The relative contributions of functional diversity and functional identity to ecosystem function in water‐limited environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Dovrat ◽  
Ehud Meron ◽  
Moshe Shachak ◽  
Carly Golodets ◽  
Yagil Osem
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Functional Identity

scholarly journals Modelling mixotrophic functional diversity and implications for ecosystem function

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzana GonÇalves Leles ◽  
Luca Polimene ◽  
Jorn Bruggeman ◽  
Jeremy Blackford ◽  
Stefano Ciavatta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function

scholarly journals Large home range scavengers support higher rates of carcass removal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas ◽  
Marcos Moleón ◽  
Patricia Mateo-Tomás ◽  
Pedro P. Olea ◽  
Esther Sebastián-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Equivalence ◽  
List Type ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Functional Identity ◽  
Niche Complementarity ◽  
Consumption Rates

AbstractVertebrate scavenger communities vary in species composition across the globe, and include a wide array of species with diverse ecological strategies and life-histories that support essential ecosystem functions, such as carrion removal. While previous studies have mostly focussed on how community aspects such as species richness and composition affect carrion consumption rates, it remains unclear whether this important function of scavengers is better explained by the dominance of key functional traits or niche complementarity as a result of a diverse functional representation.Here, we test three competitive hypotheses to assess if carrion consumption in vertebrate scavenger communities depends on: i) the presence of key dominant traits (functional identity hypothesis), ii) functional diversity that promotes niche complementarity (functional diversity hypothesis), or iii) the accumulation of individuals and species, irrespective of their trait representation (functional equivalence). To explore these hypotheses, we used five study areas in Spain and South Africa, which represent a gradient of scavenger biodiversity, i.e., ranging from communities dominated by facultative scavengers, such as generalists and meso-predators, to those including vultures and large carnivores.Within study areas, traits that characterise obligate scavengers or large carnivores (e.g. mean home range, proportion of social foragers) were positively linked to rapid carrion consumption, while the biomass of functional groups including facultative scavengers were either weakly or negatively associated with carrion consumption.When combining all study areas, higher rates of carrion consumption were related to scavenger communities dominated by species with large home ranges (e.g. Gyps vultures), which was found to be a key trait. In contrast, metrics describing functional diversity (functional dispersion) and functional equivalence (species richness and abundance) had lower predictive power in explaining carrion consumption patterns.Our data support the functional identity hypothesis as a better framework for explaining carrion consumption rates than functional diversity or equivalence. Our findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms sustaining ecosystem functioning in vertebrate communities and reinforce the role of obligate scavengers and large carnivores as keystone species in terrestrial ecosystems.

Bird functional diversity decreases with time since disturbance: Does patchy prescribed fire enhance ecosystem function?

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly Sitters ◽  
Julian Di Stefano ◽  
Fiona Christie ◽  
Matthew Swan ◽  
Alan York
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Prescribed Fire

scholarly journals The importance of rare species: a trait‐based assessment of rare species contributions to functional diversity and possible ecosystem function in tall‐grass prairies

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meha Jain ◽  
Dan F.B. Flynn ◽  
Case M. Prager ◽  
Georgia M. Hart ◽  
Caroline M. DeVan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Tall Grass

scholarly journals Functional Diversity Can Predict Ecosystem Functions Better Than Dominant Species: The Case of Desert Plants in the Ebinur Lake Basin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2858
Author(s):  
Zhufeng Hou ◽  
Guanghui Lv ◽  
Lamei Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Soil Available Phosphorus ◽  
Ebinur Lake ◽  
Ebinur Lake Basin

Studying the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem multifunctionality is helpful for clarifying the ecological mechanisms (such as niche complementary effects and selection) of ecosystems providing multiple services. Biodiversity has a significant impact on ecosystem versatility, but the relative importance of functional diversity and dominant species to ecosystem functions needs further evaluation. We studied the desert plant community in Ebinur Lake Basin. Based on field survey data and experimental analysis, the relationship between the richness and functional diversity of dominant species and the single function of ecosystem was analyzed. The relative importance of niche complementary effect and selective effect in explaining the function of plant diversity in arid areas is discussed. There was no significant correlation between desert ecosystem functions (soil available phosphorus, organic matter, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen) and the richness of the dominant species Nitraria tangutorum (p < 0.05). Soil organic matter and available phosphorus had significant effects on specific leaf area and plant height (p < 0.05). Functional dispersion (FDis) had a significant effect on soil available phosphorus, while dominant species dominant species richness (SR) had no obvious effect on single ecosystem function. A structural equation model showed that dominant species had no direct effect on plant functional diversity and ecosystem function, but functional diversity had a strong direct effect on ecosystem function, and its direct coefficients of action were 0.226 and 0.422. The results can help to explain the response mechanism of multifunctionality to biodiversity in arid areas, which may provide referential significance for vegetation protection and restoration for other similar areas.

Effects of biodiversity, stand factors and functional identity on biomass and productivity during the restoration of subtropical forests in Central China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhao Miao ◽  
Shupeng Ma ◽  
Zhiwen Guo ◽  
Haozhe Sun ◽  
Xuemei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Variation Partitioning ◽  
Central China ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Functional Identity ◽  
Subtropical Forests ◽  
Functional Richness

Abstract Aims Biodiversity is found to have a significant promotion effect on ecosystem functions in manipulation experiments on grassland communities. However, its relative role compared with stand factors or functional identity is still controversial in natural forests. Here we examined their relative effects on biomass and productivity during forest restoration. Methods We investigated stand biomass and productivity for 24 plots (600 m 2) across restoration stages in the subtropical forests of Mt. Shennongjia, central China. We measured five key functional traits and calculated functional diversity (functional richness, evenness, and dispersion) and community-weighted mean (CWM) of traits. We used general linear models (GLMs), variation partitioning methods to test the relative importance of stand factors (density, stand age, maximum height, etc.), functional identity, species and functional diversity on biomass and productivity. Important Findings Our results illustrated that stand biomass and productivity increased significantly as forest restoration, and that community species richness increased significantly, while functional dispersion decreased significantly. Variation partitioning analyses showed that diversity had no significant pure effects on biomass and productivity. However, diversity can affect biomass and productivity through the joint effect with stand factors and functional identity. Overall, we found that stand factors had the strongest effect on biomass and productivity, while functional identity significantly affects productivity but not biomass, suggesting that modulating stand structure and species identity are effective ways to enhance forest carbon storage and sequestrations potential in forest management.

Bird functional diversity decreases with time since disturbance: does patchy prescribed fire enhance ecosystem function?

2015 ◽  
pp. 150511124049005
Author(s):  
Holly Sitters ◽  
Julian Di Stefano ◽  
Fiona Jane Christie ◽  
Matthew Swan ◽  
Alan York
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Prescribed Fire
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