Are changes in remotely sensed canopy cover associated to changes in vegetation structure,diversity, and composition in recovered tropical shrublands?

The recovery of vegetation cover is a process that has important implications for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Generally, the recovery of vegetation cover is documented over large areas using remote sensing, and it is often assumed that ecosystem properties and processes recover along with remotely sensed canopy cover. Here we analyze and compare the structure, composition, and diversity of trees and shrubs among plots established in a stratified random sampling design over four remotely sensed canopy cover change (CCC) categories defined according to a gradient in the percent of canopy cover. Plots were located in the Lake Cuitzeo basin (Mexico), where canopy recovery associated with agricultural abandonment has occurred in recent decades (1975–2000). We found that diversity measures, basal area, tree and shrub density, ground-truthed canopy cover, and mean plant height increased with increasing CCC category. However, Shannon index (H′) was lower in the CCC category with the most closed canopy cover category than in plots apparently not affected by agriculture. Furthermore, ordination analyses showed that composition of dominant species were not associated with CCC categories. Our results suggest that canopy closure in our study area is not associated with the recovery of species diversity, and does not result in similar species dominance as in sites not affected by agriculture.     

Using the relationship between taxonomic and functional diversity to assess functional redundancy in streams of an altered tropical watershed

The relationship between taxonomic and functional diversity indices has been used to better describe and understand the structure of biological communities. Functional diversity is expected to have an asymptotic relationship with species richness because at some point, the addition of new species will increase some of the already established functional groups (functional redundancy). However, the asymptotic relationship may not be reached in intermediately disturbed systems once many intolerant species that would have played a redundant role or even represented some functional groups have been lost. This study aimed to address such a relationship (taxonomic and functional indices) and to evaluate the functional redundancy in intermediately disturbed streams in the Atlantic Rainforest domain. We expected a positive linear relationship between taxonomic and functional diversity; however, we did not expect to find an asymptotic relationship between richness and functional diversity because of the loss of many intolerant species caused by anthropogenic uses. The taxonomic diversity indices were Species Richness (SR) and Simpson’s Diversity (SD), while the functional diversity indices were the Functional Richness (FRic) and Functional Dispersion (FDisp). The two taxonomic and two functional diversity indices showed a significant positive relationship that never reached an asymptote, suggesting low functional redundancy in the fish communities. Our results indicate that care is needed in the management of the studied streams because assemblies with low functional redundancy are more susceptible to loss of functions in the case of species loss.     

猫儿山不同海拔植物群落树木构型差异及其影响因子

通过对猫儿山海拔梯度上常绿阔叶林(低海拔,1100 m)、常绿落叶阔叶混交林(中海拔,1500 m)和常绿针阔叶混交林(高海拔,1900 m)3种典型植物群落中乔木层植物构型性状以及环境因子的测定,分析乔木层植物构型性状在3个群落间的变异规律及其影响因素.结果表明:随海拔升高,乔木层树冠面积、45 cm基径、胸径和叶片聚集度持续增加,树高、枝下高和树冠厚度先增加后减小;枝条伸展方向表现为在低海拔群落中水平枝条比例最大,高海拔群落次之,中海拔群落最小;中海拔群落中乔木层植物构型性状之间的相关性更强.冗余分析表明,土壤有机质和总辐射是乔木层植物构型性状变异的主要环境影响因素,它们分别解释了构型性状39.6%和23.9%的变异.土壤有机质对树冠面积和枝下高影响较大,总辐射对胸径和45 cm基径影响较大,且都呈正相关.猫儿山乔木层植物在不同海拔群落间存在构型分异,影响乔木层植物构型变化的主要环境驱动力是土壤有机质和总辐射.     

Using functional diversity patterns to explore metacommunity dynamics: a framework for understanding local and regional influences on community structure

The metacommunity concept, describing how local and regional scale processes interact to structure communities, has been successfully applied to patterns of taxonomic diversity. Functional diversity has proved useful for understanding local scale processes, but has less often been applied to understanding regional scale processes. Here, we explore functional diversity patterns within a metacommunity context to help elucidate how local and regional scale processes influence community assembly. We detail how each of the four metacommunity perspectives (species sorting, mass effects, patch dynamics, neutral) predict different patterns of functional beta‐ and alpha‐diversity and spatial structure along two key gradients: dispersal limitation and environmental conditions. We then apply this conceptual model to a case study from alpine tundra plant communities. We sampled species composition in 17 ‘sky islands’ of alpine tundra in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA that differed in geographic isolation and area (key factors related to dispersal limitation) and temperature and elevation (key environmental factors). We quantified functional diversity in each site based on specific leaf area, leaf area, stomatal conductance, plant height and chlorophyll content. We found that colder high elevation sites were functionally more similar to each other (decreased functional beta‐diversity) and had lower functional alpha‐diversity. Geographic isolation and area did not influence functional beta‐ or alpha‐diversity. These results suggest a strong role for environmental conditions structuring alpine plant communities, patterns consistent with the species sorting metacommunity perspective. Incorporating functional diversity into metacommunity theory can help elucidate how local and regional factors structure communities and provide a framework for observationally examining the role of metacommunity dynamics in systems where experimental approaches are less tractable.     

山西关帝山森林群落物种、谱系和功能多样性海拔格局

探索和揭示生物多样性的空间格局和维持机制是生态学和生物地理学研究的热点内容, 但综合物种、系统进化和功能属性等方面的多样性海拔格局研究很少。该文以关帝山森林群落为研究对象, 综合物种、谱系和功能α和β多样性指数, 旨在初步探讨关帝山森林群落多样性海拔格局及其维持机制。研究结果表明: 随着海拔的升高(1 409-2 150 m), 关帝山森林群落物种丰富度指数(S)、谱系多样性指数(PD)和功能丰富度指数(FRic)整体上表现出上升的趋势, 特别是海拔1 800 m以上区域。随着海拔的升高, 总β多样性(β_total)和更替(β_repl)上升趋势明显, 而丰富度差异(β_rich)则逐渐下降。不同生活型植物的物种、谱系和功能多样性海拔格局差异较大。随着海拔的升高, 草本植物S和物种多样性指数(H′)上升趋势高于木本植物。影响草本植物S分布的主要因素是地形因子, 而影响木本植物S分布的主要因素是历史过程。随着海拔的升高, 木本植物β_total上升趋势要比草本植物明显。随着海拔的升高, 木本植物β_repl和β_rich分别表现出单峰格局和“U”形格局, 而草本植物β_repl和β_rich则分别表现出单调递增和单调递减的格局。随着环境差异和地理距离的增加, 群落间物种、谱系和功能β多样性显著增加。环境差异(环境过滤)对木本植物的β多样性具有相对较强的作用; 而环境差异(环境过滤)和地理距离(扩散限制)共同作用于草本植物的β多样性。     

Elevated temperature may reduce functional but not taxonomic diversity of fungal assemblages on decomposing leaf litter in streams

Mounting evidence points to a linkage between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (B-EF). Global drivers, such as warming and nutrient enrichment, can alter species richness and composition of aquatic fungal assemblages associated with leaf-litter decomposition, a key ecosystem process in headwater streams. However, effects of biodiversity changes on ecosystem functions might be countered by the presumed high functional redundancy of fungal species. Here, we examined how environmental variables and leaf-litter traits (based on leaf chemistry) affect taxonomic and functional α- and β-diversity of fungal decomposers. We analysed taxonomic diversity (DNA-fingerprinting profiles) and functional diversity (community-level physiological profiles) of fungal communities in four leaf-litter species from four subregions differing in stream-water characteristics and riparian vegetation. We hypothesized that increasing stream-water temperature and nutrients would alter taxonomic diversity more than functional diversity due to the functional redundancy among aquatic fungi. Contrary to our expectations, fungal taxonomic diversity varied little with stream-water characteristics across subregions, and instead taxon replacement occurred. Overall taxonomic β-diversity was fourfold higher than functional diversity, suggesting a high degree of functional redundancy among aquatic fungi. Elevated temperature appeared to boost assemblage uniqueness by increasing β-diversity while the increase in nutrient concentrations appeared to homogenize fungal assemblages. Functional richness showed a negative relationship with temperature. Nonetheless, a positive relationship between leaf-litter decomposition and functional richness suggests higher carbon use efficiency of fungal communities in cold waters.     

Multidecadal changes in functional diversity lag behind the recovery of taxonomic diversity

While there has been increasing interest in how taxonomic diversity is changing over time, less is known about how long‐term taxonomic changes may affect ecosystem functioning and resilience. Exploring long‐term patterns of functional diversity can provide key insights into the capacity of a community to carry out ecological processes and the redundancy of species’ roles. We focus on a protected freshwater system located in a national park in southeast Germany. We use a high‐resolution benthic macroinvertebrate dataset spanning 32 years (1983–2014) and test whether changes in functional diversity are reflected in taxonomic diversity using a multidimensional trait‐based approach and regression analyses. Specifically, we asked: (i) How has functional diversity changed over time? (ii) How functionally distinct are the community''s taxa? (iii) Are changes in functional diversity concurrent with taxonomic diversity? And (iv) what is the extent of community functional redundancy? Resultant from acidification mitigation, macroinvertebrate taxonomic diversity increased over the study period. Recovery of functional diversity was less pronounced, lagging behind responses of taxonomic diversity. Over multidecadal timescales, the macroinvertebrate community has become more homogenous with a high degree of functional redundancy, despite being isolated from direct anthropogenic activity. While taxonomic diversity increased over time, functional diversity has yet to catch up. These results demonstrate that anthropogenic pressures can remain a threat to biotic communities even in protected areas. The differences in taxonomic and functional recovery processes highlight the need to incorporate functional traits in assessments of biodiversity responses to global change.     

Aspen (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus tremuloides</Emphasis>) stands and their contribution to plant diversity in a semiarid coniferous landscape

We conducted a field study to determine the relative contributions of aspen (Populus tremuloides), meadow, and conifer communities to local and landscape-level plant species diversity in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range, northeastern California, USA. We surveyed plant assemblages at 30 sites that included adjacent aspen, conifer, and meadow communities across a 10,000-km² region. We statistically investigated patterns in local and landscape-scale plant diversity within and among the three vegetation types. Summing across sites, aspen stands supported more plant species overall and more unique plant species than either meadow or conifer communities. Local richness and diversity did not differ between aspen and meadow plots; conifer forest plots were significantly lower in both measures. Heterogeneity in species composition was higher for aspen forest than for meadows or conifer forest, both within sites and between sites. Plant communities in aspen stands shared less than 25% of their species with adjacent vegetation in conifer and meadow plots. Within aspen forest, we found a negative relationship between total canopy cover and plant diversity. Our results strongly support the idea that plant communities of aspen stands are compositionally distinct from adjacent meadows and conifer forest, and that aspen forests are a major contributor to plant species diversity in the study region. Current patterns of aspen stand succession to conifer forest on many sites in the semiarid western US are likely to reduce local and landscape-level plant species diversity, and may also have negative effects on other ecosystem functions and services provided by aspen forest.     

Soil microbial diversity: Methodological strategy, spatial overview and functional interest

Since the development of industrialization, urbanization and agriculture, soils have been subjected to numerous variations in environmental conditions, which have resulted in modifications of the taxonomic diversity and functioning of the indigenous microbial communities. As a consequence, the functional significance of these losses/modifications of biodiversity, in terms of the capacity of ecosystems to maintain the functions and services on which humanity depends, is now of pivotal importance. In this context, one of the main challenges in soil microbial ecology is to better understand and predict the processes that drive soil microbial diversity and the link between diversity and ecosystem process. This review describes past, present and ongoing conceptual and methodological strategies employed to better assess and understand the distribution and evolution of soil microbial diversity with the aim of increasing our capacity to translate such diversity into soil biological functioning and, more widely, into ecosystem services.     

The conservation value of cacao agroforestry for bird functional diversity in tropical agricultural landscapes

Cacao agroforestry have been considered as biodiversity‐friendly farming practices by maintaining habitats for a high diversity of species in tropical landscapes. However, little information is available to evaluate whether this agrosystem can maintain functional diversity, given that agricultural changes can affect the functional components, but not the taxonomic one (e.g., species richness). Thus, considering functional traits improve the understanding of the agricultural impacts on biodiversity. Here, we measured functional diversity (functional richness‐FD, functional evenness‐FEve, and functional divergence‐Rao) and taxonomic diversity (species richness and Simpson index) to evaluate changes of bird diversity in cacao agroforestry in comparison with nearby mature forests (old‐growth forests) in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We used data from two landscapes with constraining areas of mature forest (49% Una and 4.8% Ilhéus) and cacao agroforestry cover (6% and 82%, respectively). To remove any bias of species richness and to evaluate assembly processes (functional overdispersion or clustering), all functional indices were adjusted using null models. Our analyses considered the entire community, as well as separately for forest specialists, habitat generalists, and birds that contribute to seed dispersal (frugivores/granivores) or invertebrate removal (insectivores). Our findings showed that small cacao agroforestry in the forested landscape sustains functional diversity (FD and FEve) as diverse as nearby forests when considering the entire community, forest specialist, and habitat generalists. However, we observed declines for frugivores/granivores and insectivores (FD and Rao). These responses of bird communities differed from those observed by taxonomic diversity, suggesting that even species‐rich communities in agroforestry may capture lower functional diversity. Furthermore, communities in both landscapes showed either functional clustering or neutral processes as the main driver of functional assembly. Functional clustering may indicate that local conditions and resources were changed or lost, while neutral assemblies may reveal high functional redundancy at the landscape scale. In Ilhéus, the neutral assembly predominance suggests an effect of functional homogenization between habitats. Thus, the conservation value of cacao agroforestry to harbor species‐rich communities and ecosystem functions relies on smallholder production with reduced farm management in a forested landscape. Finally, we emphasize that seed dispersers and insectivores should be the priority conservation targets in cacao systems.     

The effect of range changes on the functional turnover,structure and diversity of bird assemblages under future climate scenarios

Animal assemblages fulfill a critical set of ecological functions for ecosystems that may be altered substantially as climate change‐induced distribution changes lead to community disaggregation and reassembly. We combine species and community perspectives to assess the consequences of projected geographic range changes for the diverse functional attributes of avian assemblages worldwide. Assemblage functional structure is projected to change highly unevenly across space. These differences arise from both changes in the number of species and changes in species’ relative local functional redundancy or distinctness. They sometimes result in substantial losses of functional diversity that could have severe consequences for ecosystem health. Range expansions may counter functional losses in high‐latitude regions, but offer little compensation in many tropical and subtropical biomes. Future management of local community function and ecosystem services thus relies on understanding the global dynamics of species distributions and multiscale approaches that include the biogeographic context of species traits.     

Why are there more arboreal ant species in primary than in secondary tropical forests?

1.?Species diversity of arboreal arthropods tends to increase during rainforest succession so that primary forest communities comprise more species than those from secondary vegetation, but it is not well understood why. Primary forests differ from secondary forests in a wide array of factors whose relative impacts on arthropod diversity have not yet been quantified. 2.?We assessed the effects of succession-related determinants on a keystone ecological group, arboreal ants, by conducting a complete census of 1332 ant nests from all trees with diameter at breast height?≥?5?cm occurring within two (unreplicated) 0·32-ha plots, one in primary and one in secondary lowland forest in New Guinea. Specifically, we used a novel rarefaction-based approach to match number, size distribution and taxonomic structure of trees in primary forest communities to those in secondary forest and compared the resulting numbers of ant species. 3.?In total, we recorded 80 nesting ant species from 389 trees in primary forest but only 42 species from 295 trees in secondary forest. The two habitats did not differ in the mean number of ant species per tree or in the relationship between ant diversity and tree size. However, the between-tree similarity of ant communities was higher in secondary forest than in primary forest, as was the between-tree nest site similarity, suggesting that secondary trees were more uniform in providing nesting microhabitats. 4.?Using our rarefaction method, the difference in ant species richness between two forest types was partitioned according to the effects of higher tree density (22·6%), larger tree size (15·5%) and higher taxonomic diversity of trees (14·3%) in primary than in secondary forest. The remaining difference (47·6%) was because of higher beta diversity of ant communities between primary forest trees. In contrast, difference in nest density was explained solely by difference in tree density. 5.?Our study shows that reduction in plant taxonomic diversity in secondary forests is not the main driver of the reduction in canopy ant species richness. We suggest that the majority of arboreal species losses in secondary tropical forests are attributable to simpler vegetation structure, combined with lower turnover of nesting microhabitats between trees.     

车八岭山地常绿阔叶林冰灾后土壤微生物群落功能多样性

研究了我国南方冰灾后常绿阔叶林林冠开度及土壤养分的空间异质性对土壤微生物功能多样性的影响.在受冰灾影响的粤北车八岭山地常绿阔叶林2 hm2固定样地中按照冠层受损程度选取16个20 m×20 m的样方,用半球面影像技术获取林冠开度,并取0～20 cm的表层土壤混合样品分析土壤的理化性质,同时应用Biolog技术分析微生物功能多样性.按林冠开度梯度对各样方土壤微生物群落利用单一碳源的分析发现,林冠开度大的样方土壤微生物的活性、丰富度、多样性和均匀度都较低,反之则较高.聚类分析的结果与林冠开度的梯度有高度的一致性.主成分分析表明各样方土壤微生物功能多样性具有显著差异(第一轴p<0.005;第二轴p<0.001),其结果与聚类结果基本吻合.冗余分析揭示了土壤全磷、全钾、全氮、速效氮、有机碳、容重、总孔隙度和林冠开度的综合作用对土壤微生物功能多样性有显著影响(p<0.005),其中林冠开度与土壤微生物群落功能多样性的关系最密切.土壤微生物功能多样性受土壤养分的影响,具体表现为:与土壤有机碳呈明显的正相关;与全氮正相关;与速效氮、全磷负相关.研究说明冰灾所造成林冠开度和土壤养分的空间异质性会影响到土壤微生物功能多样性,而土壤微生物功能多样性可用于对生境恢复的指示和评价.     

Phylogenetic constraints to soil properties determine elevational diversity gradients of forest understory vegetation

Elevational diversity gradients (EDGs) of vegetation are shaped by the evolutionary histories of plants as well as by ecological factors. However, few studies of EDGs have focused on the roles of phylogenetic constraints and the effects of complicated interactions among environmental factors. Here, we examine the direct and indirect effects of environmental factors in forming EDGs of forest understory vegetation. The study plots were selected along elevational gradients in cool-temperate and sub-alpine forests in the University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest of central Japan. Tree seedlings and herbs were identified, and environmental factors (elevation, soil temperature, soil pH, soil CN ratio, forest type, basal area, canopy openness, and slope) were measured in these plots. Structural equation modeling (SEM) including taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity was used to consider the causal relationships between environmental conditions and the diversity of understory vegetation. In addition, phylogenetic signals in habitat requirements were tested. The taxonomic and phylogenetic diversities of tree seedlings increased monotonically with elevation, and the same pattern was found for the taxonomic diversity of herbs. The SEM indicated that both the taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of tree seedlings were most affected by soil properties, although the phylogenetic diversity of herbs was determined by light conditions. These results highlight the importance of environmental filtering by soil properties in shaping EDGs of tree seedlings. This study implies that phylogenetic constraints in the adaptation to soil properties should be considered when predicting changes in EDGs under environmental fluctuations.     

Arctic arthropod assemblages in habitats of differing shrub dominance

Recent climate warming in the Arctic has caused advancement in the timing of snowmelt and expansion of shrubs into open tundra. Such an altered climate may directly and indirectly (via effects on vegetation) affect arctic arthropod abundance, diversity and assemblage taxonomic composition. To allow better predictions about how climate changes may affect these organisms, we compared arthropod assemblages between open and shrub‐dominated tundra at three field sites in northern Alaska that encompass a range of shrub communities. Over ten weeks of sampling in 2011, pitfall traps captured significantly more arthropods in shrub plots than open tundra plots at two of the three sites. Furthermore, taxonomic richness and diversity were significantly greater in shrub plots than open tundra plots, although this pattern was site‐specific as well. Patterns of abundance within the five most abundant arthropod orders differed, with spiders (Order: Araneae) more abundant in open tundra habitats and true bugs (Order: Hemiptera), flies (Order: Diptera), and wasps and bees (Order: Hymenoptera) more abundant in shrub‐dominated habitats. Few strong relationships were found between vegetation and environmental variables and arthropod abundance; however, lichen cover seemed to be important for the overall abundance of arthropods. Some arthropod orders showed significant relationships with other vegetation variables, including maximum shrub height (Coleoptera) and foliar canopy cover (Diptera). As climate warming continues over the coming decades, and with further shrub expansion likely to occur, changes in arthropod abundance, richness, and diversity associated with shrub‐dominated habitat may have important ecological effects on arctic food webs since arthropods play important ecological roles in the tundra, including in decomposition and trophic interactions.     

Phylogenetic and functional underdispersion in Neotropical phyllostomid bat communities

Habitat conversion creates a mosaic of land cover types, which affect the spatial distribution, diversity, and abundance of resources. We used abundance, functional, and phylogenetic information to determine if Neotropical bat communities exhibited phylogenetic or functional overdispersion or underdispersion in response to habitat conversion. Overdispersion suggests the operation of intraclade competition, niche partitioning, limiting similarity, or character displacement, whereas underdispersion indicates the operation of interclade competition, abiotic filtering, or biotic filtering. We expected (1) biotic filtering in landscapes with extensive forest loss to result in underdispersion; (2) niche partitioning in heterogeneous landscapes with intermediate forest loss to result in overdispersion; and (3) intraclade competition during times of low resource abundance (i.e., dry season) to increase, resulting in overdispersion. Most bat communities exhibited phylogenetic or functional underdispersion; none exhibited overdispersion. Expectations were not met: underdispersion did not increase with forest loss, heterogeneous landscapes did not induce overdispersion, and no evidence supported the contention that intraclade competition changed with season. Empirical responses were season‐specific, likely because resource availability may affect relationships between forest cover and underdispersion and between biodiversity and underdispersion. During the dry season, only high diversity sites exhibited underdispersion (i.e., functional or phylogenetic redundancy), whereas underdispersion occurred in low, intermediate, or high diversity communities during the wet season; we suggest that this difference likely arises due to changes in resource abundance. Communities with high diversity and redundancy occupied heterogeneous sites during the dry season, but communities with high redundancy were restricted to large forest reserves during the wet season.     

Contrasting trait assembly patterns in plant and bird communities along environmental and human‐induced land‐use gradients

Human‐driven environmental changes can induce marked shifts in the functional structure of biological communities with possible repercussion on important ecosystem functions and services. At the same time it remains unclear to which extent these changes may differently affect various types of organisms. We investigated species richness and community functional structure of species assemblages at the landscape scale (1 km² plots) for two contrasting model taxa, i.e. plants (producers and sessile organisms) and birds (consumers and mobile organisms), along topography, climate, landscape heterogeneity, and land‐use (agriculture and urbanization) gradients in a densely populated region of Switzerland. Our study revealed that agricultural and urban land uses drove marked shifts in the functional structure of biological communities compared to changes along climate and topography gradients, especially for plants, while for birds these changes were comparable. Agricultural and urban land uses enhanced divergence in traits related to resource use for birds (diet and nesting), growth forms, dispersal, and reproductive traits for plants, while it induced convergence in vegetative plant traits (plant height and leaf dry matter content). These results suggest that contrasting assembly patterns may arise within and across taxonomic groups along the same environmental gradients as result of distinct underlying processes and ‘organism‐specific’ environmental perceptions. Our results further suggest a potential homogenization of biological communities, as well as low functional diversity and redundancy levels of bird assemblages in our human‐dominated study region. This might potentially compromise the maintenance of key ecological processes under future environmental changes.     

Response of riparian plant communities to distance from surface water in the Okavango Delta,Botswana

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of distance from surface water on riparian woodland communities in the Okavango Delta. Vegetation sampling was conducted in seven sites within the Okavango Delta in 20 m × 10 m belted plots placed perpendicular to the river bank. The plots were placed at 0–10 m, 10–20 m, 20–30 m, 30–40 m and 40–50 m distance classes increasing away from the river bank. Tree height, basal area, species richness, canopy cover and diversity were determined for each distance class. Indicator species analysis was used to determine the characteristic species at each distance class. Single‐factor ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analysis were used to compare species diversity, mean tree height, cover and basal area between distance classes. Correlation between distance from surface water and vegetation parameters was sought using Spearman regression analysis. All parameters except for species richness varied significantly (P < 0.05) along distance from surface water. Distance from surface water was positively correlated all vegetation parameters except for mean species richness/plot. These results show that distance from surface water influences riparian plant community composition and distribution in the Okavango Delta. This implies that riparian plant species can be indicators of long‐term hydrologic conditions in the Delta.     

A tale of two green walls: a functional trait approach to assess vegetation establishment on restored steep slopes

Green walls (GWs) have been increasingly recognized as an important restoration technique for steep slopes resulting from quarrying activities or major infrastructure construction projects. In practice, GW irrigation is considered essential, although studies evaluating vegetation establishment under different irrigation regimes are lacking. Besides taxonomic metrics, functional diversity measures were used to compare the diversity and composition of plant communities of two hydroseeded GWs, with different irrigation regimes (irrigated vs. low‐irrigated). The studied GWs were installed in Peneda‐Gerês National Park (NW Portugal) to minimize the visual impact of shotcrete walls, along a road infrastructure, and promote their ecological restoration. Species' cover was recorded 3 years after installation. Species were classified according to their growth form, life form, and life strategy. Despite hydroseeding approximately 57 species, GW vegetation was dominated by spontaneous species, particularly acrocarpous mosses, regardless of irrigation regime. Species and functional richness were higher under irrigated conditions, while no differences were observed for species diversity and functional dispersion. Functional trait composition did not differ between GWs, indicating that both systems potentially provide the same ecosystem functions and services. Our results also suggest that spontaneous species colonizing GWs are highly adapted to local environmental conditions, given their dominance in both irrigated and low‐irrigated communities. Overall, irrigation did not affect the structure and functioning of GW communities, only their redundancy, since more species exhibiting similar traits were established in the irrigated GW. Therefore, our findings suggest that low‐irrigated GWs, hydroseeded with native species, represent a more cost‐effective solution to reduce the ecological impacts of steep slopes.     

Humans,bees, and pollination services in the city: the case of Chicago,IL (USA)

Despite the global trend in urbanization, little is known about patterns of biodiversity or provisioning of ecosystem services in urban areas. Bee communities and the pollination services they provide are important in cities, both for small-scale urban agriculture and native gardens. To better understand this important ecological issue, we examined bee communities, their response to novel floral resources, and their potential to provide pollination services in 25 neighborhoods across Chicago, IL (USA). In these neighborhoods, we evaluated how local floral resources, socioeconomic factors, and surrounding land cover affected abundance, richness, and community composition of bees active in summer. We also quantified species-specific body pollen loads and visitation frequencies to potted flowering purple coneflower plants (Echinacea purpurea) to estimate potential pollination services in each neighborhood. We documented 37 bee species and 79 flowering plant genera across all neighborhoods, with 8 bee species and 14 flowering plant genera observed on average along each neighborhood block. We found that both bee abundance and richness increased in neighborhoods with higher human population density, as did visitation to purple coneflower flower heads. In more densely populated neighborhoods, bee communities shifted to a suite of species that carry more pollen and are more active pollinators in this system, including the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) and native species such as Agapostemon virescens. More densely populated neighborhoods also had a greater diversity of flowering plants, suggesting that the positive relationship between people and bees was mediated by the effect of people on floral resources. Other environmental variables that were important for bee communities included the amount of grass/herbaceous cover and solar radiation in the surrounding area. Our results indicate that bee communities and pollination services can be maintained in dense urban neighborhoods with single-family and multi-family homes, as long as those neighborhoods contain diverse and abundant floral resources.