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How Biodiversity, Climate and Landscape Drive Functional Redundancy of British Butterflies
- Source :
- Insects, Vol 14, Iss 9, p 722 (2023)
- Publication Year :
- 2023
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2023.
-
Abstract
- Biodiversity promotes the functioning of ecosystems, and functional redundancy safeguards this functioning against environmental changes. However, what drives functional redundancy remains unclear. We analyzed taxonomic diversity, functional diversity (richness and β-diversity) and functional redundancy patterns of British butterflies. We explored the effect of temperature and landscape-related variables on richness and redundancy using generalized additive models, and on β-diversity using generalized dissimilarity models. The species richness-functional richness relationship was saturating, indicating functional redundancy in species-rich communities. Assemblages did not deviate from random expectations regarding functional richness. Temperature exerted a significant effect on all diversity aspects and on redundancy, with the latter relationship being unimodal. Landscape-related variables played a role in driving observed patterns. Although taxonomic and functional β-diversity were highly congruent, the model of taxonomic β-diversity explained more deviance than the model of functional β-diversity did. Species-rich butterfly assemblages exhibited functional redundancy. Climate- and landscape-related variables emerged as significant drivers of diversity and redundancy. Τaxonomic β-diversity was more strongly associated with the environmental gradient, while functional β-diversity was driven more strongly by stochasticity. Temperature promoted species richness and β-diversity, but warmer areas exhibited lower levels of functional redundancy. This might be related to the land uses prevailing in warmer areas (e.g., agricultural intensification).
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20754450
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Insects
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.81c8bfc1c65d4d759a7c1abae3b4c1eb
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14090722