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244 results for “trait diversity”
Trait variation and plant performance: Interactive effects of diversity and spatial patterning of plants across environmental conditions
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Data from: Tropical ant communities under agroforestry can be diverse but lack trait-and-environment associations
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Variable relationships between trait diversity and avian ecological functions in agroecosystems
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Diversity and scale: Genetic architecture of 2,068 traits in the VA Million Veteran Program
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Land tenure security and luxury support plant species and trait diversity in urban community gardens
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Plant intraspecific functional trait variation is related to within-habitat heterogeneity and genetic diversity in Trifolium montanum L.
<p>Intraspecific trait variation (ITV), based on available genetic diversity, is one of the major means plant populations can respond to environmental variability. The study of functional trait variation and diversity has become popular in ecological research, e.g. as a proxy for plant performance influencing fitness. Up to now, it is unclear which aspects of intraspecific functional trait variation (iFDCV) can be attributed to the environment or genetics under natural conditions. Here, we examined 260 individuals from 13 locations of the rare (semi-)dry calcareous grassland species Trifolium montanum L. in terms of iFDCV, within-habitat heterogeneity, and genetic diversity. The iFDCV was assessed by measuring functional traits (releasing height, biomass, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, Fv/Fm, performance index, stomatal pore surface, and stomatal pore area index). Abiotic within-habitat heterogeneity was derived from altitude, slope exposure, slope, leaf area index, soil depth, and further soil factors. Based on microsatellites, we calculated expected heterozygosity (He) because it best-explained, among other indices, iFDCV. We performed multiple linear regression models quantifying relationships among iFDCV, abiotic within-habitat heterogeneity and genetic diversity, and also between separate functional traits and abiotic within-habitat heterogeneity or genetic diversity. We found that abiotic within-habitat heterogeneity influenced iFDCV twice as strong compared to genetic diversity. Both aspects together explained 77% of variation in iFDCV (Radj² = 0.77, F2, 10 = 21.66, p < 0.001). The majority of functional traits (releasing height, biomass, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, Fv/Fm and performance index) were related to abiotic habitat conditions indicating responses to environmental heterogeneity. In contrast, morphology-related functional traits (releasing height, biomass and leaf area) were only related to genetics. Our results suggest that both within-habitat heterogeneity and genetic diversity affect iFDCV, and are thus crucial to consider when aiming to understand or predict changes of plant species performance under changing environmental conditions.</p>
Hidden in the DNA: insights on how multiple historical processes and natural history traits shaped patterns of cryptic diversity in an Amazon leaf-litter lizard Loxopholis osvaldoi (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae).
Aim: To investigate cryptic diversity and diversification timing in the putatively low-dispersal Amazonian leaf-litter lizard Loxopholis osvaldoi, and to ask how geography (rivers, isolation by distance, IBD), ecological drivers (isolation by environment, IBE) and historical factors (climatic refugia) explain intraspecific genetic variation. Location: Central Amazonia, Brazil. Taxon: Squamata; Gymnophthalmidae; Loxopholis osvaldoi. Methods: We sequenced two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers in 157 individuals. Phylogeographic structure and the occurrence of independent evolving lineages where explored through phylogenetic and coalescent analyses. A species tree and divergence dates of lineages were inferred with BEAST, employing multiple DNA substitution rates. The potential genetic impacts of geographic distance among localities, the environment, and the position of localities in relation to main rivers were tested by Redundancy Analysis (RDA). Results: We detected 11 independently evolving and largely divergent intraspecific lineages. Lineage distribution patterns are complex and do not match any conspicuous barrier to gene flow, except for the Amazon River. Most lineages appear to have originated in the lower Miocene and Pliocene, in disagreement with the Pleistocene refuge hypothesis. IBD, IBE, and rivers appear to have acted in concert establishing and maintaining genetic structure. However, when controlling for other explanatory variables, IBD explains significantly more variation than rivers, IBE, or historical factors. Main conclusions: Our results strongly suggest that L. osvaldoi is a species complex. Future taxonomic work should use an integrative approach to explore whether morphological variation is present and congruent with the genetic data. While the use of a sensitive dating analysis allowed us to better describe the diversification history of L. osvaldoi, the lack of a spatial model of Neogene river dynamics prevents the test of specific, more informative river barrier hypotheses. The data suggest that non-linear correlation analyses (e.g. RDA) should be preferred to detect factors that affect phylogeographic patterns in the Amazon, instead of linear multiple regressions (e.g. Mantel tests). Given the high level of cryptic diversity detected within this and other Amazonian species, we caution against hypothesis tests based solely on the distribution of nominal taxa, which can provide a rather incomplete view of the processes behind Amazonian diversity.
Seedling traits from root to shoot exhibit genetic diversity and distinct responses to environmental heterogeneity within a tree population
<p>Phenotypic diversity within plant species is crucial to shaping evolutionary responses of populations and interactions among species, yet intraspecific genetic variability notably in roots has attracted little attention. Further, evidence for the root−shoot trait synchronisation remains inconclusive, narrowing our understanding of the role that belowground traits play in local adaptation. We applied broad 'top-to-toe' phenotyping to a model system whose native environmental conditions were simulated in experimental settings. Fifteen maternal families of Norway spruce <i>Picea abies </i>from southern Finland grew in six combinations of two simulated growing seasons and three soil treatments. We scored variation in 25 functional traits, including size, architecture and morphology of intact root systems, and shoot growth and phenology. Careful phenotyping of roots uncovered five trait dimensions, with root size, architecture and morphology forming the three largest axes of variation. Dimensions varied in their treatment responses. We observed among-family differences in all trait dimensions, marking substantial within-population genetic diversity. For example, average total root length varied almost twofold among families, but family × soil interactions indicated treatment-specific estimates of genetic variance. Mirroring root traits, phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation characterised shoot growth and phenology. In all, the complete phenotypic dataset yielded six trait dimensions, with assorted measures of root system and shoot size composing the main axis of variation. Although plastic and genetically variable, root architecture and morphology were not associated with shoot growth in any treatment. Also phenology and root-to-shoot ratio were detached from the primary axis of trait variability. Our results demonstrate that complex within-species patterns of trait covariation can be observed even locally and that phenotypic variation in independent trait dimensions reflecting divergent growth strategies is under genetic control. More accurate predictions of population and species responses to changes in the environment can be achieved when such intraspecific diversity is taken into account.</p>
Data from: Traits underlying community consequences of plant intra-specific diversity
A plant's performance and interactions with other trophic levels are recorgnized to be contingent upon plant diversity and underlying associational dynamics, but far less is known about the plant traits driving such phenomena. We manipulated diversity in plant traits using pairs of plant and a substitutive design to elucidate the mechanisms underlying diversity effects operating at a fine spatial scale. Specifically, we measured the effects of diversity in sex (sexual monocultures vs. male and female genotypes together) and growth rate (growth rate monocultures vs. fast- and slow-growing genotypes together) on growth of the shrub Baccharis salicifolia and on above- and belowground consumers associated with this plant. We compared effects on associate abundance (# associates per plant) vs. density (# associates per kg plant biomass) to elucidate the mechanisms underlying diversity effects; effects on abundance but not density suggest diversity effects are mediated by resource abundance (i.e. plant biomass) alone, whereas effects on density suggest diversity effects are mediated by plant-based heterogeneity or quality. Sexual diversity increased root growth but reduced the density (but not abundance) of the dietary generalist aphid Aphis gossypii and its associated aphid-tending ants, suggesting sex mixtures were of lower quality to this herbivore (e.g. via reduced plant quality), and that this effect indirectly influenced ants. Sexual diversity had no effect on the abundance or density of parasitoids attacking A. gossypii, the dietary specialist aphid Uroleucon macolai, or mycorrhizae. In contrast, growth rate diversity did not influence plant growth or any associates except for the dietary specialist aphid U. macolai, which increased in both abundance and density at high diversity, suggesting growth rate mixtures were of higher quality to this herbivore. These results highlight that plant associational and diversity effects on consumers are contingent upon the source of plant trait variation, and that the nature of such dynamics may vary both within and among trophic levels.
Data from: An exotic invader drives the evolution of plant traits that determine mycorrhizal fungal diversity in a native competitor.
The symbiosis between land plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is one of the most widespread and ancient mutualisms on the planet. However, relatively little is known about the evolution of these symbiotic plant-fungal interactions in natural communities. In this study, we investigated the symbiotic AMF communities of populations of the native plant species Pilea pumila (Urticaceae) with varying histories of coexistence with an non-mycorrhizal invasive species, Alliaria petiolata (Brassicaceae), known to affect mycorrhizal communities. We found that native populations of P. pumila with a long history of coexistence with the invasive species developed more diverse symbiotic AMF communities. This effect was strongest when A. petiolata plants were actively growing with the natives, and in soils with the longest history of A. petiolata growth. These results suggest that despite the ancient and widespread nature of the plant-AMF symbiosis, the plant traits responsible for symbiotic preferences can nevertheless evolve rapidly in response to environmental changes.
Data from: Genotypic diversity and trait variance interact to affect marsh plant performance
1. Intraspecific diversity can have important effects on population, community and ecosystem processes, yet we have little understanding of the relative importance of genetic- vs. trait-based measures of intraspecific diversity. 2. I conducted a manipulative field experiment of plant (Spartina alterniflora) genotypic diversity and trait diversity to examine their independent and interactive effects on plant performance and community structure. I focused on variation within and among genotypes in plant stem height, a trait that varies substantially across environmental gradients and can be an important predictor of plant competition intensity. 3. Trait and genotypic diversity interactively affected multiple metrics of plant performance. Both stem density and spatial spread increased with genotypic diversity in the low trait diversity combinations, yet there were negligible to weak negative effects in the high trait diversity treatments. S. alterniflora percent cover also varied with genotypic and trait diversity, but not in a clear linear pattern. 4. There were no effects of trait or genotypic diversity on associated macrofauna above-ground, yet they interactively affected below-ground measures. Infaunal abundance and sediment oxygen availability mirrored the idiosyncratic response of plant percent cover. 5. Despite the interactive effects of genotypic and trait diversity, high trait diversity consistently increased plant performance in genotypic monoculture. 6. Synthesis: The effects of intraspecific plant trait diversity on a range of plant and community responses in this study reinforce the premise that functional differences underlie ecological effects of genetic diversity and suggest that readily measured trait variance may serve as a valuable predictor of plant performance.
Data from: Individual-level trait diversity concepts and indices to comprehensively describe community change in multidimensional trait space
Global environmental change can influence ecosystem processes directly or through changes in the trait composition of natural communities. Traits are individual-level features of organisms, and theory predicts that diversity in traits should relate to ecosystem processes. Validated indices that account for both intra- and interspecific trait variation in multidimensional trait space are lacking. In this article, we highlight how an individual-level perspective requires new concepts for trait diversity (TD) and we validate a set of measures suitable to study trait richness, evenness and divergence at the individual scale. First, we tested a selection of multivariate indices for trait richness, evenness and divergence from the literature (FRic, FEve, FDis and the Rao coefficient) using simulated and real individual-level data. We compared the observed changes in the tested indices with those predicted from their expected/required behaviour (i.e. increase or decrease under specific manipulation of community trait structure) and found unsatisfactory results only for FRic and FEve, whereas FDis and the Rao coefficient showed the expected changes. Therefore, we propose two novel concepts and related indices for individual-level trait richness (TOP = trait onion peeling) and evenness (TED = trait even distribution). TOP represents the sum of all successive convex hull areas touching all individuals (points) within a multidimensional trait distribution. TED is a measure of how evenly distributed are individuals within the multidimensional trait space. It is calculated comparing the probability distributions of pairwise distances between individuals and between points of a perfectly even reference distribution. We tested TOP and TED on the same simulated and real data as above, and results indicated appropriate behaviour for TOP (trait richness) and TED (trait evenness). By validating TD indices in an individual-level context, this study contributes to the expansion of functional ecology towards individual-level dynamics. Future comprehensive investigations of individual trait differences in natural communities may improve our understanding of the pathways by which environmental changes affect ecosystem functioning through biodiversity change.
Data from: The combined impacts of experimental defaunation and logging on seedling traits and diversity
Animals can have both positive (e.g. via seed dispersal) and negative (e.g. via herbivory) impacts on plants. The net effects of these interactions remain difficult to predict and may be affected by overhunting and habitat disturbance, two widespread threats to tropical forests. Recent studies have documented their separate effects on plant recruitment but our understanding of how defaunation and logging interact to influence tropical tree communities is limited. From 2013-2016, we followed the fate of marked tree seedlings (n = 1489) from 81 genera in and outside experimental plots. Our plots differentially excluded small, medium, and large-bodied mammal herbivores in logged and unlogged forest in Malaysian Borneo. We assessed the effects of experimental defaunation and logging on taxonomic diversity and plant trait (wood density, specific leaf area, fruit size) composition of seedling communities. Although seedling mortality was highest in the presence of all mammal herbivores (44%), defaunation alone did not alter taxonomic diversity nor plant trait composition. However, herbivores (across all body sizes) significantly reduced mean fruit size across the seedling community over time (95% CI: -0.09 to -0.01), particularly in logged forest (95% CI: -0.12 to -0.003). Our findings suggest that impacts of mammal herbivores on plant communities may be greater in forests with a history of disturbance and could subsequently affect plant functional traits and ecological processes associated with forest regeneration.
Collapse of dispersal trait diversity across a long-term chronosequence reveals a strong negative impact of frugivore extinctions on forest resilience
<p><span><b>1. </b></span><span>Understanding how seed dispersal disruption may alter plant community diversity and dynamics over a large temporal scale remains a challenge. Here, we use a long-term chronosequence to compare changes in the richness and composition of different dispersal trait assemblages in communities established before and after human colonisation in the Mascarene archipelago.</span></p> <p><span><b>2. </b></span><span>Our study was located on Réunion on the slopes of the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes worldwide. We analysed 151 vegetation surveys on lava flows dated between 1401-AD and 1956-AD and in tropical rainforests established on older substrata. We defined five classes of substratum age, according to the well-known chronology of native frugivore defaunation: "old substrata" and </span>[1401, 1665[ when frugivores were abundant and diverse <span>before permanent human settlement</span>; [1665, 1800[ when large-bodied frugivore populations were strongly reduced; [1800, 1900[ when large-bodied frugivores went extinct and small-bodied frugivores were still abundant; [1900, 1956] <span>decline in the population of small-bodied frugivores. Based on dispersal traits, we categorised 146 native woody species as anemochorous, small fleshy-fruited or large fleshy-fruited, i.e. plant of which fruit could not theoretically be dispersed by extant frugivores.</span></p> <p><span><b>3. </b></span><span>Changes in dispersal trait diversity strongly correlated with the chronology of defaunation. Species-rich communities settled before human colonisation were strongly dominated by fleshy-fruited species. </span>L<span>arge fleshy-fruited plants in the oldest communities </span>settled after human colonisation <span>declined markedly and almost disappeared after 1800. The richness of small fleshy-fruited plants decreased less rapidly across the chronosequence, with medium levels on </span>[1665, 1800[ and [1800, 1900[ <span>lava flows and low levels on </span>[1900, 1956] lava flows<span>. Conversely, the richness of anemochorous plants remained unchanged. Communities settled before human colonisation had a similar composition. Fleshy-fruited assemblages showed strong species loss across the chronosequence, while anemochorous assemblages showed strong species turnover, which was probably due to lower dispersal limitation.</span></p> <p><span><b>4. Synthesis. </b></span><span>Our results provide the first insights into the tremendous impact that frugivore extinction has on plant colonisation dynamics over 300 years. The dramatic loss of fleshy-fruited plant diversity on historical lava flows highlights the irreplaceable dispersal role played by frugivores, especially large-bodied species. The conservation of </span>plant-animal mutualistic interactions<span> is invaluable and refaunation efforts need to be undertaken in areas where frugivores have been extirpated.</span></p>
Data from: Iterative adaptive radiations of fossil canids show no evidence for diversity-dependent trait evolution
A long-standing hypothesis in adaptive radiation theory is that ecological opportunity constrains rates of phenotypic evolution, generating a burst of morphological disparity early in clade history. Empirical support for the early burst model is rare in comparative data, however. One possible reason for this lack of support is that most phylogenetic tests have focused on extant clades, neglecting information from fossil taxa. Here, I test for the expected signature of adaptive radiation using the outstanding 40-My fossil record of North American canids. Models implying time- and diversity-dependent rates of morphological evolution are strongly rejected for two ecologically important traits, body size and grinding area of the molar teeth. Instead, Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes implying repeated, and sometimes rapid, attraction to distinct dietary adaptive peaks receive substantial support. Diversity-dependent rates of morphological evolution seem uncommon in clades, such as canids, that exhibit a pattern of replicated adaptive radiation. Instead, these clades might best be thought of as deterministic radiations in constrained Simpsonian subzones of a major adaptive zone. Support for adaptive peak models may be diagnostic of subzonal radiations. It remains to be seen whether early burst or ecological opportunity models can explain broader adaptive radiations, such as the evolution of higher taxa.
Data from: Biogeography of functional trait diversity in the Taiwanese reef fish fauna
The richness of Taiwanese reef fish species is inversely correlated to latitude as a direct consequence of the abiotic environment and its effects on benthic habitats. However, to date, no studies have investigated the variations in the diversity of traits (FD) linked with the role of these fishes in the ecosystem. FD is usually considered more sensitive than species richness in detecting early changes in response to disturbances, and therefore could serve as an indicator of ecological resilience to environmental changes. Here, we aim to characterize FD in the Taiwanese reef fish fauna and to document its regional variations. Six traits were used to categorize the 1,484 reef fish species occurring in four environmentally contrasted regions around Taiwan. The number of unique trait combinations (FEs), their richness (FRic), their redundancy (FR), their over-redundancy (FOR), and their vulnerability (FV) were compared among these regions. Overall, 416 FEs were identified. Their number decreased from south to north in step with regional species richness but FRic remained similar among regions. FR and FOR were higher to the south. At the local scale, variations in FEs and FRic are in concordance with the worldwide pattern of FD. High-latitude, impoverished fish assemblages, offer a range of trait combinations similar to diversified tropical assemblages. Increasing diversity in the latter mainly contributes to raising FR and supports already over-redundant entities. High vulnerability makes many combinations highly sensitive to species loss, and was higher at intermediate latitudes when using a fine resolution in trait categories. It suggests that the loss of FEs may first be characterized by an increase in their vulnerability, a pattern that could have been overlooked in previous global scale analyses. Overall, this study provides new insights into reef fish trait biogeography with potential ramifications for ecosystem functioning.
Data from: The loss of functional diversity: a detrimental influence of landscape-scale deforestation on tree reproductive traits
1. Agricultural activities such as crop production and cattle ranching are rapidly replacing forests worldwide, especially in the tropics. Resulting forest loss can adversely affect biodiversity in many ways, including trajectories of community reassembly, community composition, forest structural profiles, and taxonomic diversity. Yet, effects of forest loss on specific ecosystem functions remain limited. Processes closely linked with tree reproduction, such as pollination and seed dispersal are of paramount importance for many ecological functions in tropical forests. Disruption in these processes is known to delay or change forest regeneration, diversity, and structural dynamics. 2. To explore how reproductive and dispersal traits are being altered by landscape-scale deforestation, we surveyed and compiled trait data for tree communities in 20 tropical Atlantic rainforest remnants in northeastern Brazil, across a gradient of deforested landscapes, each retaining 3 to 93% forest cover. 3. The functional richness of reproductive plant attributes decreased as the amount of forest cover decreased, while divergence increased along the same gradient. Loss of forest cover disproportionately affected certain dispersal and reproductive attributes, with most heavily impacted functional attributes including: brief flowering duration, hermaphrodite sexual system, and zoochoric dispersal mode. We identified a clear threshold at 25-30% of forest cover, below which, reproductive attributes disappeared more quickly than expect from forest remnants. 4. Synthesis. Deforestation may impair tree community functional diversity, particularly by decreasing the number of functions and increasing certain functional reproductive attributes that are particularly successful in disturbed habitats. Under scenarios of extensive deforestation, changes to reproductive and dispersal trait profile of forest communities suggest that profound modifications in the availability of floral and seed resources are likely to be substantial. Such extensive changes to food supply of pollinating and dispersing animals suggest carry-over effects to the fauna of these important forest systems.
Data from: When does intraspecific trait variation contribute to functional beta-diversity?
1. Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is hypothesized to play an important role in community assembly and the maintenance of biodiversity. However, fundamental gaps remain in our understanding of how ITV contributes to mechanisms that create spatial variation in the functional-trait composition of communities (functional β-diversity). Importantly, ITV may influence the perceived importance of environmental filtering across spatial scales. 2. We examined how ITV contributes to functional β-diversity and environmental filtering in woody plant communities in a temperate forest in the Ozark ecoregion, Missouri, USA. To test the hypothesis that ITV contributes to changes in the perceived importance of environmental filtering across scales, we compared patterns of functional β-diversity across soil-resource and topographic gradients at three spatial grains and three spatial extents. To quantify the contribution of ITV to functional β-diversity, we compared patterns that included ITV in five traits (leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf water content, leaf toughness, and chlorophyll content) to patterns based on species-mean trait values. 3. Functional β-diversity that included ITV increased with spatial extent and decreased with spatial grain, suggesting stronger environmental filtering within spatially extensive landscapes that contain populations locally adapted to different habitats. In contrast, functional β-diversity based on species-mean trait values increased with spatial extent but did not change with spatial grain, suggesting weaker environmental filtering among larger communities which each contain a variety of habitats and locally adapted populations. 4. Synthesis. Although studies typically infer community assembly mechanisms from species-mean trait values, our study suggests that mean trait values may mask the strength of assembly mechanisms such as environmental filtering, especially in landscape-scale studies that encompass strong environmental gradients and locally adapted populations. Our study highlights the utility of integrating ITV into studies of functional β-diversity to better understand the ecological conditions under which trait variation within and among species contributes most strongly to patterns of biodiversity across spatial scales.
Data from: Adaptive trait divergence of annual plants in response to urban habitat diversity in a megacity
<p>Data from the common garden experiment, field environmental factors, and data for Qst-Fst comparisons.</p>
R code and data for "Intraspecific and intraindividual trait variability decrease with tree species richness in a subtropical tree diversity experiment"
<p>R codes and dataset for tha statistical analyses and production of figures in "Intraspecific and intraindividual trait variability decrease with tree species richness in a subtropical tree diversity experiment" by Castro Sánchez-Bermejo et al.</p>
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