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Bertuol-Garcia D, Ladouceur E, Brudvig LA, Laughlin DC, Munson SM, Curran MF, Davies KW, Svejcar LN, Shackelford N. Testing the hierarchy of predictability in grassland restoration across a gradient of environmental severity. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2922. [PMID: 37776043 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Ecological restoration is critical for recovering degraded ecosystems but is challenged by variable success and low predictability. Understanding which outcomes are more predictable and less variable following restoration can improve restoration effectiveness. Recent theory asserts that the predictability of outcomes would follow an order from most to least predictable from coarse to fine community properties (physical structure > taxonomic diversity > functional composition > taxonomic composition) and that predictability would increase with more severe environmental conditions constraining species establishment. We tested this "hierarchy of predictability" hypothesis by synthesizing outcomes along an aridity gradient with 11 grassland restoration projects across the United States. We used 1829 vegetation monitoring plots from 227 restoration treatments, spread across 52 sites. We fit generalized linear mixed-effects models to predict six indicators of restoration outcomes as a function of restoration characteristics (i.e., seed mixes, disturbance, management actions, time since restoration) and used variance explained by models and model residuals as proxies for restoration predictability. We did not find consistent support for our hypotheses. Physical structure was among the most predictable outcomes when the response variable was relative abundance of grasses, but unpredictable for total canopy cover. Similarly, one dimension of taxonomic composition related to species identities was unpredictable, but another dimension of taxonomic composition indicating whether exotic or native species dominated the community was highly predictable. Taxonomic diversity (i.e., species richness) and functional composition (i.e., mean trait values) were intermittently predictable. Predictability also did not increase consistently with aridity. The dimension of taxonomic composition related to the identity of species in restored communities was more predictable (i.e., smaller residuals) in more arid sites, but functional composition was less predictable (i.e., larger residuals), and other outcomes showed no significant trend. Restoration outcomes were most predictable when they related to variation in dominant species, while those responding to rare species were harder to predict, indicating a potential role of scale in restoration predictability. Overall, our results highlight additional factors that might influence restoration predictability and add support to the importance of continuous monitoring and active management beyond one-time seed addition for successful grassland restoration in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Bertuol-Garcia
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Emma Ladouceur
- Institute of Computer Science, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Leipzig-Halle-Jena, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lars A Brudvig
- Department of Plant Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Seth M Munson
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Kirk W Davies
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Burns, Oregon, USA
| | | | - Nancy Shackelford
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Cheng F, Li M, Ren Y, Hou L, Gao T, He P, Deng X, Lu J. Soil Fungal Community Characteristics at Timberlines of Sejila Mountain in Southeast Tibet, China. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9050596. [PMID: 37233307 DOI: 10.3390/jof9050596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Soil fungal community characteristics of alpine timberlines are unclear. In this study, soil fungal communities in five vegetation zones across timberlines on the south and north slopes of Sejila Mountain in Tibet, China were investigated. The results show that the alpha diversity of soil fungi was not different between the north- and south-facing timberlines or among the five vegetation zones. Archaeorhizomyces (Ascomycota) was a dominant genus at the south-facing timberline, whereas the ectomycorrhizal genus Russula (Basidiomycota) decreased with decreasing Abies georgei coverage and density at the north-facing timberline. Saprotrophic soil fungi were dominant, but their relative abundance changed little among the vegetation zones at the south timberline, whereas ectomycorrhizal fungi decreased with tree hosts at the north timberline. Soil fungal community characteristics were related to coverage and density, soil pH and ammonium nitrogen at the north timberline, whereas they had no associations with the vegetation and soil factors at the south timberline. In conclusion, timberline and A. georgei presence exerted apparent influences on the soil fungal community structure and function in this study. The findings may enhance our understanding of the distribution of soil fungal communities at the timberlines of Sejila Mountain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Cheng
- Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Forestry College, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Mingman Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Forestry College, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yihua Ren
- Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Lei Hou
- Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Tan Gao
- Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
| | - Peng He
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Forestry College, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xiangsheng Deng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Conservation, Forestry College, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Jie Lu
- Institute of Tibet Plateau Ecology, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
- Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology in Tibet Plateau, Tibet Agricultural & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi 860000, China
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Carrascosa A, Pascual JA, López-García Á, Romo-Vaquero M, De Santiago A, Ros M, Petropoulos SA, Alguacil MDM. Effects of inorganic and compost tea fertilizers application on the taxonomic and functional microbial diversity of the purslane rhizosphere. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1159823. [PMID: 37152179 PMCID: PMC10159062 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1159823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Soil fertility is a major determinant of plant-microbial interactions, thus, directly and indirectly affecting crop productivity and ecosystem functions. In this study, we analysed for the first time the effects of fertilizer addition on the cropping of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) with particular attention to the taxonomic and functional characteristics of their associated soil microbiota. Methods We tested the effects of different doses of inorganic fertilization differing in the amount of N:P:K namely IT1 (300:100:100); IT2 (300:200:100); IT3 (300:200:200); and IT4 (600:100:100) (ppm N:P:K ratio) and organic fertilization (compost tea) which reached at the end of the assay the dose of 300 ppm N. Results and discussion Purslane growth and soil quality parameters and their microbial community structure, abundance of fungal functional groups and prevailing bacterial metabolic functions were monitored. The application of compost tea and inorganic fertilizers significantly increased the purslane shoot biomass, and some soil chemical properties such as pH and soil enzymatic activities related to C, N and P biogeochemical cycles. The bacterial and fungal community compositions were significantly affected by the organic and chemical fertilizers input. The majority of inorganic fertilization treatments decreased the fungal and bacterial diversity as well as some predictive bacterial functional pathways. Conclusions These findings suggest that the inorganic fertilization might lead to a change of microbial functioning. However, in order to get stronger evidence that supports the found pattern, longer time-frame experiments that ideally include sampling across different seasons are needed. Thus, further research is still needed to investigate the effects of fertilizations on purslane productivity under commercial field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Carrascosa
- CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose Antonio Pascual
- CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Murcia, Spain
| | - Álvaro López-García
- Instituto Interuniversitario de investigación del Sistema Tierra en Andalucía, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - María Romo-Vaquero
- CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Food Science and Technology, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ana De Santiago
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX), Área de Protección Vegetal, Subárea de gestión y usos de suelos agrícolas y forestales, Instituto de Investigación Finca la Orden, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Margarita Ros
- CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Murcia, Spain
| | - Spyridon A. Petropoulos
- Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Maria Del Mar Alguacil
- CSIC-Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura, Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Murcia, Spain
- *Correspondence: Maria Del Mar Alguacil,
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Vaessen RW, Jansen PA, Richard-Hansen C, Boot RGA, Denis T, Derroire G, Petronelli P, de Vries JS, Barry KE, Ter Steege H, van Kuijk M. Defaunation changes leaf trait composition of recruit communities in tropical forests in French Guiana. Ecology 2023; 104:e3872. [PMID: 36121050 PMCID: PMC10078438 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Hunting impacts tropical vertebrate populations, causing declines of species that function as seed dispersers and predators, or that browse seedlings and saplings. Whether and how the resulting reductions in seed dispersal, seed predation, and browsing translate to changes in the tree composition is poorly understood. Here, we assess the effect of defaunation on the functional composition of communities of tree recruits in tropical rainforests in French Guiana. We selected eight sites along a gradient of defaunation, caused by differences in hunting pressure, in otherwise intact old-growth forests in French Guiana. We measured shifts in functional composition by comparing leaf and fruit traits and wood density between tree recruits (up to 5 cm diameter at breast height) and adults, and tested whether and how these compositional shifts related to defaunation. We found a positive relationship with defaunation for shifts in specific leaf area, a negative relationship for shifts of leaf toughness and wood density, and a weak relationship for shifts in fruit traits. Our results suggest that the loss of vertebrates affects ecological processes such as seed dispersal and browsing, of which browsing remains understudied. Even though these changes sometimes seem minor, together they result in major shifts in forest composition. These changes have long-term ramifications that may alter forest dynamics for generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rens W Vaessen
- Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Patrick A Jansen
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Center for Tropical Forest Science, Ancon, Panama
| | - Cécile Richard-Hansen
- OFB/DRAS/UPFSEO, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université de la Guyane, Université des Antilles), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - René G A Boot
- Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.,Tropenbos International, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas Denis
- OFB/DRAS/UPFSEO, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université de la Guyane, Université des Antilles), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Géraldine Derroire
- CIRAD, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université de la Guyane, Université des Antilles), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Pascal Petronelli
- CIRAD, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université de la Guyane, Université des Antilles), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Jesse S de Vries
- Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kathryn E Barry
- Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hans Ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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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) 2022; 11:3284. [PMID: 36501322 PMCID: PMC9739964 DOI: 10.3390/plants11233284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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Pan Y, Li G, Su L, Zheng P, Wang Y, Shen Z, Chen Z, Han Q, Gong J. Seagrass Colonization Alters Diversity, Abundance, Taxonomic, and Functional Community Structure of Benthic Microbial Eukaryotes. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:901741. [PMID: 35770161 PMCID: PMC9234489 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.901741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Seagrass form high productive ecosystems in coastal environments. However, the effects of these coastal plants on the structure and function of the belowground eukaryotic microbiome remain elusive. In this study, we characterized the community of microbial eukaryotes (microeukaryotes) in both vegetated and unvegetated sediments using 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR. Analysis of sequencing data showed that the eelgrass (Zostera marina) colonization decreased the alpha diversity indices of benthic microeukaryotes. Apicomplexa represented an average of 83% of reads across all samples, with a higher proportion at the vegetated sites. The taxonomic community structure was significantly different between these two types of sediments, for which the concentration ofNH 4 + in sediment porewater and salinity could account. Phylogenetic analyses of long 18S rRNA genes (around 1,030 bp) indicated these apicomplexan parasites are closely related to gregarine Lecudina polymorpha. Determination of 18S rRNA gene abundances provided evidence that the eelgrass markedly promoted the biomass of the gregarine and all microeukaryotes in the seagrass-colonized sediments and confirmed that the gregarine was hosted by a polychaete species. Significantly higher gene abundances of heterotrophs and mixotrophs were found at the vegetated sites, which could be explained by the finer sediments and short supply of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, respectively. The pigmented protists were more abundant in 18S rRNA gene copies at the lower and higher pH levels than at the intermediate. Nevertheless, the fractions of heterotrophs and phototrophs in the community were significantly related to porewater N:P ratio. These results indicate that seagrass colonization significantly induces an increase in overall biomass and a decrease in diversity of benthic microeukaryotes, making them more heterotrophic. This study also highlights that the hotspot of eukaryotic parasites could be linked with the high productivity of a natural ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Pan
- School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Guihao Li
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Matter Cycle, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Lei Su
- Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, China
| | - Pengfei Zheng
- Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, China
| | - Yaping Wang
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Matter Cycle, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhuo Shen
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Matter Cycle, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Zigui Chen
- Department of Microbiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qiuying Han
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya, China
| | - Jun Gong
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Matter Cycle, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, Guangzhou, China
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Li Y, Dong S, Gao Q, Fan C, Fayiah M, Ganjurjav H, Hu G, Wang X, Yan Y, Gao X, Li S. Grazing Changed Plant Community Composition and Reduced Stochasticity of Soil Microbial Community Assembly of Alpine Grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:864085. [PMID: 35677251 PMCID: PMC9168915 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.864085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Grazing is a substantial threat to the sustainability of grassland ecosystems, while it is uncertain about the variety of plant and soil microbial community and the linkages between them limit the comprehensive understanding of grazing ecology. We conducted an experiment on the effects of the grazing regimes rotational grazing (RG), continuous grazing (CG), and grazing exclusion (GE) on an alpine meadow in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The differences of plant community composition, soil microbial community assembly mechanism, and taxonomic and functional composition between grazing regimes were examined, and the relationship between plant species and the soil microbes was assessed by constructing a co-occurrence network. The results showed that the plant community composition varied with the grazing regimes, while the soil microbial community composition did not vary with the grazing regimes. The soil bacterial functional composition was similar under RG and CG, while the soil fungal functional composition was similar under GE and RG. The soil microbial community under all grazing regimes was assembled mainly according to stochastic rather than deterministic mechanisms, and RG and CG reduced the relative importance of the stochastic ratio. At the microbial phylum level, CG and GE increased the relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Armatimonadetes and CG and RG increased the relative abundance of Elusimicrobia. In the network of plant species and soil microbial classes, plants and bacteria themselves were mainly positively linked (symbiosis and promotion), while plants and soil microbes were mainly negatively linked (competition). There were five microbial generalists in the network, which connected with many microbes, and four showed no difference in their abundance among the grazing regimes. Overall, the stable key microbes in the network and the fact that many of the plants are unconnected with microbes weakened the impact of grazing-induced changes in the plant community on soil microbes, probably resulting in the stable soil microbial community composition. Moreover, there was still a dominant and tolerant plant species, Kobresia pygmaea, that connected the plant and microbial communities, implying that the dominant plant species not only played a crucial role in the plant community but also acted as a bridge between the plants and soil microbes; thus, its tolerance and dominance might stabilize the soil microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Li
- School of Public Administration, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shikui Dong
- School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Qingzhu Gao
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chun Fan
- School of Public Administration, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, China
| | - Moses Fayiah
- Department of Forestry, School of Natural Resources Management, Njala University, Njala, Sierra Leone
| | - Hasbagan Ganjurjav
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guozheng Hu
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuexia Wang
- Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Yan
- China New Era Group Corporation, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxia Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Gao W, Lei X, Gao D, Li Y. Mass-ratio and complementarity effects simultaneously drive aboveground biomass in temperate Quercus forests through stand structure. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:16806-16816. [PMID: 34938474 PMCID: PMC8668754 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Forests play a key role in regulating the global carbon cycle, a substantial portion of which is stored in aboveground biomass (AGB). It is well understood that biodiversity can increase the biomass through complementarity and mass-ratio effects, and the contribution of environmental factors and stand structure attributes to AGB was also observed. However, the relative influence of these factors in determining the AGB of Quercus forests remains poorly understood. Using a large dataset retrieved from 523 permanent forest inventory plots across Northeast China, we examined the effects of integrated multiple tree species diversity components (i.e., species richness, functional, and phylogenetic diversity), functional traits composition, environmental factors (climate and soil), stand age, and structure attributes (stand density, tree size diversity) on AGB based on structural equation models. We found that species richness and phylogenetic diversity both were not correlated with AGB. However, functional diversity positively affected AGB via an indirect effect in line with the complementarity effect. Moreover, the community-weighted mean of specific leaf area and height increased AGB directly and indirectly, respectively; demonstrating the mass-ratio effect. Furthermore, stand age, density, and tree size diversity were more important modulators of AGB than biodiversity. Our study highlights that biodiversity-AGB interaction is dependent on the regulation of stand structure that can be even more important for maintaining high biomass than biodiversity in temperate Quercus forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen‐Qiang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Management and Growth ModellingState Forestry and Grassland AdministrationInstitute of Forest Resource Information TechniquesChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Xiang‐Dong Lei
- Key Laboratory of Forest Management and Growth ModellingState Forestry and Grassland AdministrationInstitute of Forest Resource Information TechniquesChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Dong‐Li Gao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Management and Growth ModellingState Forestry and Grassland AdministrationInstitute of Forest Resource Information TechniquesChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
- Planning and Design Institute of the Forest Products Industry of the State Forestry and Grassland AdministrationBeijingChina
| | - Yu‐Tang Li
- Jilin Forestry Inventory and Planning InstituteChangchunChina
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Yin R, Kardol P, Thakur MP, Gruss I, Wu GL, Eisenhauer N, Schädler M. Soil functional biodiversity and biological quality under threat: intensive land use outweighs climate change. Soil Biol Biochem 2020; 147:107847. [PMID: 32884602 PMCID: PMC7116016 DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Climate change and land use intensification are the two most common global change drivers of biodiversity loss. Like other organisms, the soil meso-fauna are expected to modify their functional diversity and composition in response to climate and land use changes. Here, we investigated the functional responses of Collembola, one of the most abundant and ecologically important groups of soil invertebrates. This study was conducted at the Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF) in central Germany, where we tested the effects of climate (ambient vs. 'future' as projected for this region for the years between 2070 and 2100), land use (conventional farming, organic farming, intensively-used meadow, extensively-used meadow, and extensively-used pasture), and their interactions on the functional diversity (FD), community-weighted mean (CWM) traits (life-history, morphology), and functional composition of Collembola, as well as the Soil Biological Quality-Collembola (QBS-c) index. We found that land use was overwhelmingly the dominant driver of shifts in functional diversity, functional traits, and functional composition of Collembola, and of shifts in soil biological quality. These significant land use effects were mainly due to the differences between the two main land use types, i.e. cropland vs. grasslands. Specifically, Collembola functional biodiversity and soil biological quality were significantly lower in croplands than grasslands. However, no interactive effect of climate × land use was found in this study, suggesting that land use effects on Collembola were independent of the climate change scenario. Overall, our study shows that functional responses of Collembola are highly vulnerable to land use intensification under both climate scenarios. We conclude that land use changes reduce functional biodiversity and biological quality of soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul Kardol
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901-83 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Madhav P. Thakur
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Iwona Gruss
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Department of Plant Protection, Plac Grunwaldzki 24 A, 50363 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Gao-Lin Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Biology, Leipzig University, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin Schädler
- Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Hooper ER, Ashton MS. Fragmentation reduces community-wide taxonomic and functional diversity of dispersed tree seeds in the Central Amazon. Ecol Appl 2020; 30:e02093. [PMID: 32065685 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Amazon harbors one of the most diverse tree floras on earth, and most species depend on mutualists for pollination and seed dispersal. This makes them susceptible to reproductive decline in fragmented forest because many of these mutualists suffer area-related extinction in fragments. It remains unknown, however, whether this highly biodiverse tree flora will reproduce and ultimately persist in fragmented forest. We conducted a 2-yr study of seed fall in an experimentally fragmented, highly diverse Central Amazonian forest. We determined the effect of fragment size (1, 10, 100 ha and continuous forest control) on the density, species richness, functional diversity and functional composition of seeds separated into two data sets: dispersed tree seeds, and undispersed tree seeds. Our results show a 3× reduction in the density of undispersed, non-pioneer tree seeds in fragments of all sizes, indicating reduced seed production of the non-pioneer tree community. The density of dispersed tree seeds was reduced by 6× in fragments of all sizes, while species richness was reduced by 6× in 1-ha fragments and by 3× in 10- and 100-ha fragments compared to intact forest. This provides evidence of reduced community-wide seed dispersal, which became more pronounced with declining fragment size. The functional diversity (FRic) of dispersed tree seeds was reduced 9.6× in small fragments, and significant shifts in the functional composition for 8 of the 10 reproductive and ecological traits studied were identified, suggesting compromised ecosystem functioning. These functional compositional shifts provide evidence for disrupted mutualistic processes in fragments, which include loss of pollination by bees, especially small eusocial (meliponid) bees, and loss of dispersal by primates and large birds, which reduced the frequency of large-seeded tree species. Fragments also lost rare and mature-forest species, and collectively these changes suggest that future tree communities in fragmented Amazonian landscapes will retain a taxonomically and functionally impoverished species pool with a biased functional composition unless efforts are undertaken to conserve dispersal by large frugivores and pollination by meliponid bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine R Hooper
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 360 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Mark S Ashton
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 360 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
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11
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Bernard L, Decau ML, Morvan-Bertrand A, Lavorel S, Clément JC. Water-soluble carbohydrates in Patzkea paniculata (L.): a plant strategy to tolerate snowpack reduction and spring drought in subalpine grasslands. Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2020; 22:441-449. [PMID: 31834979 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In subalpine grasslands of the central French Alps, cessation of traditional mowing promotes dominance of Patzkea paniculata (L.) G.H.Loos (Poaceae) tussocks, with high biomass but low fodder quality. Mowing limits P. paniculata abundance through the depletion of its water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) reserves, which sustain early spring growth initiation. However, the effectiveness of mowing effects is modulated by grassland functional composition, fertilization and climate change, as WSC compounds, and notably fructans, support plant physiological responses to climate stresses such as drought or frost. To characterize the mechanisms underpinning the control of P. paniculata under global change, we tested the effects of climate manipulation (combined snow removal and drought) and management (cutting and fertilization) alone or in combination on P. paniculata WSC storage in assembled grassland communities of varying functional composition. Management and climate treatments individually decreased seasonal fructan storage, with neither additive nor synergic effects between them, primarily due to the dominance of management over climate effects. Fructan amounts were higher in individuals growing in unmanaged exploitative communities compared to unmanaged conservative communities, regardless of climate treatments, but management overrode these differences. Our findings suggest that reduction by combined snow removal and drought of P. paniculata carbon allocation to WSC storage may similarly limit its dominance to that in current mowing practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Bernard
- CNRS, LECA, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble, France
| | - M-L Decau
- INRA, EVA, Normandie Université, Caen, France
| | | | - S Lavorel
- CNRS, LECA, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble, France
| | - J-C Clément
- CNRS, LECA, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Grenoble, France
- INRA, CARRTEL, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Thonon-les-Bains, France
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12
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Andersen AN. Responses of ant communities to disturbance: Five principles for understanding the disturbance dynamics of a globally dominant faunal group. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:350-362. [PMID: 30280380 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Ecological disturbance is fundamental to the dynamics of biological communities, yet a conceptual framework for understanding the responses of faunal communities to disturbance remains elusive. Here, I propose five principles for understanding the disturbance dynamics of ants-a globally dominant faunal group that is widely used as bioindicators in land management, which appear to have wide applicability to other taxa. These principles are as follows: (1) The most important effects of habitat disturbance on ants are typically indirect, through its effects on habitat structure, microclimate, resource availability and competitive interactions; (2) habitat openness is a key driver of variation in ant communities; (3) ant species responses to disturbance are to a large degree determined by their responses to habitat openness; (4) the same disturbance will have different effects on ants in different habitats, because of different impacts on habitat openness; and (5) ant community responses to the same disturbance will vary according to ant functional composition and biogeographical history in relation to habitat openness. I illustrate these principles using results primarily from studies of ant responses to fire, a dominant agent of disturbance globally, to provide a common disturbance currency for comparative analysis. I argue that many of the principles also apply to other faunal groups and so can be considered as general ecological "laws." As is the case for ants, many impacts of habitat disturbance on other faunal groups are fundamentally related to habitat openness, the effects of disturbance on it and the functional composition of species in relation to it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan N Andersen
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
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13
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Laws AN, Prather CM, Branson DH, Pennings SC. Effects of grasshoppers on prairies: Herbivore composition matters more than richness in three grassland ecosystems. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1727-1737. [PMID: 30102785 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how biodiversity affects ecosystem processes is a key question in ecology. Previous research has found that increasing plant diversity often enhances many ecosystem processes, but less is known about the role of consumer diversity to ecosystem processes, especially in terrestrial ecosystems. Furthermore, we do not know how general biodiversity responses are among ecosystem types. We examined the role of insect herbivore (Orthoptera) diversity on plant production using parallel field experiments in three grassland ecosystems (mixed grass prairie, tallgrass prairie and coastal tallgrass prairie) to determine whether the effects of grasshopper diversity were consistent among sites. Using mesocosms, we manipulated orthopteran species richness (0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 species), functional richness (number of functional feeding groups present; 0, 1 or 2 functional groups) and functional composition (composition of functional groups present; mixed-feeders only, grass-feeders only, both mixed-feeders and grass-feeders). Diversity treatments were maintained throughout the experiment by replacing dead individuals. Plant biomass was destructively sampled at the end of the experiment. We found no effect of species richness or functional richness on plant biomass. However, herbivore functional composition was important, and effects were qualitatively similar across sites: The presence of only grass-feeding species reduced plant biomass more than either mixed-feeding species alone or both groups together. Orthopterans had consistent effects across a range of abiotic conditions, as well as different plant community and orthopteran community compositions. Our results suggest that functional composition of insect herbivores affects plant communities in grasslands more than herbivore species richness or functional richness, and this pattern was robust among grassland types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Laws
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.,Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Chelse M Prather
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - David H Branson
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Sidney, Montana
| | - Steven C Pennings
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
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14
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Duarte LDS, Debastiani VJ, Carlucci MB, Diniz-Filho JAF. Analyzing community-weighted trait means across environmental gradients: should phylogeny stay or should it go? Ecology 2017; 99:385-398. [PMID: 29121389 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Functional traits mediate ecological responses of organisms to the environment, determining community structure. Community-weighted trait means (CWM) are often used to characterize communities by combining information on species traits and distribution. Relating CWM variation to environmental gradients allows for evaluating species sorting across the metacommunity, either based on correlation tests or ordinary least squares (OLS) models. Yet, it is not clear if phylogenetic signal in both traits and species distribution affect those analyses. On one hand, phylogenetic signal might indicate niche conservatism along clade evolution, reinforcing the environmental signal in trait assembly patterns. On the other hand, it might introduce phylogenetic autocorrelation to mean trait variation among communities. Under this latter scenario, phylogenetic signal might inflate type I error in analysis relating CWM variation to environmental gradients. We explore multiple ways phylogenetic history may influence analysis relating CWM to environmental gradients. We propose the concept of neutral trait diffusion, which predicts that for a functional trait x, CWM variation among local communities does not deviate from the expectation that x evolved according to a neutral evolutionary process. Based on this framework we introduce a graphical tool called neutral trait diffusion representation (NTDR) that allows for the evaluation of whether it is necessary to carry out phylogenetic correction in the trait prior to analyzing the association between CWM and environmental gradients. We illustrate the NTDR approach using simulated traits, phylogenies and metacommunities. We show that even under moderate phylogenetic signal in both the trait used to define CWM and species distribution across communities, OLS models relating CWM variation to environmental gradients lead to inflated type I error when testing the null hypothesis of no association between CWM and environmental gradient. To overcome this issue, we propose a phylogenetic correction for OLS models and evaluate its statistical performance (type I error and power). Phylogeny-corrected OLS models successfully control for type I error in analysis relating CWM variation to environmental gradients but may show decreased power. Combining the exploratory tool of NTDR and phylogenetic correction in traits, when necessary, guarantees more precise inferences about the environmental forces driving trait-mediated species sorting across metacommunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro D S Duarte
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500 CP 15007, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Vanderlei J Debastiani
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500 CP 15007, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 91501-970, Brazil
| | - Marcos B Carlucci
- Departamento de Botânica, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CP 19031, Curitiba, Paraná, 81531-980, Brazil
| | - José Alexandre F Diniz-Filho
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, CP 131, Goiânia, Goiás, 74690-900, Brazil
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15
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Baker TR, Vela Díaz DM, Chama Moscoso V, Navarro G, Monteagudo A, Pinto R, Cangani K, Fyllas NM, Lopez Gonzalez G, Laurance WF, Lewis SL, Lloyd J, Ter Steege H, Terborgh JW, Phillips OL. Consistent, small effects of treefall disturbances on the composition and diversity of four Amazonian forests. J Ecol 2016; 104:497-506. [PMID: 27609991 DOI: 10.5521/forestplots.net/2015_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the resilience of moist tropical forests to treefall disturbance events is important for understanding the mechanisms that underlie species coexistence and for predicting the future composition of these ecosystems. Here, we test whether variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests determines their resilience to disturbance.We studied the legacy of natural treefall disturbance events in four forests across Amazonia that differ substantially in functional composition. We compared the composition and diversity of all free-standing woody stems 2-10 cm diameter in previously disturbed and undisturbed 20 × 20 m subplots within 55, one-hectare, long-term forest inventory plots.Overall, stem number increased following disturbance, and species and functional composition shifted to favour light-wooded, small-seeded taxa. Alpha-diversity increased, but beta-diversity was unaffected by disturbance, in all four forests.Changes in response to disturbance in both functional composition and alpha-diversity were, however, small (2 - 4% depending on the parameter) and similar among forests. Synthesis. This study demonstrates that variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests does not lead to large differences in the response of these forests to treefall disturbances, and overall, these events have a minor role in maintaining the diversity of these ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Baker
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Dilys M Vela Díaz
- Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis MO 63130 USA
| | | | - Gilberto Navarro
- Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana Sargento Lores 385 Iquitos Peru
| | | | - Ruy Pinto
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia
| | - Katia Cangani
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia
| | - Nikolaos M Fyllas
- Department of Ecology and Systematics Faculty of Biology University of Athens Panepistimiopolis 15701 Athens Greece
| | | | - William F Laurance
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld4870 Australia; Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Av. André Araujo 2936 Manaus Brazil
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK; University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Jonathan Lloyd
- Imperial College Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road Ascot West Berkshire SL5 7PY UK
| | - Hans Ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center PO Box 9517 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands
| | - John W Terborgh
- Center for Tropical Conservation Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Box 90328 Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Oliver L Phillips
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
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16
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Baker TR, Vela Díaz DM, Chama Moscoso V, Navarro G, Monteagudo A, Pinto R, Cangani K, Fyllas NM, Lopez Gonzalez G, Laurance WF, Lewis SL, Lloyd J, Ter Steege H, Terborgh JW, Phillips OL. Consistent, small effects of treefall disturbances on the composition and diversity of four Amazonian forests. J Ecol 2016; 104:497-506. [PMID: 27609991 PMCID: PMC4991291 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the resilience of moist tropical forests to treefall disturbance events is important for understanding the mechanisms that underlie species coexistence and for predicting the future composition of these ecosystems. Here, we test whether variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests determines their resilience to disturbance.We studied the legacy of natural treefall disturbance events in four forests across Amazonia that differ substantially in functional composition. We compared the composition and diversity of all free-standing woody stems 2-10 cm diameter in previously disturbed and undisturbed 20 × 20 m subplots within 55, one-hectare, long-term forest inventory plots.Overall, stem number increased following disturbance, and species and functional composition shifted to favour light-wooded, small-seeded taxa. Alpha-diversity increased, but beta-diversity was unaffected by disturbance, in all four forests.Changes in response to disturbance in both functional composition and alpha-diversity were, however, small (2 - 4% depending on the parameter) and similar among forests. Synthesis. This study demonstrates that variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests does not lead to large differences in the response of these forests to treefall disturbances, and overall, these events have a minor role in maintaining the diversity of these ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Baker
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
| | - Dilys M Vela Díaz
- Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis MO 63130 USA
| | | | - Gilberto Navarro
- Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana Sargento Lores 385 Iquitos Peru
| | | | - Ruy Pinto
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia
| | - Katia Cangani
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia
| | - Nikolaos M Fyllas
- Department of Ecology and Systematics Faculty of Biology University of Athens Panepistimiopolis 15701 Athens Greece
| | | | - William F Laurance
- School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld4870 Australia; Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Av. André Araujo 2936 Manaus Brazil
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK; University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Jonathan Lloyd
- Imperial College Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road Ascot West Berkshire SL5 7PY UK
| | - Hans Ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center PO Box 9517 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands
| | - John W Terborgh
- Center for Tropical Conservation Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Box 90328 Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Oliver L Phillips
- School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK
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17
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Lamarre GPA, Hérault B, Fine PVA, Vedel V, Lupoli R, Mesones I, Baraloto C. Taxonomic and functional composition of arthropod assemblages across contrasting Amazonian forests. J Anim Ecol 2015; 85:227-39. [PMID: 26346553 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Arthropods represent most of global biodiversity, with the highest diversity found in tropical rain forests. Nevertheless, we have a very incomplete understanding of how tropical arthropod communities are assembled. We conducted a comprehensive mass sampling of arthropod communities within three major habitat types of lowland Amazonian rain forest, including terra firme clay, white-sand and seasonally flooded forests in Peru and French Guiana. We examined how taxonomic and functional composition (at the family level) differed across these habitat types in the two regions. The overall arthropod community composition exhibited strong turnover among habitats and between regions. In particular, seasonally flooded forest habitats of both regions comprised unique assemblages. Overall, 17·7% (26 of 147) of arthropod families showed significant preferences for a particular habitat type. We present a first reproducible arthropod functional classification among the 147 taxa based on similarity among 21 functional traits describing feeding source, major mouthparts and microhabitats inhabited by each taxon. We identified seven distinct functional groups whose relative abundance contrasted strongly across the three habitats, with sap and leaf feeders showing higher abundances in terra firme clay forest. Our novel arthropod functional classification provides an important complement to link these contrasting patterns of composition to differences in forest functioning across geographical and environmental gradients. This study underlines that both environment and biogeographical processes are responsible for driving arthropod taxonomic composition while environmental filtering is the main driver of the variance in functional composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg P A Lamarre
- Université Antilles-Guyane, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana.,INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana.,Société Entomologique Antilles-Guyane, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, French Guiana
| | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Paul V A Fine
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1005 Valley Life Sciences Building #3140, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Vincent Vedel
- INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana.,Société Entomologique Antilles-Guyane, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, French Guiana
| | - Roland Lupoli
- Société Entomologique Antilles-Guyane, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, French Guiana
| | - Italo Mesones
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1005 Valley Life Sciences Building #3140, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Christopher Baraloto
- INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana.,International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, International Center for Tropical Botany, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
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18
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Holzwarth F, Rüger N, Wirth C. Taking a closer look: disentangling effects of functional diversity on ecosystem functions with a trait-based model across hierarchy and time. R Soc Open Sci 2015; 2:140541. [PMID: 26064620 PMCID: PMC4448832 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has progressed from the detection of relationships to elucidating their drivers and underlying mechanisms. In this context, replacing taxonomic predictors by trait-based measures of functional composition (FC)-bridging functions of species and of ecosystems-is a widely used approach. The inherent challenge of trait-based approaches is the multi-faceted, dynamic and hierarchical nature of trait influence: (i) traits may act via different facets of their distribution in a community, (ii) their influence may change over time and (iii) traits may influence processes at different levels of the natural hierarchy of organization. Here, we made use of the forest ecosystem model 'LPJ-GUESS' parametrized with empirical trait data, which creates output of individual performance, community assembly, stand-level states and processes. To address the three challenges, we resolved the dynamics of the top-level ecosystem function 'annual biomass change' hierarchically into its various component processes (growth, leaf and root turnover, recruitment and mortality) and states (stand structures, water stress) and traced the influence of different facets of FC along this hierarchy in a path analysis. We found an independent influence of functional richness, dissimilarity and identity on ecosystem states and processes and hence biomass change. Biodiversity effects were only positive during early succession and later turned negative. Unexpectedly, resource acquisition (growth, recruitment) and conservation (mortality, turnover) played an equally important role throughout the succession. These results add to a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity effects and place a caveat on simplistic approaches omitting hierarchical levels when analysing BEF relationships. They support the view that BEF relationships experience dramatic shifts over successional time that should be acknowledged in mechanistic theories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Holzwarth
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität, Institut für Biologie, Universität Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa Ancón, Panama
| | - Christian Wirth
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität, Institut für Biologie, Universität Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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19
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Venn S, Pickering C, Green K. Spatial and temporal functional changes in alpine summit vegetation are driven by increases in shrubs and graminoids. AoB Plants 2014; 6:plu008. [PMID: 24790129 PMCID: PMC4038439 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plu008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Classical approaches to investigating temporal and spatial changes in community composition offer only partial insight into the ecology that drives species distribution, community patterns and processes, whereas a functional approach can help to determine many of the underlying mechanisms that drive such patterns. Here, we aim to bring these two approaches together to understand such drivers, using an elevation gradient of sites, a repeat species survey and species functional traits. We used data from a repeat vegetation survey on five alpine summits and measured plant height, leaf area, leaf dry matter content and specific leaf area (SLA) for every species recorded in the surveys. We combined species abundances with trait values to produce a community trait-weighted mean (CTWM) for each trait, and then combined survey results with the CTWMs. Across the gradient of summits, more favourable conditions for plant growth (warmer, longer growing season) occurred at the lower elevations. Vegetation composition changes between 2004 and 2011 (according to non-metric multi-dimensional scaling ordination) were strongly affected by the high and increasing abundance of species with high SLA at high elevations. Species life-form categories strongly affected compositional changes and functional composition, with increasing dominance of tall shrubs and graminoids at the lower-elevation summits, and an overall increase in graminoids across the gradient. The CTWM for plant height and leaf dry matter content significantly decreased with elevation, whereas for leaf area and SLA it significantly increased. The significant relationships between CTWM and elevation may suggest specific ecological processes, namely plant competition and local productivity, influencing vegetation preferentially across the elevation gradient, with the dominance of shrubs and graminoids driving the patterns in the CTWMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Venn
- School of Environment, Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia
- Department of Botany, Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Catherine Pickering
- School of Environment, Environmental Futures Centre, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia
| | - Ken Green
- New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Snowy Mountains Region, PO Box 2228, Jindabyne, NSW 2627, Australia
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