Disentangling elevational richness: a multi‐scale hierarchical Bayesian occupancy model of Colorado ant communities

Szewczyk, Tim M.; McCain, Christy M.

doi:10.1111/ecog.04115

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(209 reference statements)

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“…With niche conservatism, local species diversity may be determined by the available pool of species for a given climate regime, rather than by competitive interactions. Niche conservatism has been invoked to explain mid-elevation peaks in ant diversity Branstetter 2019, Szewczyk andMcCain 2019). The lowland decline, in particular, has been explained as a result of the current interglacial period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Barring moisture limitation (McCain 2007), productivity is thought to increase monotonically with temperature (Brown et al 2004). However, these hypotheses have not been successful at predicting the mid-elevation diversity peaks seen in many studies of ants on elevational gradients (e.g., Branstetter 2019, Szewczyk andMcCain 2019). However, these hypotheses have not been successful at predicting the mid-elevation diversity peaks seen in many studies of ants on elevational gradients (e.g., Branstetter 2019, Szewczyk andMcCain 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Net primary productivity (NPP), on the other hand, is more difficult to predict or measure (Clark et al 2001) and in tropical wet forests may actually be a step function with high NPP in lowland forests and low NPP in montane forests (Cleveland et al 2011). However, these hypotheses have not been successful at predicting the mid-elevation diversity peaks seen in many studies of ants on elevational gradients (e.g., Branstetter 2019, Szewczyk andMcCain 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The generally higher diversity in the lowlands compared to cloud forest habitats reflected the early origin of ants in lowland rainforests (Brady et al 2006, Moreau andBell 2013), but the peak around 500 m and decline below that resulted from relatively recent lowland biotic attrition following interglacial warming (Colwell et al 2008). In an exemplary study of ant diversity on elevational gradients in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Szewczyk and McCain (2019) used a hierarchical Bayesian occupancy model to assess the effects of multiple hypothesized explanatory variables on species richness. They found midelevation diversity peaks on all transects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ant diversity patterns across tropical elevation gradients: effects of sampling method and subcommunity

2019

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Local diversity may be influenced by niche assembly processes involving competition for limited resources, or by niche conservatism and the length of time clades have had to diversify. Midelevation peaks in ant diversity on wet forest elevational gradients are most consistent with niche conservatism effects. However, it is possible that subsets of the ant community vary in the degree to which niche assembly processes are important, and this may be revealed by sampling methods that bias toward particular subsets. A previous study of ant-elevation patterns in Middle American wet forest relied on Winkler sampling, a method that samples much of the ant community that occurs in leaf litter and rotten wood on the forest floor. Here, we evaluate richness patterns at the same sites as the previous study, using two alternative methods: baiting and beating. Baiting attracts ants to a concentrated resource and might be expected to attract a community more shaped by competitive interactions. Diversity patterns at baits were nearly identical to patterns from Winkler samples, for all ants combined and for the genus Pheidole, which are abundant omnivorous ants that are among the most common at baits. There was no evidence that stronger competitive effects influenced the shape of the diversity curve. Beating samples capture ants that forage on low vegetation, a distinct arboreal community with lower phylogenetic diversity than litter ants and inhabiting a more variable microclimate. Arboreal ants differed from litter ants in having a less distinct mid-elevation peak, with less of a decline from 500 m to sea level. The lowland decline in litter ant diversity may be caused by the recent upslope shift in temperature associated with the current interglacial period. Arboreal ants may be buffered from this effect by adaptation to canopy life, tolerating broader extremes of temperature, or by high rates of dispersal from warmer regions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ant diversity patterns across tropical elevation gradients: effects of sampling method and subcommunity

2019

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“…Alternatively, habitat heterogeneity (i.e. the range of habitat types present at a site; Szewczyk and McCain 2019) at disturbed sites can create niches in which adapted specialists replace taxa restricted to less disturbed sites, offsetting biodiversity declines (Wesche et al 2000, Bogan et al 2013. Taxa losses/ gains (nestedness) and replacements (turnover) influence how β-diversity (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpha and beta diversity of connected benthic–subsurface invertebrate communities respond to drying in dynamic river ecosystems

2019

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Drying disturbances are the primary determinant of aquatic community biodiversity in dynamic river ecosystems. Research exploring how communities respond to disturbance has focused on benthic invertebrates in surface sediments, inadequately representing a connected community that extends into the subsurface. We compared subsurface and benthic invertebrate responses to drying, to identify common and context-dependent spatial patterns. We characterized community composition, alpha diversity and beta diversity across a gradient of drying duration. Subsurface communities responded to drying, but these responses were typically less pronounced than those of benthic communities. Despite compositional changes and in contrast to reductions in benthic alpha diversity, the alpha diversity of subsurface communities remained stable except at long drying durations. Some primarily benthic taxa were among those whose subsurface frequency and abundance responded positively to drying. Collectively, changing composition, stable richness and taxon-specific increases in occurrence provide evidence that subsurface sediments can support persistence of invertebrate communities during drying disturbances. Beta-diversity patterns varied and no consistent patterns distinguished the total diversity, turnover or nestedness of subsurface compared to benthic communities. In response to increasing drying duration, beta diversity increased or remained stable for benthic communities, but remained stable or decreased for subsurface communities, likely reflecting contrasts in the influence of mass effects, priority effects and environmental filtering. Dissimilarity between subsurface and benthic communities remained stable or increased with drying duration, suggesting that subsurface communities maintain distinct biodiversity value while also supporting temporary influxes of benthic taxa during drying events. As temporary rivers increase in extent due to global change, we highlight that recognizing the connected communities that extend into the subsurface sediments can enable holistic understanding of ecological responses to drying, the key determinant of biodiversity in these dynamic ecosystems.

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Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

Mata

Andersen

Morán‐Ordóñez

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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The contribution of urban greenspaces to support biodiversity and provide benefits for people is increasingly recognized. However, ongoing management practices favor vegetation oversimplification, often limiting greenspaces to lawns and tree canopy rather than multi-layered vegetation that includes under-and midstorey, and the use of nonnative species. These practices hinder the potential of greenspaces to sustain indigenous biodiversity, particularly for taxa like insects that rely on plants for food and habitat. Yet, little is known about which plant species may maximize positive outcomes for taxonomically and functionally diverse insect communities in greenspaces. Additionally, while cities are expected to experience high rates of introductions, quantitative assessments of the relative occupancy of indigenous vs. introduced insect species in greenspace are rare, hindering understanding of how management may promote indigenous biodiversity while limiting the establishment of introduced insects. Using a hierarchically replicated study design across 15 public parks, we recorded occurrence data from 552 insect species on 133 plant species, differing in planting design element (lawn, midstorey, and tree canopy), midstorey growth form (forbs, lilioids, graminoids, and shrubs) and origin (nonnative, native, and indigenous), to assess (1) the relative contributions of indigenous and introduced insect species and (2) which plant species sustained the highest number of indigenous insects. We found that the insect community was overwhelmingly composed of indigenous rather than introduced species. Our findings further highlight the core role of multi-layered vegetation in sustaining high insect biodiversity in urban areas, with indigenous midstorey and canopy representing key elements to maintain rich and functionally diverse indigenous insect communities. Intriguingly, graminoids supported the highest indigenous insect richness across all studied growth forms by plant origin groups. Our work highlights the opportunity presented by indigenous understory and midstorey plants, particularly indigenous graminoids, in our study area to promote indigenous insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces. Our study provides a blueprint and stimulus for architects, engineers, developers, designers, and planners to incorporate into their practice plant species palettes that foster a larger presence of indigenous over regionally native or nonnative plant species, while incorporating a broader mixture of midstorey growth forms.

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Disentangling elevational richness: a multi‐scale hierarchical Bayesian occupancy model of Colorado ant communities

Cited by 22 publications

References 75 publications

Ant diversity patterns across tropical elevation gradients: effects of sampling method and subcommunity

Ant diversity patterns across tropical elevation gradients: effects of sampling method and subcommunity

Alpha and beta diversity of connected benthic–subsurface invertebrate communities respond to drying in dynamic river ecosystems

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

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