Functional Diversity and Its Influencing Factors in a Subtropical Forest Community in China

Abstract

Functional diversity is considered a key link between ecosystem functions and biodiversity, and forms the basis for making community diversity conservation strategies. Here, we chose a subtropical forest community in China as the research object, which is unique in that other regions of the world at the same latitude have almost no vegetation cover. We measured 17 functional traits of 100 plant species and calculated seven different functional diversity indices, based on functional richness, evenness, and divergence. We found that most functional diversity and species diversity indices significantly differed with plant habit. There was a significant positive correlation among functional richness indices. However, functional divergence indices, multidimensional functional divergence (FDiv), and Rao’s quadratic entropy index (RaoQ) were significantly negatively correlated, and RaoQ and functional divergence indices (FDis) were uncorrelated. The correlations between three types (richness, evenness, and divergence) of functional diversity indices and three species diversity indices were different. Lineage regression results generally showed that three functional richness indices (Average distance of functional traits (MFAD), Functional volume (FRic) and Posteriori functional group richness (FGR)) were increased with three species diversity indices (species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index (H) and Pielou index (E)). The functional evenness index (FEve) decreased with species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index (H) and increased with species evenness (Pielou index (E)), but the change trends were small. All three types of functional diversity indices declined with altitude, although altitude had a weak influence on them. Other environmental factors affected the functional diversity of the community. Here, soil total phosphorus (TP) was the most critical environmental factor and the convex had the least effect on functional diversity in our subtropical forest community. These results will contribute to our understanding of functional diversity in subtropical forests, and provide a basis for biodiversity conservation in this region.

Comparison of Correlations between Soil Physicochemical Properties and Diversity-Density of Soil Macrofauna in Juniper and Amygdalus Stands During the Growing and Resting Season (Case Study: Geno Protected Area, Hormozgan Province, Iran)

“…showed significant increases in soil macrofauna and biomass. The results of the present study also showed a significant positive correlation between soil biomass and Menhink and Margalef indices in Juniper stands during the growing season [31]. A significant positive correlation was also observed between Simpson index, Menhinick index, evenness and biomass in the Juniper stand during the resting season [22].…”

The critical role of coastal protected areas in buffering impacts of extreme climatic conditions on bird diversity and their ecosystem services' provisioning in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…This is a relatively high species diversity given the small spatial coverage TA B L E 4 Generalised Linear Models' (GLM) significant differences among the bird species' functions based on feeding mode, and the body-size classes' distribution during different years of observations. of the four nature reserves that were sampled during the study, and it was matched by high functional richness which is reportedly positively correlated to the number of species (Li et al, 2022;Schleuter et al, 2010). However, Li et al (2022) reported an inverse relationship between species diversity and functional evenness and therefore, the moderate functional evenness across the nature reserves suggests stability of the biodiversity of the nature reserves since the high functional diversity increases habitat resilience in protected areas (Cottee-Jones et al, 2015;Lotz, 2021).…”

“…The wood harvesting and invasion by alien plant species may partly create a favourable habitat mosaic for birds in the Eastern Cape Province (Leaver & Cherry, 2020), which partly could explain our results of relatively large numbers of bird species. This is a relatively high species diversity given the small spatial coverage of the four nature reserves that were sampled during the study, and it was matched by high functional richness which is reportedly positively correlated to the number of species (Li et al, 2022; Schleuter et al, 2010). However, Li et al (2022) reported an inverse relationship between species diversity and functional evenness and therefore, the moderate functional evenness across the nature reserves suggests stability of the biodiversity of the nature reserves since the high functional diversity increases habitat resilience in protected areas (Cottee‐Jones et al, 2015; Lotz, 2021).…”

“…This is a relatively high species diversity given the small spatial coverage of the four nature reserves that were sampled during the study, and it was matched by high functional richness which is reportedly positively correlated to the number of species (Li et al, 2022; Schleuter et al, 2010). However, Li et al (2022) reported an inverse relationship between species diversity and functional evenness and therefore, the moderate functional evenness across the nature reserves suggests stability of the biodiversity of the nature reserves since the high functional diversity increases habitat resilience in protected areas (Cottee‐Jones et al, 2015; Lotz, 2021). Furthermore, our moderate functional evenness indices indicate a balanced utilisation of resources and thus productivity (Mason et al, 2005).…”

“…Functional diversity measures either the diversity of functionally different species with their different functional traits in the properties of a community (Martin et al, 2019; Petchey et al, 2004; Silva et al, 2020; Suárez‐Castro et al, 2022; Tilman, 2001), and it is important for understanding the dynamics and architecture of many ecosystems (Gagic et al, 2015; Mao et al, 2023; Tilman, 2001). It is suggested that functional diversity connects organisms and ecosystems to better explain and predict ecological processes maintaining the habitat (Li et al, 2022; Petchey et al, 2004). Often, high functional diversity is linked to the high occupation of niche space, which buffers against the addition of new functional groups including alien species in a habitat (Rejmanek, 1996), while low functional diversity in a habitat is generally associated with poor resistance to invasion by new species (Levine et al, 2004).…”