scholarly journals A new dataset on plant occurrences on small islands, including species abundances and functional traits across different spatial scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Schrader ◽  
Soetjipto Moeljono ◽  
Junus Tambing ◽  
Cornelia Sattler ◽  
Holger Kreft
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Species Dispersal ◽  
Competitive Strategies ◽  
New Information ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Species Occurrences

We introduce a new dataset of woody plants on 60 small tropical islands located in the Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia. The dataset includes incidence, abundance and functional trait data for 57 species. All islands were sampled using a standardised transect and plot design providing detailed information on plant occurrences at different spatial scales ranging from the local (plot and transect scale) to the island scale. In addition, the dataset includes information on key plant functional traits linked to species dispersal, resource acquisition and competitive strategies. The dataset can be used to address ecological questions connected to the species-area relationship and community assembly processes on small islands and in isolated habitats. The dataset yields detailed information on plant community structure and links incidence, abundance and functional trait data at different spatial scales. Furthermore, this is the first plant-island dataset for the Raja Ampat archipelago, a remote and poorly studied region, and provides important new information on species occurrences.

scholarly journals Can functional traits explain phylogenetic signal in the composition of a plant community?

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daijiang Li ◽  
Anthoy R Ives ◽  
Donald M Waller
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Phylogenetic Information ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Understory Plant

Phylogeny-based and functional trait-based analyses are two principle ways to study community assembly and underlying ecological processes. In principle, knowing all information about species traits would make phylogenetic information redundant, at least that component of phylogenetic signal in the distribution of species among communities that is caused by phylogenetically related species sharing similar traits. In reality, phylogenies may contain more information than a set of singular, discretely measured traits because we cannot measure all species traits and may misjudge which are most important. The extent to which functional trait information makes phylogenetic information redundant, however, has not been explicitly studied with empirical data in community ecology. Here, we use phylogenetic linear mixed models to analyze community assembly of 55 understory plant species in 30 forest sites in central Wisconsin. These communities show strong phylogenetic attraction, yet variation among sites in 20 environmental variables could not account for this pattern. Most of the 15 functional traits we measured had strong phylogenetic signal, but only three varied strongly among sites in ways that affected species' abundances. These three traits explained only 19% of variation in phylogenetic patterns of species co-occurrence. Thus, phylogenies appear to provide considerably more information about community assembly than the functional traits measured in this study, demonstrating the value of phylogeny in studying of community assembly processes even with abundant functional traits.

Changes in bryophytes assemblages along a chronosequence in eastern boreal forest of Quebec

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 821-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Boudreault ◽  
M. Paquette ◽  
N.J. Fenton ◽  
D. Pothier ◽  
Y. Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Species Dispersal ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Forest Continuity ◽  
Old Growth Forests ◽  
Managed Landscapes

Old-growth forests are often considered as biodiversity hotspots for bryophytes because of their diversity in environmental niches or microhabitats and forest continuity. Following this hypothesis, old-growth forests would be expected to house species and functional traits associated with species dispersal different from mature forests. In this study, we compared bryophytes in old-growth and younger forests in terms of species composition, functional trait values, and microhabitat associations. We studied bryophytes in 22 sites distributed across three age classes (18 to >200 years) in boreal forests (eastern Quebec). Richness of liverworts, vegetative-reproducing species, and species with infrequent sexual reproduction were higher in the oldest age class. Species richness was best explained by the availability of coarse woody material (CWM) and other microhabitats, and community structure was best explained by balsam fir basal area. Microhabitats most often associated with indicator species were organic matter, CWM, and pits. Our results indicate that communities associated with older forests are potentially sensitive to forest management as they differ in composition and functional traits from other age classes, with many species characterized by reduced dispersal capabilities and tolerance to competition. An approach that combines critical source habitat protection for dispersal-limited species with protection of critical microhabitats in neighboring managed stands are necessary to allow successful recolonization and maintain bryophyte diversity in managed landscapes.

scholarly journals Linking functional traits and demography to model species-rich communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Chalmandrier ◽  
Florian Hartig ◽  
Daniel C. Laughlin ◽  
Heike Lischke ◽  
Maximilian Pichler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
New Method ◽  
Volterra Model ◽  
Mountain Grassland ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Process Based Models

AbstractIt has long been anticipated that relating functional traits to species demography would be a cornerstone for achieving large-scale predictability of ecological systems. If such a relationship existed, species demography could be modeled only by measuring functional traits, transforming our ability to predict states and dynamics of species-rich communities with process-based community models. Here, we introduce a new method that links empirical functional traits with the demographic parameters of a process-based model by calibrating a transfer function through inverse modeling. As a case study, we parameterize a modified Lotka–Volterra model of a high-diversity mountain grassland with static plant community and functional trait data only. The calibrated trait–demography relationships are amenable to ecological interpretation, and lead to species abundances that fit well to the observed community structure. We conclude that our new method offers a general solution to bridge the divide between trait data and process-based models in species-rich ecosystems.

Patterns of biological diversity

2019 ◽  
pp. 11-37
Author(s):  
Gary G. Mittelbach ◽  
Brian J. McGill
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Species Numbers ◽  
Diversity Gradient ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Species Area Relationship ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter examines how biodiversity, the variety of life, is distributed across the globe and within local communities. It begins by considering some of the challenges associated with assessing biological diversity at different spatial scales. Then, three of the best-studied patterns in species richness are examined in detail—the species–area relationship, the distribution of species abundances, and the relationship between productivity and species richness. The chapter concludes with a detailed exploration of the most dramatic of Earth’s biodiversity patterns—the latitudinal diversity gradient. The above patterns constitute much of what community ecology seeks to explain about nature. Their study provides a foundation from which to explore mechanisms of species interactions, and to understand the processes that drive variation in species numbers and their distribution.

scholarly journals Reducing the Eltonian shortfall with trophic interaction models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Caron ◽  
Luigi Maiorano ◽  
Wilfried Thuiller ◽  
Laura J. Pollock
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Predator Prey

While species interactions are fundamental for linking biodiversity to ecosystem functioning and for conservation, large-scale empirical data are lacking for most species and ecosystems. Accumulating evidence suggests that trophic interactions are predictable from available functional trait information, but we have yet to understand how well we can predict interactions across large spatial scales and food webs. Here, we built a model predicting predator-prey interactions based on functional traits for European vertebrates. We found that even models calibrated with very few known interactions (100 out of 71k) estimated the entire food web reasonably well. However, predators were easier to predict than prey, with prey in some clades being particularly difficult to predict (e.g., fowls and storks). Local food web connectance was also consistently over-estimated. Our results demonstrate the potential for filling gaps in sparse food webs, an important step towards a better description of biodiversity with strong implications for conservation planning.

Dominance determines fish community biomass in a temperate seagrass ecosystem

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Matthius Eger ◽  
Rebecca J. Best ◽  
Julia Kathleen Baum
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Community Biomass ◽  
Ecosystem Valuation ◽  
Species Abundances

Biodiversity and ecosystem function are often correlated, but there are multiple hypotheses about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Ecosystem functions such as primary or secondary production may be maximized by species richness, evenness in species abundances, or the presence or dominance of species with certain traits. Here, we combined surveys of natural fish communities (conducted in July and August, 2016) with morphological trait data to examine relationships between diversity and ecosystem function (quantified as fish community biomass) across 14 subtidal eelgrass meadows in the Northeast Pacific (54° N 130° W). We employed both taxonomic and functional trait measures of diversity to investigate if ecosystem function is driven by species diversity (complementarity hypothesis) or by the presence or dominance of species with particular trait values (selection or dominance hypotheses). After controlling for environmental variation, we found that fish community biomass is maximized when taxonomic richness and functional evenness is low, and in communities dominated by species with particular trait values – those associated with benthic habitats and prey capture. While previous work on fish communities has found that species richness is positively correlated with ecosystem function, our results instead highlight the capacity for regionally prevalent and locally dominant species to drive ecosystem function in moderately diverse communities. We discuss these alternate links between community composition and ecosystem function and consider their divergent implications for ecosystem valuation and conservation prioritization.

scholarly journals Variation Patterns of Functional Trait Moments Along Geographical Gradients and Their Environmental Determinants in the Subtropical Evergreen Broadleaved Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caishuang Huang ◽  
Yue Xu ◽  
Runguo Zang
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Subtropical Region ◽  
Mean Variance ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus ◽  
Skewness And Kurtosis

Understanding how environmental change alters the composition of plant assemblages is a major challenge in the face of global climate change. Researches accounting for site-specific trait values within forest communities help bridge plant economics theory and functional biogeography to better evaluate and predict relationships between environment and ecosystem functioning. Here, by measuring six functional traits (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration, leaf nitrogen/phosphorus, wood density) for 292 woody plant species (48,680 individuals) from 250 established permanent forest dynamics plots in five locations across the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests (SEBLF) in China, we quantified functional compositions of communities by calculating four trait moments, i.e., community-weighted mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis. The geographical (latitudinal, longitudinal, and elevational) patterns of functional trait moments and their environmental drivers were examined. Results showed that functional trait moments shifted significantly along the geographical gradients, and trait moments varied in different ways across different gradients. Plants generally showed coordinated trait shifts toward more conservative growth strategies (lower specific leaf area, leaf N and P concentration while higher leaf nitrogen/phosphorus and wood density) along increasing latitude and longitude. However, trends opposite to the latitudinal and longitudinal patterns appeared in trait mean values along elevation. The three sets of environmental variables (climate, soil and topography) explained 35.0–69.0%, 21.0–56.0%, 14.0–31.0%, and 16.0–30.0% of the variations in mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis across the six functional traits, respectively. Patterns of shifts in functional trait moments along geographical gradients in the subtropical region were mainly determined by the joint effects of climatic and edaphic conditions. Climate regimes, especially climate variability, were the strongest driving force, followed by soil nutrients, while topography played the least role. Moreover, the relationship of variance, skewness and kurtosis with climate and their geographical patterns suggested that rare phenotypes at edges of trait space were selected in harsher environments. Our study suggested that environmental filtering (especially climate variability) was the dominant process of functional assembly for forest communities in the subtropical region along geographical gradients.

scholarly journals A new method to analyze species abundances in space using generalized dimensions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo A Saravia
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundance Distribution ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Information Dimension ◽  
Generalized Dimension ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Species Abundance Distributions ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Generalized Dimensions ◽  
Relationship Of

Species-area relationships (SAR) and species abundance distributions (SAD) are among the most studied patterns in ecology, due to their application to both theoretical and conservation issues. One problem with these general patterns is that different theories can generate the same predictions, and for this reason they cannot be used to detect different mechanisms of community assembly. A solution is to search for more sensitive patterns, for example by extending the SAR to the whole species abundance distribution. A generalized dimension ($D_q$) approach has been proposed to study the scaling of SAD, but to date there has been no evaluation of the ability of this pattern to detect different mechanisms. An equivalent way to express SAD is the rank abundance distribution (RAD). Here I introduce a new way to study SAD scaling using a spatial version of RAD: the species-rank surface (SRS), which can be analyzed using $D_q$. Thus there is an old $D_q$ based on SAR ($D_q^{SAD}$), and a new one based on SRS ($D_q^{SRS}$). I perform spatial simulations to examine the relationship of $D_q$ with SAD, spatial patterns and number of species. Finally I compare the power of both $D_q$, SAD, SAR exponent, and the fractal information dimension to detect different community patterns using a continuum of hierarchical and neutral spatially explicit models. The SAD, $D_q^{SAD}$ and $D_q^{SRS}$ all had good performance in detecting models with contrasting mechanisms. $D_q^{SRS}$, however, had a better fit to data and allowed comparisons between hierarchical communities where the other methods failed. The SAR exponent and information dimension had low power and should not be used. SRS and $D_q^{SRS}$ could be interesting methods to study community or macroecological patterns.

scholarly journals Self–organized instability in complex ecosystems

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1421) ◽  
pp. 667-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricard V. Solé ◽  
David Alonso ◽  
Alan McKane
Keyword(s):  
Rare Species ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Long Tails ◽  
Critical Boundary ◽  
Species Area

Why are some ecosystems so rich, yet contain so many rare species? High species diversity, together with rarity, is a general trend in neotropical forests and coral reefs. However, the origin of such diversity and the consequences of food web complexity in both species abundances and temporal fluctuations are not well understood. Several regularities are observed in complex, multispecies ecosystems that suggest that these ecologies might be organized close to points of instability. We explore, in greater depth, a recent stochastic model of population dynamics that is shown to reproduce: (i) the scaling law linking species number and connectivity; (ii) the observed distributions of species abundance reported from field studies (showing long tails and thus a predominance of rare species); (iii) the complex fluctuations displayed by natural communities (including chaotic dynamics); and (iv) the species–area relations displayed by rainforest plots. It is conjectured that the conflict between the natural tendency towards higher diversity due to immigration, and the ecosystem level constraints derived from an increasing number of links, leaves the system poised at a critical boundary separating stable from unstable communities, where large fluctuations are expected to occur. We suggest that the patterns displayed by species–rich communities, including rarity, would result from such a spontaneous tendency towards instability.

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