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Zhu N, Li X, Wu X, Li L, Yang S, Fu H, Yuan S. Effects of overgrazing on the functional diversity of rodents in desert areas. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10849. [PMID: 38384828 PMCID: PMC10879905 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Environmental stressors and disturbances can cause changes in an ecosystem's community structure, which can be reflected in its functional diversity. As grazing intensity increases, this causes changes in the environment that inevitably lead to changes in the community structure, which can especially affect rodents due to their sensitivity to the environment. The effects of grazing prohibition and overgrazing on the functional diversity of desert rodent communities in Alxa were studied in April, July, and October of 2018-2020. The trap-day method was used to study rodent communities in disturbed habitats. Five functional traits were selected and quantified: nutrition, life history, physiology, morphology, and activity rhythm. The results showed that: (1) The species composition of rodent communities in the Alxa Desert in spring and autumn was significantly correlated with the functional traits of the hibernation, reproductive cycle, and feeding habits. The species composition in the summer was only significantly correlated with the functional traits of reproductive cycle and diet. (2) The effects of overgrazing on the functional diversity of rodents in desert areas have significant temporal and spatial characteristics. (3) In spring and summer, overgrazing made the Functional Richness index of the rodent community lower than that of areas where grazing is prohibited, but the Functional Evenness index was higher than that of grazing-prohibition areas. In autumn, overgrazing increased the Functional Richness index of the rodent community and decreased the Functional Evenness index. The Functional Divergence index was higher in overgrazing areas than in grazing-prohibited ones. These results suggest that, in spring and summer, overgrazing reduced the ecological space utilization ability of rodent communities; however, the impact on the degree of utilization of community resources is more comprehensive. In autumn, overgrazing increases the ability of rodent communities to use ecological space but reduces resource efficiency. Overgrazing makes the niche differentiation of rodent communities higher, the degree of overlap lower, and the competition between species weaker. Therefore, overgrazing will affect the functional diversity of the community through the utilization of ecological space, resource utilization, interspecific competition, and niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Xin Li
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Xiaodong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Linlin Li
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Suwen Yang
- College of Grassland ScienceXinjiang Agricultural UniversityUrumqiChina
| | - Heping Fu
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Inner MongoliaHohhotChina
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources of the Ministry of EducationHohhotChina
- College of Grassland, Resources and EnvironmentInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityHohhotChina
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Heiple Z, Huie JM, Medeiros APM, Hart PB, Goatley CHR, Arcila D, Miller EC. Many ways to build an angler: diversity of feeding morphologies in a deep-sea evolutionary radiation. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230049. [PMID: 37376854 PMCID: PMC10300507 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Almost nothing is known about the diets of bathypelagic fishes, but functional morphology can provide useful tools to infer ecology. Here we quantify variation in jaw and tooth morphologies across anglerfishes (Lophiiformes), a clade spanning shallow and deep-sea habitats. Deep-sea ceratioid anglerfishes are considered dietary generalists due to the necessity of opportunistic feeding in the food-limited bathypelagic zone. We found unexpected diversity in the trophic morphologies of ceratioid anglerfishes. Ceratioid jaws span a functional continuum ranging from species with numerous stout teeth, a relatively slow but forceful bite, and high jaw protrusibility at one end (characteristics shared with benthic anglerfishes) to species with long fang-like teeth, a fast but weak bite and low jaw protrusibility at the other end (including a unique 'wolftrap' phenotype). Our finding of high morphological diversity seems to be at odds with ecological generality, reminiscent of Liem's paradox (morphological specialization allowing organisms to have broader niches). Another possible explanation is that diverse ceratioid functional morphologies may yield similar trophic success (many-to-one mapping of morphology to diet), allowing diversity to arise through neutral evolutionary processes. Our results highlight that there are many ways to be a successful predator in the deep sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zach Heiple
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
- Department of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK 73072, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Huie
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Aline P. M. Medeiros
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Pamela B. Hart
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
- Department of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK 73072, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - Christopher H. R. Goatley
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 3ZH, UK
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Dahiana Arcila
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
- Department of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK 73072, USA
| | - Elizabeth Christina Miller
- Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
- Department of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK 73072, USA
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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López-Romero FA, Stumpf S, Kamminga P, Böhmer C, Pradel A, Brazeau MD, Kriwet J. Shark mandible evolution reveals patterns of trophic and habitat-mediated diversification. Commun Biol 2023; 6:496. [PMID: 37156994 PMCID: PMC10167336 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04882-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental controls of species diversity represent a central research focus in evolutionary biology. In the marine realm, sharks are widely distributed, occupying mainly higher trophic levels and varied dietary preferences, mirrored by several morphological traits and behaviours. Recent comparative phylogenetic studies revealed that sharks present a fairly uneven diversification across habitats, from reefs to deep-water. We show preliminary evidence that morphological diversification (disparity) in the feeding system (mandibles) follows these patterns, and we tested hypotheses linking these patterns to morphological specialisation. We conducted a 3D geometric morphometric analysis and phylogenetic comparative methods on 145 specimens representing 90 extant shark species using computed tomography models. We explored how rates of morphological evolution in the jaw correlate with habitat, size, diet, trophic level, and taxonomic order. Our findings show a relationship between disparity and environment, with higher rates of morphological evolution in reef and deep-water habitats. Deep-water species display highly divergent morphologies compared to other sharks. Strikingly, evolutionary rates of jaw disparity are associated with diversification in deep water, but not in reefs. The environmental heterogeneity of the offshore water column exposes the importance of this parameter as a driver of diversification at least in the early part of clade history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faviel A López-Romero
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, Department of Palaeontology, Evolutionary Morphology Research Group, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1190, Vienna, Austria.
- University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE), Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sebastian Stumpf
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, Department of Palaeontology, Evolutionary Morphology Research Group, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pepijn Kamminga
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Christine Böhmer
- MECADEV UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN, Département Adaptations du Vivant, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CP 55, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231, Paris, France
- Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften und GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, München, Germany
- Zoologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Alan Pradel
- CR2P, Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle-Sorbonne Université-CNRS, CP 38, 57 rue Cuvier, F75231, Paris, Cedex 05, France
| | - Martin D Brazeau
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, London, UK
- The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Jürgen Kriwet
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy, Department of Palaeontology, Evolutionary Morphology Research Group, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, 1190, Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE), Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
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Bosch NE, Espino F, Tuya F, Haroun R, Bramanti L, Otero-Ferrer F. Black coral forests enhance taxonomic and functional distinctiveness of mesophotic fishes in an oceanic island: implications for biodiversity conservation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4963. [PMID: 36973395 PMCID: PMC10043018 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The degradation of shallow ecosystems has called for efforts to understand the biodiversity and functioning of Mesophotic Ecosystems. However, most empirical studies have been restricted to tropical regions and have majorly focused on taxonomic entities (i.e., species), neglecting important dimensions of biodiversity that influence community assembly and ecosystem functioning. Here, using a subtropical oceanic island in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (Lanzarote, Canary Islands), we investigated variation in (a) alpha and (b) beta functional (i.e., trait) diversity across a depth gradient (0-70 m), as a function of the presence of black coral forests (BCFs, order Antipatharian) in the mesophotic strata, a vulnerable but often overlooked 'ecosystem engineer' in regional biodiversity. Despite occupying a similar volume of the functional space (i.e., functional richness) than shallow (< 30 m) reefs, mesophotic fish assemblages inhabiting BCFs differed in their functional structure when accounting for species abundances, with lower evenness and divergence. Similarly, although mesophotic BCFs shared, on average, 90% of the functional entities with shallow reefs, the identity of common and dominant taxonomic and functional entities shifted. Our results suggest BCFs promoted the specialization of reef fishes, likely linked to convergence towards optimal traits to maximize the use of resources and space. Regional biodiversity planning should thus focus on developing specific management and conservation strategies for preserving the unique biodiversity and functionality of mesophotic BCFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nestor E Bosch
- Asociación Biodiversidad Atlántica y Sostenibilidad (ABAS), 35214, Telde, Spain.
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (IU-ECOAQUA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Telde, Spain.
| | - Fernando Espino
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (IU-ECOAQUA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Telde, Spain
| | - Fernando Tuya
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (IU-ECOAQUA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Telde, Spain
| | - Ricardo Haroun
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (IU-ECOAQUA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Telde, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Bramanti
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques, LECOB, 66500, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Francisco Otero-Ferrer
- Asociación Biodiversidad Atlántica y Sostenibilidad (ABAS), 35214, Telde, Spain
- Grupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación (IU-ECOAQUA), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Telde, Spain
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Emblemsvåg M, Pecuchet L, Velle LG, Nogueira A, Primicerio R. Recent warming causes functional borealization and diversity loss in deep fish communities east of Greenland. DIVERS DISTRIB 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
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Myers EMV, Eme D, Liggins L, Harvey ES, Roberts CD, Anderson MJ. Functional beta diversity of New Zealand fishes: Characterising morphological turnover along depth and latitude gradients, with derivation of functional bioregions. AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth M. V. Myers
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS) Massey University Albany Campus Auckland 0745 New Zealand
| | - David Eme
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS) Massey University Albany Campus Auckland 0745 New Zealand
- Unité Ecologie et Modèles pour l’Halieutique IFREMER Nantes France
| | - Libby Liggins
- School of Natural and Computational Sciences (SNCS) Massey University Auckland New Zealand
- Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland New Zealand
| | - Euan S. Harvey
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences Curtin University Bentley Western Australia Australia
| | | | - Marti J. Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS) Massey University Albany Campus Auckland 0745 New Zealand
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