We introduce the FunAndes database, a compilation of functional trait data for the Andean flora spanning six countries. FunAndes contains data on 24 traits across 2,694 taxa, for a total of 105,466 entries. The database features plant-morphological attributes including growth form, and leaf, stem, and wood traits measured at the species or individual level, together with geographic metadata (i.e., coordinates and elevation). FunAndes follows the field names, trait descriptions and units of measurement of the TRY database. It is currently available in open access in the FIGSHARE data repository, and will be part of TRY’s next release. Open access trait data from Andean plants will contribute to ecological research in the region, the most species rich terrestrial biodiversity hotspot.
Tropical forests are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world, yet their functioning is threatened by anthropogenic disturbances and climate change. Global actions to conserve tropical forests could be enhanced by having local knowledge on the forests functional diversity and functional redundancy as proxies for their capacity to respond to global environmental change. Here, we create estimates of plant functional diversity and redundancy across the tropics by combining a dataset of 16 morphological, chemical and photosynthetic plant traits sampled from 2461 individual trees from 74 sites distributed across four continents, together with local climate data for the last half century. Our findings suggest a strong link between climate and functional diversity and redundancy with the three trait groups responding similarly across the tropics and climate gradient. We show that drier tropical forests are overall less functionally diverse than wetter forests and that functional redundancy declines with increasing soil water and vapour pressure deficits. Areas with high functional diversity and high functional redundancy tend to better maintain ecosystem functioning, such as aboveground biomass, after extreme weather events. Our predictions suggest that the lower functional diversity and lower functional redundancy of drier tropical forests, in comparison to wetter forests, may leave them more at risk of shifting towards alternative states in face of further declines in water availability across tropical regions.
1. Pervasive human impact in heavily transformed landscapes may lead disturbanceadapted species to thrive, resulting in floristic homogenization across forest stands. However, environmental heterogeneity and dispersal limitation may be antagonistic forces to homogenization, maintaining inherent floristic differentiation across sites. 2. We evaluated the extent to which peri-urban Andean forests are undergoing floristic homogenization in both late-and early-successional stands. We considered seedling assemblages as well, as they provide key insights into forests' future. We then quantified the relative importance of dispersal limitation and environmental filtering in determining the observed patterns of floristic similarity across the landscape. 3. We used tree, seedling, soil and climatic data from six sites located in the high plain where Bogotá lies (Colombia). Within each site, we established six 20 × 20 m plots, three in early-successional stands and three in late-successional stands, for a total of 36 plots. 4. To evaluate the extent of floristic homogenization, we defined tree floristic similarity among late-successional stands as a baseline, reflecting our best-guess of the original species composition that would have once occurred previous to intense anthropogenic intervention. Tree floristic turnover across the landscape was alike in late-and in early-secondary stands, a finding that does not support the homogenization scenario. Seedling species composition, in contrast, was more homogeneous among early-than among late-secondary stands, an outcome suggestive of homogenization. 5. The relative importance of spatial and environmental drivers shifted between life stages. Distance between plots was the best predictor of tree species dissimilarity (29% of variance explained), whereas seedling compositional variation was more sensitive to changes in environmental conditions (41% of the variance explained). Relative humidity and several variables related to soil fertility showed a significant | 1469 Journal of Ecology HURTADO-M eT Al.
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