scholarly journals Increasing land use drives changes in plant phylogenetic diversity and prevalence of specialists

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soraya Villalobos ◽  
Jana C. Vamosi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Composition ◽  
High Representation

Increased human land use has resulted in the increased homogenization of biodiversity between sites, yet we lack sufficient indicators to predict which species decline and the consequence of their potential loss on ecosystem services. We used comparative phylogenetic analysis to (1) characterize how increasing conversion of forest and grasslands to grazing pasturelands changes plant diversity and composition; (2) examine how changes in land use relate to declines in functional trait diversity; and (3) specifically investigate how these changes in plant composition affect the prevalence of zygomorphy and the possible consequences that these changes may have on pollinator functional groups. As predicted, we found that the conversion to grazing pasturelands negatively impacted species richness and phylogenetic composition. Clades with significantly more represented taxa in grasslands (GL) were genera with a high representation of agricultural weeds, while the composition was biased towards clades of subalpine herbaceous wildflowers in Mixed Forest (MF). Changes in community composition and structure had strong effects on the prevalence of zygomorphic species likely driven by nitrogen-fixing abilities of certain clades with zygomorphic flowers (e.g., Fabaceae). Land conversion can thus have unexpected impacts on trait distributions relevant for the functioning of the community in other capacities (e.g., cascading effects to other trophic levels (i.e., pollinators). Finally, the combination of traits represented by the current composition of species in GL and MF might enhance the diagnostic value of productivity and ecosystem processes in the most eroded ecosystems.

scholarly journals Giving-up diversity (GUDiv): top-down effects of foraging decisions on local, landscape and regional biodiversity of resources

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Eccard ◽  
Clara Ferreira ◽  
Andres Peredo Arce ◽  
Melanie Dammhahn
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Community Effects ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Predation Effects ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Adaptive Foraging

Foraging by consumers has direct effects on the community of their resource species, and may serve as a biotic filtering mechanism of diversity. Determinants of foraging behaviour may thus have cascading effects on abundance, diversity, and functional trait composition of the resource community. Here we propose giving-up diversity (GUDiv) as a novel concept and simple measure to quantify community effects of foraging at multiple spatial diversity scales. GUDiv provides a framework linking theories of adaptive foraging behaviour with community ecology. In experimental resource landscapes we showcase effects of patch residency of foraging wild rodents on α-GUDiv, ß-GUDiv and γ- GUDiv, and on functional trait composition of resources. Using GUDiv allows for prediction-based investigation of cascading indirect predation effects (ecology of fear) across multiple trophic levels, of feedbacks between functional trait composition of resource and consumer communities, and of effects of inter-individual differences among foragers on the diversity of resource communities.

Historical human influence on forest composition and structure in boreal Fennoscandia

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 872-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn Josefsson ◽  
Björn Gunnarson ◽  
Lars Liedgren ◽  
Ingela Bergman ◽  
Lars Östlund
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Natural Dynamics

In studies on natural dynamics, biodiversity and reference conditions legacies of preindustrial human land use are often neglected. In this study, using archaeology and dendrochronology combined with field surveys on present forest characteristics, we assessed the naturalness of a protected forest landscape and examined the role of indigenous peoples in shaping forest structure in the past. Our results show that the studied Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) forest conforms to the generally accepted impression of pristine forests and that it has a long history of human utilization. Areas with human presence over long time periods, especially in and near settlements, show significant differences in current forest characteristics compared with the rest of the landscape: the forest is younger (mean age 140–190 years compared with >300 years), the volumes of deadwood lower (8–13 m3·ha–1 compared with >20 m3·ha–1), and the tree species composition is substantially different from the surrounding forest. We suggest that these disparities are strongly linked to past land use and that indigenous people can alter ecosystems substantially and that the legacies of their activity may last for centuries. Consequently, in ecological research and conservation strategies, forest characteristics should always be considered in the light of their historical context.

scholarly journals Top-down effects of foraging decisions on local, landscape and regional biodiversity of resources (DivGUD)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Eccard ◽  
Clara Ferreira ◽  
Andres Peredo Arce ◽  
Melanie Dammhahn
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Giving Up Density ◽  
Predation Effects ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Adaptive Foraging

Foraging by consumers acts as a biotic filtering mechanism for biodiversity at the trophic level of resources. Variation in foraging behaviour have cascading effects on abundance, diversity, and functional trait composition of the community of resource species. Here we propose diversity at giving-up density (DivGUD), when foragers quit exploring a patch, as a novel concept and simple measure to quantify these effects at multiple spatial scales. In experimental landscapes, patch residency of wild rodents decreased local α-DivGUD (via elevated mortality of species with large seeds) and regional γ-DivGUD, while dissimilarity among patches in a landscape (ß-DivGUD) increased. Thus, DivGUD provides a framework linking theories of adaptive foraging behaviour with community ecology allowing to investigate cascading indirect predation effects across multiple trophic levels e.g. the ecology-of-fear framework; feedbacks between functional trait composition of resource species and consumer communities; and effects of inter-individual differences among foragers on the biodiversity of resource communities.

Functional trait diversity across trophic levels determines herbivore impact on plant community biomass

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 1346-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Deraison ◽  
Isabelle Badenhausser ◽  
Nicolas Loeuille ◽  
Christoph Scherber ◽  
Nicolas Gross
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Community Biomass ◽  
Trait Diversity ◽  
Herbivore Impact ◽  
Functional Trait Diversity

scholarly journals Contrasting responses of above- and belowground diversity to multiple components of land-use intensity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëtane Le Provost ◽  
Jan Thiele ◽  
Catrin Westphal ◽  
Caterina Penone ◽  
Eric Allan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Trophic Groups ◽  
Multiple Components ◽  
Belowground Diversity ◽  
Landscape Level

AbstractLand-use intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, understanding how different components of land use drive biodiversity loss requires the investigation of multiple trophic levels across spatial scales. Using data from 150 agricultural grasslands in central Europe, we assess the influence of multiple components of local- and landscape-level land use on more than 4,000 above- and belowground taxa, spanning 20 trophic groups. Plot-level land-use intensity is strongly and negatively associated with aboveground trophic groups, but positively or not associated with belowground trophic groups. Meanwhile, both above- and belowground trophic groups respond to landscape-level land use, but to different drivers: aboveground diversity of grasslands is promoted by diverse surrounding land-cover, while belowground diversity is positively related to a high permanent forest cover in the surrounding landscape. These results highlight a role of landscape-level land use in shaping belowground communities, and suggest that revised agroecosystem management strategies are needed to conserve whole-ecosystem biodiversity.

scholarly journals Soil carbon debt of 12,000 years of human land use

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (36) ◽  
pp. 9575-9580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Sanderman ◽  
Tomislav Hengl ◽  
Gregory J. Fiske
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Mitigation Strategy ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
The Past ◽  
Human Land Use ◽  
History Database ◽  
Global Carbon

Human appropriation of land for agriculture has greatly altered the terrestrial carbon balance, creating a large but uncertain carbon debt in soils. Estimating the size and spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss due to land use and land cover change has been difficult but is a critical step in understanding whether SOC sequestration can be an effective climate mitigation strategy. In this study, a machine learning-based model was fitted using a global compilation of SOC data and the History Database of the Global Environment (HYDE) land use data in combination with climatic, landform and lithology covariates. Model results compared favorably with a global compilation of paired plot studies. Projection of this model onto a world without agriculture indicated a global carbon debt due to agriculture of 133 Pg C for the top 2 m of soil, with the rate of loss increasing dramatically in the past 200 years. The HYDE classes “grazing” and “cropland” contributed nearly equally to the loss of SOC. There were higher percent SOC losses on cropland but since more than twice as much land is grazed, slightly higher total losses were found from grazing land. Important spatial patterns of SOC loss were found: Hotspots of SOC loss coincided with some major cropping regions as well as semiarid grazing regions, while other major agricultural zones showed small losses and even net gains in SOC. This analysis has demonstrated that there are identifiable regions which can be targeted for SOC restoration efforts.

scholarly journals Transitions across agriculture-savannah edges: Why did the rodent cross the edge?

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Raye Ennis
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Spatial Behavior ◽  
Nutrient Distribution ◽  
Movement Response ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Edge Crossing

Human-induced landscape alteration by agriculture is ubiquitous and impacts ecological processes and ecosystem services. The link between altered and native vegetation (hereafter edges) can create anthropogenic barriers for wildlife movement. Movement response to edges is dependent on landscape and functional group characteristics that shape spatial behavior in individuals; and affect population dynamics, dispersal, diversity, gene flow, and nutrient distribution. Few studies exist on small-mammal functional group movement response to edges, despite its integral role in behavioral and ecological processes. I analyzed the effect of altered land use on movement response in African savannah generalist Mastomys natalensis and specialist Lemniscomys rosalia. Each species was live-trapped for 2 months at 8 sites, across 2 boundary classes—homestead agriculture vs. savannah and commercial agricultural vs. savannah. Twelve individuals of each species were tracked and translocated at each transect with alternating treatments. Movement characteristics by M. natalensis showed a preference for altered land-use areas, possibly due to resource utilization. Conversely, L. rosalia showed a definitive trend (80%) to avoid edge crossing, regardless of abutting vegetative community, possibly due to their inability to cross and utilize altered landscapes. These results support the a priori hypothesis that altered land-use areas greatly impact specialists moving across the edge but only minimally affect generalist movements. Altered landscapes can affect small mammal movements and have cascading effects that alter vegetative and faunal communities.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Land Use and Forest Activities on Tree Species Composition and Structure on the Edges of Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Godfrey Agea ◽  
Clement Akais Okia ◽  
Refaat Atalla Ahmed Abohassan ◽  
James Munga Kimondo ◽  
Susan B. Tumwebaze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Budongo Forest Reserve ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
Budongo Forest ◽  
Species Composition And Structure ◽  
Forest Activities
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