climbing. In this context, other processes (e.g., exaptation) might be implicated in the origin of this functional novelty.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document