Integrating Taxonomic, Functional and Phylogenetic Beta Diversities: Interactive Effects with the Biome and Land Use across Taxa

Abstract

The spatial distribution of species, functional traits and phylogenetic relationships at both the regional and local scales provide complementary approaches to study patterns of biodiversity and help to untangle the mechanisms driving community assembly. Few studies have simultaneously considered the taxonomic (TBD), functional (FBD) and phylogenetic (PBD) facets of beta diversity. Here we analyze the associations between TBD, FBD, and PBD with the biome (representing different regional species pools) and land use, and investigate whether TBD, FBD and PBD were correlated. In the study design we considered two widely used indicator taxa (birds and ants) from two contrasting biomes (subtropical forest and grassland) and land uses (tree plantations and cropfields) in the southern Neotropics. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed that taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic distances were associated to biome and land use; study sites grouped into four groups on the bi-dimensional space (cropfields in forest and grassland, and tree plantations in forest and grassland), and that was consistent across beta diversity facets and taxa. Mantel and PERMANOVA tests showed that TBD, FBD and PBD were positively correlated for both bird and ant assemblages; in general, partial correlations were also significant. Some of the functional traits considered here were conserved along phylogeny. Our results will contribute to the development of sound land use planning and beta diversity conservation.

Environmental variation is a major predictor of global trait turnover in mammals

“…If so, then this result would be consistent with the concept of a general influence on mammalian assemblage traits across the globe, rather than results being specific to the particular trait under consideration (e.g. Corbelli et al., ).…”

A taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspective on the community assembly of passerine birds along an elevational gradient in southwest China

“…Brownian motion (Corbelli et al, 2015;Fritz & Purvis, 2010). The Kstatistic and D-statistic were calculated in the R packages "phytool" and "caper", respectively (Blomberg et al, 2003;Fritz & Purvis, 2010; R Development Core Team, 2015).…”

“…Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic distribution patterns provide complementary approaches to detecting and untangling the mechanisms responsible for community assembly and are widely used for this purpose (e.g., Cadotte, Albert, & Walker, ; Huang, Stephens, & Gittleman, ; Monnet et al., ; Webb et al., ). However, few studies have so far integrated all three facets of biodiversity (but see e.g., Corbelli et al., ; Devictor et al., ; Monnet et al., ). Bird community assembly studies based on functional or/and phylogenetic aspect have tended to pay close attention to some specific bird families with high species diversity, such as Trochilidae, Thamnophilidae, and Parulidae (e.g., Gómez, Bravo, Brumfield, Tello, & Cadena, ; Graham, Parra, Rahbek, & McGuire, ; Lovette & Hochachka, ).…”

“…However, few studies have so far integrated all three facets of biodiversity (but see e.g., Corbelli et al, 2015;Devictor et al, 2010;Monnet et al, 2014). Bird community assembly studies based on functional or/ and phylogenetic aspect have tended to pay close attention to some specific bird families with high species diversity, such as Trochilidae, Thamnophilidae, and Parulidae (e.g., Gómez, Bravo, Brumfield, Tello, & Cadena, 2010;Graham, Parra, Rahbek, & McGuire, 2009;Lovette & Hochachka, 2006).…”

Measuring species diversity in the tropics: a review of methodological approaches and framework for future studies

“…For example, Corbelli et al . () analyzed the effect of the biome and land use on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic beta diversity of birds and ants in contrasting biomes and land uses. They found that the assemblages differ taxonomically, functionally, and phylogenetically between each biome, in response to the local environmental conditions imposed by land use.…”