scholarly journals Iberian Protected Areas Capture Regional Functional, Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Diversity of Most Tetrapod Groups

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Llorente-Culebras ◽  
Rafael Molina-Venegas ◽  
A. Márcia Barbosa ◽  
Silvia B. Carvalho ◽  
Miguel Á. Rodríguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Habitat Specificity ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Species Roles

Protected areas (PAs) have been created with the purpose of preserving biodiversity, acting as refuges from anthropogenic pressures. Traditionally, PAs have been designed and managed to represent mainly taxonomic diversity, ignoring other diversity facets such as its functional and phylogenetic components. Yet, functional and phylogenetic diversity are, respectively, connected with species’ roles on ecosystems and evolutionary history held within communities. Here, we focused on the amphibian, reptile, resident breeding bird, and non-flying mammal faunas of the national and natural parks of the Iberian Peninsula, to evaluate whether these PAs are adequately representing regional functional, phylogenetic, and taxonomic diversity of each group. Specifically, we computed functional and phylogenetic diversity within each PA, and then compared those values to the ones obtained from a random assembly of species from the regional pool, that was defined as the region encompassing the PA and a neighboring area of 50 km beyond its boundary. We also calculated the proportion of species in each regional pool that were present within the PAs. In general, the functional and phylogenetic diversity of amphibians, reptiles and non-flying mammals found within PAs did not differ significantly from random expectations generated from the species pertaining to the regional pool, although a few PAs showed a higher diversity. In contrast, resident breeding birds presented lower functional and phylogenetic diversity than expected by chance in many of the PAs, which could relate to climatic variables and the habitat specificity of some species. The proportion of species from the regional pools that are present in the PAs was high for amphibians, reptiles and mammals, and slightly lower for birds. These results suggest that the Iberian natural and national parks are effectively capturing the functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity of most tetrapod assemblages present at the regional level. Future studies should identify priority areas to expand the representation of these biodiversity components, and assess potential effects of climate and land-use changes on current patterns.

Assessment of the network of protected areas for birds in Taiwan with regard to functional and phylogenetic diversity

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hungyen Chen ◽  
Satoshi Nagai ◽  
Hirohisa Kishino
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Phylogenetic Constraint ◽  
Lower Elevation ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

In Taiwan, conserved areas represent more than 20% of the current jurisdiction, which is about twice that of the proportion of protected land worldwide. In this study, we explored the spatial distribution of bird assemblages in Taiwan. By analysing functional and phylogenetic diversity relative to elevational gradient, we assessed the network of bird protected areas. Hotspots of species richness were located at the coastal areas of northern and western Taiwan, although hotspots for protected bird species were located in the mountain areas. We found that phylogenetically close birds have similar trait values, and the protected species were evenly distributed in the functional and phylogenetic trees. The assemblages in higher-elevation areas were more phylogenetically clumped than those in lower-elevation areas, indicating that, in addition to elevational gradient, phylogenetic constraint may be a crucial factor that influences bird distribution in Taiwan. However, the current bird protected areas in Taiwan may overly depend on species richness and overlook the importance of the overall phylogenetic diversity.

scholarly journals Effects of management outweigh effects of plant diversity on restored animal communities in tallgrass prairies

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. e2015421118
Author(s):  
Peter W. Guiden ◽  
Nicholas A. Barber ◽  
Ryan Blackburn ◽  
Anna Farrell ◽  
Jessica Fliginger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Tallgrass Prairie ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Restoration Ecology ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Tallgrass Prairies ◽  
Degraded Ecosystems ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Animal Communities

A primary goal of ecological restoration is to increase biodiversity in degraded ecosystems. However, the success of restoration ecology is often assessed by measuring the response of a single functional group or trophic level to restoration, without considering how restoration affects multitrophic interactions that shape biodiversity. An ecosystem-wide approach to restoration is therefore necessary to understand whether animal responses to restoration, such as changes in biodiversity, are facilitated by changes in plant communities (plant-driven effects) or disturbance and succession resulting from restoration activities (management-driven effects). Furthermore, most restoration ecology studies focus on how restoration alters taxonomic diversity, while less attention is paid to the response of functional and phylogenetic diversity in restored ecosystems. Here, we compared the strength of plant-driven and management-driven effects of restoration on four animal communities (ground beetles, dung beetles, snakes, and small mammals) in a chronosequence of restored tallgrass prairie, where sites varied in management history (prescribed fire and bison reintroduction). Our analyses indicate that management-driven effects on animal communities were six-times stronger than effects mediated through changes in plant biodiversity. Additionally, we demonstrate that restoration can simultaneously have positive and negative effects on biodiversity through different pathways, which may help reconcile variation in restoration outcomes. Furthermore, animal taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity responded differently to restoration, suggesting that restoration plans might benefit from considering multiple dimensions of animal biodiversity. We conclude that metrics of plant diversity alone may not be adequate to assess the success of restoration in reassembling functional ecosystems.

Continuous forest has greater taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic plant diversity than an adjacent naturally fragmented forest

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Munguía-Rosas ◽  
Selmy G. Jurado-Dzib ◽  
Candy R. Mezeta-Cob ◽  
Salvador Montiel ◽  
Armando Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Fragmented Forest ◽  
Continuous Forest ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

Abstract:Several studies have evaluated the short-term effects of tropical forest fragmentation on plant taxonomic diversity, while only a few have evaluated its effects on functional or phylogenetic diversity. To our knowledge no study has looked at the long-term consequences of tropical forest fragmentation on the three main components of plant diversity simultaneously: taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. We sampled the vascular flora using belt transects (50 × 4 m) in a continuous tropical semi-evergreen forest (16 transects) and in an adjacent naturally fragmented forest (fragments of 1.7-My-old semi-evergreen forest immersed in a mangrove/sedge matrix) (18 transects), and compared their taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic plant diversity. There were 36 species in the continuous forest and 28 in the fragmented forest. Continuous forest was taxonomically more diverse (25%) than the fragmented forest. All functional diversity metrics were greater (6–33%) in the continuous than in the fragmented forest. Phylogenetic diversity was 19% greater and phylogenetically more overdispersed in the continuous forest than in the fragmented forest. The results suggest that in the fragmented forest not only is taxonomic plant diversity lower, but functional and phylogenetic diversity are as well. The negative effects of forest fragmentation on plant diversity seem to be chronic.

scholarly journals Phylogenetic diversity meets conservation policy: small areas are key to preserving eucalypt lineages

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1662) ◽  
pp. 20140007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Pollock ◽  
Dan F. Rosauer ◽  
Andrew H. Thornhill ◽  
Heini Kujala ◽  
Michael D. Crisp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Conservation Policy ◽  
The State ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Recent Policy ◽  
Evolutionary Lineages ◽  
State Area ◽  
Regional Conservation

Evolutionary and genetic knowledge is increasingly being valued in conservation theory, but is rarely considered in conservation planning and policy. Here, we integrate phylogenetic diversity (PD) with spatial reserve prioritization to evaluate how well the existing reserve system in Victoria, Australia captures the evolutionary lineages of eucalypts, which dominate forest canopies across the state. Forty-three per cent of remaining native woody vegetation in Victoria is located in protected areas (mostly national parks) representing 48% of the extant PD found in the state. A modest expansion in protected areas of 5% (less than 1% of the state area) would increase protected PD by 33% over current levels. In a recent policy change, portions of the national parks were opened for development. These tourism development zones hold over half the PD found in national parks with some species and clades falling entirely outside of protected zones within the national parks. This approach of using PD in spatial prioritization could be extended to any clade or area that has spatial and phylogenetic data. Our results demonstrate the relevance of PD to regional conservation policy by highlighting that small but strategically located areas disproportionally impact the preservation of evolutionary lineages.

Urbanization as a driver of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity losses in bird communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (10) ◽  
pp. 1114-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Facundo X. Palacio ◽  
Lucía M. Ibañez ◽  
René E. Maragliano ◽  
Diego Montalti
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

Urbanization is one of the most important threats to biodiversity worldwide, as it drives declines in species diversity, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity and increases functional redundancy among species. We estimated taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities, as well as the abundance of several functional groups, in bird communities from a town in east-central Argentina in 1985–1986 and 30 years after (2015–2016). In 1985–1986, we found that taxonomic diversity (abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity), functional richness, and basal phylogenetic diversity were negatively related to building cover, whereas terminal phylogenetic diversity showed a positive relationship with building cover. Moreover, the abundance of specialized functional groups (ground, aerial, and foliage insectivores; nectarivores/insectivores; ground/canopy and ground granivores) decreased with increased building cover, whereas the reverse pattern for the abundance of generalists (medium-sized/large and small omnivores) was found. In 2015–2016, by contrast, taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities were not related to building cover. Our results not only support the hypothesis that urbanization affects the potential number of ecosystem functions, but also that this relationship may change through time. Given the accelerated rate of urbanization worldwide, an integrative approach between different facets of biodiversity is promoted to gain insight into the response of bird communities in urban environments.

Reef fish at a remote tropical island (Principe Island, Gulf of Guinea): disentangling taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity patterns with depth

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 395 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Tuya ◽  
A. Herrero-Barrencua ◽  
N. E. Bosch ◽  
A. D. Abreu ◽  
R. Haroun
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Gulf Of Guinea ◽  
Tropical Island ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

The ecology of reef fish varies with depth, although patterns in diversity remain largely undescribed, in particular the complementarity of their taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic facets. In the present study we investigated patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of fish on 21 reefs, at depths ranging from 3 to 31m, at Príncipe Island (Gulf of Guinea). Taxonomic and functional diversity decreased monotonically with depth; the pattern was less accentuated for phylogenetic diversity. Functional diversity was saturated at high levels of taxonomic diversity, reflecting redundancy in species traits, particularly at the shallower reefs. Functional diversity increased linearly with phylogenetic diversity; thus, increasing niche availability seems to translate into a larger diversity of phylogenies. Dissimilarities in the structure and composition of fish assemblages among reefs were correlated with differences in depth, including a progressive turnover in species. Depth affected the functional traits of nearshore reef fish. Trophic breadth decreased with depth; carnivores and planktivores increased with depth, whereas herbivores decreased with depth. Small-sized fusiform fish dominated on the shallowest reefs. In summary, the present study demonstrated decays in biodiversity, from different perspectives, of reef fish with depth, which are connected with shifts in fish traits.

scholarly journals Functional diversity of Himalayan bat communities declines at high elevation without the loss of phylogenetic diversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohit Chakravarty ◽  
Ram Mohan ◽  
Christian C. Voigt ◽  
Anand Krishnan ◽  
Viktoriia Radchuk
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Functional Dispersion ◽  
Functional And Phylogenetic Diversity

AbstractSpecies richness exhibits well-known patterns across elevational gradients in various taxa, but represents only one aspect of quantifying biodiversity patterns. Functional and phylogenetic diversity have received much less attention, particularly for vertebrate taxa. There is still a limited understanding of how functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity change in concert across large gradients of elevation. Here, we focused on the Himalaya—representing the largest elevational gradients in the world—to investigate the patterns of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity in a bat assemblage. Combining field data on species occurrence, relative abundance, and functional traits with measures of phylogenetic diversity, we found that bat species richness and functional diversity declined at high elevation but phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged. At the lowest elevation, we observed low functional dispersion despite high species and functional richness, suggesting a niche packing mechanism. The decline in functional richness, dispersion, and divergence at the highest elevation is consistent with patterns observed due to environmental filtering. These patterns are driven by the absence of rhinolophid bats, four congeners with extreme trait values. Our data, some of the first on mammals from the Himalayan region, suggest that in bat assemblages with relatively high species diversity, phylogenetic diversity may not be a substitute to measure functional diversity.

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