scholarly journals Environmental and spatial drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic characteristics of bat communities in human-modified landscapes

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Cisneros ◽  
Matthew E. Fagan ◽  
Michael R. Willig
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Variation Partitioning ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Taxonomic Structure ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Phylogenetic Composition ◽  
Phylogenetic Dispersion

BackgroundAssembly of species into communities following human disturbance (e.g., deforestation, fragmentation) may be governed by spatial (e.g., dispersal) or environmental (e.g., niche partitioning) mechanisms. Variation partitioning has been used to broadly disentangle spatial and environmental mechanisms, and approaches utilizing functional and phylogenetic characteristics of communities have been implemented to determine the relative importance of particular environmental (or niche-based) mechanisms. Nonetheless, few studies have integrated these quantitative approaches to comprehensively assess the relative importance of particular structuring processes.MethodsWe employed a novel variation partitioning approach to evaluate the relative importance of particular spatial and environmental drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic aspects of bat communities in a human-modified landscape in Costa Rica. Specifically, we estimated the amount of variation in species composition (taxonomic structure) and in two aspects of functional and phylogenetic structure (i.e., composition and dispersion) along a forest loss and fragmentation gradient that are uniquely explained by landscape characteristics (i.e., environment) or space to assess the importance of competing mechanisms.ResultsThe unique effects of space on taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic structure were consistently small. In contrast, landscape characteristics (i.e., environment) played an appreciable role in structuring bat communities. Spatially-structured landscape characteristics explained 84% of the variation in functional or phylogenetic dispersion, and the unique effects of landscape characteristics significantly explained 14% of the variation in species composition. Furthermore, variation in bat community structure was primarily due to differences in dispersion of species within functional or phylogenetic space along the gradient, rather than due to differences in functional or phylogenetic composition.DiscussionVariation among bat communities was related to environmental mechanisms, especially niche-based (i.e., environmental) processes, rather than spatial mechanisms. High variation in functional or phylogenetic dispersion, as opposed to functional or phylogenetic composition, suggests that loss or gain of niche space is driving the progressive loss or gain of species with particular traits from communities along the human-modified gradient. Thus, environmental characteristics associated with landscape structure influence functional or phylogenetic aspects of bat communities by effectively altering the ways in which species partition niche space.

Revision flora of makrofytes of the aquatory of the Kazantip Nature Reserve

2019 ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
T. V. Belich ◽  
S. Ye. Sadogurskiy ◽  
S. A. Sadogurskaya
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Warm Water ◽  
Taxonomic Structure ◽  
Marine Macrophytes

The results of nomenclature-taxonomic revision of the flora marine macrophytes of the Kazantip Nature Reserve (KNR) are presented. Currently, with the new data the species composition includes 73 species and intraspecific taxon (IST) of macroalgae and sea grasses. Taxonomic structure of flora of the macrophytes of the KNR includes 4 phylums, 7 classes, 19 orders, 28 families, (F), 37 genera. Chlorophyta - 33 species, Ochrophyta - 11, Rhodophyta - 25, Tracheophyta - 4. In the flora prevail mesosaprobic (44%), annuae (58%), brackish-sea (51%), warm-water (40%) species. The category of rare fraction includes 14 species.

scholarly journals To what extent does the species composition of Macaronesian laurel forests depend on their human disturbance history and environmental drivers?

2021 ◽  
Vol 497 ◽  
pp. 119468
Author(s):  
Jesús Parada-Díaz ◽  
Jürgen Kluge ◽  
Víctor Bello-Rodríguez ◽  
Marcelino J. Del Arco Aguilar ◽  
Juana María González-Mancebo
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Disturbance History

scholarly journals Disentangling the Ecological Determinants of Species and Functional Trait Diversity in Herb-Layer Plant Communities in European Temperate Forests

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 552
Author(s):  
Janez Kermavnar ◽  
Lado Kutnar ◽  
Aleksander Marinšek
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Herb Layer ◽  
Bud Bank ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Stand Characteristics

Forest herb-layer vegetation responds sensitively to environmental conditions. This paper compares drivers of both taxonomic, i.e., species richness, cover and evenness, and functional herb-layer diversity, i.e., the diversity of clonal, bud bank and leaf-height-seed plant traits. We investigated the dependence of herb-layer diversity on ecological determinants related to soil properties, climatic parameters, forest stand characteristics, and topographic and abiotic and biotic factors associated with forest floor structure. The study was conducted in different forest types in Slovenia, using vegetation and environmental data from 50 monitoring plots (400 m2 each) belonging to the ICP Forests Level I and II network. The main objective was to first identify significant ecological predictors and then quantify their relative importance. Species richness was strongly determined by forest stand characteristics, such as richness of the shrub layer, tree layer shade-casting ability as a proxy for light availability and tree species composition. It showed a clear positive relation to soil pH. Variation in herb-layer cover was also best explained by forest stand characteristics and, to a lesser extent, by structural factors such as moss cover. Species evenness was associated with tree species composition, shrub layer cover and soil pH. Various ecological determinants were decisive for the diversity of below-ground traits, i.e., clonal and bud bank traits. For these two trait groups we observed a substantial climatic signal that was completely absent for taxonomy-based measures of diversity. In contrast, above-ground leaf-height-seed (LHS) traits were driven exclusively by soil reaction and nitrogen availability. In synthesis, local stand characteristics and soil properties acted as the main controlling factors for both species and trait diversity in herb-layer communities across Slovenia, confirming many previous studies. Our findings suggest that the taxonomic and functional facets of herb-layer vegetation are mainly influenced by a similar set of ecological determinants. However, their relative importance varies among individual taxonomy- and functional trait-based diversity measures. Integrating multi-faceted approaches can provide complementary information on patterns of herb-layer diversity in European forest plant communities.

Geophysical, evolutionary and ecological processes interact to drive phylogenetic dispersion in angiosperm assemblages along the longest elevational gradient in the world

2019 ◽  
Vol 190 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Qian ◽  
Brody Sandel ◽  
Tao Deng ◽  
Ole R Vetaas
Keyword(s):  
Plate Tectonics ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
The World ◽  
Net Relatedness Index ◽  
Phylogenetic Dispersion

AbstractEcologists have embraced phylogenetic measures of assemblage structure, in large part for the promise of better mechanistic inferences. However, phylogenetic structure is driven by a wide array of factors from local biotic interactions to biogeographical history, complicating the mechanistic interpretation of a pattern. This may be particularly problematic along elevational gradients, where rapidly changing physical and biological conditions overlap with geological and biogeographical history, potentially producing complex patterns of phylogenetic dispersion (relatedness). We focus on the longest elevational gradient of vegetation in the world (i.e. c. 6000 m in Nepal) to explore patterns of phylogenetic dispersion for angiosperms (flowering plants) along this elevational gradient. We used the net relatedness index to quantify phylogenetic dispersion for each elevational band of 100 m. We found a zig-zag pattern of phylogenetic dispersion along this elevational gradient. With increasing elevation, the phylogenetic relatedness of species decreased for the elevational segment between 0 and c. 2100 m, increased for the elevational segment between 2100 and c. 4200 m, and decreased for the elevational segment above c. 4200 m. We consider this pattern to be a result of the interaction of geophysical (e.g. plate tectonics) and eco-evolutionary processes (e.g. niche conservatism and trait convergence). We speculate on the mechanisms that might have generated this zig-zag pattern of phylogenetic dispersion.

scholarly journals Taxonomic structure of local floras in Sidinskiy and Pribaitakskiy steppes (Krasnoyarsk region)

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 00002
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Antipova ◽  
Olga Enulenko
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Taxonomic Structure ◽  
Central European ◽  
Krasnoyarsk Region ◽  
Full Species ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Sayan Mountain ◽  
Mountain Country

Sidinskiy and Pribaitakskiy steppes are the part of the Minusinsk province of the Altai-Sayan mountain country. On the territory of steppes 12 local floras (LF) were marked and examined using the same method. Studies were carried out according to the recommendations of A.I. Tolmachev (1931): identification of different types of ecotypes of LF, the full species composition of ecotypes (flora inventory), tracking the completeness of detection in LF. In the Sidinskiy steppe the number of families in the LF varies from 25 (Syida) to 43 (v. Alha), in the Pribaitakskiy steppe there is a big difference in the number of families in the LF from 31 (Krasnoyarsk reservoir, Tuba) to 65 (Mayak, Idra). The leading families in the local steppe flora are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae. The Fabaceae family ranks third in the top of ten families in 50 % of LF, determining the type of flora as the Mediterranean-Central Asian (Fabaceae-type). Different types of LF allow to determine the type of all steppe flora as mixed, combining features of boreal (Asteraceae-Poaceae- type) and steppes flora (Fabaceae-type) with close ties with Central European floras (Rosaceae-type). 4 distinct levels of species richness are determined: 1 − 496-544; 2 − 408-413; 3 − 319-374; 4 − 279-298 species.

scholarly journals Relating marine ecosystem indicators to fishing and environmental drivers: an elucidation of contrasting responses

2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Link ◽  
Dawit Yemane ◽  
Lynne J. Shannon ◽  
Marta Coll ◽  
Yunne-Jai Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Ecosystem Change ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Ecosystem Sensitivity ◽  
Ecosystem Indicators ◽  
Proxy Indicators ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Ecosystem Drivers

Abstract Link, J. S., Yemane, D., Shannon, L. J., Coll, M., Shin, Y-J., Hill, L., and Borges, M. F. 2010. Relating marine ecosystem indicators to fishing and environmental drivers: an elucidation of contrasting responses. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 787–795. The usefulness of indicators in detecting ecosystem change depends on three main criteria: the availability of data to estimate the indicator (measurability), the ability to detect change in an ecosystem (sensitivity), and the ability to link the said change in an indicator as a response to a known intervention or pressure (specificity). Here, we specifically examine the third aspect of indicator change, with an emphasis on multiple methods to explore the “relativity” of major ecosystem drivers. We use a suite of multivariate methods to explore the relationships between a pre-established set of fisheries-orientated ecosystem status indicators and the key drivers for those ecosystems (particularly emphasizing proxy indicators for fishing and the environment). The results show the relative importance among fishing and environmental factors, which differed notably across the major types of ecosystems. Yet, they also demonstrated common patterns in which most ecosystems, and indicators of ecosystem dynamics are largely driven by fisheries (landings) or human (human development index) factors, and secondarily by environmental drivers (e.g. AMO, PDO, SST). How one might utilize this empirical evidence in future efforts for ecosystem approaches to fisheries is discussed, highlighting the need to manage fisheries in the context of environmental and other human (e.g. economic) drivers.

Influence of vegetation heterogeneity and landscape characteristics on anuran species composition in aquatic habitats along an urban-rural gradient in southeastern Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 235-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrício Hiroiuki Oda ◽  
Sidnei Gonçalves ◽  
Thiago Massao Oda ◽  
Lara Carolina Raphael Tschope ◽  
André Luiz Fraga Briso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Aquatic Habitats ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Vegetation Heterogeneity ◽  
Urban Rural

scholarly journals Beyond Precipitation: Physiographic Gradients Dictate the Relative Importance of Environmental Drivers on Savanna Vegetation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e72348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Campo-Bescós ◽  
Rafael Muñoz-Carpena ◽  
David A. Kaplan ◽  
Jane Southworth ◽  
Likai Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Savanna Vegetation

scholarly journals Canopy cover and structural complexity affect the phylogenetic composition of a pond-dwelling Neotropical anuran metacommunity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo B. Provete
Keyword(s):  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Lineage Sorting ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Larval Amphibians ◽  
Principal Coordinates ◽  
Floating Vegetation ◽  
Phylogenetic Composition

AbstractPhylogenetic information has been increasingly included into (meta)community assembly studies. However, recent studies have challenged the framework commonly used to infer processes from phylogenetic structure. Amphibians are good model organisms to study processes promoting structure in metacommunities, since they are subjected to different environmental and spatial processes throughout their biphasic life cycle. Pond canopy cover is one of these environmental factors that strongly influence the distribution of species and traits of several freshwater taxa, including larval amphibians (e.g., behavior, color, fin height, and length of intestine). Here, I tested the influence of pond canopy cover, floating vegetation, and pond morphology on the phylogenetic structure of an anuran metacommunity in the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil. I sampled tadpoles in 13 ponds and marshes from June 2008 and July 2009 in the Serra da Bocaina National Park, São Paulo. After building a metacommunity phylogeny, I used an eigenvector-based technique to describe the metacommunity phylogenetic composition (Principal Coordinates of Phylogenetic Structure, PCPS). I then run a db-RDA to evalute whether a subset of these eigenvectors can be explained by environmental variables. I found that pond canopy cover and floating vegetation were the main variables influencing lineage sorting in this metacommunity. Canopy cover separated hylid lineages from other families that were associated with open areas. Floating vegetation separated two hylid tribes (Cophomantini and Dendropsophini). Our results mainly suggest that the effect of canopy cover and floating vegetation on the structure of anuran metacommunity may affect not only species, but also entire lineages.

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