A new framework for inferring community assembly processes using phylogenetic information, relevant traits and environmental gradients

Lopez, Bianca; Burgio, Kevin R.; Carlucci, Marcos B.; Palmquist, Kyle A.; Parada, Andrés; Weinberger, Vanessa P.; Hurlbert, Allen H.

doi:10.3897/oneeco.1.e9501

Cited by 38 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Alpha and beta traits have been defined according to the framework proposed by Lopez et al () and other studies (Kraft et al, ; Mayfield & Levine, ) (Table ). We classified trophic position and fecundity as alpha traits, because trophic position is related to resource partitioning at the local scale (Lopez et al, ; Pease, González‐Díaz, Rodiles‐Hernández, & Winemiller, ; Saito, Cianciaruso, Siqueira, Fonseca‐Gessner, & Pavoine, ) and fecundity could be related to competitive ability and, consequently, resource partitioning (Sibbing & Nagelkerke, ). On the contrary, we classified egg size and swimming factor as beta traits.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Lopez et al (), a dichotomy based on the function they support has been proposed to classify functional traits as alpha or beta traits according to the expected main determinant of their diversity within community. Traits related to behaviour, small‐scale habitat preferences or resource use and thus to the coexistence of species within the assemblage are defined as alpha traits, whereas traits linked to environmental requirements and tolerance along environmental gradients are defined as beta traits (Kraft et al, ; Lopez et al, ; Mayfield & Levine, ). Consequently, overdispersion is expected on alpha traits, because processes such as competition and niche differentiation might occur, whereas underdispersion is expected on beta traits, on which environmental filtering can act (Ackerly & Cornwell, ; Lopez et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Traits related to behaviour, small‐scale habitat preferences or resource use and thus to the coexistence of species within the assemblage are defined as alpha traits, whereas traits linked to environmental requirements and tolerance along environmental gradients are defined as beta traits (Kraft et al, ; Lopez et al, ; Mayfield & Levine, ). Consequently, overdispersion is expected on alpha traits, because processes such as competition and niche differentiation might occur, whereas underdispersion is expected on beta traits, on which environmental filtering can act (Ackerly & Cornwell, ; Lopez et al, ). In this context, in order to infer assembly processes more precisely, previous studies have recommended that functional diversity for alpha and beta traits should be analysed separately, because they can be defined as different axes of species niche (Kraft et al, ; Lopez et al, ; Mayfield & Levine., ) and because this provides a framework to disentangle the influence of competition and environmental filtering on multivariate diversity patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial patterns and determinants of trait dispersion in freshwater fish assemblages across Europe

Côte

Kuczynski

Grenouillet

2019

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim Understanding how species assemble into assemblages and identifying the determinants of assembly processes remains a key challenge in ecology. Within assemblages, functional trait dispersion can be used to infer assembly processes, but this inference could depend on the trait considered. Here, using both single and multiple trait‐based approaches, we analysed dispersion patterns for alpha (i.e., related to niche partitioning) and beta (i.e., related to environmental tolerance) traits in freshwater fish assemblages and characterized how trait dispersion patterns vary along environmental gradients at large spatial scale. Location Western Palaearctic, 290 river catchments. Time period Contemporary. Major taxa studied Freshwater fish. Methods Based on freshwater fish occurrence records in 290 European river catchments, we computed dispersion indices (mean pairwise distance) using standardized effect sizes for each single trait and multiple traits. We then used linear models including climatic, geo‐morphological, biotic and human‐related factors to determine the key drivers shaping freshwater fish dispersion patterns across Europe. Results We highlighted spatial variation in trait dispersion, with both underdispersion and overdispersion simultaneously observed for a given trait, but also distinct patterns of trait dispersion, even within beta and alpha traits. We provided evidence that elevation range and current and past climatic conditions mainly structured trait dispersion patterns. Finally, our results revealed that spatial patterns in trait dispersion based on multiple traits were less pronounced than those based on individual traits. Main conclusions Our results highlighted that traits showed different spatial and environmental patterns, reflecting different ecological patterns. This could lead to potential problems when using functional indices computed on multiple traits and challenges their relevance to describe diversity patterns and to infer the assembly processes shaping community structure.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial patterns and determinants of trait dispersion in freshwater fish assemblages across Europe

Côte

Kuczynski

Grenouillet

2019

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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“…For instance multiple assembly processes operate simultaneously to structure communities along a stress-resource gradient. While species interactions related to a particular resource or niche always contribute to community structure to some degree, no single niche may act separately (Lopez et al, 2016). One limited reason for the use of multiple traits is that identifying filtering-and competitionrelated traits a priori can be challenging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…dietary adaptations, habitat preferences and sociality), breeding, morphology associated with dispersal ability and elevational range (see Appendix S1). In addition, filtering-related traits were those that provided tolerance to environmental conditions (such as temperature or precipitation) or determined species positions along environmental gradients (Lopez et al, 2016). Equivalent patterns are seldom tested using specific traits that relate to individual community assembly processes (except for body size).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trait‐mediated filtering drives contrasting patterns of species richness and functional diversity across montane bird assemblages

Qiang¹,

Holyoak

Chen

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: Most studies of diversity changes along elevational gradients show a synchronous change in taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity, such that all decline with elevation or show a mid-elevation peak. However, some studies show asynchronous changes, which challenge us to explain their assembly. Here we used functional trait variation and niche spacing to test the roles of environmental filtering and competition-driven niche separation in assembly and biodiversity patterns across an elevational gradient.Location: Nanling Mountains, southern China. Taxon: Birds (Timaliidae, Pycnonotidae and Sylviidae)Methods: Breeding birds were surveyed in 2012-2017 from 300 to 1900 m ASL. We tested bird diversity pattern and community structure relevant to environmental filtering and limiting similarity by integrating functional traits and evolutionary distances, as well as vegetation heterogeneity. A null modelling approach tested specific trait variation and niche spacing in relation to habitat associations and niche segregation.Results: Contrary to expectation, bird richness peaked at just below the highest site, and functional diversity declined significantly with elevation. Functional-phylogenetic distance metrics converged with increasing elevation, corresponding to strong environmental filtering and habitat change. For the spatial arrangement of specific traits, restricted dispersal ability, elevational range and clutch sizes were related to filtering effects, as indicated by trait convergence in clustered highland bird assemblages. Conversely, overdispersed lowland assemblages have evenly spaced trait values predicted by limiting similarity, including bill length, vertical stratum-use and flocking propensity. In addition, bird functional diversity was highly correlated with both vegetation productivity and tree height, which reinforces the role of filtering in structuring local bird assemblages. Main conclusions:This study highlights how strong filtering can produce a counterintuitive, contrasting pattern of changes between species richness and functional diversity. Fundamental assembly processes and species roles in ecosystems are predictable through examining key traits of life-history and foraging characteristics, and their associations with environmental variables.

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Structuring functional groups of aquatic insects along the resistance/resilience axis when facing water flow changes

Godoy

Valente‐Neto

Queiroz

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding how differences in intensity and frequency of hydrological disturbances affect the resistance and resilience of aquatic organisms is key to manage aquatic systems in a fast‐changing world. Some aquatic insects have strategies that improve the permanence (resistance), while others use strategies that favor recolonization (resilience). Therefore, we carried out a manipulative experiment to understand the influence of functional characteristics of aquatic insects in their permanence and recolonization against hydrological disturbances in streams in the biodiversity hotspot of the Cerrado of Brazil. We placed 200 artificial substrates in five streams and submitted them to changing water flow regimes that differed both in frequency and intensity, and we observed the response of the aquatic community for 39 days. We used a hierarchical Bayesian approach to estimate the probabilities of permanence and recolonization of each life strategy group (nine groups). We observed that the most intense changes in the water flow tended to affect the permanence of almost all groups, but the intensity of this effect reduced over time. On the other hand, less frequent disturbances, regardless of intensity, tended to reduce the permanence of most groups of aquatic insects over time. The different effects of disturbance intensity may have been related to a greater recolonization capacity of some groups. The results we present are worrisome in a scenario of reduced riparian vegetation around streams and with the expectation of precipitation becoming more concentrated in shorter periods of time due to climate change in the Cerrado hotspot, reducing the occurrence of many groups of aquatic insects in their habitat, particularly those with traits associated with resistance against hydrological disturbance.

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A new framework for inferring community assembly processes using phylogenetic information, relevant traits and environmental gradients

Cited by 38 publications

References 87 publications

Spatial patterns and determinants of trait dispersion in freshwater fish assemblages across Europe

Spatial patterns and determinants of trait dispersion in freshwater fish assemblages across Europe

Trait‐mediated filtering drives contrasting patterns of species richness and functional diversity across montane bird assemblages

Structuring functional groups of aquatic insects along the resistance/resilience axis when facing water flow changes

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