Environmental filtering both indirectly and directly drives the Dry Tropical Forest species composition and functional composition. Issue 1 (2nd October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gianasi, Fernanda Moreira; de Souza, Cléber Rodrigo; Fagundes, Nathalle Cristine Alencar; Maia, Vinícius Andrade; Morel, Jean Daniel; Ferreira Santos, Paola; dos Santos, Rubens Manoel
• Is Part Of: Ecological research. Volume 36:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 107
• Page End: 118
• Publication Date: 2020-10-02
• Subjects: environmental heterogeneity -- functional composition -- phylogenetic composition -- soil conditions -- structural equation models; Ecology -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Japan -- Periodicals; Écologie; Japon; Ecology; Japan; Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Periodicals; 577.05
• DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12178
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0912-3814

Abstract

Abstract: Soil is a relevant driver of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic composition at local scales. However, the mechanisms by which the soil act in these components or how these components interact with each other are not elucidated. Herein, we propose to understand the role of soil (environmental filtering) on the turnover of taxonomic and phylogenetic components and their role in determining the functional composition of Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) communities. We sampled all the arboreal individuals with Diameter at Breast Height equal to or higher than 3 cm and collected soil variables of 25 units from five SDTF fragments located in the Brazilian Caatinga Domain. These data enabled us to obtain the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic composition of each plot, which were then analyzed by Structural Equation Models jointly with the soil variables. Our results suggest that the soil conditions select specific phylogenetic lineages from a regional species pool according to the adaptive potential, which affects the distribution and abundance of species (taxonomic composition). However, it was not possible to establish a direct relationship between the phylogenetic composition and the taxonomic composition, possibly due to the use of labile functional traits in the analysis. We also found that soil acts directly on the functional composition, leading to a differential success of individuals which would represent a direct and indirect effect of taxonomic composition on the functional composition. Thus, we found community aspects result from different ecological mechanisms which act in a continuous and progressive way between functional, phylogenetic and taxonomic composition. Abstract : Structural equation models demonstrated that the variation of environmental factors is an important diversity driver in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests, acting as an important environmental filter with direct influence on phylogenetic, functional and taxonomic composition, and indirect influence by mediating the relation between these components.