Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1111/geb.12622
Title (Primary) Butterflies show different functional and species diversity in relationship to vegetation structure and land use
Author Aguirre-Gutiérrez, J.; WallisDeVries, M.F.; Marshall, L.; van't Zelfde, M.; Villalobos-Arámbula, A.R.; Boekelo, B.; Bartholomeus, H.; Franzén, M.; Biesmeijer, J.C.
Source Titel Global Ecology and Biogeography
Year 2017
Department BZF
Volume 26
Issue 10
Page From 1126
Page To 1137
Language englisch
Data and Software links https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.823644
Supplements https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2Fgeb.12622&attachmentId=183575594
Keywords functional diversity; landscape composition; LiDAR; pollinators; response traits; species diversity; vegetation structure
UFZ wide themes RU1;
Abstract

Aim

Biodiversity is rapidly disappearing at local and global scales also affecting the functional diversity of ecosystems. We aimed to assess whether functional diversity was correlated with species diversity and whether both were affected by similar land use and vegetation structure drivers. Better understanding of these relationships will allow us to improve our predictions regarding the effects of future changes in land use on ecosystem functions and services.

Location

The Netherlands.

Methods

We compiled a dataset of c. 3 million observations of 66 out of 106 known Dutch butterfly species collected across 6,075 sampling locations during a period of 7 years, together with very high-resolution maps of land use and countrywide vegetation structure data. Using a mixed-effects modelling framework, we investigated the relationship between functional and species diversity and their main land use and vegetation structure drivers.

Results

We found that high species diversity does not translate into high functional diversity, as shown by their different spatial distribution patterns in the landscape. Functional and species diversity are mainly driven by different sets of structural and land use parameters (especially average vegetation height, amount of vegetation between 0.5 and 2 m, natural grassland, sandy soils vegetation, marsh vegetation and urban areas). We showed that it is a combination of both vegetation structural characteristics and land use variables that defines functional and species diversity.

Main conclusions

Functional diversity and species diversity of butterflies are not consistently correlated and must therefore be treated separately. High functional diversity levels occurred even in areas with low species diversity. Thus, conservation actions may differ depending on whether the focus is on conservation of high functional diversity or high species diversity. A more integrative analysis of biodiversity at both species and trait levels is needed to infer the full effects of environmental change on ecosystem functioning.

Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=19299
Aguirre-Gutiérrez, J., WallisDeVries, M.F., Marshall, L., van't Zelfde, M., Villalobos-Arámbula, A.R., Boekelo, B., Bartholomeus, H., Franzén, M., Biesmeijer, J.C. (2017):
Butterflies show different functional and species diversity in relationship to vegetation structure and land use
Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 26 (10), 1126 - 1137 10.1111/geb.12622