Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1007/s00442-013-2790-9
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Title (Primary) Tree diversity promotes functional dissimilarity and maintains functional richness despite species loss in predator assemblages
Author Schuldt, A.; Bruelheide, H.; Durka, W. ORCID logo ; Michalski, S.G.; Purschke, O.; Assmann, T.
Source Titel Oecologia
Year 2014
Department BZF; iDiv
Volume 174
Issue 2
Page From 533
Page To 543
Language englisch
Supplements https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art%3A10.1007%2Fs00442-013-2790-9/MediaObjects/442_2013_2790_MOESM1_ESM.doc
Keywords BEF China; Biodiversity; Ecosystem function; Invertebrate; Trophic interaction
UFZ wide themes RU1;
Abstract The effects of species loss on ecosystems depend on the community’s functional diversity (FD). However, how FD responds to environmental changes is poorly understood. This applies particularly to higher trophic levels, which regulate many ecosystem processes and are strongly affected by human-induced environmental changes. We analyzed how functional richness (FRic), evenness (FEve), and divergence (FDiv) of important generalist predators—epigeic spiders—are affected by changes in woody plant species richness, plant phylogenetic diversity, and stand age in highly diverse subtropical forests in China. FEve and FDiv of spiders increased with plant richness and stand age. FRic remained on a constant level despite decreasing spider species richness with increasing plant species richness. Plant phylogenetic diversity had no consistent effect on spider FD. The results contrast with the negative effect of diversity on spider species richness and suggest that functional redundancy among spiders decreased with increasing plant richness through non-random species loss. Moreover, increasing functional dissimilarity within spider assemblages with increasing plant richness indicates that the abundance distribution of predators in functional trait space affects ecological functions independent of predator species richness or the available trait space. While plant diversity is generally hypothesized to positively affect predators, our results only support this hypothesis for FD—and here particularly for trait distributions within the overall functional trait space—and not for patterns in species richness. Understanding the way predator assemblages affect ecosystem functions in such highly diverse, natural ecosystems thus requires explicit consideration of FD and its relationship with species richness.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=14070
Schuldt, A., Bruelheide, H., Durka, W., Michalski, S.G., Purschke, O., Assmann, T. (2014):
Tree diversity promotes functional dissimilarity and maintains functional richness despite species loss in predator assemblages
Oecologia 174 (2), 533 - 543 10.1007/s00442-013-2790-9