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828 results for “species trait”
Data from: Trait plasticity and tradeoffs shape intraspecific variation in competitive response in a foundation tree species
<ul> <li>The ability to tolerate neighboring plants (i.e., degree of competitive response) is a key determinant of plant success in high-competition environments. Plant genotypes adjust their functional trait expression under high levels of competition, which may help explain intraspecific variation in competitive response. However, the relationships between traits and competitive response are not well understood, especially in trees. In this study, we investigated among-genotype associations between tree trait plasticity and competitive response. </li> <li>We manipulated competition intensity in experimental stands of trembling aspen (<i>Populus tremuloides</i>) to address the covariance between competition-induced changes in functional trait expression and aspects of competitive ability at the genotype level. </li> <li>Genotypic variation in the direction and magnitude of functional trait responses, especially those of crown foliar mass, phytochemistry, and leaf physiology, was associated with genotypic variation in competitive response. Traits exhibited distinct plastic responses to competition, with varying degrees of genotypic variation and covariance with other trait responses. </li> <li>The combination of genotypic diversity and covariance among functional traits led to tree responses to competition that were coordinated among traits yet variable among genotypes. Such relationships between tree traits and competitive success have the potential to shape stand-level trait distributions over space and time. </li> </ul>
Data from: On the inconsistency of pollinator species traits for predicting either response to land-use change or functional contribution
The response and effect trait framework, if supported empirically, would provide for powerful and general predictions about how biodiversity loss leads to loss in ecosystem function. This framework proposes that species traits will explain how different species respond to disturbance (i.e. response traits) as well as their contribution to ecosystem function (i.e. effect traits). However, predictive response and effect traits remain elusive for most systems. Here, we use data on crop pollination services provided by native, wild bees to explore the role of six commonly used species traits in determining both species' response to land-use change and the subsequent effect on crop pollination. Analyses were conducted in parallel for three crop systems (watermelon, cranberry, and blueberry) located within the same geographical region (mid-Atlantic USA). Bee species traits did not strongly predict species' response to land-use change, and the few traits that were weakly predictive were not consistent across crops. Similarly, no trait predicted species' overall functional contribution in any of the three crop systems, although body size was a good predictor of per capita efficiency in two systems. Overall we were unable to make generalizable predictions regarding species responses to land-use change and its effect on the delivery of crop pollination services. Pollinator traits may be useful for understanding ecological processes in some systems, but thus far the promise of traits-based ecology has yet to be fulfilled for pollination ecology.
Variations in leaf economics spectrum traits for an evergreen coniferous species: Tree size dominates over environment factors
<ol> <li>Many leaf traits strongly vary with tree size and environmental factors, but the importance of these factors to intraspecific variations of leaf traits in forest trees have rarely been <a><span>simultaneously</span></a> evaluated.</li> <li>We measured needle longevity and specific leaf area (SLA) and nitrogen (N) content of every needle age (0 to 4 year old) for 65 individuals with 0.3-100 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) for an evergreen coniferous species, <i>Pinus koraiensis</i> Sieb. et Zucc., in Northeast China. We <a><span>simultaneously</span></a> evaluated effects of tree size (DBH or tree height) and environment factors (light intensity, soil N content and water availability) on the needle longevity, SLA, foliage N content as well as the slopes of regressions of SLA and foliage N content against needle age.</li> <li>All of the studied leaf traits and slopes of regressions of SLA and foliage N content against needle age were significantly related to tree size. Tree height had a greater impact on SLA and area-based leaf N content (N<sub>area</sub>), whereas DBH was more important for needle longevity and mass-based leaf N content (N<sub>mass</sub>). The environment variables, light intensity, soil N content and water availability, were rather minor factors for trait variations compared with tree size. Significant influences of light intensity were found only on needle longevity, and soil N and water availability had no effects on the leaf traits.</li> <li>Our study clearly showed that tree size is an important driver of intraspecific variations in the key leaf traits of <i>Pinus koraiensis</i> in a natural forest. We also emphasize the importance of DBH or tree height varies depending on leaf traits, suggesting various mechanisms of size effects on the intraspecific variations in leaf traits. We suggest that ecological significance of leaf trait variations needs reconsideration incorporating tree size effect.</li> </ol>
Data from: What makes a leaf tough? Patterns of correlated evolution between leaf toughness traits and demographic rates among 197 shade-tolerant woody species in a neotropical forest
Slow-growing juveniles of shade-tolerant plant species are predicted to have tough leaves because of the high cost of leaf replacement in shade relative to potential carbon gain. We assessed the degree of correlated evolution among eight traits associated with leaf toughness and their relationships with growth and mortality rates of 197 tree and shrub species from the understory of the 50-hectare forest dynamics plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Path analysis with phylogenetically independent contrasts revealed that leaves attained material toughness (resistance to fracture per unit fracture area) through increases in tissue density, percent cellulose per unit dry mass, and vein fracture toughness. Lamina density and cellulose content evolved independently, and thus represent different paths to material toughness. Structural toughness (resistance to fracture per unit fracture length) depended on material toughness and lamina thickness. Mortality rates of individuals 1-10 cm in stem diameter were negatively correlated with material toughness and lamina density, but were independent of structural toughness and cell wall fiber contents. Leaf toughness traits were uncorrelated with relative growth rates. These results imply that material toughness enhances resistance to natural enemies, which increases survival and offsets the biomass allocation cost of producing tough leaves in the shaded understory.
Data from: Acclimation of leaf traits in seasonal light environments: are non-native species more plastic?
1. In temperate deciduous forests, understory light environments vary dramatically throughout spring, summer, and autumn due to tree canopy leaf display. This variability in light level is a physiological challenge for understory species that produce sun-adapted leaves in the spring before being shaded by the tree canopy. Similarly, some understory species display leaves late into autumn after the tree canopy senesces. 2. Many species in North American deciduous forests with extended leaf display are not native to North America. Since many non-native species have been shown to have greater plasticity than natives, we hypothesized that leaves of non-native species may be more plastic with respect to seasonal light changes than natives, and that this plasticity may allow them to assimilate more carbon in the same environment. 3. We measured leaf traits and photosynthetic capacity of 17 native and 13 non-native understory shrub species in a common garden in Syracuse, New York, during spring, summer, and autumn. We tested for the contribution of seasonal mean and variance (plasticity) of leaf traits to a species' average photosynthetic rate and total leaf production. We also analyzed the extent to which leaf adjustments depended on whether plants continued to produce new leaves over the growing season. 4. Leaf traits of both native and non-native species varied seasonally, but plasticity varied in extent and contribution to overall carbon gain. Non-native species had the highest seasonal plasticity, but, contrary to our hypothesis, such plasticity did not contribute to their overall carbon gain. However, leaf trait plasticity was adaptive for native species that continued to produce leaves throughout the year, primarily due to increases in quantum efficiency and electron transport rate in leaves produced mid-year compared to leaves produced early in the year. 5. Synthesis. Despite large adjustments in leaf traits across seasonal light environments for both native species and non-native species, we found little evidence that leaf-level plasticity drives non-native invasion or contributes strongly to annual carbon gain or productivity in understory species. Instead, differences in mean leaf traits across seasons are sufficient to explain carbon gain advantages of non-native woody species in deciduous forests.
Data from: Adding landscape genetics and individual traits to the ecosystem function paradigm reveals the importance of species functional breadth
Animal pollination mediates both reproduction and gene flow for the majority of plant species across the globe. However, past functional studies have focused largely on seed production; although useful, this focus on seed set does not provide information regarding species-specific contributions to pollen-mediated gene flow. Here we quantify pollen dispersal for individual pollinator species across more than 690 ha of tropical forest. Specifically, we examine visitation, seed production, and pollen-dispersal ability for the entire pollinator community of a common tropical tree using a series of individual-based pollinator-exclusion experiments followed by molecular-based fractional paternity analyses. We investigate the effects of pollinator body size, plant size (as a proxy of floral display), local plant density, and local plant kinship on seed production and pollen-dispersal distance. Our results show that while large-bodied pollinators set more seeds per visit, small-bodied bees visited flowers more frequently and were responsible for more than 49% of all long distance (beyond 1 km) pollen-dispersal events. Thus, despite their size, small-bodied bees play a critical role in facilitating long-distance pollen-mediated gene flow. We also found that both plant size and local plant kinship negatively impact pollen dispersal and seed production. By incorporating genetic and trait-based data into the quantification of pollination services, we highlight the diversity in ecological function mediated by pollinators, the influential role that plant and population attributes play in driving service provision, and the unexpected importance of small-bodied pollinators in the recruitment of plant genetic diversity.
Linking species-level network metrics to flower traits and plant fitness
1. Theoretical models indicate that the structure of plant-pollinator networks has important implications for species' reproduction and survival. However, despite the growing information on the mechanisms underlying such structure, we are still far from being able to predict the functional consequences of species' structural positions in such networks. From the plants' perspective, species position and roles in pollination networks might be related to traits describing flower attractiveness, availability, and dependence on pollinators. In turn, both, network metrics and species traits might influence plant fitness. 2. During two field seasons, we collected data of the 23 most abundant plant species from a rich coastal community in order to evaluate the association between population and floral traits (floral abundance at the population level and flowers/individual, flower shape and size, flowering length, nectar volume, pollinator dependence), species-level network metrics (linkage level, specialization –d'–, weighted closeness centrality, network roles related to modularity) and plant fitness (seeds/flower, seed weight). 3. Flowering length, flower size, flower abundance and pollinator dependence were positively related to increased generalization, as measured with different indices. More abundant species and those with larger flowers showed higher linkage levels (i.e. higher number of pollinator species), whereas longer flowering periods were negatively related to d' and positively related to closeness centrality and important roles in the network. Likewise, plants more dependent on pollinators occupied more central positions in the network. Furthermore, species' centrality in the networks was significantly associated with plant fitness. Specifically, central species in the network produced more and heavier seeds than the others. However, other plant traits, such as flower size and pollinator dependence had additional direct effects on seed production. 4. Synthesis. Our study highlights how population and floral traits define the positions and roles of species structuring the pollination communities. Moreover, the relationships between network metrics and plant reproduction indicate, for the first time, the functional implications of these structural positions at the inter-specific level of community assembly.
Data from: Life-history trait database of European reptile species
Life-history data are essential for providing answers to a wide range of questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. While life history data for many species, especially plants, are available online, life history traits of European reptiles are available only widely scattered in different languages and primarily in printed media. For this reason, we generated a comprehensive trait database covering all European reptile species. Data were compiled by searching the peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed literature. The database covers the whole of Europe and neighbouring Asian and African countries. Traits were categorised under five main headings: Activity / Energy / Habitat; Phenology; Movement; Sexual Maturity; and Morphometry. To ensure that the data were standardised, we defined trait data categories before we started compiling data. All entries were checked by at least one other person. The dataset provides a unique source for meta-analyses and modelling in ecology and conservation biology.
Global gradients in intraspecific variation in vegetative and floral traits are partially associated with climate and species richness
<p><span><b>Aim</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) within natural plant communities can be large, influencing local ecological processes and dynamics. Here, we shed light on how ITV in vegetative and floral traits responds to large-scale abiotic and biotic gradients (i.e. climate and species richness). Specifically, we tested if associations of ITV with temperature, precipitation and species richness were consistent with any of from four hypotheses relating to stress-tolerance and competition. Furthermore, we estimated the degree of correlation between ITV in vegetative and floral traits and how they vary along the gradients. </span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Location</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>Global.</span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Time period</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>1975-2016.</span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Major taxa studied</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>Herbaceous and woody plants.</span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Methods</b></span></p> <p class="SemEspaamento1"><span>We compiled a dataset of 18,112 measurements of the absolute extent of ITV (measured as coefficient of variation) in nine vegetative and seven floral traits from 2,774 herbaceous and woody species at 2,306 locations. </span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Results</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>Large-scale associations between ITV and climate were trait-specific and more prominent for vegetative traits, especially leaf morphology, than for floral traits. ITV showed pronounced associations with climate, with lower ITV values in colder areas and higher values in drier areas. The associations of ITV with species richness were inconsistent across traits. Species-specific associations across gradients were often idiosyncratic and covariation in ITV was weaker between vegetative and floral traits than within the two trait groups.</span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span><b>Main conclusions</b></span></p> <p class="CuerpoA"><span>Our results show that, depending on the traits considered, ITV either increased or decreased with climate stress and species richness, suggesting that both factors can constrain or enhance ITV, which might foster plant-population persistence under stressful conditions. Given the species-specific responses and covariation in ITV, associations can be hard to predict for traits and species not yet studied. We conclude that considering ITV can improve our understanding of how plants cope with stressful conditions and environmental change across spatial and biological scales. </span></p>
Data from: Species traits and abundances predict metrics of plant–pollinator network structure, but not pairwise interactions
Plant–pollinator mutualistic networks represent the ecological context of foraging (for pollinators) and reproduction (for plants and some pollinators). Plant–pollinator visitation networks exhibit highly conserved structural properties across diverse habitats and species assemblages. The most successful hypotheses to explain these network properties are the neutrality and biological constraints hypotheses, which posit that species interaction frequencies can be explained by species relative abundances, and trait mismatches between potential mutualists respectively. However, previous network analyses emphasize the prediction of metrics of qualitative network structure, which may not represent stringent tests of these hypotheses. Using a newly documented temporally explicit alpine plant–pollinator visitation network, we show that metrics of both qualitative and quantitative network structure are easy to predict, even by models that predict the identity or frequency of species interactions poorly. A variety of phenological and morphological constraints as well as neutral interactions successfully predicted all network metrics tested, without accurately predicting species observed interactions. Species phenology alone was the best predictor of observed interaction frequencies. However, all models were poor predictors of species pairwise interaction frequencies, suggesting that other aspects of species biology not generally considered in network studies, such as reproduction for dipterans, play an important role in shaping plant–pollinator visitation network structure at this site. Future progress in explaining the structure and dynamics of mutualistic networks will require new approaches that emphasize accurate prediction of species pairwise interactions rather than network metrics, and better reflect the biology underlying species interactions.
Data from: Variation in life-history traits among Daphnia and its relationship to species-level responses to phosphorus limitation
Currently organisms are experiencing changes in their environment at an unprecedented rate. Therefore the study of the contributions to and responses in traits linked to fitness is crucial, as they have direct consequences on a population's success in persisting under such change. Daphnia is used as a model organism as the genus contains keystone primary consumers in aquatic food webs. A life-history table experiment (LHTE) using four species of Daphnia was conducted to compare variation in life-history traits among species across two different environmental conditions (high and low phosphorous availability). Results indicate that the food quality environment had the most impact on life-history traits, while genetic contributions to traits were higher at the species-level than clonal-level. Higher trait variation and species-level responses to P-limitation was more evident in reproductive traits, while growth traits were found to be less affected by food quality and had less variation. Exploring trait variation and potential plasticity in organisms is increasingly important to consider as a potential mechanism for population persistence given the fluctuations in environmental stressors we are currently experiencing.
Data from: Quantifying species contributions to ecosystem processes: a global assessment of functional trait and phylogenetic metrics across avian seed-dispersal networks
Quantifying the role of biodiversity in ecosystems not only requires understanding the links between species and the ecological functions and services they provide, but also how these factors relate to measurable indices, such as functional traits and phylogenetic diversity. However, these relationships remain poorly understood, especially for heterotrophic organisms within complex ecological networks. Here, we assemble data on avian traits across a global sample of mutualistic plant–frugivore networks to critically assess how the functional roles of frugivores are associated with their intrinsic traits, as well as their evolutionary and functional distinctiveness. We find strong evidence for niche complementarity, with phenotypically and phylogenetically distinct birds interacting with more unique sets of plants. However, interaction strengths—the number of plant species dependent on a frugivore—were unrelated to evolutionary or functional distinctiveness, largely because distinct frugivores tend to be locally rare, and thus have fewer connections across the network. Instead, interaction strengths were better predicted by intrinsic traits, including body size, gape width and dietary specialization. Our analysis provides general support for the use of traits in quantifying species ecological functions, but also highlights the need to go beyond simple metrics of functional or phylogenetic diversity to consider the multiple pathways through which traits may determine ecological processes.
Data from: The interplay among intraspecific leaf trait variation, niche breadth and species abundance along light and soil nutrient gradients
It is assumed that widespread, generalist species have high phenotypic variation, but we know little about how intraspecific trait variation (ITV) relates to species abundance and niche breadth. In the temperate rainforest of southern Chile, we hypothesized that species with wide niche breadth would exhibit 1) high among-plot ITV, 2) a strong relationship between trait values and the environment, and 3) a close fit between traits and local environment trait optima. We measured leaf functional traits (leaf area, LMA, leaf N and P concentrations) of saplings in woody species, and compared the relative abundance of each species with its niche breadth, measured as the range of light, soil N and P availability. We used the slope of the linear regression of species' trait-environment relationships to assess the strength and direction of these relationships, and measured the degree to which species' trait values track the environmental optimum across plots. In some cases, species having wide niche breadth had high ITV in leaf N and also matched traits (LMA and leaf P) to local optima along the light gradient; they also had high ITV in general and matched leaf P to local optima along the soil P gradient. The relationship between species with wide niche breadth and the strength of intraspecific trait-environment relationships was generally weak and varied depending on the niche dimension and trait in question. Species varied considerably in the strength of trait-environment relationships and total magnitude of ITV, and this variation was not generally strongly related to species abundances or niche breadth patterns. In conclusion, trait variation at the community level is not driven by a few abundant, widely distributed species, but depends on the aggregate trait responses of both abundant and rare species. This makes it difficult to scale individual species trait responses up to the community level.
Data from: An extensive suite of functional traits distinguishes wet and dry Hawaiian forests and enables prediction of species vital rates
1. The application of functional traits to predict and explain plant species' distributions and vital rates has been a major direction in functional ecology for decades, yet numerous physiological traits have not yet been incorporated into the approach. 2. Using commonly measured traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and wood density (WD), and additional traits related to water transport, gas exchange and resource economics, including leaf vein, stomatal, and wilting traits, we tested hypotheses for Hawaiian wet montane and lowland dry forests (MWF and LDF respectively): (1) forests would differ in a wide range of traits as expected from contrasting adaptation; (2) trait values would be more convergent among dry than wet forest species due to the stronger environmental filtering; (3) traits would be inter-correlated within "modules" supporting given functions; (4) relative growth rate (RGR) and mortality rate (m) would correlate with a number of specific traits, with (5) stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size, and (6) RGR and m can be strongly explained from trait-based models. 3. The MWF species' traits were associated with adaptation to high soil moisture and nutrient supply and greater shade tolerance whereas the LDF species' traits were associated with drought tolerance. Thus, on average, MWF species achieved higher maximum heights than LDF species and had leaves with larger epidermal cells, higher maximum stomatal conductance and CO2 assimilation rate, lower vein lengths per area, higher saturated water content and greater shrinkage when dry, lower dry matter content, higher phosphorus concentration, lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, high chlorophyll to nitrogen ratio, high carbon isotope discrimination, high stomatal conductance to nitrogen ratio, less negative turgor loss point, and lower WD. Functional traits were more variable in the MWF than LDF, were correlated within modules, and predicted species' RGR and m across forests, with stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size. Models based on multiple traits predicted vital rates across forests (R2 = 0.70-0.72; P < 0.01). 4. Our findings are consistent with a powerful role of broad suites of functional traits in contributing to forest species' distributions, integrated plant design, and vital rates.
Highlighting convergent evolution in morphological traits in response to climatic gradient in African tropical tree species: the case of genus Guibourtia Benn
<ol> <li><span>Adaptive evolution is a major driver of organism diversification but the links between phenotypic traits and environmental niche remains little documented in tropical trees. Moreover, trait-niche relationships are complex because a correlation between the traits and environmental niches displayed by a sample of species may result from (1) convergent evolution if different environmental conditions have selected different sets of traits, and/or (2) phylogenetic inertia if niche and morphological differences between species are simply function of their phylogenetic divergence, in which case the trait-niche correlation does not imply any direct causal link. Here, we aim to assess the respective roles of phylogenetic inertia and convergent evolution in shaping the differences of botanical traits and environmental niches among congeneric African tree species that evolved in different biomes. </span></li> <li><span>This issue was addressed with the tree genus <i>Guibourtia </i>Benn. (Leguminosae, Detarioideae) which contains 13 African species occupying various forest habitat types, from rain forest to dry woodlands, with different climate and soil conditions. To this end, we combined morphological data with ecological niche modelling and used a highly resolved plastid phylogeny of the 13 African <i>Guibourtia</i> species. </span></li> <li><span>First, we demonstrated phylogenetic signals in both morphological traits (Mantel test between phylogenetic and morphological distances between species: r=0.24, p=0.031) and environmental niches (Mantel test between phylogenetic and niche distances between species: r=0.23, p=0.025). Second, we found a significant correlation between morphology and niche, at least between some of their respective dimensions (Mantel's r=0.32, p=0.013), even after accounting for phylogenetic inertia (Phylogenetic Independent Contrast: r=0.69, p=0.018). This correlation occurred between some leaflet and flower traits and solar radiation, relative humidity, precipitations and temperature range. </span></li> <li><span>Our results demonstrate the convergent evolution of some morphological traits in response to climatic factors in congeneric tree species and highlight the action of selective forces, along with neutral ones, in shaping the divergence between congeneric tropical plants.</span></li> </ol>
Data from: Nurse species and indirect facilitation through grazing drive plant community functional traits in tropical alpine peatlands
Facilitation among plants mediated by grazers occurs when an unpalatable plant extends its protection against grazing to another plant. This type of indirect facilitation impacts species coexistence and ecosystem functioning in a large array of ecosystems worldwide. It has nonetheless generally been understudied so far in comparison with the role played by direct facilitation among plants. We aimed at providing original data on indirect facilitation at the community scale to determine the extent to which indirect facilitation mediated by grazers can shape plant communities. Such experimental data are expected to contribute to refining the conceptual framework on plant–plant–herbivore interactions in stressful environments. We set up a 2-year grazing exclusion experiment in tropical alpine peatlands in Bolivia. Those ecosystems depend entirely on a few, structuring cushion-forming plants (hereafter referred to as "nurse" species), in which associated plant communities develop. Fences have been set over two nurse species with different strategies to cope with grazing (direct vs. indirect defenses), which are expected to lead to different intensities of indirect facilitation for the associated communities. We collected functional traits which are known to vary according to grazing pressure (LDMC, leaf thickness, and maximum height), on both the nurse and their associated plant communities in grazed (and therefore indirect facilitation as well) and ungrazed conditions. We found that the effect of indirectly facilitated on the associated plant communities depended on the functional trait considered. Indirect facilitation decreased the effects of grazing on species relative abundance, mean LDMC, and the convergence of the maximum height distribution of the associated communities, but did not affect mean height or cover. The identity of the nurse species and grazing jointly affected the structure of the associated plant community through indirect facilitation. Our results together with the existing literature suggest that the "grazer–nurse–beneficiary" interaction module can be more complex than expected when evaluated in the field.
Data from: Wind dispersal is predicted by tree, not diaspore, traits in comparisons of neotropical species
1. The seed shadow created by wind dispersal around parent trees may be affected by functional traits, as well as wind conditions and surrounding vegetation. 2. This study of one mature tree each of 12 Neotropical species determined the extent to which species variation in diaspore traits vs. tree height and crop size explains (1) rate of diaspore descent in still air, (2) distributions of diaspores dispersed from a 40-m tower in the forest, and (3) natural seed shadows around the parent tree. 3. A model of diaspore wing-loading to a fitted power explained 66.9% of the variation among species in the geometric mean rate of descent in still air. For a subset of four species, expected dispersal distance was not correlated with actual dispersal distance from the forest tower. For a subset of seven species, variation in wing-loading1/2 of individual diaspores explained ≤4.3% of the dispersal distance from the parent tree. 4. Measured seed shadows, particularly their distribution edges and area, differed significantly among the 12 species (range in maximum tree height 19–42 m), and were best fit by 12 separate anisotropic dispersal kernels and surveyed fecundities. Measured mean distance was highly correlated with simulated distances from the kernels. 5. The best models, explaining 57.6% of the variation among species in shadow area, and 59.6, 61.6, and 61.7% of variation in mean, median and maximum distances, included maximum tree height, either alone or in combination with crop size, and not diaspore rate of descent. 6. Among 10 species, seed shadow area was not related to rank of seedling shade tolerance. In their highly skewed distributions, most seeds were much closer than the distance of greatest seedling recruitment and in very high density, thus enhancing later density- and/or distance-related seedling mortality. 7. Tree functional traits, rather than the historically emphasized diaspore traits, explain distance distributions of these wind-dispersed species. Additional exploration of diaspore abscission in relation to wind and the influence of wind patterns after release are needed.
Data from: On the relative importance of CSR ecological strategies and integrative traits to explain species dominance at local scales
PLEASE NOTE, PART OF THESE DATA ARE ALSO REFERRED TO ANOTHER ARTICLE. PLEASE SEE http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.01119.x FOR MORE INFORMATION. 1. Identifying ecological strategies based on functional traits has been one of the main focuses of studies on plant community assembly. Recently, an important and timely tool, "StrateFy", has been proposed for detecting plant strategies across the globe according to the CSR scheme. The CSR scheme is undeniably efficient across scales, and distinct CSR strategies among species have been proposed to explain differing degrees of dominance among species. However, in a previous study we showed that dominance ranking of woody species in a resource-poor habitat (coastal sandy plain) was not explained by morphological traits commonly measured in functional approaches (such as those used to estimate CSR strategies), but by integrative traits (i.e. traits that are the result of different combinations of functional traits) more related to plant performance. 2. Here, we used CSR analysis and StrateFy on a dataset collected on a coastal sandy plain to test the hypothesis that the dominance ranking would be compatible with the CSR strategies; i.e., that dominant species would show a greater proportion of the stress-tolerance (S%) strategy than subordinate species. 3. Contrary to our hypothesis, all species exhibited an S/CS strategy, and the most-dominant species had neither similar values nor the highest S%. The inability of CSR analysis (as applied using StrateFy) to predict dominance ranking suggests that it can explain relative dominance when different strategies co-occur, but not in cases where dominant and subordinate plants share the same strategy. 4. We argue that the relative importance of CSR and integrative traits for describing dominance ranking may depend on how CSR strategies are filtered in each environment. In environments where only a narrow range of strategy classes are viable, integrative traits may be more important for explaining variation in degrees of dominance. Thus, the ability of a given species to achieve dominance may depend on integrative traits resulting from multiple trait arrays, not necessarily captured by the SLA, LDMC and LA measurements that are used to calculate the relative proportions of strategies in StrateFy.
Data from: The role of species traits in mediating functional recovery during matrix restoration
Reversing anthropogenic impacts on habitat structure is frequently successful through restoration, but the mechanisms linking habitat change, community reassembly and recovery of ecosystem functioning remain unknown. We test for the influence of edge effects and matrix habitat restoration on the reassembly of dung beetle communities and consequent recovery of dung removal rates across tropical forest edges. Using path modelling, we disentangle the relative importance of community-weighted trait means and functional trait dispersion from total biomass effects on rates of dung removal. Community trait composition and biomass of dung beetle communities responded divergently to edge effects and matrix habitat restoration, yielding opposing effects on dung removal. However, functional dispersion—used in this study as a measure of niche complementarity—did not explain a significant amount of variation in dung removal rates across habitat edges. Instead, we demonstrate that the path to functional recovery of these altered ecosystems depends on the trait-mean composition of reassembling communities, over and above purely biomass-dependent processes that would be expected under neutral theory. These results suggest that any ability to manage functional recovery of ecosystems during habitat restoration will demand knowledge of species' roles in ecosystem processes.
Data from: Morphometric traits capture the climatically driven species turnover of 10 spruce taxa across China
This study explored the relative roles of climate and phylogenetic background in driving morphometric trait variation in 10 spruce taxa in China. The study further addressed the hypothesis that these variations are consistent with species turnover on climatic gradients. Nine morphometric traits of leaves, seed cones, and seeds for the 10 studied spruce taxa were measured at 504 sites. These data were analyzed in combination with species DNA sequences from NCBI GenBank. We detected the effects of phylogeny and climate through trait-variation-based K statistics and phylogenetic eigenvector regression (PVR) analyses. Multivariate analyses were performed to detect trait variation along climatic gradients with species replacement. The estimated K-values for the nine studied morphometric traits ranged from 0.19 to 0.68, and the studied environmental variables explained 39–83% of the total trait variation. Trait variation tended to be determined largely by a temperature gradient varying from wet-cool climates to dry-warm summers and, additionally, by a moisture gradient. As the climate became wetter and cooler, spruce species tended to be replaced by other spruces with smaller needle leaves and seeds but larger cones and seed scales. A regression analysis showed that spruce species tended to be successively replaced by other species, along the gradient, although the trends observed within species were not necessarily consistent with the overall trend. The climatically driven replacement of the spruces in question could be well indicated by the between-species variation in morphometric traits that carry lower phylogenetic signal. Between-species variation in these traits is driven primarily by climatic factors. These species demonstrate a narrower ecological amplitude in temperature but wider ranges on the moisture gradient.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.