1
|
Huang C, Xu Y, Zang R. Low functional redundancy revealed high vulnerability of the subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests to environmental change. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173307. [PMID: 38777067 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic-induced environmental changes threaten forest ecosystems by reducing their biodiversity and adaptive capacity. Understanding the sensitivity of ecosystem function to loss of diversity is vital in designing conservation strategies and maintaining the resilience of forest ecosystems in a changing world. Here, based on unique combinations of ten functional traits (termed as functional entities; FEs), we quantified the metrics of functional redundancy (FR) and functional vulnerability (FV) in 250 forest plots across five locations in subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests. We then examined the potential impacts of species loss on functional diversity in subtropical forest communities along environmental gradients (climate and soil). Results showed that the subtropical forests displayed a low level of functional redundancy (FR < 2). Over 75 % of the FEs in these subtropical forest communities were composed of only one species, with rare species emerging as pivotal contributors to these vulnerable FEs. The number of FEs and functional redundancy both increased with the rise in species richness, but functional vulnerability decreased with increasing species richness. Climatic factors, especially mean diurnal range, played crucial roles in determining the functions that the forest ecosystem delivers. Under variable temperature conditions, species in each plot were packed into a few FEs, leading to higher functional redundancy and lower functional vulnerability. These results highlighted that rare species contribute significantly to ecosystem functions and the highly diverse subtropical forest communities could show more insurance effects against species loss under stressful environmental conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caishuang Huang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
| | - Yue Xu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Runguo Zang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ecology and Nature Conservation Institute, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu Y, Yan Y, Lin L, Wang L, Zhang Y, Kang B. Prioritizing the multifaceted community and species uniqueness for the conservation of lacustrine fishes in the largest subtropical floodplain, China. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 363:121301. [PMID: 38850912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Hydrological variations affect habitat characteristics and fish distribution in floodplain lakes. Assessing the contributions of the local community (i.e., LCBD, community uniqueness) and species to overall β diversity (i.e., SCBD, species uniqueness) of fish assemblages is valuable for habitat and species conservation planning, particularly from functional and phylogenetic perspectives. We examined the changes in multifaceted LCBD and SCBD of fish across different hydrological periods in the Poyang Lake, China, and analyzed their responsive mechanisms using regression models, based on which the conservation priorities of habitats and species were evaluated. The findings revealed that taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic LCBD and SCBD were lowest during the wet season compared to the normal and dry seasons, emphasizing the regulatory effects of hydrological regimes on fish assemblages. Taxonomic and functional LCBD were significantly impacted by the mean abundance of migratory fish, highlighting the importance of specific species combinations on community uniqueness. Taxonomic and functional SCBD exhibited positive correlations primarily with mean abundance, suggesting the potential uniqueness of certain common species. Additionally, we identified the river-lake junction (Hukou station) and natural reserve (Xingzi and Nanjishan stations) with high overall community uniqueness as critical habitats. We also emphasized the necessity for increased conservation efforts for species having high overall species uniqueness during different hydrological periods, including Coilia brachygnathus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Coilia nasus, Saurogobio dabryi, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Megalobrama amblycephala, and Parabramis pekinensis. This research underscores the significance of integrating multiple ecological perspectives to manage biodiversity changes and maintain ecological conservation values effectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Yang Yan
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Li Lin
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China; Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Guizhou Vocational College of Agriculture, Guiyang, 550000, Guizhou, China
| | - Linlong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Yanping Zhang
- Department of Fishery Resources, Jiangxi Fisheries Research Institute, Nanchang, 330000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Bin Kang
- Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China; Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu C, Van Meerbeek K. Predicting the responses of European grassland communities to climate and land cover change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230335. [PMID: 38583469 PMCID: PMC10999271 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0335] [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: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
European grasslands are among the most species-rich ecosystems on small spatial scales. However, human-induced activities like land use and climate change pose significant threats to this diversity. To explore how climate and land cover change will affect biodiversity and community composition in grassland ecosystems, we conducted joint species distribution models (SDMs) on the extensive vegetation-plot database sPlotOpen to project distributions of 1178 grassland species across Europe under current conditions and three future scenarios. We further compared model accuracy and computational efficiency between joint SDMs (JSDMs) and stacked SDMs, especially for rare species. Our results show that: (i) grassland communities in the mountain ranges are expected to suffer high rates of species loss, while those in western, northern and eastern Europe will experience substantial turnover; (ii) scaling anomalies were observed in the predicted species richness, reflecting regional differences in the dominant drivers of assembly processes; (iii) JSDMs did not outperform stacked SDMs in predictive power but demonstrated superior efficiency in model fitting and predicting; and (iv) incorporating co-occurrence datasets improved the model performance in predicting the distribution of rare species. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Flanders 3001, Belgium
| | - Koenraad Van Meerbeek
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Flanders 3001, Belgium
- KU Leuven Plant Institute, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu C, Sack L, Li Y, Zhang J, Yu K, Zhang Q, He N, Yu G. Relationships of stomatal morphology to the environment across plant communities. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6629. [PMID: 37857672 PMCID: PMC10587080 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42136-2] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between stomatal traits and environmental drivers across plant communities has important implications for ecosystem carbon and water fluxes, but it has remained unclear. Here, we measure the stomatal morphology of 4492 species-site combinations in 340 vegetation plots across China and calculate their community-weighted values for mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis. We demonstrate a trade-off between stomatal density and size at the community level. The community-weighted mean and variance of stomatal density are mainly associated with precipitation, while that of stomatal size is mainly associated with temperature, and the skewness and kurtosis of stomatal traits are less related to climatic and soil variables. Beyond mean climate variables, stomatal trait moments also vary with climatic seasonality and extreme conditions. Our findings extend the knowledge of stomatal trait-environment relationships to the ecosystem scale, with applications in predicting future water and carbon cycles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Congcong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environment in Minority Areas (Minzu University of China), National Ethnic Affairs Commission, 100081, Beijing, China
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, 100081, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Lawren Sack
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90025, USA
| | - Ying Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Kailiang Yu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, USA
| | - Qiongyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Nianpeng He
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
- Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, 150040, Harbin, China.
- Earth Critical Zone and Flux Research Station of Xing'an Mountains, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 165200, Daxing'anling, China.
| | - Guirui Yu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rodríguez-León CH, Roa-Fuentes LL, Sterling A, Suárez JC. Plant-Community Vulnerability in Highly Fragmented Landscapes Is Higher in Secondary Forests Than in Old Growth Forests in the Andean-Amazonian Transition. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:3284. [PMID: 36501322 PMCID: PMC9739964 DOI: 10.3390/plants11233284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Increasing biodiversity in highly diverse plant communities can jointly increase ecosystem function and ecosystem vulnerability. This paradox requires further attention. This study analyzed the functional response of plant communities to above- and below-ground parameters along the chronosequence (degraded pastures (DP), early forests (EF), intermediate forests (IF), and old-growth forests (OF)) in two highly fragmented landscapes of the Colombian Amazon as an estimate of the level of functional vulnerability. Three sets of functional attributes were evaluated: (i) functional composition based on the community-weighted mean (CWM) of five traits; (ii) functional diversity based on the multi-trait indices and functional dispersion (FDis) of each individual trait; and (iii) the functional vulnerability at the community-level and species-level. The individual traits did not show a clear pattern along the chronosequence. However, the trend indicated an increase in the values of resource conservation traits with the age of abandonment. The functional response of the community did not vary between landscapes. Between DP and OF, there was a significant increase in functional diversity and a decrease in functional redundancy, which increased community-level vulnerability. Consequently, the more vulnerable species were observed in the IF and OF plots. In addition, a decrease in environmental parameters, such as penetration resistance, bulk density and Ca content, and an increase in slope, precipitation, electric conductivity, pH, clay, organic material, and P and N contents increased the vulnerability. We elucidated the need for secondary forest management in terms of conservation and restoration to maintain the capacity to respond to changing environmental conditions in highly fragmented landscapes in the Andean-Amazonian transition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos H. Rodríguez-León
- Doctorado en Ciencias Naturales y Desarrollo Sustentable, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad de la Amazonía, Florencia 180001, Colombia
- Programa Modelos de Funcionamiento y Sostenibilidad, Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI, Florencia 180001, Colombia
| | - Lilia L. Roa-Fuentes
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales, Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá 110231, Colombia
| | - Armando Sterling
- Programa Modelos de Funcionamiento y Sostenibilidad, Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI, Florencia 180001, Colombia
- Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de la Amazonía, Florencia 180001, Colombia
| | - Juan Carlos Suárez
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología, Centro de Investigaciones Amazónicas CIMAZ-MACAGUAL, Universidad de la Amazonía, Florencia 180001, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Davison J, Vasar M, Sepp SK, Oja J, Al-Quraishy S, Bueno CG, Cantero JJ, Chimbioputo Fabiano E, Decocq G, Fraser L, Hiiesalu I, Hozzein WN, Koorem K, Moora M, Mucina L, Onipchenko V, Öpik M, Pärtel M, Phosri C, Semchenko M, Vahter T, Tedersoo L, Zobel M. Dominance, diversity, and niche breadth in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities. Ecology 2022; 103:e3761. [PMID: 35582944 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Classical theory identifies resource competition as the major structuring force of biotic communities and predicts that: (i) levels of dominance and richness in communities are inversely related, (ii) narrow niches allow dense 'packing' in niche space and thus promote diversity, and (iii) dominants are generalists with wide niches, such that locally abundant taxa also exhibit wide distributions. Current empirical support, however, is mixed. We tested these expectations using published data on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal community composition worldwide. We recorded the expected negative relationship between dominance and richness and, to a degree, the positive association between local and global dominance. However, contrary to expectation, dominance was pronounced in communities where more specialists were present; and, conversely, richness was higher in communites with more generalists. Thus, resource competition and niche packing appear of limited importance in AM fungal community assembly; rather patterns of dominance and diversity seem more consistent with habitat filtering and stochastic processes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Davison
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martti Vasar
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Siim-Kaarel Sepp
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jane Oja
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Saleh Al-Quraishy
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - C Guillermo Bueno
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Juan José Cantero
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina.,Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Departamento de Biología Agrícola, Facultad de Agronomía y Veterinaria, Córdoba, Argentina
| | | | - Guillaume Decocq
- Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN, UMR CNRS 7058), Jules Verne University of Picardie, Amiens, France
| | - Lauchlan Fraser
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Inga Hiiesalu
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Wael N Hozzein
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Kadri Koorem
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mari Moora
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ladislav Mucina
- Iluka Chair in Vegetation Science and Biogeography, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Perth, Australia.,Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Vladimir Onipchenko
- Department of Ecology and Plant Geography, Faculty of Biology, Moscow Lomonosov State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maarja Öpik
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Meelis Pärtel
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Cherdchai Phosri
- Department of Biology, Nakhon Phanom University, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand
| | - Marina Semchenko
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia.,School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Tanel Vahter
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Leho Tedersoo
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Mycology and Microbiology Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Zobel
- Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sritharan MS, Scheele BC, Blanchard W, Lindenmayer DB. Spatial associations between plants and vegetation community characteristics provide insights into the processes influencing plant rarity. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260215. [PMID: 34928957 PMCID: PMC8687526 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the drivers of plant rarity is a major challenge in ecology. Analysing spatial associations between different plant species can provide an exploratory avenue for understanding the ecological drivers of plant rarity. Here, we examined the different types of spatial associations between rare and common plants to determine if they influence the occurrence patterns of rare species. We completed vegetation surveys at 86 sites in woodland, forest, and heath communities in south-east Australia. We also examined two different rarity measures to quantify how categorisation criteria affected our results. Rare species were more likely to have positive associations with both rare and common species across all three vegetation communities. However, common species had positive or negative associations with rare and other common species, depending on the vegetation community in which they occurred. Rare species were positively associated with species diversity in forest communities. In woodland communities, rare species were associated negatively with species diversity but positively associated with species evenness. Rare species with high habitat specificity were more clustered spatially than expected by chance. Efforts to understand the drivers of plant rarity should use rarity definitions that consider habitat specificity. Our findings suggest that examining spatial associations between plants can help understand the drivers of plant rarity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meena S. Sritharan
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Ben C. Scheele
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Wade Blanchard
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - David B. Lindenmayer
- Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| |
Collapse
|