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Hoenle PO, Staab M, Donoso DA, Argoti A, Blüthgen N. Stratification and recovery time jointly shape ant functional reassembly in a neotropical forest. J Anim Ecol 2023. [PMID: 36748273 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Microhabitat differentiation of species communities such as vertical stratification in tropical forests contributes to species coexistence and thus biodiversity. However, little is known about how the extent of stratification changes during forest recovery and influences community reassembly. Environmental filtering determines community reassembly in time (succession) and in space (stratification), hence functional and phylogenetic composition of species communities are highly dynamic. It is poorly understood if and how these two concurrent filters-forest recovery and stratification-interact. In a tropical forest chronosequence in Ecuador spanning 34 years of natural recovery, we investigated the recovery trajectory of ant communities in three overlapping strata (ground, leaf litter, lower tree trunk) by quantifying 13 traits, as well as the functional and phylogenetic diversity of the ants. We expected that functional and phylogenetic diversity would increase with recovery time and that each ant community within each stratum would show a distinct functional reassembly. We predicted that traits related to ant diet would show divergent trajectories reflecting an increase in niche differentiation with recovery time. On the other hand, traits related to the abiotic environment were predicted to show convergent trajectories due to a more similar microclimate across strata with increasing recovery age. Most of the functional traits and the phylogenetic diversity of the ants were clearly stratified, confirming previous findings. However, neither functional nor phylogenetic diversity increased with recovery time. Community-weighted trait means had complex relationships to recovery time and the majority were shaped by a statistical interaction between recovery time and stratum, confirming our expectations. However, most trait trajectories converged among strata with increasing recovery time regardless of whether they were related to ant diet or environmental conditions. We confirm the hypothesized interaction among environmental filters during the functional reassembly in tropical forests. Communities in individual strata respond differently to recovery, and possible filter mechanisms likely arise from both abiotic (e.g. microclimate) and biotic (e.g. diet) conditions. Since vertical stratification is prevalent across animal and plant taxa, our results highlight the importance of stratum-specific analysis in dynamic ecosystems and may generalize beyond ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp O Hoenle
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.,Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michael Staab
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - David A Donoso
- Departamento de Biología, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador.,Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático, Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Adriana Argoti
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Phylogenetic and Functional Structure of Wood Communities among Different Disturbance Regimes in a Temperate Mountain Forest. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13060896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms responsible for biodiversity formation and maintenance are central themes in biodiversity conservation. However, the relationships between community assembly, phylogeny, and functional traits remain poorly understood, especially following disturbance. In this study, we examined forest community assembly mechanisms in different disturbance regimes across spatial scales and including tree life history classes, using phylogenetic and functional trait metrics. Across disturbance regimes, phylogenetic structure tended to be over-dispersed, while functional structure tended to be clustered. The over-dispersion of phylogenetic structure also increased from small to large diameter species. Moreover, the explanation of spatial distance for the turnover of phylogenetic and functional structure was increased, while environmental distance explained less structure as disturbance intensity decreased. Our findings suggest that niche theory largely explains forest community assembly in different disturbance regimes. Furthermore, environmental filtering plays a major role in moderate to high disturbance regimes, while competitive exclusion is more important in undisturbed and slightly disturbed ecosystems.
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Plant-plant interactions influence phylogenetic diversity at multiple spatial scales in a semi-arid mountain rangeland. Oecologia 2019; 189:745-755. [PMID: 30783773 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04345-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Molecular phylogenies are increasingly used to understand how biotic interactions and environment shape phylogenetic community structure (PCS). However, we do not understand the effects of plant-plant interactions and environment on PCS and phylogenetic diversity across spatial scales, particularly in rangelands. Here, we ask: (1) do plant-plant interactions and environment affect PCS and phylogenetic diversity differently across the three spatial scales of the patch, the community, and the habitat? (2) What are the impacts of dominant cushion-nurse plants on the phylogenetic structure of plant communities? We assessed the PCS of semi-arid plant communities along an elevation gradient at the patch, community and habitat scales. Then, we assessed co-occurrence patterns along two sample slopes. Our results indicated important roles for biotic interactions and environmental filtering in determining phylogenetic diversity, with biotic interactions, in particular, having a stronger tendency to increase phylogenetic diversity. This is most likely due to the asymmetrical effects of nurse plants across the three spatial scales on our two different slopes. The impact of biotic interactions caused non-random phylogenetic patterns in more severe environments. In conclusion, biotic interactions influence phylogenetic diversity by altering PCS across aspects and along elevation gradients.
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Kusuma YWC, Rembold K, Tjitrosoedirdjo SS, Kreft H. Tropical rainforest conversion and land use intensification reduce understorey plant phylogenetic diversity. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yayan Wahyu C. Kusuma
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography; University of Goettingen; Göttingen Germany
| | - Katja Rembold
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography; University of Goettingen; Göttingen Germany
| | | | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography; University of Goettingen; Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use; University of Goettingen; Göttingen Germany
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Partitioning the regional and local drivers of phylogenetic and functional diversity along temperate elevational gradients on an East Asian peninsula. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2853. [PMID: 29434300 PMCID: PMC5809509 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21266-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Species-centric approaches to biodiversity in ecological research are limited in their ability to reflect the evolutionary history and functional diversity of community assembly. Recently, the introduction of alternative facets of biodiversity, such as phylogenetic and functional diversity, has shed light on this problem and improved our understanding of the processes underlying biodiversity patterns. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic and functional diversity patterns of α, β and γ components in woody plant assemblages along regional and local elevational gradients in South Korea. Although the patterns of phylogenetic and functional diversity varied along regional and local elevational transects, the main drivers were partitioned into two categories: regional area or climate for phylogenetic diversity, depending on whether the transect was at a regional or local scale; and habitat heterogeneity for functional diversity, which was derived in elevational bands. Moreover, environmental distance was more important than was geographic distance for phylogenetic and functional β diversity between paired elevational bands. These results support the hypothesis that niche-based deterministic processes such as environmental filtering and competitive exclusion are fundamental in structuring woody plant assemblages along temperate elevational gradients regardless of scale (regional vs. local) in our study areas.
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Li L, Cadotte MW, Martínez‐Garza C, Peña‐Domene M, Du G. Planting accelerates restoration of tropical forest but assembly mechanisms appear insensitive to initial composition. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lanping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Qinghai University Xining Qinghai China
- Biological Sciences University of Toronto‐Scarborough & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems School of Life Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu China
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Biological Sciences University of Toronto‐Scarborough & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes College of Ecology and Evolution Sun Yat‐sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Cristina Martínez‐Garza
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico
| | - Marinés Peña‐Domene
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca Morelos Mexico
| | - Guozhen Du
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems School of Life Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu China
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Rolim SG, Sambuichi RHR, Schroth G, Nascimento MT, Gomes JML. Recovery of Forest and Phylogenetic Structure in Abandoned Cocoa Agroforestry in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2017; 59:410-418. [PMID: 27885388 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-016-0800-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Cocoa agroforests like the cabrucas of Brazil's Atlantic forest are among the agro-ecosystems with greatest potential for biodiversity conservation. Despite a global trend for their intensification, cocoa agroforests are also being abandoned for socioeconomic reasons especially on marginal sites, because they are incorporated in public or private protected areas, or are part of mandatory set-asides under Brazilian environmental legislation. However, little is known about phylogenetic structure, the processes of forest regeneration after abandonment and the conservation value of former cabruca sites. Here we compare the vegetation structure and composition of a former cabruca 30-40 years after abandonment with a managed cabruca and mature forest in the Atlantic forest region of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The forest in the abandoned cabruca had recovered a substantial part of its original structure. Abandoned cabruca have a higher density (mean ± CI95 %: 525.0 ± 40.3 stems per ha), basal area (34.0 ± 6.5 m2 per ha) and species richness (148 ± 11.5 species) than managed cabruca (96.0 ± 17.7; 24.15 ± 3.9 and 114.5 ± 16.0, respectively) but no significant differences to mature forest in density (581.0 ± 42.2), basal area (29.9.0 ± 3.3) and species richness (162.6 ± 15.5 species). Thinning (understory removal) changes phylogenetic structure from evenness in mature forest to clustering in managed cabruca, but after 30-40 years abandoned cabruca had a random phylogenetic structure, probably due to a balance between biotic and abiotic filters at this age. We conclude that abandoned cocoa agroforests present highly favorable conditions for the regeneration of Atlantic forest and could contribute to the formation of an interconnected network of forest habitat in this biodiversity hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Gonçalves Rolim
- Laboratório de Restinga e Floresta Atlântica, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, São Mateus, 29932-540, ES, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Marcelo Trindade Nascimento
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602, RJ, Brazil
| | - José Manoel Lucio Gomes
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitoria, 29060900, ES, Brazil
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Disentangling the drivers of taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversities in disturbed and undisturbed subtropical forests. Sci Rep 2016; 6:35926. [PMID: 27775021 PMCID: PMC5075936 DOI: 10.1038/srep35926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the relative importance of dispersal limitation and environmental filtering processes in structuring the beta diversities of subtropical forests in human disturbed landscapes is still limited. Here we used taxonomic (TBD) and phylogenetic (PBD), including terminal PBD (PBDt) and basal PBD (PBDb), beta diversity indices to quantify the taxonomic and phylogenetic turnovers at different depths of evolutionary history in disturbed and undisturbed subtropical forests. Multiple linear regression model and distance-based redundancy analysis were used to disentangle the relative importance of environmental and spatial variables. Environmental variables were significantly correlated with TBD and PBDt metrics. Temperature and precipitation were major environmental drivers of beta diversity patterns, which explained 7–27% of the variance in TBD and PBDt, whereas the spatial variables independently explained less than 1% of the variation for all forests. The relative importance of environmental and spatial variables differed between disturbed and undisturbed forests (e.g., when Bray-Curtis was used as a beta diversity metric, environmental variable had a significant effect on beta diversity for disturbed forests but had no effect on undisturbed forests). We conclude that environmental filtering plays a more important role than geographical limitation and disturbance history in driving taxonomic and terminal phylogenetic beta diversity.
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Shooner S, Chisholm C, Davies TJ. The phylogenetics of succession can guide restoration: an example from abandoned mine sites in the subarctic. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Shooner
- Department of Biology; McGill University; 1205 Docteur Penfield Montreal Quebec H3A 1B1 Canada
- Department of Biology; Concordia University; 7141 Sherbrooke St. W Montreal Quebec H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Chelsea Chisholm
- Department of Biology; McGill University; 1205 Docteur Penfield Montreal Quebec H3A 1B1 Canada
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate; Natural History Museum of Denmark; University of Copenhagen; 2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark
| | - T. Jonathan Davies
- Department of Biology; McGill University; 1205 Docteur Penfield Montreal Quebec H3A 1B1 Canada
- African Centre for DNA Barcoding; University of Johannesburg; APK Campus PO Box 524 Auckland Park 2006 Johannesburg South Africa
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Tropical Refuges with Exceptionally High Phylogenetic Diversity Reveal Contrasting Phylogenetic Structures. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1155/2015/758019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Loss of phylogenetic diversity (PD) has gained increasing attention in conservation biology. However, PD is not equally distributed in a phylogeny and can be better assessed when species relatedness (phylogenetic structure: PS) is also considered. Here, we investigate PD and PS in two refuges of biodiversity in northeastern Brazil: the Bahia Costal Forest (BCF) in the Atlantic Forest domain and Chapada Diamantina (CD) in the Caatinga domain. We used geographic data of 205 species at two spatial scales and a chronogram of Apocynaceae based on matK sequences to estimate PD and PS. Our results show an exceptionally high PD in both refuges, overdispersed in BCF and clustered in CD, although this difference is less evident or absent for recent relationships, especially at a smaller spatial scale. Overall, PS suggests long-term competitive exclusion under climatic stability, currently balanced by habitat filtering, in BCF, and biome conservatism and limited dispersal leading to in situ diversification and high density of microendemics in CD. The phylogenetically clustered flora in CD, also threatened by climate changes, are naturally more vulnerable than BCF. Therefore, while in situ conservation may ensure protection of biodiversity in BCF, emergency ex situ conservation is strongly recommended in CD.
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Meiners SJ, Cadotte MW, Fridley JD, Pickett STA, Walker LR. Is successional research nearing its climax? New approaches for understanding dynamic communities. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott J. Meiners
- Department of Biological Sciences Eastern Illinois University 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston Illinois 61920 USA
| | - Marc W. Cadotte
- Biological Sciences University of Toronto‐Scarborough Scarborough Ontario M1C 1A4 Canada
| | - Jason D. Fridley
- Department of Biology Syracuse University 107 College Place Syracuse New York 13244 USA
| | - Steward T. A. Pickett
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies 2801 Sharon Turnpike PO Box AB Millbrook New York 12545‐0129 USA
| | - Lawrence R. Walker
- School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada 89154 USA
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Whitfeld TJS, Lasky JR, Damas K, Sosanika G, Molem K, Montgomery RA. Species Richness, Forest Structure, and Functional Diversity During Succession in the New Guinea Lowlands. Biotropica 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. S. Whitfeld
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Brown University; 34 Olive Street, Box G-B225 Providence RI 02912 U.S.A
| | - Jesse R. Lasky
- The Earth Institute; Columbia University; New York NY 10027 U.S.A
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology; Columbia University; New York NY 10027 U.S.A
| | - Kipiro Damas
- PNG Forest Research Institute; PO Box 314 Lae Morobe Province Papua New Guinea
| | - Gibson Sosanika
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center; PO Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
- Griffith University; 170 Kessels Road Nathan QLD 4111 Australia
| | - Kenneth Molem
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center; PO Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Rebecca A. Montgomery
- Department of Forest Resources; University of Minnesota; 1530 Cleveland Ave. N St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
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