A guide for using functional diversity indices to reveal changes in assembly processes along ecological gradients

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 794-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman W.H. Mason ◽  
Francesco de Bello ◽  
David Mouillot ◽  
Sandrine Pavoine ◽  
Stéphane Dray
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Ecological Gradients ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

scholarly journals FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY AND ITS ATTRIBUTE FACTORS IN THE YUNMENG MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST PARK IN BEIJING, CHINA

CERNE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
Jin-Tun Zhang ◽  
Xiaohang Bai ◽  
Dan Shao
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Slope Position ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

ABSTRACT The interaction of diversity with environmental gradients is an important topic in ecology. This study investigated the pattern of change in functional diversity in forest communities along an altitudinal gradient in Yunmeng Mountain National Forest Park, China. Forty-two quadrats measuring 10 x 10 m in the forest communities were set up along this altitudinal gradient; plant species, traits and environmental variables were measured and recorded. Six functional diversity indices, namely, Modified functional attribute diversity (MFAD), Functional diversity plot-based dendrogram index (FDp), Functional diversity community-based dendrogram index (FDc), Functional evenness (FEve), Functional divergence (FDiv) and Functional dispersion (FDis), were used to calculate functional diversity. The results showed that functional diversity varied greatly in forest communities in the Yunmeng Mountain Forest Park. Functional diversity was significantly correlated with elevation and slope position and somewhat correlated with soil depth. Functional diversity increased with an increase in the elevation and decreased as the slope position changed from valley bottom to hill ridge. Functional diversity was closely related to species richness. The six functional diversity indices were all applicable to functional diversity studies of forest communities.

NEW MULTIDIMENSIONAL FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY INDICES FOR A MULTIFACETED FRAMEWORK IN FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Ecology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 2290-2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Villéger ◽  
Norman W. H. Mason ◽  
David Mouillot
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Functional Ecology ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

scholarly journals Functional Diversity in Ferns Is Driven by Species Richness Rather Than by Environmental Constraints

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Aros-Mualin ◽  
Sarah Noben ◽  
Dirk N. Karger ◽  
César I. Carvajal-Hernández ◽  
Laura Salazar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Resource Acquisition ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Acquisition Strategies ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

Functional traits determine how species interact with their abiotic and biotic environment. In turn, functional diversity describes how assemblages of species as a whole are adapted to their environment, which also determines how they might react to changing conditions. To fully understand functional diversity, it is fundamental to (a) disentangle the influences of environmental filtering and species richness from each other, (b) assess if the trait space saturates at high levels of species richness, and (c) understand how changes in species numbers affect the relative importance of the trait niche expansion and packing. In the present study, we determined functional diversity of fern assemblages by describing morphological traits related to resource acquisition along four tropical elevational transects with different environmental conditions and species richness. We used several functional diversity indices and their standardized effect size to consider different aspects of functional diversity. We contrasted these aspects of functional diversity with climate data and species richness using linear models and linear mixed models. Our results show that functional morphological trait diversity was primarily driven by species richness and only marginally by environmental conditions. Moreover, increasing species richness contributed progressively to packing of the morphological niche space, while at the same time decreasing morphological expansion until a saturation point was reached. Overall, our findings suggest that the density of co-occurring species is the fundamental driving force of morphological niche structure, and environmental conditions have only an indirect influence on fern resource acquisition strategies.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Multidimensional Functional Space of the Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in a Biosphere Reserve (Central México)

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 546
Author(s):  
Alexis Joseph Rodríguez-Romero ◽  
Axel Eduardo Rico-Sánchez ◽  
Jacinto Elías Sedeño-Díaz ◽  
Eugenia López-López
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Functional Space ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Environmental Indices ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

The analysis of functional diversity has shown to be more sensitive to the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on the assemblages of aquatic macroinvertebrates than the classical analyses of structural ecology. However, this ecological analysis perspective has not been fully explored in tropical environments of America. Protected Natural Areas (PNAs) such as biosphere reserves can be a benchmark regarding structural and functional distribution patterns worldwide, so the characterization of the functional space of biological assemblages in these sites is necessary to promote biodiversity conservation efforts. Our work characterized the multidimensional functional space of the macroinvertebrate assemblages from an ecosystemic approach by main currents, involving a total of 15 study sites encompassing different impact and human influence scenarios, which were monitored in two contrasting seasons. We calculated functional diversity indices (dispersion, richness, divergence, evenness, specialization, and originality) from biological and ecological traits of the macroinvertebrate assemblages and related these indices to the physicochemical characteristics of water and four environmental indices (Water Quality Index, habitat quality, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and vegetation cover and land use). Our results show that the indices of functional richness, evenness, and functional specialization were sensitive to disturbance caused by salinization, concentration of nutrients and organic matter, and even to the occurrence of a forest fire in the reserve during one of the sampling seasons. These findings support the conclusion that the changes and relationships between the functional diversity indices and the physicochemical parameters and environmental indices considered were suitable for evaluating the ecological conditions within the reserve.

scholarly journals Long-term changes in the species and functional diversity of a fine sand macrobenthic community in the English Channel

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Bacouillard ◽  
Noémie Baux ◽  
Jean-Claude Dauvin ◽  
Nicolas Desroy ◽  
Katja Juliana Geiger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Population Fluctuations ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

In the eastern Bay of Seine, which is a representative area of coastal zones exposed to numerous anthropogenic disturbances, data from a long-term monitoring program of the benthic macrofauna based on a framework of 60 stations sampled during 7 cruises from 1988 to 2016 were used to investigate the link between species and functional diversity at different scales and assess how long-term changes in the community structure may have altered the ecosystem functioning. To cover the different facets of α-diversity, a selection of species and functional diversity indices were calculated and the links between these metrics were determined from a Principal Component Analysis. The β-diversity was analysed by applying multivariate methods on both species and traits composition matrices. Population fluctuations of a few very abundant species led to the major variations observed in the structure of the community in both taxonomic and functional aspects. A certain redundancy was found among species and functional diversity indices in terms of richness, evenness and heterogeneity. Likewise, at regional scale, similar patterns were reported on the spatial structure of the community in terms of species and trait composition. These patterns persist over time suggesting that the community structure and its functioning are rather resilient.

scholarly journals Bird Functional Diversity in Agroecosystems and Secondary Forests of the Tropical Andes

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 493
Author(s):  
Vanessa Velásquez-Trujillo ◽  
Juan F. Betancurt-Grisales ◽  
Angela M. Vargas-Daza ◽  
Carlos E. Lara ◽  
Fredy A. Rivera-Páez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Wing Chord ◽  
Functional Diversity Indices

Agricultural systems have increased in extension and intensity worldwide, altering vertebrate functional diversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystemic services. However, the effects of open monoculture crops on bird functional diversity remain little explored, particularly in highly biodiverse regions such as the tropical Andes. We aim to assess the functional diversity differences of bird guilds between monoculture crops (coffee, cocoa, and citrus) and secondary forests. We use four functional diversity indices (Rao Q, Functional Richness, Functional Evenness, and Functional Divergence) related to relevant morphological, life history, and behavioral traits. We find significant differences in functional diversity between agroecosystem and forest habitats. Particularly, bird functional diversity is quite homogeneous among crop types. Functional traits related to locomotion (body weight, wing-chord length, and tail length), nest type (closed), and foraging strata (canopy and understory) are dominant at the agroecosystems. The bird assemblages found at the agroecosystems are more homogeneous in terms of functional diversity than those found at the secondary forests, as a result of crop structure and management. We recommend promoting more diverse agroecosystems to enhance bird functional diversity and reduce their effects on biodiversity.

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