Abstract
Freshwater mussels are a highly imperiled, but species-rich group of filter-feeding bivalves. This study examined the relationship between evolutionary history and ecological function by linking community composition, phylogeny, and species-level functional traits. Despite occupying the same functional-feeding group, we found that species occupied distinct stoichiometric niches and that these niches varied, in part, as a function of their evolutionary history. The relationship between phylogenetic divergence and functional divergence suggests that evolutionary processes may be shaping niche complementarity and resource partitioning. When scaled to the community, higher species richness and phylogenetic diversity resulted in greater functional evenness and reduced functional dispersion. These photographs illustrate the article “Evolutionary history drives aspects of stoichiometric niche variation and functional effects within a guild” by Carla L. Atkinson, Brian C. van Ee, and John M. Pfeiffer published in Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3100
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