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Brown C, Rodriguez Buritica S, Goldberg DE, Reichenbacher F, Venable DL, Webb RH, Wilder BT. One hundred and six years of change in a Sonoran Desert plant community: Impact of climate anomalies and trends in species sensitivities. Ecology 2024; 105:e4194. [PMID: 37882101 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
A major restriction in predicting plant community response to future climate change is a lack of long-term data needed to properly assess species and community response to climate and identify a baseline to detect climate anomalies. Here, we use a 106-year dataset on a Sonoran Desert plant community to test the role of extreme temperature and precipitation anomalies on community dynamics at the decadal scale and over time. Additionally, we tested the climate sensitivity of 39 desert plant species and whether sensitivity was associated with growth form, longevity, geographic range, or local dominance. We found that desert plant communities had shifted directionally over the 106 years, but the climate had little influence on this directional change primarily due to nonlinear shifts in precipitation anomalies. Decadal-scale climate had the largest impact on species richness, species relative density, and total plant cover, explaining up to 26%, 45%, and 55% of the variance in each, respectively. Drought and the interaction between the frequency of freeze events and above-average summer precipitation were among the most influential climate factors. Increased drought frequency and wetter periods with frequent freeze events led to larger reductions in total plant cover, species richness, and the relative densities of dominant subshrubs Ambrosia deltoidea and Encelia farinosa. More than 80% of the tested species were sensitive to climate, but sensitivity was not associated with a species' local dominance, longevity, geographic range, or growth form. Some species appear to exhibit demographic buffering, where when they have a higher sensitivity to drought, they also tend to have a higher sensitivity to favorable (i.e., wetter and hotter) conditions. Overall, our results suggest that, while decadal-scale climate variation substantially impacts these desert plant communities, directional change in temperature over the last century has had little impact due to the relative importance of precipitation and drought. With projections of increased drought in this region, we may see reductions in total vegetation cover and species richness due to the loss of species, possibly through a breakdown in their ability to demographically buffer climatic variation, potentially changing community dynamics through a change in facilitative and competitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Brown
- Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Deborah E Goldberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Frank Reichenbacher
- Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - D Lawrence Venable
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert H Webb
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Benjamin T Wilder
- Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers (N-Gen), Tucson, Arizona, USA
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Rolls RJ, Deane DC, Johnson SE, Heino J, Anderson MJ, Ellingsen KE. Biotic homogenisation and differentiation as directional change in beta diversity: synthesising driver-response relationships to develop conceptual models across ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1388-1423. [PMID: 37072381 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Biotic homogenisation is defined as decreasing dissimilarity among ecological assemblages sampled within a given spatial area over time. Biotic differentiation, in turn, is defined as increasing dissimilarity over time. Overall, changes in the spatial dissimilarities among assemblages (termed 'beta diversity') is an increasingly recognised feature of broader biodiversity change in the Anthropocene. Empirical evidence of biotic homogenisation and biotic differentiation remains scattered across different ecosystems. Most meta-analyses quantify the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, rather than attempting to identify underlying ecological drivers of such changes. By conceptualising the mechanisms that contribute to decreasing or increasing dissimilarity in the composition of ecological assemblages across space, environmental managers and conservation practitioners can make informed decisions about what interventions may be required to sustain biodiversity and can predict potential biodiversity outcomes of future disturbances. We systematically reviewed and synthesised published empirical evidence for ecological drivers of biotic homogenisation and differentiation across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater realms to derive conceptual models that explain changes in spatial beta diversity. We pursued five key themes in our review: (i) temporal environmental change; (ii) disturbance regime; (iii) connectivity alteration and species redistribution; (iv) habitat change; and (v) biotic and trophic interactions. Our first conceptual model highlights how biotic homogenisation and differentiation can occur as a function of changes in local (alpha) diversity or regional (gamma) diversity, independently of species invasions and losses due to changes in species occurrence among assemblages. Second, the direction and magnitude of change in beta diversity depends on the interaction between spatial variation (patchiness) and temporal variation (synchronicity) of disturbance events. Third, in the context of connectivity and species redistribution, divergent beta diversity outcomes occur as different species have different dispersal characteristics, and the magnitude of beta diversity change associated with species invasions also depends strongly on alpha and gamma diversity prior to species invasion. Fourth, beta diversity is positively linked with spatial environmental variability, such that biotic homogenisation and differentiation occur when environmental heterogeneity decreases or increases, respectively. Fifth, species interactions can influence beta diversity via habitat modification, disease, consumption (trophic dynamics), competition, and by altering ecosystem productivity. Our synthesis highlights the multitude of mechanisms that cause assemblages to be more or less spatially similar in composition (taxonomically, functionally, phylogenetically) through time. We consider that future studies should aim to enhance our collective understanding of ecological systems by clarifying the underlying mechanisms driving homogenisation or differentiation, rather than focusing only on reporting the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Rolls
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Deane
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Sarah E Johnson
- Natural Resources Department, Northland College, Ashland, WI, 54891, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Marti J Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS), Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kari E Ellingsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, P.O. Box 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
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Rader AJ, Chiquoine LP, Weigand JF, Perkins JL, Munson SM, Abella SR. Biotic and abiotic treatments as a bet‐hedging approach to restoring plant communities and soil functions. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey J. Rader
- University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Life Sciences Las Vegas NV 89154‐4004 U.S.A
| | - Lindsay P. Chiquoine
- University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Life Sciences Las Vegas NV 89154‐4004 U.S.A
| | - James F. Weigand
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management California State Office 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento CA 95825 U.S.A
| | - Judy L. Perkins
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management California State Office 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento CA 95825 U.S.A
| | - Seth M. Munson
- U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center 2255 North Gemini Drive Flagstaff AZ 86001 U.S.A
| | - Scott R. Abella
- University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Life Sciences Las Vegas NV 89154‐4004 U.S.A
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Abella SR, Gentilcore DM, Chiquoine LP. Resilience and alternative stable states after desert wildfires. ECOL MONOGR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott R. Abella
- School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada89154‐4004USA
| | - Dominic M. Gentilcore
- School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada89154‐4004USA
| | - Lindsay P. Chiquoine
- School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada89154‐4004USA
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Hromada SJ, Esque TC, Vandergast AG, Dutcher KE, Mitchell CI, Gray ME, Chang T, Dickson BG, Nussear KE. Using movement to inform conservation corridor design for Mojave desert tortoise. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:38. [PMID: 33042548 PMCID: PMC7541175 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00224-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preserving corridors for movement and gene flow among populations can assist in the recovery of threatened and endangered species. As human activity continues to fragment habitats, characterizing natural corridors is important in establishing and maintaining connectivity corridors within the anthropogenic development matrix. The Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a threatened species occupying a variety of habitats in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Desert tortoises have been referred to as corridor-dwellers, and understanding how they move within suitable habitat can be crucial to defining corridors that will sustain sufficient gene flow to maintain connections among populations amidst the increases in human development. METHODS To elucidate how tortoises traverse available habitat and interact with potentially inhospitable terrain and human infrastructure, we used GPS dataloggers to document fine-scale movement of individuals and estimate home ranges at ten study sites along the California/Nevada border. Our sites encompass a variety of habitats, including mountain passes that serve as important natural corridors connecting neighboring valleys, and are impacted by a variety of linear anthropogenic features. We used path selection functions to quantify tortoise movements and develop resistance surfaces based on landscape characteristics including natural features, anthropogenic alterations, and estimated home ranges with autocorrelated kernel density methods. Using the best supported path selection models and estimated home ranges, we determined characteristics of known natural corridors and compared them to mitigation corridors (remnant habitat patches) that have been integrated into land management decisions in the Ivanpah Valley. RESULTS Tortoises avoided areas of high slope and low perennial vegetation cover, avoided moving near low-density roads, and traveled along linear barriers (fences and flood control berms). CONCLUSIONS We found that mitigation corridors designated between solar facilities should be wide enough to retain home ranges and maintain function. Differences in home range size and movement resistance between our two natural mountain pass corridors align with differences in genetic connectivity, suggesting that not all natural corridors provide the same functionality. Furthermore, creation of mitigation corridors with fences may have unintended consequences and may function differently than natural corridors. Understanding characteristics of corridors with different functionality will help future managers ensure that connectivity is maintained among Mojave desert tortoise populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Hromada
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA
- Department of Geography, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA
| | - Todd C. Esque
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, 160 N Stephanie St, Henderson, NV 89074 USA
| | - Amy G. Vandergast
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, 4165 Spruance Road Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101 USA
| | - Kirsten E. Dutcher
- Department of Geography, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA
| | - Corey I. Mitchell
- Department of Geography, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA
| | - Miranda E. Gray
- Conservation Science Partners, 11050 Pioneer Trail, Suite 202, Truckee, CA 96161 USA
| | - Tony Chang
- Conservation Science Partners, 11050 Pioneer Trail, Suite 202, Truckee, CA 96161 USA
| | - Brett G. Dickson
- Conservation Science Partners, 11050 Pioneer Trail, Suite 202, Truckee, CA 96161 USA
- Landscape Conservation Initiative, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 5694, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 USA
| | - Kenneth E. Nussear
- Department of Geography, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St, Reno, NV 89557 USA
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