Biology subjects

de Bello, F.

Publications and source records attributed to de Bello, F..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

"Flower power": how flowering affects spectral diversity metrics and their relationship with plant diversity

Biodiversity monitoring is constrained by cost- and labour-intensive field sampling methods. Increasing evidence suggests that remotely sensed spectral diversity (SD) is linked to plant diversity, holding promise for monitoring applications. However, studies testing such a relationship reported conflicting findings, especially in challenging ecosystems such as grasslands, due to their high temporal dynamism and variety. It follows that a thorough investigation of the key factors, such as the metrics applied (i.e., continuous, categorical) and phenology (e.g., flowering), influencing such a relationship is necessary. Thus, this study aims to assess the applicability of SD for plant diversity monitoring at the local scale by testing six different SD metrics while considering the effect of the presence of flowering on the relationship and resampling the original data to assess how spatial resolution affects the results. Taxonomic diversity was calculated based on data collected in 159 plots with 1.5 m x1.5 m experimental mesic grassland communities. Spectral information was collected using a UAV-borne sensor measuring reflectance across six bands in the visible and near-infrared range at [~]2 cm spatial resolution. Our results show that, in the presence of flowering, the relationship is significant and positive only when SD is calculated using categorical metrics. Despite the observed significance, the variance explained by the models had very low values, with no evident differences when resampling spectral data to coarser pixel sizes. Such findings suggest that new insights into the possible confounding effects on the SD[~]plant diversity in grassland communities are needed to use SD for monitoring purposes.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Disturbance increases functional diversity but decreases phylogenetic diversity of an arboreal tropical ant community

O_LITropical rainforest canopies host a highly diverse arthropod fauna, which contribute to ecosystem function through their functional (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD). While a lot of previous research has documented the severe negative impacts of disturbance on the FD and PD of ground invertebrate communities, our understanding of arboreal counterparts is limited. C_LIO_LIHere, we studied the effects of forest disturbance on an ecologically important invertebrate group, the ants, in a lowland rainforest in New Guinea. We exhaustively sampled 4000 m2 area of a primary and a secondary forest for canopy ants. We report > 2800 occurrences of 128 ant species in 852 trees, one of the most comprehensive arboreal collections to date. C_LIO_LITo test how ant PD and FD differ between the two forests, we constructed the ant species-level community phylogeny and measured 10 functional traits. Furthermore, we assessed by data exclusion the influence of species which were not nesting in individual trees (visitors) or only nesting (nesters), and of non-native species on FD and PD values. We expected that disturbance would decrease FD and PD in tree dwelling ants. We hypothesized that traits in primary forests would be more overdispersed due to the greater availability of ecological niches, while secondary forests would have stronger trait clustering due to a a stronger habitat filtering caused by more extreme microclimate. C_LIO_LIPrimary forests had higher species richness and PD than secondary forest. Surprisingly, we found higher FD in secondary forest. This pattern was robust even if we decoupled functional and phylogenetic signals or if non-native ant species were excluded from the data. Visitors did not contribute strongly to FD, but they increased PD. Community trait means further corroborate the functional distinctiveness of arboreal ants among secondary and primary forest, with almost all traits being impacted by disturbance and forest succession. C_LIO_LIWe conclude that the most plausible explanation is increased competition among closely related ant species in the secondary forest, which drives trait divergence. In the primary forest, abiotic habitat filters leads to more similar morphology and thus lower FD of phylogenetically more diverse ant assemblages. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Phenotypic diversity created by a transposable element increases productivity and resistance to competitors in plant populations

An accumulating body of evidence indicates that natural plant populations harbour a large diversity of transposable elements (TEs). TEs provide genetic and epigenetic variation that can substantially translate into changes in plant phenotypes. Despite the wealth of data on the ecological and evolutionary effects of TEs on plant individuals, we have virtually no information on the role of TEs on populations and ecosystem functioning. On the example of Arabidopsis thaliana, we demonstrate that TE-generated variation creates differentiation in ecologically important functional traits. In particular, we show that Arabidopsis populations with increasing diversity of individuals differing in copy numbers of the ONSEN retrotransposon had higher phenotypic and functional diversity. Moreover, increased diversity enhanced population productivity and reduced performance of interspecific competitors. We conclude that TE-generated diversity can have similar effects on ecosystem as usually documented for other biological diversity effects.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

LOTVS: a global collection of permanent vegetation plots

Analysing temporal patterns in plant communities is extremely important to quantify the extent and the consequences of ecological changes, especially considering the current biodiversity crisis. Long-term data collected through the regular sampling of permanent plots represent the most accurate resource to study ecological succession, analyse the stability of a community over time and understand the mechanisms driving vegetation change. We hereby present the LOng-Term Vegetation Sampling (LOTVS) initiative, a global collection of vegetation time-series derived from the regular monitoring of vascular plants in permanent plots. With 79 datasets from five continents and 7789 vegetation time-series monitored for at least six years and mostly on an annual basis, LOTVS possibly represents the largest collection of temporally fine-grained vegetation time-series derived from permanent plots and made accessible to the research community. As such, it has an outstanding potential to support innovative research in the fields of vegetation science, plant ecology and temporal ecology.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Mycorrhizal symbiosis alleviates plant drought stress within and across plant generations via plasticity

O_LIPhenotypic plasticity is essential for organisms to adapt to local ecological conditions. It is expected that mutualistic interactions, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, mediate plant phenotypic plasticity, although it is not clear to what extent this plasticity may be heritable (i.e., transgenerational plasticity). C_LIO_LIWe tested for plant plasticity within- and across-generations in response to AM symbiosis and varying water availability in a full factorial experiment over two generations, using a genetically uniform line of a perennial apomictic herb, Taraxacum brevicorniculatum. We examined changes in phenotype, performance, and AM fungal colonization of the offspring throughout plant development. C_LIO_LIAM symbiosis and water availability triggered phenotypic changes during the life cycle of plants. Additionally, both triggered adaptive transgenerational effects, especially detectable during the juvenile stage of the offspring. Water deficit and absence of AM fungi caused concordant plant phenotypic modifications towards a "stress-coping phenotype", both within- and across-generations. AM fungal colonization of offspring was also affected by the parental environment. C_LIO_LIAM symbiosis can trigger within-generation and transgenerational plasticity in terms of functional traits related to resource-use acquisition and AM fungal colonization. Thus, transgenerational effects of mycorrhizal symbiosis are not limited to plant fitness, but also improve plants ability to cope with environmental stress. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Mapping extinction risk in the global functional spectra across the tree of life

Although one quarter of the species of plants and vertebrates are threatened with extinction, little is known about how the potential effect of extinctions on the global diversity of ecological strategies. Using trait and phylogenetic information for more than 75,000 species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fishes, we characterized the global functional spectra of each of these groups. Mapping of extinction risk within these spectra revealed that larger species with slower pace of life are universally threatened. Simulated potential extinctions revealed extensive internal reorganizations in the global functional spectra, which are particularly severe for mammals and amphibians. Considering the disproportionate importance of the largest species for ecological processes, our results emphasize the importance of actions to prevent the extinction of the megabiota.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

ecology↗