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Research on platform owners' entry into complementary markets points in divergent directions. One strand of the literature reports a squeeze on post-entry complementor profits due to increased competition, while another observes positive effects as increased customer attention and innovation benefit the complementary market as a whole. In this research note, we seek to transcend these conflicting views by comparing the effects of the early and late timing of platform owners' entry. We apply a difference-in-differences design to explore the drivers and effects of the timing of platform owners' entry using data from three entries that Amazon made into its Alexa voice assistant's complementary markets. Our findings suggest that early entry is driven by the motivation to boost the overall value creation of the complementary market, whereas late entry is driven by the motivation to capture value already created in a key complementary market. Importantly, our findings suggest that early entry, in contrast to late entry, creates substantial consumer attention that benefits complementors offering specialized functionality. In addition, the findings also suggest that complementors with more experience are more likely to benefit from the increased consumer attention. We contribute to platform research by showing that the timing of the platform owner's entry matters in a way that can potentially reconcile conflicting findings regarding the consequences of platform owners' entry into complementary markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest management is an important component of global change as more than half of the world's forests are managed for human use. Although the effect of forest management on taxonomic diversity is well‐studied, we do not fully understand its impact on functional diversity. Understanding this is important to better predict how ecosystem processes will respond to global change scenarios and to implement efficient conservation actions. We conducted two large‐scale (~81 800 km2) research projects over 4 years in temperate forests of the northeastern USA to investigate how the functional structure of bird and mammal communities are affected by forest disturbance. We surveyed 85 bird species distributed in 115 sites using point counts, and 14 mammal species across 197 sites using camera traps. For each species, we selected functional traits that summarize key features of their biology, and for each site, we collected data on the level of forest disturbance based on forest loss events. We found that functional richness increased with forest disturbance for mammals but not for birds. Our results also showed that niche breadth (diet), morphological (body mass and wing length), and physiological (litter size) factors were the main determinants of the functional structure of both groups. These findings emphasize the complexity of making predictions about responses to forest management given the heavy dependence on the context and taxa studied. Overall we observed a limited response of functional diversity to forest management, which might indicate that the environmental changes generated by forest management in this region are less extreme than deforestation or conversion of natural forest to plantations of exotic species. Nonetheless, our results underscore the importance of investigating the effects of forestry on individual traits to develop strategies for managing for ecosystem functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional traits help to understand biological diversity and the mechanism by which ecological communities are structured and how they respond to the environment. For example, the high tree species diversity within tropical forests can be grouped into a few functional attributes, wood density, size and dependence on animal pollination or seed dispersal. However, little is known about how these traits influence animal taxonomic and functional diversity in the forests. We carried out a vegetation census on six plots (20 × 100 m) within the National Forest of Carajás (Amazon biome) to identify forest canopy species and their functional traits. Within the same plot, we also applied three bee sampling methods (entomological nets, honey traps and scent traps). By characterizing the functional traits of trees and bees, we were able to predict bee functional diversity better than with taxonomic diversity alone via combinations of tree traits like size, wood density, dependence on pollinators and extinction risk. We found that larger trees with low wood density were negatively associated with small, eusocial tree cavity nesting bees. The richness and abundance of trees with high extinction risk was positively associated with the richness of medium‐sized solitary bees. The dominance in the community of pollinator‐dependent trees (average diameter in the basal area) was negatively associated with the richness of above‐ground and cavity nesting bees. Our findings suggest that the composition of the tree community limits the availability of nesting resources for specific groups of bees. Moreover, the presence of trees with higher extinction risk (conservation value) was associated with a greater variety of bee traits and was the only metric associated with overall bee richness. As expected, functional traits shed light on the mechanism that might drive high diversity within tropical forests. In addition, there appears to be complementarity in terms of conservation value and carbon stock potential, as areas that habour tree species with higher extinction risk and higher wood density are also those with overall greater bee and functional diversity. Finally, our study can contribute to the restoration of plant—pollinator community by providing an understanding of the vegetation community that contributes to biodiversity maintenance. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the nearly pristine hydrothermal vents of the deep sea, highly endemic animals depend upon bacteria nourished by hydrothermal fluids that emerge as outflows from the seafloor. These animals are remarkable in tolerating extreme conditions, including high heat, toxic reduced sulfide, and low oxygen. Here, we test whether the extreme vent environment has selected for functionally similar species across the world's deep ocean, despite well-established global geographic patterns of high phylogenetic distinctness. High functional redundancy in species pools within regions suggests that the extreme environments select for species with specific traits. Yet, some regions emerge as functional hotspots where species pools with distinct functional trait compositions may represent geological idiosyncrasies of the habitats. Moreover, many species are functionally unique, an outcome of low species richness in a system where the species pool is small at all scales. Given the high proportion of functionally unique species, simulated species extinctions indicate that species losses would rapidly translate to the elimination of functionally irreplaceable species and could tip vent systems to functional collapse. Ocean changes and human-induced threats are expected to significantly impact many vent species as human activities expand in the remote deep sea. The opportunity exists now to take precautionary actions to limit the rates of extinction now ubiquitous in more accessible areas of Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclonic storms, or hurricanes, are expected to intensify as ocean heat energy rises due to climate change. Ecological theory suggests that tropical forest resistance to hurricanes should increase with forest age and wood density. However, most data on hurricane effects on tropical forests come from a limited number of well‐studied long‐term monitoring sites, restricting our capacity to evaluate the resistance of tropical forests to hurricanes across broad environmental gradients. In this study, we assessed whether forest age and aridity mediate the effects of hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra islands. We leveraged functional trait data for 410 tree species, remotely sensed measurements of canopy height and cover, along with data on forest stand characteristics of 180 of 338 forest monitoring plots, each covering an area of 0.067 ha. The plots represent a broad mean annual precipitation (MAP) gradient from 701 to 4598 mm and a complex mosaic of forest age from 5 to around 85 years since deforestation. Hurricanes resulted in a 25% increase in basal area mortality rates, a 45% decrease in canopy height and a 21% reduction in canopy cover. These effects intensified with forest age, even after considering proximity to the hurricane path. The links between forest age and hurricane disturbances were likely due the prevalence of tall canopies. Tall forest canopies were strongly linked with low community‐weighted wood density (WD). These characteristics were on average more common in moist and wet forests (MAP >1250 mm). Conversely, dry forests were dominated by short species with high wood density (WD > 0.6 g cm−3) and did not show significant increases in basal area mortality rates after the hurricanes. Synthesis. Our findings show that selection towards drought‐tolerant traits across aridity gradients, such as short stature and dense wood, enhances resistance to hurricanes. However, forest age modulated responses to hurricanes, with older forests being less resistant across the islands. This evidence highlights the importance of considering the intricate links between ecological succession and plant function when forecasting tropical forests’ responses to increasingly strong hurricanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare plant and vertebrate species have been documented to contribute disproportionately to the total morphological structure of species assemblages. These species often possess morphologically extreme traits and occupy the boundaries of morphological space. As rare species are at greater risk of extinction than more widely distributed species, human‐induced disturbances can strongly affect ecosystem functions related to assemblage morphology. Here, we assess to what extent the distributions of ant morphological traits are supported by morphologically extreme species and how they are distributed among habitats in a global biodiversity hotspot, the Brazilian Amazon. We used a morphological database comprising 15 continuous morphological traits and 977 expert‐validated ant species distributed across the Brazilian Amazon. We produced species range estimates using species distribution models or alpha hulls (when few records were available). Next, we conducted a principal components analysis to combine traits into a space with reduced dimensionality (morphospace). Then, we identified morphologically extreme species in this space and quantified their contributions to morphological diversity across different habitat types in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. We identified 114 morphologically extreme ant species across the Amazon ant morphospace. These species also accounted for a large percentage of morphospace filling, exceeding 99% representation in the most disturbed habitats in the Amazon. Our results suggest that a few morphologically extreme species capture most of the variation in ant morphology and, therefore, the spectrum of ecosystem functions performed by ants in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. Further, unlike in many other groups, these extreme morphologies were represented by the set of most common species. These results suggest greater functional redundancy and resilience in Brazilian Amazon ants, but more broadly, they contribute to our understanding of ecological processes that sustain ecosystem functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases of the CYP79 family catalyze conversion of specific amino acids into oximes feeding into a variety of metabolic plant pathways. Here we present an extensive phylogenetic tree of the CYP79 family built on carefully curated sequences collected across the entire plant kingdom. Based on a monophyletic origin of the P450s, a set of evolutionarily distinct branches was identified. Founded on the functionally characterized CYP79 sequences, sequence features of the individual substrate recognition sites (SRSs) were analyzed. Co‐evolving amino acid residues were identified using co‐evolutionary sequence analysis. SRS4 possesses a specific sequence pattern when tyrosine is a substrate. Except for the CYP79Cs and CYP79Fs, substrate preferences toward specific amino acids could not be assigned to specific subfamilies. The highly diversified CYP79 tree, reflecting recurrent independent evolution of CYP79s, may relate to the different roles of oximes in different plant species. The sequence differences across individual CYP79 subfamilies may facilitate the in vivo orchestration of channeled metabolic pathways based on altered surface charge domains of the CYP79 protein. Alternatively, they may serve to optimize dynamic interactions with oxime metabolizing enzymes to enable optimal ecological interactions. The outlined detailed curation of the CYP79 sequences used for building the phylogenetic tree made it appropriate to make a conservative phylogenetic tree‐based revision of the naming of the sequences within this highly complex cytochrome P450 family. The same approach may be used in other complex P450 subfamilies. The detailed phylogeny of the CYP79 family will enable further exploration of the evolution of function in these enzymes. Significance Statement: An extensive phylogenetic tree of the CYP79 family, built on 1531 carefully curated sequences, identified evolutionarily distinct branches reflecting the diversified uses of the oximes produced by CYP79 in plants and necessitated a conservative phylogenetic tree‐based revision of the naming of sequences within this highly complex cytochrome P450 family. The detailed phylogeny of the CYP79 family will guide further exploration of the evolutionary functions of these enzymes in plant resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Field experiments have demonstrated that wheat mixtures differ in their ability to regulate aphid populations. To further investigate the effectiveness of wheat mixtures (Triticum aestivum and Triticum turgidum) in controlling aphids, we conducted both laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Specifically, we assessed the associational resistance of two wheat mixtures (Florence‐Aurora with Forment, Florence‐Aurora with Montcada), and their respective monocultures, in different stages of the aphid host selection process. We analysed aphid acceptance rate, population growth, and load under different wheat treatments. Additionally, we characterised wheat aboveground biomass and nitrogen content as important functional traits for aphid resistant. Aphid acceptance decreased in plants of cv. Forment when exposed to volatiles from undamaged Florence‐Aurora plants, whereas the other tested combinations tested had no effect. Aphids performed differently in the two mixtures: Florence‐Aurora mixed with Forment significantly reduced aphid population growth and load compared to the monocultures, whereas the combination of Florence‐Aurora with Montcada wheat had no effect on aphid performance. The plant–plant interactions also modified the analysed traits. Nitrogen content of Florence‐Aurora wheat plants was reduced when mixed with Forment wheat, which may explain the lower aphid load observed in plants of cv. Florence‐Aurora when mixed with plants of cv. Forment. However, mixing wheats with similar aboveground biomass resulted in an increase in the average biomass of plants of both cultivars which could have led to a higher aphid population. The data supports the idea of right neighbour, as the benefits of wheat mixtures for aphid control were determined by the identity of the combined plants (or species). Finally, our results suggest that associating wheats with different traits may promote facilitative interactions, which in turn enhances associational resistance, whereas the combination of wheats with similar traits may result in competitive interactions that may hinder aphid control benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Heterogeneity of the Earth's abiotic surface and subsurface (geodiversity) is increasingly recognised as an important driver of biodiversity. Theoretically, species' traits should match to abiotic conditions in the local environment. Here, we test this for the first time at a continental extent by analysing the relationships between geodiversity and plant trait diversity in forested vegetation plots across Europe, at three plot sizes (100, 400 and 1000 m2). Location: Europe. Time Period: 1930–present. Major Taxa Studied: Plants. Methods: We analysed geodiversity–trait diversity relationships across Europe at 1 km resolution using 2637 forested vegetation plots from the sPlotOpen database. We computed geodiversity (topographic, landform, wetness and soil physical and chemical heterogeneity) variables, combined with climate and land use data to analyse the direct and indirect effects of geodiversity on plant trait diversity, using structural equation modelling. Results: Topographic heterogeneity, and annual temperature to a lesser degree, showed significant positive weak to moderately strong association with plant trait richness and evenness across all plot sizes. We also detected multiple highly significant but weak effects of geodiversity components on trait diversity dimensions. Some notable exceptions include moderate negative effects of soil silt heterogeneity on trait divergence across 1000 m2 plots and positive and weak negative effects of TWI and soil sand heterogeneity on trait evenness, respectively. Explained variance was low across models, but higher for models from 1000 m2 vegetation plots. Evidence for the indirect effects of geodiversity on trait diversity was extremely weak. Main Conclusions: Our findings suggest variable‐specific effects of geodiversity on trait diversity, with significant effects of multiple geodiversity components but dominated by topographic heterogeneity. Importantly, data precision is limited, and we are thus trying to detect signal amongst high noise. Hence, the significant but weak signals we detect may indicate more important underlying patterns than our effect sizes suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We map global patterns of taxonomic and functional change between past (pre‐human impacts) and present (after anthropogenic extinctions and introductions) in large oceanic island bird assemblages and investigate if these patterns can be explained by island characteristics and anthropogenic factors. Location: Sixty‐four oceanic islands (>100 km2). Time Period: Late Holocene. Major Taxa Studied: Terrestrial and freshwater bird species. Methods: We compiled information on extinct, extant native and introduced bird species for all islands and used a probabilistic hypervolume approach to build a multi‐dimensional trait space and calculate several functional diversity metrics before and after extinctions and introductions. We identified which islands are global hotspots of human‐induced transformation by mapping multiple facets of biotic change and investigated intrinsic island characteristics and anthropogenic factors as drivers for these observed patterns. Results: The Hawaiian and Mascarene islands stand out as hotspots of taxonomic and functional change, but all islands changed taxonomically and functionally, mostly gaining species but losing functional richness. Taxonomic and functional changes vary across islands but are often consistent within the same archipelago. Island isolation and surface can explain some of the observed variations, but anthropogenic factors, namely human occupation, also shaped both taxonomic and functional changes. Islands with higher human pressure, as well as larger islands with high elevation ranges, tended to have greater losses in functional richness. Main Conclusions: Most biodiversity change assessments are still largely based exclusively on taxonomic diversity, which is particularly worrying in the case of oceanic islands given that the magnitude of functional diversity change is often considerably larger. We call for comprehensive assessments of changes in both taxonomic and functional diversity across oceanic islands in order to better understand the drivers of these changes and, in turn, predict future trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant diversity of riparian zones has significantly deteriorated due to human disturbances, making their restoration a key focus in research. However, restoration efforts often fail due to the lack of available propagules. Hydrochory, i.e., plants dispersed via water, which plays a critical role in transporting propagules downstream and is pivotal for riparian habitat recovery. Although hydrochory is closely related to the establishment and restoration of downstream riparian vegetation, most previous studies have concentrated mainly on the species richness and the number of propagules dispersed by water, but have overlooked the functional diversity. We explored the temporal variations in functional traits composition and functional diversity of hydrochorous propagules in three upland rivers within the upper Yangtze River catchment, situated in a humid subtropical monsoon climate. We find that during the high flows of summer, these rivers transport more species and exhibit higher functional diversity. This underscores the critical role of high summer flows for breaking the dispersal bottleneck of species with limited dispersal ability, and emphasizes the importance of hydrochory during the flood season for the recovery of riparian vegetation and maintaining high river flows is a critical strategy for restoration in the era of global flow regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore psychological safety as a potential moderating mechanism for the relation between functional diversity and individual perceptions of learning, and functional diversity and team performance in self-assembled teams. Design/methodology/approach: To test these relationships, the authors conducted a cross-level, time-lagged, quasi-experiment, using a sample of 143 self-assembled teams. In one condition, participants formed into functionally diverse teams, and in another condition, participants formed functionally homogeneous teams. Findings: Results suggest that functional diversity and psychological safety have an interactive effect on both individual learning and self-assembled team performance, albeit in different directions. Specifically, low psychological safety was more deleterious for individuals on functionally diverse teams than functionally homogeneous teams when it came to perceptions of learning, but the opposite was true when it came to team performance. Originality/value: The results of this study indicate that it is critical to train team members on developing psychological safety, both in traditional and functionally diverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic species assemblages are groups of species that co-occur on the seafloor. Linking assemblages to physical environmental features allows for understanding and predicting their spatial distribution. Species identity and abundance are commonly quantified using a taxonomic approach to assess benthic diversity, yet functional traits that describe the behavior, life history, and morphology of a species may be equally or more important. Here, we investigate the biodiversity of five benthic species assemblages in relation to their habitat and environmental conditions in an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) along Canada's east coast, using both a taxonomic approach and biological traits analysis. Random Forest regression was applied to map spatial patterns of functional and taxonomic diversity metrics, including richness, Shannon index, and Rao's quadratic entropy. We evaluate discrepancies between related taxonomic and trait measures, and the community-weighted mean of trait data was calculated to characterize each assemblage. Taxonomic and functional richness - representing the number of species and the species community volume in the trait space, respectively - showed similar spatial patterns. However, when considering diversity, which also accounts for the relative abundance and differences among species or traits, these patterns diverged. Taxonomically different assemblages exhibited similar trait compositions for two assemblages, indicating potential trait equivalencies, while one assemblage exhibited traits potentially indicating sensitivity to human activity. The taxonomic and functional metrics of richness and diversity were low close to the coast, which could be indicative of disturbance. Consideration of functional metrics can support spatial planning and prioritization for management and conservation efforts by assessing the sensitivity of traits to different stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life is not a beach for those animals that survive in the rough ecological conditions found in marine sandy beaches – and yet, microscopic animals thrive on them. We explore the drivers for meiofaunal diversity in beaches by analysing taxonomic and functional patterns of 348 flatworm communities across 116 reflective beaches in the western Mediterranean, totalling 152 species (61.2% new to science). First, we confirm that species richness does not differ between beach hydrodynamic levels (swash, shoaling and surf) but rather depends on the characteristics of each beach. Second, we demonstrate that species composition across those levels depends on the species traits, in addition to geographical and abiotic factors. Third, we highlight that the species functional space has a lower richness than expected and a lower redundancy in the wave‐exposed swash level compared to the shoaling and subtidal levels, suggesting a trait‐based ecological filtering. Finally, we show that those differences depend on the higher frequency of hydrodynamics‐related traits in the species of the swash level. Our results suggest that the rough hydrodynamic conditions in the swash level favour a unique combination of species traits, which might be linked to ecological speciation in flatworms but also in other interstitial animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Densely populated coastal zones are significantly impacted by anthropogenic pressures, particularly urbanized semi‐enclosed bays with long residence times of waters and nutrients. Eutrophication is a primary issue resulting from human settlement in coastal zone, as it drastically modifies the structure of biological communities, particularly the phytoplankton. The aim of this study is to assess whether eutrophication functions as an environmental filter on the phytoplankton community along an 80 km gradient of eutrophication in two contrasting bays, Sepetiba and Ilha Grande. By categorizing phytoplankton species based on characteristic traits and comparing them with in situ environmental data, we assess the distribution of phytoplankton functional groups. Sampling was conducted in November 2021 and April 2022 from the semienclosed, mesohaline, and shallow Sepetiba Bay to the more open and marine oligotrophic Ilha Grande Bay. During the two sampling campaigns, functional groups including strict autotrophs (diatoms and filamentous cyanobacteria) and both constitutive and non‐constitutive mixotrophs (dinoflagellates) were represented by different abundance of species along this gradient. Classical diversity indices and Beta‐Turnover analyses indicate significant community differences between the bays, with species replacement driving differentiation rather than species loss between the sampled points. However, with increased eutrophication in Sepetiba Bay, a decrease in the dispersion of functional traits was observed, suggesting that eutrophication acts as an environmental filter promoting trait convergence and the selection of specialist organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity loss caused by biological invasions is an ecological problem on a global scale, and understanding the mechanism of biological invasion is the basis for managing non‐native species. The biotic resistance hypothesis proposes that species‐rich native communities are less susceptible to invasion because of the limited resources available to non‐native species, therefore comparing the resource utilization patterns of different communities can reveal the invasion mechanisms of specific non‐native species at the community level. We selected Lake Taihu, where icefish (Neosalanx taihuensis Chen) originated, and Lake Fuxian, where icefish invaded, as the research objects. We calculated the fish functional diversity indexes, including functional richness (FRic), functional evenness (FEve), and functional divergence (FDiv), to reflect differences in ecological niche and resource utilization based on four quarterly fish survey data from two lakes. The random forests model explored the relationship between functional diversity indexes and biotic and environmental variables. Our results showed that more diverse resource utilization (high FRic), more niche space (low FEve), and less competitive pressure (high FDiv) in Lake Fuxian were identified as the critical important factors for maintaining the current equilibrium state after successful invasion of icefish. The bottom‐up effects mainly affected the functional diversity indexes in Lake Fuxian. They differed from those in Lake Taihu and were primarily influenced by top‐down effects. Enhancing the top‐down effects in Lake Fuxian and limiting the zooplankton available to icefish are critical to controlling the invasion of icefish. This study offers a new perspective for studying the non‐native fish invasion mechanism, and provides scientific guidance for managing non‐native fish in Lake Fuxian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Relationships between crop genetic and functional diversity are key to addressing contemporary agricultural challenges. Yet, there are few approaches for quantifying the relationship between genetic diversity and crop functional trait expression. Here, we introduce 'functional space accumulation curves' to analyze how trait space increases with the number of crop genotypes within a species.We explore the potential for functional space accumulating curves to quantify genotype–trait space relationships in four common annual crop species: barley (Hordeum vulgare), rice (Oryza sativa), soybean (Glycine max), and durum wheat (Triticum durum). We also employ these curves to describe genotype–trait space relationships in the wild annual Arabidopsis thaliana, which has not been subjected to artificial selection.All five species exhibited asymptotic functional space accumulation curves, suggesting a limit to intraspecific functional crop diversity, likely due to: dominant phenotypes represented by several genotypes; or functional redundancy that might exist among genotypes. Our findings indicate that there is a diminishing return of functional diversity with increasing number of genotypes.Our analysis demonstrates the efficacy of functional space accumulation curves in quantifying trait space occupancy of crops, with implications for managing crop diversity in agroecosystems, and genetic diversity in crop breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the driving mechanisms of diversity across multiple dimensions is a fundamental task in biodiversity conservation. Here, we examined the alpha and beta diversity of macroinvertebrates in the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions in mountain streams of northwestern Hubei Province, China. We also assessed how much local environmental, land use, climatic, and spatial variables affected these diversities. We found that (1) there were generally weak or no correlations of alpha and beta diversity between taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions; (2) compared to both functional and phylogenetic beta diversity, which was mainly determined by nestedness, taxonomic beta diversity was mostly molded by turnover and was much higher; and (3) local environmental variables predominantly influenced taxonomic and functional dimensions of alpha and beta diversity, while spatial factors primarily drove phylogenetic dimension. These results suggest that regulating local habitats is crucial for lotic biodiversity conservation efforts, though spatial processes cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, our findings verify the supplemental role of functional and phylogenetic data in enriching insights provided by taxonomic data alone. This underscores the importance of a multidimensional approach for a more nuanced understanding of community assembly mechanisms, which is crucial for efficient ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive agricultural land use negatively impacts biodiversity, including arthropod predator diversity and their pest control potential. Alley‐cropping agroforestry systems (integration of tree rows into arable land) are increasingly considered an economically viable alternative for more sustainable and biodiversity‐friendly agriculture. However, their effectiveness in promoting generalist predator diversity and pest control, especially as a function of space (distance from tree rows) and time (across the growing season) remains poorly understood. We assessed how spider abundance, taxonomic and functional diversity (as proxies of pest control potential) respond to temperate alley‐cropping agroforestry systems as compared to open croplands. Additionally, we analysed whether spiders with different habitat preferences (eurytopic, forest and open‐habitat specialists) show distinct responses. Lastly, we analysed whether the influence of agroforestry changes with decreasing tree proximity and across the growing season. Tree row proximity generally benefited the abundance, as well as taxonomic and functional diversity of the overall spider communities. Alley‐cropping promoted the abundance and taxonomic diversity of forest specialists and eurytopic spiders, without negatively affecting open‐habitat specialists. The positive effect of alley cropping was strongest within tree rows and their immediate vicinity, but was still detectable at considerably farther distances. These patterns were temporally dynamic with spider abundance and taxonomic diversity being highest within tree rows in early spring and spiders spilling over to adjacent crop rows in subsequent periods. Synthesis and applications: Overall, our findings highlight that the inclusion of tree rows benefited spiders across the entirety of the 48 m crop rows, independent of crop type. Since the peak in spider abundance and taxonomic diversity in crop rows coincided with crop pest arrival, alley‐cropping agroforestry is expected to benefit agricultural production through increased pest control potential. Alley‐cropping agroforestry may therefore be an important management strategy to develop more sustainable agricultural systems benefiting farmers and biodiversity alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding the mechanisms promoting resilience in plant communities is crucial in times of increasing disturbance and global environmental change. Here, we present the first meta‐analysis evaluating the relationship between functional diversity and resilience of plant communities. Specifically, we tested whether the resilience of plant communities is positively correlated with interspecific trait variation (following the niche complementarity hypothesis) and the dominance of acquisitive and small‐size species (following the mass ratio hypothesis), and for the context‐dependent effects of ecological and methodological differences across studies. Location: Global. Time Period: 2004–2021. Major Taxa Studied: Vascular plants. Methods: We compiled a dataset of 69 independent sites from 26 studies that have quantified resilience. For each site, we calculated functional diversity indices based on the floristic composition and functional traits of the plant community (obtained from the TRY database) which we correlated with resilience of biomass and floristic composition. After transforming correlation coefficients to Fisher's Z‐scores, we conducted a hierarchical meta‐analysis, using a multilevel random‐effects model that accounted for the non‐independence of multiple effect sizes and the effects of ecological and methodological moderators. Results: In general, we found no positive functional diversity–resilience relationships of grand mean effect sizes. In contrast to our expectations, we encountered a negative relationship between resilience and trait variety, especially in woody ecosystems, whereas there was a positive relationship between resilience and the dominance of acquisitive species in herbaceous ecosystems. Finally, the functional diversity–resilience relationships were strongly affected by both ecological (biome and disturbance properties) and methodological (temporal scale, study design and resilience metric) characteristics. Main Conclusions: We rejected our hypothesis of a general positive functional diversity–resilience relationship. In addition to strong context dependency, we propose that idiosyncratic effects of single resident species present in the communities before the disturbances and biological legacies could play major roles in the resilience of terrestrial plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between global trait distinctiveness and geographic range size is an emerging pattern of interest in macroecology. Early observations suggested that the relationship was positive, implying that globally widespread species hold the rarest combinations of traits. Here, we formally describe and test the relationship in the world's birds and consider its implications for global functional diversity and redundancy. We demonstrate that the relationship is best described as triangular with a positive upper boundary, with its linear model significance lost when including phylogenetic effects. The triangular relationship is formed by groups of phylogenetically related widespread species with moderate and high trait distinctiveness. Decomposing the relationship further using quantile regression highlights the unique traits of these widespread birds. Overall, the triangular relationship emphasises that while not all widespread species have rare trait combinations, those that do should not be overlooked in conservation efforts, regardless of their current threat status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assemblages in seasonal ecosystems undergo striking changes in species composition and diversity across the annual cycle. Despite a long‐standing recognition that seasonality structures biogeographic gradients in taxonomic diversity (e.g., species richness), our understanding of how seasonality structures other aspects of biodiversity (e.g., functional diversity) has lagged. Integrating seasonal species distributions with comprehensive data on key morphological traits for bird assemblages across North America, we find that seasonal turnover in functional diversity increases with the magnitude and predictability of seasonality. Furthermore, seasonal increases in bird species richness led to a denser packing of functional trait space, but functional expansion was important, especially in regions with higher seasonality. Our results suggest that the magnitude and predictability of seasonality and total productivity can explain the geography of changes in functional diversity with broader implications for understanding species redistribution, community assembly and ecosystem functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environment shapes the spatial distribution of species, but species also comprise suites of traits which may indicate their adaptability to a specific environment. This forms the basis of trait biogeography studies. We thus examined how a species distribution is not only influenced by its environment and traits, but by interactions among its traits. Trait information was collected for 150 intertidal macroinvertebrates along a 3000 km environmental and biogeographic gradient on the South African coast. This information was analysed, as functional entities (FEs) were species performing similar functions that have the same trait values and were further condensed into two trait domains (Reproduction and Lifestyle). We then defined Life History Strategies (LHS) as specific combinations of Lifestyle and Reproduction FEs. Seven combinations of Lifestyle and Reproduction formed LHS that dominated total biomass. Some of these LHS were ubiquitous, while others showed geographic patterns across our west‐east environmental gradient. For Lifestyle, filter‐feeders exhibited high abundances on the East (subtropical, oligotrophic) and West (cool‐temperate, eutrophic) extremes of the biogeographic gradient, but differed between the two in size at reproductive maturity and larval development type. This similarity in functionality of feeding mechanism and mobility with different reproductive strategies suggests a trait trade–off (investment in one trait reduces resources for others) between the Reproduction and Lifestyle domains. Within the Reproduction domain, gonochoristic, annual planktotrophic reproduction was common across bioregions, reflecting spin‐offs (investment in one trait facilitates another trait) among these traits. Gonochoristic investment in less frequent episodic reproduction is another trade‐off, with investment in large size and delayed maturation being a trade–off for many reproductive cycles. Overall, although our data supports the habitat templet model (i.e., the importance of environmental drivers), it further indicates that species distribution patterns observed along the South African coast reflect strong trait interactions and biomass patterns related to their LHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gate‐controlled activities in lakes can directly or indirectly influence the assembly of waterbird communities. Shengjin Lake, a Ramsar site, is a typical river‐connected and gate‐controlled shallow lake in the lower and middle Yangtze River floodplain in China, comprising three sub‐lakes (upper, middle, and lower) based on topographical features. We surveyed wintering waterbirds at Shengjin Lake from October 2022 to March 2023. We divided the winter water level period into nine phases based on the characteristics of water level changes. By measuring functional diversity, we aimed to provide insights into the differences in waterbird communities among the three sub‐lakes under different water level conditions. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between habitat factors and functional diversity. We further explored the relationship between specific functional traits and habitat factors through a combination of the R‐mode linked to the Q‐mode and the trait‐environment correlation matrix (fourth‐corner analyses) to explain the mechanism underlying waterbird community assembly. When the water level fluctuated in the range of 10.43–10.74 m (Huanghai elevation), the three sub‐lakes had significant habitat differences and high habitat heterogeneity, increasing functional richness and functional dispersion of the upper and lower lakes, both of which significantly differed from those of the middle lake. Habitat heterogeneity and mudflat habitats have positive effects on functional diversity. The difference in functional diversity was primarily determined based on the foraging traits and strata of waterbirds. Habitat filtering of particular traits is a major driving force underlying the assembly of waterbird communities. Overall, we suggest that the minimum water level in the wintering period at Shengjin Lake should be regulated between 10.43 and 10.74 m. These findings provide reasonable suggestions for water level regulation and a theoretical basis for conserving waterbird diversity at Shengjin Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of multiple facets of biodiversity (e.g., phylogenetic and functional) can help to understand how evolutionary and ecological mechanisms shape the assembly of biological communities.Here, we employed multiple regressions and variance partitions to investigate the effects of environmental conditions, connectivity and space on aspects of the functional and phylogenetic facets of fish fauna in tropical headwater streams of the Xingu River basin, in Eastern Amazonia.We found that the functional and phylogenetic diversities of fish communities are related to local environmental conditions and stream connectivity in the drainage network, with marked differences occurring between the rainy and dry periods. Furthermore, we discovered that functional uniqueness was influenced mainly by environmental factors, whereas phylogenetic uniqueness had a more complex relationship with the influence of local environmental factors and connectivity.Our findings indicate that the fish assemblages of small headwater streams of the Xingu River basin share a close phylogenetic history. This is probably because of the climatic and environmental stability experienced by Amazonian ichthyofauna over evolutionary time.Our findings emphasise the role of niche‐based processes in shaping the unique functional composition of fish assemblages in headwater streams, and highlight the importance of environmental heterogeneity in maintaining the ecological integrity of these freshwater ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing forests to sustain their diversity and functioning is a major challenge in a changing world. Despite the key role of understory vegetation in driving forest biodiversity, regeneration and functioning, few studies address the functional dimensions of understory vegetation response to silvicultural management.We assessed the influence of the silvicultural regimes on the functional diversity and redundancy of European forest understory. We gathered vascular plant abundance data from more than 2000 plots in European forests, each associated with one out of the five most widespread silvicultural regimes. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the effect of different silvicultural regimes on understory functional diversity (Rao's quadratic entropy) and functional redundancy, while accounting for climate and soil conditions, and explored the reciprocal relationship between three diversity components (functional diversity, redundancy and dominance) across silvicultural regimes through a ternary diversity diagram.Intensive silvicultural regimes are associated with a decrease in functional diversity and an increase in functional redundancy, compared with unmanaged conditions. This means that although intensive management may buffer communities' functions against species or functional losses, it also limits the range of understory response to environmental changes.Policy implications. Different silvicultural regimes influence different facets of understory functional features. While unmanaged forests can be used as a reference to design silvicultural practices in compliance with biodiversity conservation targets, different silvicultural options should be balanced at landscape scale to sustain the multiple forest functions that human societies are increasingly demanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global change is affecting the distribution and population dynamics of plant species across the planet, leading to trends such as shifts in distribution toward the poles and to higher elevations. Yet, we poorly understand why individual species respond differently to warming and other environmental changes, or how the trait composition of communities responds. Here we ask two questions regarding plant species and community changes over 42 years of global change in a temperate montane forest in Québec, Canada: (1) How did the trait composition, alpha diversity, and beta diversity of understory vascular plant communities change between 1970 and 2010, a period over which the region experienced 1.5°C of warming and changes in nitrogen deposition? (2) Can traits predict shifts in species elevation and abundance over this time period? For 46 understory vascular species, we locally measured six aboveground traits, and for 36 of those (not including shrubs), we also measured five belowground traits. Collectively, they capture leading dimensions of phenotypic variation that are associated with climatic and resource niches. At the community level, the trait composition of high‐elevation plots shifted, primarily for two root traits: specific root length decreased and rooting depth increased. The mean trait values of high‐elevation plots shifted over time toward values initially associated with low‐elevation plots. These changes led to trait homogenization across elevations. The community‐level shifts in traits mirrored the taxonomic shifts reported elsewhere for this site. At the species level, two of the three traits predicting changes in species elevation and abundance were belowground traits (low mycorrhizal fraction and shallow rooting). These findings highlight the importance of root traits, which, along with leaf mass fraction, were associated with shifts in distribution and abundance over four decades. Community‐level trait changes were largely similar across the elevational and temporal gradients. In contrast, traits typically associated with lower elevations at the community level did not predict differences among species in their shift in abundance or distribution, indicating a decoupling between species‐ and community‐level responses. Overall, changes were consistent with some influence of both climate warming and increased nitrogen availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is strong evidence that landscape‐scale factors such as habitat diversity, composition and configuration are important drivers of declines in pollinators and pollination services. However, context and species‐specific responses make it challenging to draw general conclusions about the most important components of landscapes that support diverse and abundant pollinator communities. In this study, we took a functional‐traits approach to community assembly and tested the hypothesis that landscape properties act most strongly on pollinators indirectly, through their influence on flowering plant communities. Using plant and pollinator data from 96 landscapes in Britain, we tested the associations between plant and pollinator communities and local environmental factors, such as habitat cover and configuration, using path analysis based on Mantel and partial Mantel statistics. When all pollinators were considered, we found that the environmental factors had stronger links to the composition of flowering plant communities than to the composition of pollinator communities. Further, the flowering plant community was strongly linked to the pollinator community suggesting a mediating role between land use and pollinators. When separating the pollinator community into taxonomic groups, we found the same result for hoverflies, but wild bees were linked to both environmental factors and flowering plants. We further explored these links with structural equation models using the response‐effect trait framework as a guiding principle. We found strong evidence that land‐use composition and configuration influence the trait distribution and functional diversity of the pollinator community via plant community composition. These findings suggest that the indirect effect of land use on pollinators via flowering plants should be considered in informing the design of pollinator friendly landscapes and in future research of the effects of land use and management on wild pollinators. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested whether one of the consequences predicted for alien plant invasion by the mutualism disruption hypothesis was true in the case of the ash-leaved maple Acer negundo L. The study aimed to determine whether the occurrences of mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal herbs varied similarly or differently in communities with varying degrees of A. negundo dominance. The analysis included the results of 78 vegetation descriptions carried out in Belarusian Polesia, the Middle Volga region, and the Middle Urals. Communities with or without A. negundo dominance were described in each region. The mycorrhizal status of plant species was determined using the FungalRoot Database. Species that are more likely to form arbuscular mycorrhiza were found to occur less frequently in A. negundo thickets. On the contrary, a higher probability of the nonmycorrhizal status was associated with a lower frequency of detection in A. negundo thickets. Therefore, the occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal herbs was found to selectively decrease in communities dominated by A. negundo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A meandering riverbank plays a vital role in maintaining natural river ecosystems, providing habitats for riparian vegetation. However, dams have significantly altered riverbank shapes. To restore the riparian ecosystems, it is imperative to understand how different riverbank curvatures influence them. This study aims to uncover the ecological impacts of riverbank curvature on the structure and assembly process of plant communities in the riparian zone of the Yangtze River, regulated by the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in China. We categorized the riparian zones into four types: cove, lobe, wavy and linear shapes. We documented the composition and diversity of riparian plant communities. Our findings revealed that wavy and cove riverbanks exhibited greater species diversity (with Shannon–Wiener diversity index values 1.5× higher) compared to communities along linear riverbanks. Furthermore, the analysis of functional traits indicated that wavy riverbanks promoted the differentiation of plant functional traits, thus enhancing ecosystem functions, with functional dispersion index (FDis) values 1.3 times higher than those of linear riverbanks. Significant variations in the assembly of riparian communities were also observed among different riverbanks, with standardized effect size (SES) values indicating a higher degree of niche differentiation in cove riverbanks (SES = 0.4) compared to linear riverbanks (SES = –0.6). These results highlight the ecological importance of diverse riverbank curvatures in influencing the diversity, structure and assembly of riparian communities along the waterway. In summary, this study underscores the necessity of maintaining or restoring various natural morphological curvatures when rehabilitating riparian communities along rivers impacted by human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional traits play a vital role in mediating the responses of ecosystem services to environmental changes and in predicting the functioning of the ecosystem. However, the connection between functional traits and ecosystem services has become increasingly intricate due to climate change and human activities for degraded ecosystems. To investigate this relationship, we selected 27 sampling sites in the Yanhe River Basin of the Chinese Loess Plateau, each containing two types of vegetation ecosystems: natural vegetation and artificial vegetation ecosystems. At each sampling site, we measured ecosystem services and calculated the composition index of community traits. We established a response–effect trait framework that included environmental factors such as climate, elevation and human activities. Our results showed that leaf tissue density (LTD) was the overlapping response and effect trait when responding to climate change. LTD is positively correlated with mean annual temperature and negatively correlated with supporting services. Under the influence of human activities, leaf nitrogen content and leaf dry matter content were carriers of environmental change. Comparing the two vegetation ecosystems, the relationship between functional traits and ecosystem services showed divergent patterns, indicating that human activities increased the uncertainty of the relationship between functional traits and ecosystem services. Trait-based ecology holds promise for enhancing predictions of ecosystem services responses to environmental changes. However, the predictive ability is influenced by the complexity of environmental changes. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of understanding the complex connection between functional traits and ecosystem services in response to climate changes and human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function has always been one of the hot issues in the field of ecology. With the acceleration of global warming, the precipitation pattern has become one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, which has a profound impact on ecosystem functional services and stability. However, the studies on the effects and mechanisms of plant community diversity and ecosystem productivity under precipitation changes in desert steppe are still unclear. According to the change rate (−41.1% to 39.2%) of precipitation in the study area in recent 50 years, five precipitation gradients (i.e., −40%, −20%, CK, +20% and +40%) were set to simulate the possible future precipitation pattern changes. Aboveground biomass increased with the increase of precipitation. Compared with CK, the aboveground biomass increased by 22.81% with +40% and decreased by 80.71% with −40%, and the negative impact of precipitation decrease on aboveground biomass was more significant. Through multiple stepwise regression analyses, species diversity, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity were identified as the best models of aboveground biomass. The results showed that the aboveground biomass changes could be explained by 51.3%, 81.6%, 32.6% and 60% respectively. Combined with plant community diversity, the final index model was obtained through multiple stepwise regression analyses, which could explain 88.3% of changes in aboveground biomass. In this model, The average coefficient of specific leaf area and leaf thickness had a very high significance level, and these two functional traits of dominant species had a greater explanatory power for ecosystem system function. There was a nonlinear correlation between precipitation and aboveground biomass, and drought had a more significant negative effect on aboveground biomass. Compared with species diversity and phylogenetic diversity, plant functional traits can better explain ecosystem productivity. Selection effects are the main maintenance mechanism of desert steppe community productivity under the background of precipitation change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate and land-use changes are predicted to impact biodiversity, threatening ecosystem services and functions. However, their combined effects on the functional diversity of mammals at the regional scale remain unclear, especially at the beta level. Here, we use projected climate and land-use changes in China to investigate their potential effects on the alpha and beta functional diversities of terrestrial mammals under low- and high-emission scenarios. In the current projection, we showed strong positive spatial correlations between functional richness and species richness. Functional evenness (FEve), functional specialization (FSpe), and functional originality (FOri) decreased with species richness, and functional divergence (FDiv) increased first and then plateaued. Functional beta diversity was dominated by its nestedness component, in contrast to the taxonomic facet. Potential changes in species richness are more strongly influenced by land-use change under the low-emission scenario, while under the high-emission scenario, they are more strongly influenced by climate change. Changes in functional richness (FRic) were inconsistent with those in species richness, with a magnitude of decreases greater than predicted from species richness. Moreover, mammal assemblages showed potential functional differentiation (FD) across the country, and the trends exceeded those towards taxonomic differentiation (TD). Our findings help us understand the processes underlying biodiversity responses to global changes on multiple facets and provide new insight for conservation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of urban areas has led to land-use changes that affect aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem processes through several ways, such as increased runoff, water pollution, habitat homogenization, and disturbance of the natural flow. It is well known that urbanization induces profound changes in freshwater macroinvertebrate communities, but relatively few studies have approached this topic using trait-based methods. This severely limits our ability to monitor and predict potential alterations of ecosystem processes. We here provide empirical evidence about the effects of urbanization-related changes on the trait composition and functional diversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates from Patagonia (Argentina). Macroinvertebrate sampling and environmental characterization were carried out in 13 study sites distributed across three water courses in the Futaleufú river basin. We found changes in environmental conditions over the urban impact gradient, in turn accompanied by variation in functional diversity and trait composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Specifically, we detected lower functional diversity in urban and post-urban reaches, mainly attributed to shifts in the distribution of taxa within the functional space, rather to the extirpation of functionally distinct taxa located at the edges of it (i.e., functional evenness and dispersion decreased, but functional richness remained constant). We also found signs of functional homogenization at the most impaired sites, where gatherers and tegument-breathing taxa dominated. These changes were mainly explained by conductivity, biological oxygen demand, and oxygen levels in the water column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaweeds are the most phylogenetically diverse group of multicellular organisms and rank foremost among marine keystone species. Due to their taxonomic diversity and functional importance, previous studies have classified seaweeds into functional groups based on qualitative or semi-quantitative traits, such as seaweed form, anatomy, and thickness. Despite the widespread use of seaweed functional groups from basic marine ecology to coastal monitoring, it is not known how accurate such morphology-based proposals are in grouping seaweeds by their form. To address this uncertainty at the foundations of seaweed biology, we surveyed and gathered all available data on seaweed forms using PRISMA protocols. We used the surface area to volume ratio (SA:V), a quantitative and universal measure of seaweed form, to assess the distribution and diversity of seaweed morphology across 99 species from three phyla. We show that seaweed surface area to volume ratio values span 3.64 orders of magnitude and follow a continuous and exponential distribution, without any significant gaps or clusters. We also tested current functional group schemes based on morphology and anatomy and showed that only 30% to 38% of their groups showed any significant pairwise differences in morphology. Our results challenge the basis of the current functional group approach in seaweed biology and suggest that a trait-based framework based on quantitative and continuous measures of seaweed form could provide a simpler and more accurate alternative to functionally assess seaweed ecology and physiology, as well as its implications for coastal ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat alteration is recognized as one of the most important drivers of biodiversity decline. Urbanization implies a major habitat alteration and its impact on biodiversity depends on type and degrees of habitat modifications. Growing cities generate great heterogeneity with respect to the uses of space that enable the preservation of a certain diversity of amphibians within the urban frame. Our objective is to understand how environments with different levels of urbanization influence local amphibian diversity. We grouped various urban green spaces of a medium-sized and growing city of Argentina in relation to natural and anthropic environmental variables which allows us to describe an urban environmental gradient and we calculate beta diversity among these groups of urban environments considering the richness, composition and abundance of amphibian at each sites' group. From this, we analyze and tested the differences in the functional diversity of amphibians in the defined urban environmental gradient. We hypothesize that: (i) the described spatial heterogeneity would be related to an elevated beta diversity of amphibians within the urban frame; and (ii) the analysis of functional diversity would reveal a stronger biotic or abiotic filtering of the focal community. We found that groups of urban environments with an intermediate degree of urbanization can present a greater functional diversity and species richness than those that are less urbanized. We identified urban avoiders (T. typhonius, P. santafecinus and P. biligonigerus) and urban tolerant species (E. bicolor, R. arenarum, R. dorbignyi, L. macrosternum, L. latinasus, P. albonotatus, D. nanus and S. nasicus). The replacement beta diversity recorded indicated that the species assemblage changes throughout urban environmental gradient, but functionally similar species thrive in the less to the most urbanized sites, allowing them to occupy the entire functional space of the groups of urban environments with different types and degrees of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity is a multidimensional concept spanning the diversity of organismal form and function (functional diversity) together with taxonomic and genetic diversity. In the case of plants, botanical gardens have historically strived to preserve taxonomic diversity with a global scope. However, their success in preserving global functional diversity lacks testing. Given that living collections in botanical gardens span major global vegetation types and evolutionary histories, it is reasonable to expect that a species assemblage in a botanical garden is a representative random sample of global vegetation. In such a case, botanical gardens should contain global functional diversity. Testing for this could elect botanical gardens as laboratories for studying global plant functional diversity, providing a much‐needed alternative in the way we study global patterns of this diversity facet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mountain ecosystems are critical hotspots of global biodiversity, yet the dynamics of community assembly along their elevational gradients are not well understood. This gap is primarily due to the complexity of environmental and biotic interactions that influence species distribution and community structure. Although extensive research has been conducted on certain taxa, such as small mammals and bats, comprehensive studies encompassing entire mammal assemblages are lacking. Our research aims to bridge this gap by examining the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity, as well as the assemblage structures of mammal communities across elevational gradients in the Central and East Himalayas, exploring how diverse ecological and evolutionary processes impact community assembly. Methods: We analyzed mammal elevational diversity patterns using species richness, functional diversity (FD), and phylogenetic diversity (PD). We compared the observed values of community structure, such as mean pairwise phylogenetic distance (MPD) and mean pairwise functional distance (MFD), with null-model corrected effect sizes to identify patterns and processes of community assembly. Using structural equation modeling and hierarchical partitioning, we investigated the relationships between climate, productivity, and various facets of diversity, describing the organization of each component across different elevations. Results: Taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity generally decreased with elevation but showed varied patterns such as mid-elevation peaks, low-elevation plateaus, or monotonic declines across different regions. Richness-controlled functional diversity increased towards mid-low elevations and decreased at higher elevations in both regions, whereas richness-controlled phylogenetic diversity lacked consistent patterns. Phylogenetic structures tended to cluster from mid to high elevations, indicating closer relationships than those observed in random communities, likely due to significant environmental turnover near tree lines. Functional structure showed greater clustering at high elevations and increased over-dispersion at lower elevations, suggesting that species are more functionally similar than expected at higher elevations and more diverse at lower elevations. Our results revealed that environmental factors, evolutionary histories, and trait-driven ecological processes collectively shape species richness along these gradients. Conclusions: Our results showed incongruent community structures across phylogenetic and functional diversity. Generally, functional traits are closely linked to environmental conditions, reducing the chance of observing traits that are misaligned with their surroundings. Species with similar ecological roles or distinct evolutionary lineages often show convergent adaptations to highland environments. Additionally, our findings emphasize that community assembly varies with the biogeography and diversification history of individual mountain ranges, complicating the development of a generalized theory. Using multiple measures is important for accurate community structure assessments and effective conservation planning, as variable elevational patterns exist across different diversity dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functioning of a tree is shaped by the neighbouring species through the interspecific interaction and local environments. The functional trait composition of the neighbourhood could provide mechanistic insights into the effects of neighbours on the resource strategies of focal trees.In this study, we deployed an automated high‐frequency measurement of the sap flow density (SFD) and the radial growth of 48 trees of 12 species at BEF‐China, a large‐scale forest biodiversity manipulation experiment, to investigate the consequences and underlying mechanisms of the functional trait composition of the neighbourhood on the sap flow and radial growth of focal trees.We found a positive relationship between SFD and growth, reflecting the important supportive role of sap flow in tree growth. High functional diversity (FD) of the neighbourhood depressed SFD but promoted growth when considering all species, and thus promoted water‐use efficiency. Acquisitiveness of neighbouring trees positively affected growth, suggesting interspecific facilitation. Furthermore, neighbourhood FD benefits evergreen focal trees by promoting growth. However, in deciduous focal trees, neighbourhood FD reduced SFD but had no significant effects on growth.Our findings suggest that considering the functional trait composition of neighbourhood communities will support effective afforestation and forest management. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity conservation in human‐inhabited landscapes is increasingly gaining attention due to the global decline of species. Understanding the impact of human activities on avian functional ecology is becoming increasingly important as habitats are transformed. We assessed the influence of habitat fragmentation on avian functional diversity (FD), focusing on metrics like functional richness (FRic), evenness (FEve) and divergence (FDiv). We calculated the FRic, FEve and FDiv across habitats using 'fundiversity' R package. We also calculated the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and estimated land‐use cover of the study area from Landsat 8 images. We observed higher FD in minimally disturbed habitats, where among the habitats, woodland had high FD while human settlement had low. This supports the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which suggests that moderate disturbance can increase species diversity. Our findings emphasise the pivotal role of fragmented habitats in shaping avian functional ecology, with environmental variables such as the EVI influencing diversity across habitats. Hence, we promote sustainable conservation connectivity, proper land management practices and conservation‐friendly agricultural practices for sustainable biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent anthropogenic activities have escalated human exploitation of riparian zones of river ecosystems, consequently diminishing aquatic biodiversity. This intensification of land use is also causing water quality degradation and changes in water environmental factors, evidenced by increased nutrient levels and adversely impacting the community structure and diversity of aquatic organisms. Notably, the Weihe River Basin, the largest tributary of the Yellow River, has demonstrated signs of significant anthropogenic pressure. Despite this, comprehensive investigations examining the effects of land-use intensity on aquatic organism diversity in this watershed remain limited. In this study, the environmental impacts and macroinvertebrate diversity under high-intensity and low-intensity land-use scenarios within the Weihe River Basin were investigated through field surveys conducted during the spring and autumn seasons. Our results demonstrated that areas under high-intensity land use exhibited elevated nutrient concentrations (e.g., total nitrogen) compared to those under low-intensity land use. These environmental changes significantly influenced the macroinvertebrate community structure, reducing functional and phylogenetic diversities in high-intensity land-use watersheds. Hydrological factors (water depth, river width, and discharge) have a significant impact on macroinvertebrate taxonomic diversity. Thus, understanding the effects of land-use intensity on aquatic biodiversity is essential for ecological assessments of impacted watersheds and developing management strategies for the sustainable use and planning of riparian lands in the Weihe River Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, mangrove wetlands globally have suffered from human activities and climate change, leading to issues like area reduction, degraded ecological functions and declining biodiversity. Restoration efforts, primarily through mangrove afforestation (i.e. mangrove plantation in mudflats), have been widespread, yet they often overlook the significance of unvegetated mudflats. In addition, under the condition that the total area of suitable mudflats is limited, the problem of what is the threshold of mangrove forests and unvegetated mudflats to better protect mangrove biodiversity has not been solved. Therefore, this study conducted a field survey of molluscs in mangrove wetlands in Hainan Island in China and explored the relative importance of mangroves and unvegetated mudflats through taxonomic alpha diversity and functional diversity. The results showed that (1) mollusc abundance of unvegetated mudflats was notably higher than this of mangrove forests, and the species richness, functional richness and functional vulnerability were significantly lower than those of mangrove forests; (2) the abundance and functional vulnerability of molluscs were mainly affected by sediment properties (pH, interstitial water salinity, median diameter, total nitrogen, C/N ratio), while the species richness and functional richness of molluscs were primarily influenced by vegetation structure (plant density); and (3) retaining at least 20% of the unvegetated mudflat area could well protect the biodiversity of mangrove wetlands. To our knowledge, our study is the first to propose the proportion of mangrove forests and unvegetated mudflats on the basis of benthic biodiversity, providing theoretical support and decision‐making reference for mangrove protection and restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical resurveys represent a unique opportunity to analyze vegetation dynamics over longer timescales than is typically achievable. Leveraging the oldest historical dataset of vegetation change in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, we address how environmental conditions, vegetation composition, and functional diversity in the calcareous grasslands of the Schachen region have changed across different elevational ranges over an 83‐year timeframe. We document changes in regional average temperature and precipitation. We use indicator values (IV) for species' ecological preferences and their palatability to grazers to infer local conditions (temperature, soil moisture/fertility, and grazing regime). We further estimate changes in temporal beta‐diversity and functional trait community composition between historical (1936) and contemporary (2019) surveys in two elevational (subalpine and alpine) belts. Both subalpine and alpine sites became drier; subalpine sites also became warmer with more palatable plants. Species occurrence and abundance in the Schachen region has not changed substantially over time despite changing macroclimate and local environmental conditions under anthropogenic change. Yet these grasslands have experienced several "invisible" changes in functional composition over the past 80 years. As the Schachen has become drier, species with traits related to drought tolerance and animal‐based dispersal have increased in dominance. Specifically, in alpine sites, community‐weighted means revealed that with low fecundity, higher potential for endo‐ and epizoochory (seed dispersal via animal gut and fur, respectively), higher foliar frost tolerance, and deeper dormancy increased in dominance. Similar trends were found for increasing dominance of low fecundity, epizoochorous species in subalpine sites. Vegetation data from resurveying historical plots in combination with changes in local conditions, classic biodiversity indices, and functional trait indices can provide more holistic insights into changes in the environment and potential impacts of those environmental changes on long‐term plant community and functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecologists strive to untangle the complex interplay of current and historical factors, along with evolutionary history of species, to understand communities' structure. However, this can be achieved by integrating different approaches to expanding our knowledge about the underlying processes connecting assemble rules of ecological communities. In order to better understand how ecological and/or evolutionary factors may affect the structure of communities, we assessed the phylogenetic and functional structure of 33 tadpole communities in the Atlantic Forest Southeastern Brazil and tested whether phylogenetic conservatism drives tadpole traits. We identified 19 communities which were significantly phylogenetic clustered and 10 which were significantly functional clustered. Trait diversity was skewed towards the root, indicating phylogenetic trait conservatism as an important driver of the structure of tadpole communities. The best explanatory model of the phylogenetic diversity included, in order of importance, presence of potential fish predators, water conductivity, external diversity of vegetation structure, canopy cover, internal diversity of vegetation structure and dissolved oxygen. Most variables were negatively correlated with phylogenetic diversity, but the presence of potential fish predators was positively correlated. For functional structure, external diversity of vegetation structure, canopy cover, area, dissolved oxygen and presence of potential fish predators were selected as the best explanatory model (presented in order of importance). Furthermore, of the 10 functionally structured communities, eight were also phylogenetically structured. In this sense, environmental variables could be filtering tadpole lineages interacting with phylogenetically conserved species traits, thus driving anura tadpole species' occurrence on communities. Our study provides evidence that anuran communities structure results from interacting ecological and evolutionary processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Island biological communities are considered to comprise non‐random assemblages from surrounding source pools, but whether they converge towards predictable structural properties remains unclear. Here, we (i) test whether insular communities of land snails converge towards similar functional and/or taxonomic properties and (ii) evaluate whether island functional diversity is determined by island biogeographical characteristics such as area and distance to the pool as well as human‐related variables. Location: Sixty‐six continental Aegean islands. Taxon: Land snails. Methods: We compiled a database of two morphological traits with functional significance (shell height and width) for 163 island species and 1529 species from the major species pools. We quantified inter‐specific morphological dissimilarity between pairs of islands (turnover), using a modified index of the mean nearest taxon distance. We tested for functional and taxonomic convergence using null models and assessing whether overall mean turnover among islands and pairwise island‐by‐island turnover were lower than expected by chance. We performed multiple regression analyses to test whether functional diversity metrics scale with island biogeographical characteristics and human‐related variables. Results: Our analyses provide strong evidence that communities of land snails across the Aegean islands converge towards non‐random functional properties and taxonomic structure. At the island level, a wide range of different shell shapes is observed, indicating greater functional richness than expected by chance. Regression analyses showed that island area is the only efficient predictor of functional diversity, indicating that available ecological/resource space is of central importance in driving the assembly of different shell shapes. Main Conclusions: Our findings, consistent with previous studies of other taxa from oceanic islands, highlight that island species communities are not randomly assembled and display convergence in their functional and taxonomic composition. Integrating functional diversity metrics within biogeographic analyses has the potential to further our understanding of island biodiversity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Location Methods Results Main Conclusions The assembly of real‐world ecological communities in human‐modified landscapes is influenced by a complex interplay of spatial, temporal, environmental and invasion gradients. However, understanding the relative importance of these drivers and their interactions in shaping functional assembly remains elusive. Our study aimed to investigate the relative influence of these drivers on the functional assembly of a stream fish metacommunity.Streams of the Lake Balaton catchment, Hungary.We analysed a long‐term (18‐year) dataset of the stream fish metacommunity, focusing on changes in functional diversity (Q), redundancy (R) and species dominance (D). Ternary diagrams were utilized to decompose functional diversity into Q, R and D components and to visualize diversity patterns. Linear mixed‐effect regression and separate structural equation models were employed to identify significant drivers of Q, R and D.Native fish communities exhibited low functional diversity (Q) but high redundancy (R) and dominance (D), indicating functional convergence and dominance. Stream habitat size, network position and associated spatial, physical and chemical gradients emerged as consistently significant drivers of D and R. Changes in Q were additionally linked to non‐native community properties and subtle shifts in land use and within‐stream habitat characteristics.Our findings suggest that both environmental filtering and interspecies interactions, particularly trait similarity between invaders and natives shape functional assembly of stream fish metacommunities. Despite minimal temporal directional changes, environmental drivers predominantly influence long‐term diversity patterns of native fish communities, overshadowing invasion effects. Our findings underscore the importance of considering both environmental filtering mechanisms and interspecies interactions in understanding functional assembly. Additionally, the joint application of diversity decomposition frameworks with predictive modelling provides comprehensive insight into patterns of functional diversity and assembly across ecological communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different measures of macroinvertebrate diversity (species diversity, functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity) and functional feeding groups (FFGs) are commonly used to assess the ecological status of large shallow lakes. In this study, biodiversity and FFGs in a large shallow lake, Lake Hongze, differed between littoral and pelagic habitats, with the spatial variability of littoral assemblages more correlated with nutrient concentrations, whilst pelagic assemblages were more associated with wave-induced disturbance (e.g., mean effective fetch). Species diversity was poorly correlated with measures of nutrient concentrations, whereas functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity, and functional feeding groups are promising indicators of nutrient concentrations. Lastly, our findings support the use of biodiversity and FFGs to disentangle the effects of nutrients and wave-induced disturbance on macroinvertebrate assemblages. Furthermore, monitoring both littoral and pelagic habitats in large shallow lakes is recommended to better understand and quantify ecosystem changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Modern sharks are a diverse and highly threatened group playing important roles in ecosystems. They have an abundant fossil record spanning at least 250 million years (Myr), consisting primarily of isolated teeth. Throughout their evolutionary history, sharks have faced multiple environmental changes and extinction events. Here, we aim to use dental characters to quantify how shark functional diversity has changed during the last 66 Myr. Location: Global. Time period: Cenozoic era (66–0 million years ago; Ma). Major taxa studied: Sharks (Selachii). Methods: We complied a dataset of over 9000 shark teeth belonging to 537 taxa from museum collections and scientific literature and measured six dental characters strongly linked with functional traits. We then quantified different functional diversity metrics across Cenozoic time bins, compared them against null expectations and identified the most important taxa contributing to maintaining functional diversity. Results: Sharks displayed relatively high functional diversity during the Cenozoic, with 66%–87% of the functional space being occupied for ~60 Myr (Palaeocene to Miocene). High levels of functional redundancy during this time resulted in larger‐than‐expected functional richness; but a large decline (−45%) in redundancy in the Oligocene (~30 Ma) left shark functional diversity highly vulnerable to further loss. Shark functional diversity declined from the late Miocene (~10 Ma) onwards, losing 44% of functional richness by the Recent. Extinct sharks disproportionally contributed to the Cenozoic functional diversity and spanned a wider range of functional space than extant sharks, with the loss of mid‐sized suction feeders and large‐bodied predators driving functional declines. Main conclusions: After maintaining high levels of functional diversity for most of the Cenozoic, sharks lost nearly half of their functional diversity in the last ~10 Myr. Current anthropogenic pressures are therefore likely eroding an already diminished shark functional diversity, leaving future communities ecologically deprived compared with their thriving geological past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Transbaikalia (Russia) hosts a number of shallow endorheic saline alkaline lakes. The outcome of our studies demonstrated changes in phytoplankton and zooplankton in selected lakes covering a wide salinity gradient (from 0.69 to 128.33 g/L) over a number of years. Our main goal is to assess the variability of structural and functional indicators of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities at the various salinity levels. The gradient of abiotic factors significantly determines the dynamics of planktonic community diversity, abundance, biomass, and production. High values of secondary production was ensured by nonpredators (bacteriovorous, herbivorous, and detrivorus). We found that species and functional diversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton decrease with increasing salinity, whereas their abundance, biomass, and daily secondary production did not. In phytoplankton, a shift occurred from the small-medium cell size unicellular and colonial non-flagellated forms to the large-extra large filamentous cyanobacteria and colonial algae. A shift from selective raptorial and microphagous carnivores to herbivorous copepods and cladocerans and further to more generalist filter-feeder of rotifers and anostracans was observed in zooplankton. These findings are important because they provide a meaningful view of phytoplankton-zooplankton trophic interactions and contribute to an improved understanding their functional effects on aquatic ecosystems. Our results also complement existing knowledge and provides new information about the diversity and functioning of planktonic communities in soda lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fragmentation is one of the main drivers of global biodiversity loss leading to the isolation of wildlife populations. This study focuses on understanding the role of restoration corridors as a strategy promoting resilience and viability of mammal and bird populations in a fragmented landscape in Colombia. We installed 98 camera-trap stations − 8497 camera-trap days - in four different land cover categories: (1) forest fragments, (2) natural corridors, (3) stablished corridors and (4) pastures. We evaluated if restoration corridors do promote connectivity for large vertebrates and recover species richness and functional diversity lost in anthropogenically transformed pastures. We used indices of taxonomic and functional diversity and a non-metric multidimensional scaling to evaluate the influence of land cover over mammal and bird communities. Both, species richness and functional diversity have higher values in forests, followed by natural corridors and corridors and lower values in open pastures. Differences in species composition were greater between forests and pastures, and species composition of restoration corridors begins to resemble that of riparian forests and forest fragments. Our results provide initial evidence on the role of restoration corridors as an efficient strategy aimed to recover biodiversity and functional diversity in pervasively fragmented landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]