Functional Traits on Cavity-nesting Birds in Subtropical Andean Forest: Response to Logging Activity and Comparing with American Temperate Forests

Abstract Logging causes changes in habitat structure, which can potentially lead to variations in taxonomic and functional richness of biodiversity. In this paper, we examined how logging in subtropical Andean forests has influenced taxonomic and functional diversity of cavity-nesting birds. We used point-counts to examine the effects of logging on taxonomic and functional traits of avian communities (Functional Richness, Functional evenness, Functional Divergence, and Community-weighted mean). We found that logging changes bird richness and abundance, although it had no effect on the functional response to the measured traits. The comparison of our results with those of temperate forests of Canada and Chile reveals differences in the functional richness, with a lower impact of logging on functional traits. We highlight the importance of including functional traits in the analyses, since the reduction in the species richness and abundance may not translate into functional changes within the ecosystem.

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Responses of functional traits in cavity-nesting birds to logging in subtropical and temperate forests of the Americas

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-03756-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alejandro A. Schaaf ◽

Daniela Gomez ◽

Ever Tallei ◽

Constanza G. Vivanco ◽

Román A. Ruggera

Keyword(s):

Functional Traits ◽

Temperate Forests ◽

Functional Divergence ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Point Counts ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Bird Richness ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

AbstractLogging causes changes in habitat structure, which can potentially lead to variations in taxonomic and functional richness of biodiversity. Studies on how functional traits in birds are affected by logging operations can provide an important element for the understanding of ecosystem processes. In this paper, we examined how logging in subtropical Andean forests influenced taxonomic and functional diversity of cavity-nesting birds. We used these results to compare how logging affected ecosystem functions in temperate and subtropical forests of the Americas. We used point-counts to examine the effects of logging on taxonomic and functional traits in avian communities (Functional Richness, Functional evenness, Functional Divergence, and Community-weighted mean). We found that logging changed bird richness and abundance, although it had no effect on the functional response to the measured traits. The comparison of our results with those of temperate forests of Canada and Chile reveals differences in the functional richness of birds in these habitats, with a lower impact of logging on functional traits. We highlight the importance of including functional traits in the analyses, since the reduction in the species richness and abundance may not be translated into functional changes within the ecosystem.

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Community-weighted mean traits but not functional diversity determine the changes in soil properties during wetland drying on the Tibetan Plateau

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-8-137-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 137-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Wei Li ◽

Howard E. Epstein ◽

Zhongming Wen ◽

Jie Zhao ◽

Jingwei Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Leaf Area ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Divergence ◽

The Tibetan Plateau ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Weighted Mean ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Community Weighted Mean

Abstract. Climate change and human activities have caused a shift in vegetation composition and soil biogeochemical cycles of alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau. The primary goal of this study was to test for associations between community-weighted mean (CWM) traits, functional diversity, and soil properties during wetland drying. We collected soil samples and investigated the aboveground vegetation in swamp, swamp meadow, and typical meadow environments. Four CWM trait values (specific leaf area is SLA, leaf dry matter content is LDMC, leaf area is LA, and mature plant height is MPH) for 42 common species were measured across the three habitats; three components of functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, and functional divergence) were also quantified at these sites. Our results showed that the drying of the wetland dramatically altered plant community and soil properties. There was a significant correlation between CWM of traits and soil properties, but not a significant correlation between functional diversity and soil properties. Our results further showed that CWM-LA, CWM-SLA, and CWM-LDMC had positive correlations with soil readily available nutrients (available nitrogen, AN; available phosphorus, AP), but negative correlations with total soil nutrients (soil organic carbon is SOC, total nitrogen is TN, and total phosphorus is TP). Our study demonstrated that simple, quantitative plant functional traits, but not functional diversity, are directly related to soil C and N properties, and they likely play an important role in plant–soil interactions. Our results also suggest that functional identity of species may be more important than functional diversity in influencing ecosystem processes during wetland drying.

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Remotely sensed habitat variables are poor surrogates for functional traits of rocky reef fish assemblages

Environmental Conservation ◽

10.1017/s0376892916000205 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 368-375 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

MELINDA A. COLEMAN ◽

TIM INGLETON ◽

RUSSELL B. MILLAR ◽

PETER L. DAVIES ◽

ALAN JORDAN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Remotely Sensed ◽

Biological Data ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Physical Habitat ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

SUMMARYConservation planning often relies on measures such as species richness and abundance to prioritize areas for protection. Nonetheless, alternative metrics such as functional traits have recently been shown to be useful complementary measures for detecting biological change. Timely conservation planning often precludes the collection of such detailed biological data relying instead on remotely-sensed habitat mapping as a surrogate for diversity. While there is evidence that habitat maps may predict taxonomic species richness and diversity in some coastal ecosystems, it is unknown whether similar strong relationships exist for functional traits and functional multimetrics. We compared the performance of physical habitat structural complexity obtained from high definition swath mapping in explaining variation in traditional taxonomic metrics as well as functional traits (e.g., maximum length, trophic level, gregariousness) and functional multimetrics (e.g., functional richness, dispersion) of fish assemblages. Reef complexity measures were good surrogates for fish species richness and abundance but not for functional traits or multimetrics, except functional richness at the scale of 1 m. Remotely sensed habitat maps may not be a good surrogate for predicting functional traits and multimetrics of fish assemblages, and must be used with caution when maximizing such aspects of assemblages is a priority for conservation planning.

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Functional Divergence between Várzea and Igapó Forests: A Study of Functional Trait Diversity in the Colombian Orinoco Basin

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11111172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1172

Author(s):

Diana Bonilla ◽

Ana M. Aldana ◽

Sasha Cárdenas ◽

Adriana Sanchez

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Community Assembly ◽

Forest Type ◽

Functional Divergence ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Flooded Forests ◽

The Impact

Research Highlights: Functional diversity studies help to better understand how organisms respond to different environmental conditions. Conditions in tropical flooded forests are highly variable, including levels of nutrient availability, pH, and flood depth, but few studies have explored the impact of variation in these factors on plant functional diversity. Background and Objectives: In the Orinoco basin, as in the Amazon, floodplain forests have been classified into várzea (white-water rivers, with nutrient-rich soils) and igapó (black-water rivers, associated with nutrient-poor soils). We evaluated the functional diversity of plant species in várzea and igapó, as well as the influence of external and internal filters on the plant community assembly of each forest type, and compared our results with studies in the Amazon basin. Materials and Methods: Six functional traits were recorded in the várzea and igapó forests of the Colombian Orinoco basin (one-hectare plot for each forest type, with no replicates). We evaluated plant species diversity (richness, Fisher’s α, Shannon and Simpson indices), as well as functional diversity (functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and functional dispersion) and the influence of external and internal filters, based on a comparison of variance at different organizational levels. Results: A high functional differentiation between várzea and igapó was found, as well as a high functional divergence within each forest type. We also observed a greater influence of internal filters on the community assembly of both forest types, compared to external filters. Functional traits such as wood density and leaf dry matter content, showed the same patterns as the várzea and igapó forests in the Amazon. Conclusions: Despite the low taxonomic and functional richness, there is high functional divergence within flooded forests. We also show that in forests under stress (e.g., from flooding), internal filters can be key in assembling communities and promote high functional divergence. Given that the functional diversity of the várzea and igapó in the Orinoco is largely unexplored, we highlight the need for more research for the effective conservation of these flooded forests.

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Functional divergence of bitter taste receptors in a nectar-feeding bird

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2019.0461 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 20190461 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yi Wang ◽

Hengwu Jiao ◽

Peihua Jiang ◽

Huabin Zhao

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolites ◽

Bitter Taste ◽

Functional Divergence ◽

Taste Receptor ◽

Bitter Taste Receptor ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Nectar Feeding ◽

Gene Copies ◽

Plant Pollinator ◽

Higher Sensitivity

Nectar may contain many secondary metabolites that are commonly toxic and bitter-tasting. It has been hypothesized that such bitter-tasting secondary metabolites might keep the nectar exclusive to only a few pollinators. To test this hypothesis, we examined functional changes of bitter taste receptor genes ( Tas2r s) in a species of nectar-feeding bird (Anna's hummingbird) by comparing these genes with those from two closely related insect-feeding species (chimney swift and chuck-will's widow). We previously identified a larger number of Tas2r s in the hummingbird than in its close insectivorous relatives. In the present study, we demonstrate higher sensitivity and new functions in the hummingbird Tas2r gene copies generated by a lineage-specific duplication, which has been shaped by positive selection. These results suggest that the bitter taste may lead to increased sensitivities and specialized abilities of the hummingbird to detect bitter-tasting nectar. Moreover, this study potentially supports the hypothesis that bitter-tasting nectar may have been specialized for some pollinators, thus enforcing plant–pollinator mutualism.

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The costs of ignoring species detectability on functional diversity estimation

The Auk ◽

10.1093/auk/ukaa057 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 137 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Facundo Xavier Palacio ◽

René E Maragliano ◽

Diego Montalti

Keyword(s):

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Divergence ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Species Traits ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Imperfect Detection ◽

East Central ◽

Functional Types ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Species Occupancy

Abstract Functional diversity (FD) approaches have been increasingly used to understand ecosystem functioning in bird communities. These approaches typically rely on the assumption that species are perfectly detected in the field, despite the fact that imperfect detection represents a ubiquitous source of bias in biodiversity studies. This may be notably important in FD studies, because detection may depend on the functional traits used to compute FD metrics. However, little effort has been devoted to account for imperfect detection in FD studies, and therefore the degree to which species traits and detectability affects FD remains poorly understood. We predict that observed FD metrics may either underestimate or overestimate detection-corrected FD, because FD has multiple independent dimensions with different data properties. We assessed whether detection was related to bird traits (body mass, diet, and foraging stratum), accounting for habitat type, season, and phylogeny. We then used a multi-species occupancy model to obtain detection-corrected FD metrics (functional richness [FRic], functional evenness [FEve], and functional divergence [FDiv]), and compared observed and detection-corrected FD estimates in bird communities from east-central Argentina. Some functional types of birds (raptors and insectivores) were more easily overlooked, whereas others (seed and leaf eaters) were more easily detected. Some observed FD metrics underestimated detection-corrected FD (FRic and FDiv), whereas some others (FEve) overestimated detection-corrected FD. Both observed and detection-corrected FRic revealed differences between seasons, but not between habitat types. However, detection-corrected FEve and FDiv showed differences between seasons, contrary to observed estimates. Our results indicate that failure to account for unequal ease of detecting species can lead to erroneous estimates of FD because some functional types of birds are more easily overlooked. We outline some guidelines to help ornithologists identifying under which circumstances detection may be a concern and warn against the indiscriminate use of FD metrics without accounting for species detection.

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Composition of Cavity-Nesting Bird Communities in Montane Aspen Woodland Fragments: The Roles of Landscape Context and Forest Structure

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/104.4.890 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 104 (4) ◽

pp. 890-896 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Joshua J. Lawler ◽

Thomas C. Edwards

Keyword(s):

Populus Tremuloides ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Landscape Context ◽

Glaucomys Sabrinus ◽

Northern Flying Squirrel ◽

Nest Boxes ◽

Cavity Nesters ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Structure Tree ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

Abstract We compared cavity-nesting bird communities in aspen (Populus tremuloides) woodland fragments classified on the basis of vegetation structure (tree density) and landscape context (surrounding vegetation). We found very few cavity nesters in fragments predominantly surrounded by forests. Fragments adjacent to meadows contained more species and a greater abundance of cavity nesters. Species richness and abundance were higher in sparsely than in densely treed meadow fragments. Because secondary cavity nesters are often limited by cavity availability, we augmented natural cavities with nest boxes. Although only five boxes contained bird nests, these were all in sparse aspen fragments predominantly surrounded by meadows. However, we found 25 northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) nests in boxes, none of which were in sparse meadow fragments. In addition to highlighting the importance of landscape context in avian and mammalian habitat relationships, our results suggest that predator or competitor interactions may help structure this cavity-nester community. Composición de las Comunidades de Aves que Nidifican en Cavidades en los Fragmentos de Bosque Montano de Álamo: El Papel del Contexto del Paisaje y la Estructura del Bosque Resumen. Comparamos comunidades de aves que nidifican en cavidades en fragmentos de bosque de álamo (Populus tremuloides) clasificados en base a la estructura de la vegetación (densidad de árboles) y al contexto del paisaje (vegetación circundante). Encontramos muy pocas aves que nidifican en cavidades en los fragmentos rodeados predominantemente por bosque. Los fragmentos adyacentes a prados presentaron más especies y mayor abundancia de aves. La riqueza y la abundancia de especies fueron mayores en fragmentos con baja densidad de árboles que estuvieron rodeados por prados. Debido a que las aves que nidifican en cavidades secundarias están a menudo limitadas por la disponibilidad de cavidades, aumentamos las cavidades naturales con cajas de anidaje. Aunque solamente cinco cajas contuvieron nidos de aves, éstas estuvieron todas en los fragmentos con baja densidad de álamos rodeados predominantemente por prados. Sin embargo, encontramos 25 nidos de ardillas voladoras norteñas (Glaucomys sabrinus) en las cajas de anidaje, de las cuales ninguna estuvo en fragmentos con baja densidad de árboles rodeados por prado. Nuestros resultados destacan la importancia del contexto del paisaje en las relaciones entre el hábitat y las aves y mamíferos, y sugieren que las interacciones con depredadores o competidores pueden influenciar la estructura de la comunidades de aves que anidan en cavidades.

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Treeline ecotones shape the distribution of avian species richness and functional diversity in south temperate mountains

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-75470-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tomás A. Altamirano ◽

Devin R. de Zwaan ◽

José Tomás Ibarra ◽

Scott Wilson ◽

Kathy Martin

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Functional Traits ◽

Habitat Structure ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Montane Forest ◽

Avian Species ◽

Point Counts ◽

Mountain Habitats ◽

Elevational Range

Abstract Mountains produce distinct environmental gradients that may constrain or facilitate both the presence of avian species and/or specific combinations of functional traits. We addressed species richness and functional diversity to understand the relative importance of habitat structure and elevation in shaping avian diversity patterns in the south temperate Andes, Chile. During 2010–2018, we conducted 2202 point-counts in four mountain habitats (successional montane forest, old-growth montane forest, subalpine, and alpine) from 211 to 1,768 m in elevation and assembled trait data associated with resource use for each species to estimate species richness and functional diversity and turnover. We detected 74 species. Alpine specialists included 16 species (22%) occurring only above treeline with a mean elevational range of 298 m, while bird communities below treeline (78%) occupied a mean elevational range of 1,081 m. Treeline was an inflection line, above which species composition changed by 91% and there was a greater turnover in functional traits (2–3 times greater than communities below treeline). Alpine birds were almost exclusively migratory, inhabiting a restricted elevational range, and breeding in rock cavities. We conclude that elevation and habitat heterogeneity structure avian trait distributions and community composition, with a diverse ecotonal sub-alpine and a distinct alpine community.

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

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.0889 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1933) ◽

pp. 20200889 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Using birds to set conservation priorities for Pantanal wetland forests, Brazil

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270911000207 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 155-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

JOÃO BATISTA DE PINHO ◽

MIGUEL ÂNGELO MARINI

Keyword(s):

Bird Species ◽

Dry Forest ◽

Evergreen Forest ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Forest Types ◽

Dry Forests ◽

Point Counts ◽

Evergreen Forests ◽

Local Species Richness ◽

Bird Richness

SummaryThe Pantanal of Brazil, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is suffering severe threats, such as forest and grassland clearance on the surrounding plateau, conversion of forests and savannas for cattle ranching and effects of large development projects. We used richness, abundance and composition of bird species in four forest types to propose conservation priorities for the northern Pantanal. Birds from 11 sites (a total of 41 points) were sampled through point counts and mist-netting. In total 215 species were recorded in the forests. Two evergreen forest types (cambarazal and landi) had higher estimates of bird richness and abundance than two dry forest types (carvoeiro and cordilheira). The evergreen forests also had more species exclusive to them and were more similar to each other than the dry forests. Selection of forests to be conserved in the northern Pantanal should give priority to evergreen forests and secondarily to dry forests. Cambarazal should be the first forests to be conserved. If the Pantanal inundation cycle is altered by the construction of hydroelectric dams or the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, cambarazal and landi may no longer become flooded, decreasing local species richness. Before our recommendations are considered for conservation and management decisions, more studies on other groups of organisms should also be taken into consideration, and similar studies should be conducted in other regions of the Pantanal. Conservation of Pantanal forest birds depends on a deeper understanding of their use of several habitats, stronger protection of the forests with higher diversity, and public policies that guarantee the long term maintenance of natural flooding cycles.

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