Bringing light onto the Raunkiæran shortfall: A comprehensive review of traits used in functional animal ecology

Trait-based approaches elucidate the mechanisms underlying biodiversity response to, or effects on, the environment. Nevertheless, the Raunkiæran shortfall-the dearth of knowledge on species traits and their functionality-presents a challenge in the application of these approaches. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the trends and gaps in trait-based animal ecology in terms of taxonomic resolution, trait selection, ecosystem type, and geographical region. In addition, we suggest a set of crucial steps to guide trait selection and aid future research to conduct within and cross-taxon comparisons. We identified 1655 articles using virtually all animal groups published from 1999 to 2020. Studies were concentrated in vertebrates, terrestrial habitats, the Palearctic realm, and mostly investigated trophic and habitat dimensions. Additionally, they focused on response traits (79.4%) and largely ignored intraspecific variation (94.6%). Almost 36% of the data sets did not provide the rationale behind the selection of morphological traits. The main limitations of trait-based animal ecology were the use of trait averages and a rare inclusion of intraspecific variability. Nearly one-fifth of the studies based only on response traits conclude that trait diversity impacts ecosystem processes or services without justifying the connection between them or measuring them. We propose a guide for standardizing trait collection that includes the following: (i) determining the type of trait and the mechanism linking the trait to the environment, ecosystem, or the correlation between the environment, trait, and ecosystem, (ii) using a "periodic table of niches" to select the appropriate niche dimension to support a mechanistic trait selection, and (iii) selecting the relevant traits for each retained niche dimension. By addressing these gaps, trait-based animal ecology can become more predictive. This implies that future research will likely focus on collaborating to understand how environmental changes impact animals and their capacity to provide ecosystem services and goods.

Global trends, biases and gaps in the scientific literature about freshwater fish eggs and larvae

Syntheses of knowledge are important to reveal trends, biases and gaps in the scientific literature, indicating main data shortfalls and research needs. In this regard, the authors conducted a broad systematic review on the literature about freshwater fish eggs and larvae to investigate (a) temporal trends in the global scientific production, (b) the scope and habitat types, (c) the spatial distribution of studies, (d) the fish species contemplated and their respective conservation status and (e) the factors associated with the spatial distribution of studies. They analysed 654 studies published between 1950 and 2020. The number of studies has increased over time, but with a weak trend. Most studies investigated basic questions about biology and ecology and were carried out chiefly in rivers and lakes. These studies covered 95 freshwater ecoregions (22.3% of all ecoregions) and recorded 871 fish species (4.8% of all freshwater fish currently described). Most species were assessed by the IUCN and classified into six threat categories, but approximately 35% were not evaluated. The main drivers affecting the spatial distribution of studies were ecoregion area, road density, river volume and the number of hydroelectric plants. Results point to significant biases and gaps in the global scientific literature on fish eggs and larvae, especially associated with habitat type, spatial distribution and target species, emphasizing the need to address specific topics. Such biases and gaps indicate the existence of important data shortfalls, which compromise management and conservation planning, as information on fish eggs and larvae is basic and critical for the assessment of fish recruitment and population dynamics.