Microhabitat features determine the tadpole diversity in mountainous streams

Sun, Zijian; Zhao, Chunlin; Zhu, Wei; Zhu, Wenbo; Feng, Jianyi; Su, Shengqi; Zhao, Tian

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107647

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The rest individuals were counted and released back to their original habitats. For individuals that cannot be identified to species directly by external morphology (e.g., Megophrys omeimontis and Megophrys shapingehsis ), all the sampled individuals were brought back to the laboratory and identified to species using DNA barcoding analyses based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragments [ 5 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also recorded 12 microhabitat variables based on previous studies showing that they can potentially determine tadpole distribution and diversity [ 5 , 31 , 32 ]. These variables included conductivity (Con), water depth (Wd), river width (Rw), dissolved oxygen (Do), water pH (pH), water temperature (Wt), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), current velocity (Cv), ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 -N), chlorophyll a (Chl.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…a ), and substrate type (Sub). In addition, a previous study has provided details of the measurement approaches [ 5 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, most previous studies only focused on the taxonomic facet of biodiversity (e.g., species richness), despite biodiversity contains multidimensional information on functional and phylogenetic facets [ 3 , 4 ]. In recent decades, with the development of functional ecology, increasingly studies have started to quantify the functional dimensions of biodiversity (i.e., functional diversity) using the functional characteristics of species in a particular region [ 5 , 6 ]. As a result, functional diversity is considered to be more sensitive and predictive in quantifying the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although only a few species had extreme traits in communities [ 24 ], the importance of functionally extreme species to functional diversity is still unclear. Moreover, it is widely recognized that species traits are strongly affected by environmental conditions (e.g., plants: [ 25 ], fish: [ 26 ], and amphibian tadpoles: [ 5 ]). However, empirical evidence related to the environmental determinants of the distribution of extreme species is still limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams

et al. 2023

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Background Functional diversity is important to maintain ecosystem functioning. Species with different ecomorphological traits may display distinct functional roles in ecosystems. Accordingly, functionally extreme species are more important as they can exhibit specific strategies. However, little is known about the distribution patterns of functionally extreme species at a local scale and whether the prior extinction of extreme species can cause significant effects on functional diversity. In addition, no empirical studies have been conducted on the microhabitat determinants of extreme species to maintain the functional diversity. Results This study collected 1470 tadpoles belonging to 6 families and 20 anuran species. These species were subsequently divided into 65 functional entities based on their developmental stages to incorporate intraspecific traits variability. As a result, we detected seven extreme functional entities, accounting for 10.7% of the total number of entities. Moreover, the prior extinction of extreme entities can lead to a significant decrease in functional diversity compared with the random extinction of entities. Microhabitat variables such as conductivity, water depth, and current velocity determined the distribution of extreme entities. Conclusion Although the functionally extreme entities only represented a small proportion of the total number of tadpoles, they played irreplaceable roles in maintaining functional diversity. Their extinction may induce high functional vulnerability in tadpole communities. Therefore, anuran species with extreme tadpole traits need to be projected for amphibian conservation.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…a ), and substrate type (Sub). In addition, a previous study has provided details of the measurement approaches [ 5 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams

et al. 2023

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Effects of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits in a highest elevational distributed lizard

Kang,

Zhao,

Sun

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Exploring the microhabitat determinants of organisms distribution and functional traits differences can help us better understand the importance of intraspecific variations in ecological niches. Investigations on animals functional niche primarily focused on differences among species and tended to neglect the potential variability within species, despite the fact that the ecological and evolutionary importance of intraspecific variations was widely recognized. In this study, we examined the influence of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits of a highest elevational distributed lizard species Phrynocephalus erythrurus. To do so, field work was conducted between July and August, 2020 and August and September, 2021 in Namtso watershed in central Xizang, China. Specifically, 11 transects were sampled for P. erythrurus individuals, which were measured for a set of 10 morphological traits. Moreover, 11 microhabitat variables that potentially affect the distribution of lizards were also measured for each transect. Our results indicated that juveniles, males, and females exhibited different functional traits, allowing them to occupy distinct functional space. The distribution of juveniles, males, and females was determined by different microhabitat variables such as illuminance and air temperature. More importantly, these variables also determined the intraspecific functional traits variability in this lizard species. All of these results supported previous claims that intraspecific traits variation should be incorporated into functional ecological studies, and diverse microhabitat features should be conserved to maintain high intraspecific diversity. Future studies can focus on the food analysis to explore the linkage between functional traits and resources utilization within animal populations.

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Functional traits predict species co‐occurrence patterns in a North American Odonata metacommunity

Cerini,

Vignoli,

Blust

et al. 2023

Ecosphere

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The probability of occurrence of a given species in a target locality and assemblage is conditioned not only by environmental/climatic variables but also by the presence of other species (i.e., species co‐occurrence). This framework, already complex in nature, becomes even more complicated if one considers the functional traits of species that, in turn, might influence the structure of metacommunities in various ways. Depending on the ecological and environmental setting, functional similarity (i.e., convergence in morphological and ecological traits) between species might either reduce their co‐occurrence due to high niche overlap driving negative interactions or promote it if the similar traits are associated with local habitat suitability. Similarly, functional divergence might either promote species co‐occurrence by limiting negative interactions through niche separation or reduce it through trait mediated environmental filtering. Therefore, discriminating between these alternative scenarios—predicting whether two species will tend to co‐occur or not based on their traits—is extremely challenging. Here, we develop a novel protocol to tackle the challenge, and we demonstrate its effectiveness by showing that ecological species traits can predict species co‐occurrence in a large dataset of North American Odonata. To this end, we first used the Hierarchical Modeling of Species Communities framework to quantify the pairwise species co‐occurrence after controlling for environmental and climatic factors. Then, we used machine learning to generate models which proved capable of predict accurately the observed co‐occurrence patterns from species functional traits. Our approach offers a generalizable analytical framework with the potential to clarify long‐standing ecological questions.

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Microhabitat features determine the tadpole diversity in mountainous streams

Cited by 11 publications

References 59 publications

Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams

Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams

Effects of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits in a highest elevational distributed lizard

Functional traits predict species co‐occurrence patterns in a North American Odonata metacommunity

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