The complex roles of space and environment in structuring functional, taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity of frogs in the Atlantic Forest

Autor(es)

Leao-Pires, Thiago A. ^[1] ; Luiz, Amom Mendes ^[1] ; Sawaya, Ricardo J. ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Programa Posgrad Ecol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, Sao Bernardo Do Campo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PLoS One; v. 13, n. 4 APR 19 2018.
• Citações Web of Science: 2

Resumo

Ecological communities are complex entities that can be maintained and structured by niche-based processes such as environmental conditions, and spatial processes such as dispersal. Thus, diversity patterns may be shaped simultaneously at different spatial scales by very distinct processes. Herein we assess whether and how functional, taxonomic, and phylogenetic beta diversities of frog tadpoles are explained by environmental and/or spatial predictors. We implemented a distance-based redundancy analysis to explore variation in components of beta diversity explained by pure environmental and pure spatial predictors, as well as their interactions, at both fine and broad spatial scales. Our results indicated important but complex roles of spatial and environmental predictors in structuring phylogenetic, taxonomic and functional beta diversities. The pure fine-scales spatial fraction was more important in structuring all beta diversity components, especially to functional and tax-onomical spatial turnover. Environmental variables such as canopy cover and vegetation structure were important predictors of all components, but especially to functional and taxonomic beta diversity. We emphasize that distinct factors related to environment and space are affecting distinct components of beta diversity in different ways. Although weaker, phylogenetic beta diversity, which is structured more on biogeographical scales, and thus can be represented by spatially structured processes, was more related to broad spatial processes than other components. However, selected fine-scale spatial predictors denoted negative autocorrelation, which may be revealing the existence of differences in unmeasured habitat variables among samples. Although overall important, local environmental-based processes explained better functional and taxonomic beta diversity, as these diversity components carry an important ecological value. We highlight the importance of assessing different components of diversity patterns at different scales by spatially explicit models in order to improve our understanding of community structure and help to unravel the complex nature of biodiversity. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 14/23677-9 - Novas abordagens de ecologia e conservação: diversidade filogenética e funcional de anfíbios e serpentes da Mata Atlântica brasileira
• Beneficiário: Ricardo Jannini Sawaya
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 10/52321-7 - Girinos de anuros da Mata Atlântica, da Amazônia, do Pantanal, do cerrado e de zonas de transição: caracterização morfológica, distribuição espacial e padrões de diversidade
• Beneficiário: Denise de Cerqueira Rossa-Feres
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 08/54472-2 - Diversidade, distribuição e conservação da herpetofauna do estado de São Paulo
• Beneficiário: Ricardo Jannini Sawaya
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores