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Rolls RJ, Deane DC, Johnson SE, Heino J, Anderson MJ, Ellingsen KE. Biotic homogenisation and differentiation as directional change in beta diversity: synthesising driver-response relationships to develop conceptual models across ecosystems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1388-1423. [PMID: 37072381 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Biotic homogenisation is defined as decreasing dissimilarity among ecological assemblages sampled within a given spatial area over time. Biotic differentiation, in turn, is defined as increasing dissimilarity over time. Overall, changes in the spatial dissimilarities among assemblages (termed 'beta diversity') is an increasingly recognised feature of broader biodiversity change in the Anthropocene. Empirical evidence of biotic homogenisation and biotic differentiation remains scattered across different ecosystems. Most meta-analyses quantify the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, rather than attempting to identify underlying ecological drivers of such changes. By conceptualising the mechanisms that contribute to decreasing or increasing dissimilarity in the composition of ecological assemblages across space, environmental managers and conservation practitioners can make informed decisions about what interventions may be required to sustain biodiversity and can predict potential biodiversity outcomes of future disturbances. We systematically reviewed and synthesised published empirical evidence for ecological drivers of biotic homogenisation and differentiation across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater realms to derive conceptual models that explain changes in spatial beta diversity. We pursued five key themes in our review: (i) temporal environmental change; (ii) disturbance regime; (iii) connectivity alteration and species redistribution; (iv) habitat change; and (v) biotic and trophic interactions. Our first conceptual model highlights how biotic homogenisation and differentiation can occur as a function of changes in local (alpha) diversity or regional (gamma) diversity, independently of species invasions and losses due to changes in species occurrence among assemblages. Second, the direction and magnitude of change in beta diversity depends on the interaction between spatial variation (patchiness) and temporal variation (synchronicity) of disturbance events. Third, in the context of connectivity and species redistribution, divergent beta diversity outcomes occur as different species have different dispersal characteristics, and the magnitude of beta diversity change associated with species invasions also depends strongly on alpha and gamma diversity prior to species invasion. Fourth, beta diversity is positively linked with spatial environmental variability, such that biotic homogenisation and differentiation occur when environmental heterogeneity decreases or increases, respectively. Fifth, species interactions can influence beta diversity via habitat modification, disease, consumption (trophic dynamics), competition, and by altering ecosystem productivity. Our synthesis highlights the multitude of mechanisms that cause assemblages to be more or less spatially similar in composition (taxonomically, functionally, phylogenetically) through time. We consider that future studies should aim to enhance our collective understanding of ecological systems by clarifying the underlying mechanisms driving homogenisation or differentiation, rather than focusing only on reporting the prevalence and direction of change in beta diversity, per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Rolls
- School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Deane
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Sarah E Johnson
- Natural Resources Department, Northland College, Ashland, WI, 54891, USA
| | - Jani Heino
- Geography Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 8000, Oulu, FI-90014, Finland
| | - Marti J Anderson
- New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study (NZIAS), Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kari E Ellingsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, P.O. Box 6606 Langnes, Tromsø, 9296, Norway
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2
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Beck JJ, Li D, Johnson SE, Rogers D, Cameron KM, Sytsma KJ, Givnish TJ, Waller DM. Functional traits mediate individualistic species-environment distributions at broad spatial scales while fine-scale species associations remain unpredictable. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2022; 109:1991-2005. [PMID: 36254552 PMCID: PMC10099973 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Numerous processes influence plant distributions and co-occurrence patterns, including ecological sorting, limiting similarity, and stochastic effects. To discriminate among these processes and determine the spatial scales at which they operate, we investigated how functional traits and phylogenetic relatedness influence the distribution of temperate forest herbs. METHODS We surveyed understory plant communities across 257 forest stands in Wisconsin and Michigan (USA) and applied Bayesian phylogenetic linear mixed-effects models (PGLMMs) to quantify how functional traits and phylogenetic relatedness influence the environmental distribution of 139 herbaceous plant species along broad edaphic, climatic, and light gradients. These models also allowed us to test how functional and phylogenetic similarity affect species co-occurrence within microsites. RESULTS Leaf height, specific leaf area, and seed mass all influenced individualistic plant distributions along landscape-scale gradients in soil texture, soil fertility, light availability, and climate. In contrast, phylogenetic relationships did not consistently predict species-environment relationships. Neither functionally similar nor phylogenetically related herbs segregated among microsites within forest stands. CONCLUSIONS Trait-mediated ecological sorting appears to drive temperate-forest community assembly, generating individualistic plant distributions along regional environmental gradients. This finding links classic studies in plant ecology and prior research in plant physiological ecology to current trait-based approaches in community ecology. However, our results fail to support the common assumption that limiting similarity governs local plant co-occurrences. Strong ecological sorting among forest stands coupled with stochastic fine-scale interactions among species appear to weaken deterministic, niche-based assembly processes at local scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared J. Beck
- Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation ScienceChicago Botanic Garden1000 Lake Cook RoadGlencoeIllinois60022USA
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Wisconsin‐Madison430 Lincoln DriveMadisonWisconsin53706USA
| | - Daijiang Li
- Department of Biological SciencesLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisiana70808USA
- Center for Computation & TechnologyLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisiana70808USA
| | | | - David Rogers
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐ParksideKenoshaWisconsin53144USA
| | - Kenneth M. Cameron
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Wisconsin‐Madison430 Lincoln DriveMadisonWisconsin53706USA
| | - Kenneth J. Sytsma
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Wisconsin‐Madison430 Lincoln DriveMadisonWisconsin53706USA
| | - Thomas J. Givnish
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Wisconsin‐Madison430 Lincoln DriveMadisonWisconsin53706USA
| | - Donald M. Waller
- Department of BotanyUniversity of Wisconsin‐Madison430 Lincoln DriveMadisonWisconsin53706USA
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3
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Jules ES, DeSiervo MH, Reilly MJ, Bost DS, Butz RJ. The effects of a half century of warming and fire exclusion on montane forests of the Klamath Mountains, California,
USA. ECOL MONOGR 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik S. Jules
- Department of Biological Sciences Humboldt State University Arcata California USA
| | | | - Matthew J. Reilly
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Western Wildlands Environmental Threat Assessment Center, Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Drew S. Bost
- Department of Biological Sciences Humboldt State University Arcata California USA
| | - Ramona J. Butz
- USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region 1330, Bayshore Way Eureka CA USA
- Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources Humboldt State University Arcata California USA
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4
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Quigley KM, Kolka R, Sturtevant BR, Dickinson MB, Kern CC, Miesel JR. Restoring open canopy pine barrens from the ground up: Repeated burns correspond with increased soil hydraulic conductivity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 767:144258. [PMID: 33429276 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed fire is widely used for ecosystem restoration, yet the mechanisms that determine its effectiveness remain poorly characterized. Because soil hydrology influences ecosystem processes like erosion, runoff, and plant competition, it is important to understand how fire affects soil hydrology. A systematic approach to understanding relationships among vegetation, topography, and fire is needed to advance knowledge of how fire influences soil properties that in turn affect restoration success. Our objective was to characterize relationships among burn severity, vegetation, and soil hydrology in a heterogenous landscape under restoration management. Our study took place in a barrens-forest mosaic with recent prescribed fire history ranging from 0 to 10 burns since 1960, and additional variation in fuel loading, burn severity, vegetation cover, topography, and soils. We measured soil hydraulic conductivity (SHC) during two consecutive years, which represented control, prefire, postfire, and 1-year postfire conditions. Regression tree analysis identified an important threshold effect of antecedent soil moisture on SHC; soils with initial moisture < 13% had lower SHC than soils with initial moisture > 13%. Furthermore, above this threshold, sites with intermediate to high recent burn frequency (4-10 burns) had significantly greater SHC than unburned control sites. High fuel loads associated with brush cutting and piling increased SHC at barrens sites but not brush or pine sites, suggesting an interaction between vegetation cover and fire effects on SHC. At the local hillslope scale, toe-slopes had greater SHC than summits. Our results suggest that repeated prescribed fires of moderate to high frequency may enhance SHC, thereby reducing soil water retention and potentially restoring functional pine barren processes that limit woody plant growth. Prescribed fire may therefore be an important management tool for reversing mesophication and restoring a global array of open canopy ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Quigley
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Randall Kolka
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Grand Rapids, MN 55744, USA
| | - Brian R Sturtevant
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Rhinelander, WI 54501, USA
| | | | - Christel C Kern
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Rhinelander, WI 54501, USA
| | - Jessica R Miesel
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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5
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Population Trends in Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Missouri. AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-184.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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6
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Fire synchronizes flowering and boosts reproduction in a widespread but declining prairie species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:3000-3005. [PMID: 31988124 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907320117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire is an important determinant of habitat structure and biodiversity across ecosystems worldwide. In fire-dependent communities, similar to the North American prairie, fire suppression contributes to local plant extinctions. Yet the demographic mechanisms responsible for species loss have not been directly investigated. We conducted a 21-y longitudinal study of 778 individual plants of Echinacea angustifolia, a widespread perennial species with chronically limited mating opportunities, to explore how fire affects reproduction. In a large preserve, with management units on different burn schedules, we investigated Echinacea mating scenes, which quantify isolation from potential mates and overlap in the timing of flowering, to determine the extent to which fire influences the potential for sexual reproduction. We demonstrate that fire consistently increased mating opportunities by synchronizing reproductive effort. Each fire occurred during fall or spring and stimulated flowering in the subsequent summer, thus synchronizing reproduction among years and increasing the proximity of potential mates after a fire. Greater within-season flowering synchrony in postfire mating scenes further increased mating potential. The improved postfire mating scene enhanced reproduction by increasing pollination efficiency. Seed set in scenes postfire exceeded other scenes by 55%, and annual fecundity nearly doubled (88% increase). We predict the reproductive benefits of synchronized flowering after fire can alleviate mate-finding Allee effects, promote population growth, and forestall local extirpation in small populations of Echinacea and many other prairie species. Furthermore, the synchronization of flowering by burning may improve mating opportunities, reproduction, and the likelihood of persistence for many other plant species in fire-dependent habitats.
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Abella SR, Guida RJ, Roberts CL, Norman CM, Holland JS. Persistence and turnover in desert plant communities during a 37‐yr period of land use and climate change. ECOL MONOGR 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott R. Abella
- School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas Las Vegas Nevada 89154‐4004 USA
| | - Ross J. Guida
- Department of Geography and Geology Sam Houston State University Huntsville Texas 77431 USA
| | - Chris L. Roberts
- National Park Service Lake Mead National Recreation Area 601 Nevada Way Boulder City Nevada 89005 USA
| | - Carrie M. Norman
- National Park Service Lake Mead National Recreation Area 601 Nevada Way Boulder City Nevada 89005 USA
| | - James S. Holland
- National Park Service Lake Mead National Recreation Area 601 Nevada Way Boulder City Nevada 89005 USA
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8
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Ladwig LM, Damschen EI, Rogers DA. Sixty years of community change in the prairie-savanna-forest mosaic of Wisconsin. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8458-8466. [PMID: 30250715 PMCID: PMC6145032 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity loss is a global concern, and maintaining habitat complexity in naturally patchy landscapes can help retain regional diversity. A mosaic of prairie, savanna, and forest historically occurred across central North America but currently is highly fragmented due to human land conversion. It is unclear how each habitat type now contributes to regional diversity. Using legacy data, we resurveyed savanna plant communities originally surveyed in the 1950s to compare change in savannas to that in remnant forests and prairies. Savanna community structure and composition changed substantially over the past 60 years. Tree canopy density nearly doubled and many prairie and savanna specialist species were replaced by forest and non‐native species. All three habitats gained and lost many species since the 1950s, resulting in large changes in community composition from local colonizations and extinctions. Across all three habitats, regional species extinctions matched that of regional colonization resulting in no net change in regional species richness. Synthesis—Despite considerable species turnover within savannas, many species remain within the broader prairie–savanna–forest mosaic. Both regional extinctions and colonizations were high over the past 60 years, and maintaining the presence of all three community types—prairie, savanna and forest—on the landscape is critical to maintaining regional biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Ladwig
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison Wisconsin
| | - Ellen I Damschen
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison Wisconsin
| | - David A Rogers
- Biology Department University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha Wisconsin
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9
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Landuyt D, Perring M, Seidl R, Taubert F, Verbeeck H, Verheyen K. Modelling understorey dynamics in temperate forests under global change-Challenges and perspectives. PERSPECTIVES IN PLANT ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2018; 31:44-54. [PMID: 29628800 PMCID: PMC5884426 DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The understorey harbours a substantial part of vascular plant diversity in temperate forests and plays an important functional role, affecting ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling and overstorey regeneration. Global change, however, is putting these understorey communities on trajectories of change, potentially altering and reducing their functioning in the future. Developing mitigation strategies to safeguard the diversity and functioning of temperate forests in the future is challenging and requires improved predictive capacity. Process-based models that predict understorey community composition over time, based on first principles of ecology, have the potential to guide mitigation endeavours but such approaches are rare. Here, we review fourteen understorey modelling approaches that have been proposed during the last three decades. We evaluate their inclusion of mechanisms that are required to predict the impact of global change on understorey communities. We conclude that none of the currently existing models fully accounts for all processes that we deem important based on empirical and experimental evidence. Based on this review, we contend new models are needed to project the complex impacts of global change on forest understoreys. Plant functional traits should be central to such future model developments, as they drive community assembly processes and provide valuable information on the functioning of the understorey. Given the important role of the overstorey, a coupling of understorey models to overstorey models will be essential to predict the impact of global change on understorey composition and structure, and how it will affect the functioning of temperate forests in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - M.P. Perring
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
- Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - R. Seidl
- Institute of Silviculture, Department of Forest- and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Peter Jordan Straße 82, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - F. Taubert
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - H. Verbeeck
- Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology (CAVELab), Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - K. Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
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10
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Zobel DB, Antos JA. Community reorganization in forest understories buried by volcanic tephra. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Donald B. Zobel
- Botany and Plant Pathology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97330 USA
| | - Joseph A. Antos
- Department of Biology University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia V8W 3N5 Canada
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11
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Rolls RJ, Heino J, Ryder DS, Chessman BC, Growns IO, Thompson RM, Gido KB. Scaling biodiversity responses to hydrological regimes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:971-995. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Rolls
- Institute for Applied Ecology; University of Canberra; Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
- School of Environmental and Rural Science; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
| | - Jani Heino
- Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Environment Centre, Biodiversity; Oulu Finland
| | - Darren S. Ryder
- School of Environmental and Rural Science; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
| | | | - Ivor O. Growns
- School of Environmental and Rural Science; University of New England; Armidale New South Wales 2351 Australia
| | - Ross M. Thompson
- Institute for Applied Ecology; University of Canberra; Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Keith B. Gido
- Division of Biology; Kansas State University; Manhattan KS U.S.A
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12
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Brice MH, Pellerin S, Poulin M. Does urbanization lead to taxonomic and functional homogenization in riparian forests? DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Hélène Brice
- Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale; Université de Montréal and Jardin botanique de Montréal; Montréal QC Canada
- Québec Centre for Biodiversity Science; McGill University; Montréal QC Canada
| | - Stéphanie Pellerin
- Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale; Université de Montréal and Jardin botanique de Montréal; Montréal QC Canada
- Québec Centre for Biodiversity Science; McGill University; Montréal QC Canada
| | - Monique Poulin
- Québec Centre for Biodiversity Science; McGill University; Montréal QC Canada
- Department of Phytology; Université Laval; Québec QC Canada
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13
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Li D, Waller DM. Fire exclusion and climate change interact to affect long-term changes in the functional composition of plant communities. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daijiang Li
- Department of Botany; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison WI USA
| | - Donald M. Waller
- Department of Botany; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison WI USA
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14
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Li D, Ives AR, Waller DM. Can functional traits account for phylogenetic signal in community composition? THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 214:607-618. [PMID: 28044344 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic and functional trait-based analyses inform our understanding of community composition, yet methods for quantifying the overlap in information derived from functional traits and phylogenies remain underdeveloped. Does adding traits to analyses of community composition reduce the phylogenetic signal in the residual variation? If not, then measured functional traits alone may be insufficient to explain community assembly. We propose a general statistical framework to quantify the proportion of phylogenetic pattern in community composition that remains after including measured functional traits. We then illustrate the framework with applications to two empirical data sets. Both data sets showed strong phylogenetic attraction, with related species likely to co-occur in the same communities. In one data set, including traits eliminated all phylogenetic signals in the residual variation of both abundance and presence/absence patterns. In the second data set, including traits reduced phylogenetic signal in residuals by 25% and 98% for abundance and presence/absence data, respectively. Our framework provides an explicit way to estimate how much phylogenetic community pattern remains in the residual variation after including measured functional traits. Knowing that functional traits account for most of the phylogenetic pattern should provide confidence that important traits for phylogenetic community structure have been identified. Conversely, knowing that there is unexplained residual phylogenetic information should spur the search for additional functional traits or other processes underlying community assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daijiang Li
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Anthony R Ives
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Donald M Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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15
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Ash JD, Givnish TJ, Waller DM. Tracking lags in historical plant species' shifts in relation to regional climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:1305-1315. [PMID: 27416325 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Can species shift their distributions fast enough to track changes in climate? We used abundance data from the 1950s and the 2000s in Wisconsin to measure shifts in the distribution and abundance of 78 forest-understory plant species over the last half-century and compare these shifts to changes in climate. We estimated temporal shifts in the geographic distribution of each species using vectors to connect abundance-weighted centroids from the 1950s and 2000s. These shifts in distribution reflect colonization, extirpation, and changes in abundance within sites, separately quantified here. We then applied climate analog analyses to compute vectors representing the climate change that each species experienced. Species shifted mostly to the northwest (mean: 49 ± 29 km) primarily reflecting processes of colonization and changes in local abundance. Analog climates for these species shifted even further to the northwest, however, exceeding species' shifts by an average of 90 ± 40 km. Most species thus failed to match recent rates of climate change. These lags decline in species that have colonized more sites and those with broader site occupancy, larger seed mass, and higher habitat fidelity. Thus, species' traits appear to affect their responses to climate change, but relationships are weak. As climate change accelerates, these lags will likely increase, potentially threatening the persistence of species lacking the capacity to disperse to new sites or locally adapt. However, species with greater lags have not yet declined more in abundance. The extent of these threats will likely depend on how other drivers of ecological change and interactions among species affect their responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D Ash
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Thomas J Givnish
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Donald M Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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16
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Verheyen K, De Frenne P, Baeten L, Waller DM, Hédl R, Perring MP, Blondeel H, Brunet J, Chudomelova M, Decocq G, De Lombaerde E, Depauw L, Dirnböck T, Durak T, Eriksson O, Gilliam FS, Heinken T, Heinrichs S, Hermy M, Jaroszewicz B, Jenkins MA, Johnson SE, Kirby KJ, Kopecký M, Landuyt D, Lenoir J, Li D, Macek M, Maes S, Máliš F, Mitchell FJG, Naaf T, Peterken G, Petřík P, Reczyńska K, Rogers DA, Schei FH, Schmidt W, Standovár T, Świerkosz K, Ujházy K, Van Calster H, Vellend M, Vild O, Woods K, Wulf M, Bernhard-Römermann M. Combining community resurvey data to advance global change research. Bioscience 2016; 67:73-83. [PMID: 30220729 PMCID: PMC6136644 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biw150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
More and more ecologists have started to resurvey communities sampled in earlier decades to determine long-term shifts in community composition and infer the likely drivers of the ecological changes observed. However, to assess the relative importance of, and interactions among, multiple drivers joint analyses of resurvey data from many regions spanning large environmental gradients are needed. In this paper we illustrate how combining resurvey data from multiple regions can increase the likelihood of driver-orthogonality within the design and show that repeatedly surveying across multiple regions provides higher representativeness and comprehensiveness, allowing us to answer more completely a broader range of questions. We provide general guidelines to aid implementation of multi-region resurvey databases. In so doing, we aim to encourage resurvey database development across other community types and biomes to advance global environmental change research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris Verheyen
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium
| | - Pieter De Frenne
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Lander Baeten
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Donald M Waller
- Botany Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 430 Lincoln Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA,
| | - Radim Hédl
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, Brno, 60200, Czech Republic, ; Department of Botany, Palacky University in Olomouc, Slechtitelu 27, Olomouc, 78371, Czech Republic
| | - Michael P Perring
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium, ; Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group; School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, AUSTRALIA,
| | - Haben Blondeel
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Jörg Brunet
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 49, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden,
| | - Markéeta Chudomelova
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, Brno, 60200, Czech Republic; Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno CZ-60200, Czech Republic,
| | - Guillaume Decocq
- UR "Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés" (EDYSAN, FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV), Jules Verne University of Picardy, 1, rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens Cédex, FRANCE,
| | - Emiel De Lombaerde
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Leen Depauw
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Thomas Dirnböck
- Department for Ecosystem Research, Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Vienna, Austria,
| | - Tomasz Durak
- Department of Botany, University of Rzeszów, Zelwerowicza 4, Rzeszów PL-35-601, Poland,
| | - Ove Eriksson
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, SE - 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden,
| | - Frank S Gilliam
- Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, 1 John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV 25755-2510, USA,
| | - Thilo Heinken
- Biodiversity Research / Systematic Botany, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Maulbeerallee 1, 14469 Potsdam, Germany,
| | - Steffi Heinrichs
- Department Silviculture & Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Burckhardt Institute, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany,
| | - Martin Hermy
- Dept Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Celestijnenlaan 200E, Heverlee 3001, Belgium,
| | - Bogdan Jaroszewicz
- Białowieża Geobotanical Station, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Sportowa 19, Białowieża, 17-230, Poland
| | - Michael A Jenkins
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 715 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061, USA,
| | - Sarah E Johnson
- Department of Natural Resources and Biology, Northland College, 1411 Ellis Avenue, Ashland, Wisconsin 54806, USA,
| | - Keith J Kirby
- Department of Plant Sciences, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK,
| | - Martin Kopecký
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, Brno, CZ-602 00, Czech Republic, , : Department of Forest Ecology, : Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, : Kamýcká 129, CZ-165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Dries Landuyt
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Jonathan Lenoir
- UR "Ecologie et dynamique des systems anthropisés" (EDYSAN, FRE 3498 CNRS-UPJV), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1 Rue des Louvels, 80000 Amiens, France,
| | - Daijiang Li
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA,
| | - Martin Macek
- Dept. of GIS and RS, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice 252 43, Czech Republic,
| | - Sybryn Maes
- Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest & Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Melle-Gontrode, Belgium,
| | - Frantisek Máliš
- Department of Phytology, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia,
| | | | - Tobias Naaf
- Institute of Land Use Systems, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany,
| | | | - Petr Petřík
- Department of GIS and Remote Sensing, Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice 25243, Czech Republic,
| | - Kamila Reczyńska
- Wrocław University, Museum of Natural History, Sienkiewicza 21, Wrocław 50-335, Poland,
| | - David A Rogers
- Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Parkside, 900 Wood Rd., Kenosha, Wisconsin 53141, USA,
| | - Fride Hoistad Schei
- Forestry and Forest Resources, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Fanaflaten 4, 5244 Fana, Norway,
| | - Wolfgang Schmidt
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Faculty of Forestry and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany,
| | - Tibor Standovár
- Dept. Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary,
| | - Krzystof Świerkosz
- Wrocław University, Museum of Natural History, Sienkiewicza 21, Wrocław 50-335, Poland,
| | - Karol Ujházy
- Department of Phytology, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, SK-960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia,
| | - Hans Van Calster
- Biometry & Quality Assurance, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Kliniekstraat 25, Brussels, 1070, Belgium,
| | - Mark Vellend
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada,
| | - Ondřej Vild
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, Brno, 60200, Czech Republic, Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, Brno CZ-60200, Czech Republic,
| | - Kerry Woods
- Natural Sciences, Bennington College, 1 College Drive, Bennington, VT 05201, USA,
| | - Monika Wulf
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Institute of Land Use Systems, Eberswalder Straße 84, Müncheberg, 15374, Germany,
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17
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Goring SJ, Mladenoff DJ, Cogbill CV, Record S, Paciorek CJ, Jackson ST, Dietze MC, Dawson A, Matthes JH, McLachlan JS, Williams JW. Novel and Lost Forests in the Upper Midwestern United States, from New Estimates of Settlement-Era Composition, Stem Density, and Biomass. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151935. [PMID: 27935944 PMCID: PMC5147790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background EuroAmerican land-use and its legacies have transformed forest structure and composition across the United States (US). More accurate reconstructions of historical states are critical to understanding the processes governing past, current, and future forest dynamics. Here we present new gridded (8x8km) reconstructions of pre-settlement (1800s) forest composition and structure from the upper Midwestern US (Minnesota, Wisconsin, and most of Michigan), using 19th Century Public Land Survey System (PLSS), with estimates of relative composition, above-ground biomass, stem density, and basal area for 28 tree types. This mapping is more robust than past efforts, using spatially varying correction factors to accommodate sampling design, azimuthal censoring, and biases in tree selection. Changes in Forest Structure We compare pre-settlement to modern forests using US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to show the prevalence of lost forests (pre-settlement forests with no current analog), and novel forests (modern forests with no past analogs). Differences between pre-settlement and modern forests are spatially structured owing to differences in land-use impacts and accompanying ecological responses. Modern forests are more homogeneous, and ecotonal gradients are more diffuse today than in the past. Novel forest assemblages represent 28% of all FIA cells, and 28% of pre-settlement forests no longer exist in a modern context. Lost forests include tamarack forests in northeastern Minnesota, hemlock and cedar dominated forests in north-central Wisconsin and along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and elm, oak, basswood and ironwood forests along the forest-prairie boundary in south central Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin. Novel FIA forest assemblages are distributed evenly across the region, but novelty shows a strong relationship to spatial distance from remnant forests in the upper Midwest, with novelty predicted at between 20 to 60km from remnants, depending on historical forest type. The spatial relationships between remnant and novel forests, shifts in ecotone structure and the loss of historic forest types point to significant challenges for land managers if landscape restoration is a priority. The spatial signals of novelty and ecological change also point to potential challenges in using modern spatial distributions of species and communities and their relationship to underlying geophysical and climatic attributes in understanding potential responses to changing climate. The signal of human settlement on modern forests is broad, spatially varying and acts to homogenize modern forests relative to their historic counterparts, with significant implications for future management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J. Goring
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- * E-mail:
| | - David J. Mladenoff
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Charles V. Cogbill
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Sydne Record
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States
| | | | - Stephen T. Jackson
- Department of the Interior Southwest Climate Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, Arizona
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment and Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
| | - Michael C. Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Andria Dawson
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States
| | | | - Jason S. McLachlan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States
| | - John W. Williams
- Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Center for Climatic Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
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18
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Johnson SE, Amatangelo KL, Townsend PA, Waller DM. Large, connected floodplain forests prone to flooding best sustain plant diversity. Ecology 2016; 97:3019-3030. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Johnson
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison 430 Lincoln Drive Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Kathryn L. Amatangelo
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison 430 Lincoln Drive Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Philip A. Townsend
- Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison 1630 Linden Drive Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Donald M. Waller
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison 430 Lincoln Drive Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
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19
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Paulson AK, Sanders S, Kirschbaum J, Waller DM. Post‐settlement ecological changes in the forests of the Great Lakes National Parks. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alison K. Paulson
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
| | - Suzanne Sanders
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin 54806 USA
| | - Jessica Kirschbaum
- National Park Service Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network Ashland Wisconsin 54806 USA
| | - Donald M. Waller
- Department of Botany University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin 53706 USA
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20
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald Waller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
| | - Jeremy Ash
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Alison Paulson
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Grégory Sonnier
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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