Biology subjects

Vandvik, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Vandvik, V..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Functional traits trade-offs define plant population stability worldwide

O_LIEcological theory posits that temporal stability patterns in plant populations are associated with differences in species ecological strategies. However, empirical evidence is lacking about which traits, or trade-offs, underlie species stability, specially across different ecosystems. C_LIO_LITo address this, we compiled a global collection of long-term permanent vegetation records (>7000 plots from 78 datasets) from a wide range of habitats and combined this with existing trait databases. We tested whether the observed inter-annual variability in species abundance (coefficient of variation) was related to multiple individual traits and multivariate axes of trait variations (PCoA axes). C_LIO_LIWe found that species with greater leaf dry matter content and seed mass were consistently more stable over time (lower variability in species abundance) although other leaf traits played a significant role as well, albeit weaker. Using multivariate axes did not improve predictions by specific traits. C_LIO_LIOur results confirm existing theory, providing compelling empirical evidence on the importance of specific traits, which point at ecological trade-offs in different resource use and dispersal strategies, on the stability of plant populations worldwide. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Applying And Promoting Open Science In Ecology - Surveyed Drivers And Challenges

Open Science (OS) comprises a variety of practices and principles that are broadly intended to improve the quality and transparency of research, and the concept is gaining traction. Since OS has multiple facets and still lacks a unifying definition, it may be interpreted quite differently among practitioners. Moreover, successfully implementing OS broadly throughout science requires a better understanding of the conditions that facilitate or hinder OS engagement, and in particular, how practitioners learn OS in the first place. We addressed these issues by surveying OS practitioners that attended a workshop hosted by the Living Norway Ecological Data Network in 2020. The survey contained scaled-response and open-ended questions, allowing for a mixed-methods approach. Out of 128 registered participants we obtained survey responses from 60 individuals. Responses indicated usage and sharing of data and code, as well as open access publications, as the OS aspects most frequently engaged with. Men and those affiliated with academic institutions reported more frequent engagement with OS than women and those with other affiliations. When it came to learning OS practices, only a minority of respondents reported having encountered OS in their own formal education. Consistent with this, a majority of respondents viewed OS as less important in their teaching than in their research and supervision. Even so, many of the respondents suggestions for what would help or hinder individual OS engagement included more knowledge, guidelines, resource availability and social and structural support; indicating that formal instruction can facilitate individual OS engagement. We suggest that the time is ripe to incorporate OS in teaching and learning, as this can yield substantial benefits to OS practitioners, student learning, and ultimately, the objectives advanced by the OS movement.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Dispersal limitation and stage-specific local filtering processes vary with climate across a network of alpine grasslands

Dispersal dynamics and local filtering interactively generate regional vegetation patterns, but empirical evidence of their combined influence in nature is scarce, representing a missing link between our theoretical understanding of community assembly and real-world observation. Here, we compare seed and adult plant communities at twelve grassland sites with different climates in southern Norway to explore the degree to which community membership is shaped by dispersal limitation and local niche-based filtering, and how this varies with climate. To do this, we first divide species at each site into two groups: \"locally-transient\" species, which occur as seeds but are rare or absent as adults (i.e., they arrive but are filtered out), or \"locally-persistent\" species, which occur consistently as adults in annual vegetation surveys. We then ask questions to reveal where, when, why, and how locally-transient species are systematically disfavored during community assembly. Our results led to four main conclusions: (1) the strength of local filtering on community membership increased with temperature, (2) surprisingly, local filtering was stronger during seedling emergence than during seedling establishment, (3) climate-based niche differences drove differential performance among species, especially for seeds dispersing outside of their realized climate niches into more stressful (colder and drier) climates, and (4) locally-transient species had traits that may made them better dispersers (smaller seeds) but poorer competitors for light (shorter statures, less persistent clonal connections) than locally-persistent species, providing a potential explanation for why they arrived to new sites but failed to establish persistent adult populations. Our study is one of the first to combine seed, seedling, and adult survey data across multiple sites with different climates to provide a rigorous empirical evaluation of the combined influence of dispersal limitation and local filtering on the generation and maintenance of climate-associated vegetation patterns.

ecology↗