Different Dimensions Of Diversity Research Articles

Netflix and the Transnationalisation of Teen Television

With the renewed popularity of teen television, SVOD services such as Netflix are increasingly investing in the production and distribution of teen series. Netflix is one of the first SVOD service to have adapted the genre outside of the western world. This transnationalisation of teen television is, we argue, infused with the streamer increasing emphasis on diversity. Based on a qualitative analysis of Netflix’s teen series trailers, this contribution explores how the streamer (a) challenges existing televisual conventions and (b) establishes its cultural authority through distinct negotiations of the global and the local. We highlight four dimensions of Netflix’s transnationalisation of teen television and conclude that, more than mere diversification of its catalog, Netflix managed to encapsulate different dimensions of diversity within the teen genre as part, on the one hand of its transnational strategy of expansion, and, on the other hand, its cultural politics.

Taxonomic, Functional, and Phylogenetic Diversity of Bats in Urban and Suburban Environments in Southern México

Urbanization is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, which has increased significantly in tropical regions in recent years, leading to the loss of species, their ecological functions, and evolutionary history. To determine the effect of urbanization on the diversity of bat communities in urban and suburban environments, we analyzed the α and β taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities at four sites along urbanization gradients surrounding a rapidly expanding city (Oaxaca City) in southern Mexico. We recorded bats using conventional techniques such as mist nets and acoustic monitoring. We calculated the diversity of bats in four sites with different urbanization conditions: urban (1), suburban (1), and rural (2). To assess the degree of total differentiation and components of bat turnover and nestedness between sites, we calculated the β taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversities. A total of 33 bat species were recorded. The highest taxonomic and functional diversity was observed in the Center of Oaxaca (the site with the highest level of urbanization). In contrast, the highest phylogenetic diversity was found in the West (the site with the lowest level of urbanization). The total β taxonomic diversity was higher than the functional and phylogenetic diversity. Regarding the contributions of turnover and nestedness, turnover made a more significant contribution than nestedness to the taxonomic and phylogenetic β diversity. In contrast, functional nestedness contributed more to the functional β diversity than turnover. Tadarida brasiliensis, Desmodus rotundus, Sturnira hondurensis, and S. parvidens were recorded in all three urbanization conditions. In the most urbanized site, four Myotis species were recorded: M. fortidens, M. keaysi, M. thysanodes, and M. velifer. We suggest that the analysis of different dimensions of diversity is essential and should be considered to strengthen conservation strategies; moreover, we suggest the preservation of native vegetation mosaics and water bodies within the city to maintain bat diversity.

Macroecological patterns of functional and phylogenetic diversity vary between ground and arboreal assemblages in Neotropical savanna ants

Macroscale environmental gradients can have contrasting effects on organisms that occupy different vertical niches, but we have little understanding of how this might result in different macroscale diversity patterns in ground and arboreal communities. We also have little understanding of how different dimensions of diversity, such as functional and phylogenetic diversity, vary along macroscale environmental gradients. Here we examine latitudinal and elevational patterns of different dimensions of diversity for both ground and arboreal assemblages in Neotropical savanna ants. The study was based on ant species occurring at 32 sites covering a 22° range of latitude and > 1000 m range in elevation in Brazil. Functional and phylogenetic richness were positively correlated with species richness, all increasing with latitude. However, the greater phylogenetic richness on the ground than in trees did not simply reflect differences in species richness. The mean functional and phylogenetic divergence among species was also greater on the ground than in trees, indicating a stronger role of competition. Both mean functional and phylogenetic divergence showed negative correlations with elevation in trees but not on the ground. In trees, the standardized effect size (taking into account differences in species richness) of mean functional divergence was negatively related to elevation and mean phylogenetic divergence was negatively related to both latitude and elevation. These findings suggest that as temperature decreases the relative importance of environmental filtering in arboreal but not ground communities increases (and that of competition and niche partitioning decreases). Overall, we show that the macroecological patterns of ant species richness that have previously been reported for Brazilian savannas do not adequately represent other dimensions of diversity, and that the representativeness differs between vertical strata. Macroecological patterns of functional and phylogenetic divergence indicate that the relative importance of competition and environmental filtering also differs between vertical strata.

Effects of Land Use Change on Avian Diversity in the Semi-Arid Area of Longxi Loess Plateau

Biodiversity is under threat due to human-induced changes in land use. While various aspects of biodiversity are increasingly studied in response to these changes, there is limited understanding of their effects on the structure and composition of bird communities in dryland regions. We examined the impacts of land use change on birds in the semi-arid area of the Longxi Loess Plateau by considering taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity. We analyzed both the α- and β-diversity of avian communities across different dimensions of diversity and calculated functional and phylogenetic structures using the net relatedness index. Our findings revealed that species richness was highest in farmland and abandoned farmland, while artificial mixed forests exhibited the highest number of unique species. Functional and phylogenetic α-diversity was greater in farmland and abandoned farmland when compared to the other four land use types. Moreover, the taxonomic diversity in artificial mixed forests, artificial Caragana korshinskii forests, and artificial Platycladus orientalis forests surpassed that in typical grasslands, but no differences were observed in functional and phylogenetic diversity. Regarding β-diversity, turnover patterns dominated multidimensional dissimilarity, with taxonomic turnover and total dissimilarity lower than their functional counterparts but higher than phylogenetic counterparts. Based on the present findings, we emphasize the long-term cessation of ongoing silvicultural initiatives to safeguard bird diversity in the semi-arid region of the Longxi Loess Plateau. This is crucial for narrowly distributed species such as Alectoris magna, as they face heightened vulnerability to losses.

Board gender diversity and workplace diversity: a machine learning approach

PurposeThis study aims to examine the association between board gender diversity (BGD) and workplace diversity and the relative importance of various board and firm characteristics in predicting diversity.Design/methodology/approachWith a novel machine learning (ML) approach, this study models the association between three workplace diversity variables and BGD using a social media data set of approximately 250,000 employee reviews. Using the tools of explainable artificial intelligence, the authors interpret the results of the ML model.FindingsThe results show that BGD has a strong positive association with the gender equality and inclusiveness dimensions of corporate diversity culture. However, BGD is found to have a weak negative association with age diversity in a company. Furthermore, the authors find that workplace diversity is an important predictor of firm value, indicating a possible channel on how BGD affects firm performance.Originality/valueThe effects of BGD on workplace diversity below management levels are mainly omitted in the current corporate governance literature. Furthermore, existing research has not considered different dimensions of this diversity and has mainly focused on its gender aspects. In this study, the authors address this research problem and examine how BGD affects different dimensions of diversity at the overall company level. This study reveals important associations and identifies key variables that should be included as a part of theoretical causal models in future research.

Diversity, justice and slum upgrading: An intersectional approach to urban development

Slum upgrading interventions often assume that all residents have similar aspirations and needs. However, these neighbourhoods rank among the most unequal settlements, and interventions can create winners and losers. Different dimensions of diversity have to be taken into consideration in planning such interventions to ensure a just outcome. Through the analysis of specific examples of slum upgrading processes in Nairobi, the paper identifies three interlinked aspects of diversity that need to be considered. These relate to Fraser's dimensions of social justice and to the pillars of the right to the city. We find that slum upgrading projects assume that all residents aspire to better housing and are willing to invest their savings and effort to achieve this. However, this is not a priority for everyone living in informal settlements. For many, the informal settlement is a relatively cheap housing option located close to good educational and economic opportunities, allowing parents to save for children's education. Interventions in informal settlements seldom consider the impact of market dynamics on different groups of residents. In informal settlements with some rental housing, improved infrastructures can lead to sudden increases in rent, displacing the most vulnerable residents of the settlement. Attempts to take diversity into account in participatory processes with local residents generally only recognise a limited number of dimensions of identity. They tend to divide people based on one dimension only, as if there were no others. However, people have multiple identities and some can be more salient than others when it comes to slum upgrading. This paper argues for an intersectional and relational approach, focusing on the relations between residents, and between different groups of residents.

Scale Effects on the Relationship between Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Arid Desert Areas

Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality is popular topic in ecological research. Although scale is an important factor driving changes in biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality, we still know little about the scale effects of the relationship between the different dimensions of biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Using plant communities in the northwest of the Qira Desert Ecosystem National Field Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Qira County, Xinjiang, as the study object, we explored the scale effects of plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality at different sampling scales (5 m × 5 m, 20 m × 20 m, and 50 m × 50 m) and the relative contribution of different dimensions of diversity (species diversity, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity) to variation in ecosystem multifunctionality. At different scales, a significant scale effect was observed in the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality. Species diversity dominated ecosystem multifunctionality at large scales (50 m × 50 m), and species diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality varied linearly between scales. Functional diversity made the greatest contribution in small scales (5 m × 5 m), and the relationship between phylogenetic diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality tended to show a single-peaked variation between scales, with a dominant effect on multifunctionality at the mesoscale (20 m × 20 m). The results of the study deepen the understanding of the scale effect of the relationship between plant diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in arid desert areas, and help to further conserve plant diversity and maintain ecosystem multifunctionality.

Embodied Othering Encounters with Muslim(‐Looking) Passengers: Riding across Amsterdam, Tallinn, Leipzig, and Turku1

Often framed in the public discourse as Europe’s ultimate Other, Muslims have been heftily debated and vastly problematized as violent, unfaithful suspect citizens, unwanted immigrants, part of a bad diversity, and refusal of modernity. Taking the Muslim Other into consideration, we explore young Muslim(‐looking) passengers’ everyday Othering encounters within the (im)mobile spaces of public transport that entangle their bodies with different imaginaries, histories, emotions, and affects. Employing qualitative research methods in a cross‐national and interurban study in Amsterdam, Tallinn, Leipzig, and Turku, which offer different dimensions of diversity, size, and history, important for understanding European cities in their complexities, we present public transport as a cross‐cultural meeting place with socio‐spatial negotiations of difference to study everyday travel experiences of 74 young Muslim(‐looking) passengers. We highlight how Othering discourses become part of their everyday travel experiences. In so doing, we investigate multiple modes through which the Muslim Other is (re)produced and Othering is lived out in the networks of their everyday embodied, that is, sensorial, corporeal, and affective, experiences of public transport. In this way, we critically position public transport at the intersection of what it means to experience European cities through riding public transport.

The invasion paradox dissolves when using phylogenetic and temporal perspectives

Abstract The prediction that higher biodiversity leads to denser niche packing and thus higher community resistance to invasion has long been studied, with species richness as the predominant measure of diversity. However, few studies have explored how phylogenetic and functional diversity, which should represent niche space more faithfully than taxonomic diversity, influence community invasibility, especially across longer time frames and over larger spatial extents. We used a 15‐year, 150‐site grassland dataset to assess relationships between invasive plant abundance and phylogenetic, functional and taxonomic diversity of recipient native plant communities. We analysed the dataset both pooled across all surveys and longitudinally, leveraging time‐series data to compare observed patterns in invasion with those predicted by two community assembly processes: biotic resistance and competitive exclusion. We expected more phylogenetically and functionally diverse communities to exhibit greater resistance to invasion. With the pooled dataset, we found support for the long‐standing observation that communities with more native species have lower abundance of invasive species, and a more novel finding that more phylogenetically diverse communities had higher abundance of invasive species. We found no influence of aggregate (multivariate) functional diversity on invasion, but assemblages with taller plants, lower variability in plant height and lower seed mass were less invaded. Viewed longitudinally, the phylogenetic diversity relationship was reversed: the most phylogenetically diverse communities were most resistant to invasion. This apparent discrepancy suggests invasion dynamics are influenced by both site attributes and biotic resistance and emphasizes the value in studying invasion across time. Synthesis. Our results provide insight into the nuances of the diversity–invasibility relationship: invasion dynamics differed for different dimensions of diversity and depending on whether the relationship was evaluated longitudinally. Our findings highlight the limitations of using single time‐point ‘snapshots’ of community composition to infer invasion mechanisms.

Avian community composition affects ornithophilic mosquito and avian malaria turnover across an interfluvial system in southern Amazonia

Determining the roles of host ecology and geography on the distribution of parasites is an important aim in disease ecology. However, this is extremely challenging for vector transmitted pathogens due to complex host–vector–parasite interactions. Here, we assess community turnover of birds, ornithophilic mosquitoes and Plasmodium parasites at different dimensions of diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic). We test if rivers can act as a geographic barrier to bird, mosquito and Plasmodium communities, and analyze the relationship among community turnover of these biological groups. We compiled two published datasets on bird, mosquito and Plasmodium communities collected in seven localities across the Tapajós river in southern Amazonia. We calculated the community turnover of bird, mosquito and Plasmodium communities, and identified the effect of river margin on community composition by comparing observed values with null models. Mantel tests were used to examine the different turnover dimensions within this host–vector–parasite system. Bird communities on the same riverbank were more similar, whereas bird phylogenetic turnover between riverbanks was more dissimilar than expected by chance. Neither mosquito nor Plasmodium turnover showed significant turnover between riverbank margins. We found a positive correlation between bird community turnover, both taxonomic and functional, and mosquito community turnover. Bird community taxonomic turnover was also positively related to Plasmodium community phylogenetic turnover. Our results suggest that geographic barriers created by the Tapajós river affect bird community assembly but do not constrain mosquito and Plasmodium distributions. Additionally, bird communities may play a key‐role in the community dynamics of mosquito vectors and Plasmodium parasites.

Functional diversity of the Australian flora: Strong links to species richness and climate

AbstractQuestionsThe taxonomic and functional composition of plant communities captures different dimensions of diversity. Functional diversity (FD) — as calculated from species traits — typically increases with species richness in communities and is expected to be higher in less extreme environments, where a broader range of functional strategies can persist. Further, woody and herbaceous plant families may contribute disproportionately to FD in different bioregions. To build an understanding of these questions using Australia as a case study, we aimed to quantify how FD varies: (a) with species richness, (b) with climate, and (c) between major plant families representing different growth forms.LocationAustralia.MethodsData on species distribution and functional traits for 14,003 species were combined and FD approximated using hypervolumes (i.e. multidimensional species assemblage trait niche) based on three traits key to understanding plant ecological strategies: leaf size, seed mass and adult height. Plant assemblage hypervolumes were calculated including all species with suitable habitat in each 10 × 10 km grid cell across Australia, and in each of 85 bioregions. Within bioregions FD was also calculated separately for a suite of largely woody and herbaceous plant families. Relationships between FD, species richness and climate were explored.ResultsAs predicted, FD was positively related to species richness and annual precipitation, and negatively related to summer maximum temperature, both in analyses of 10 km × 10 km grid cells and of bioregions (all p < 0.005). However, FD was lowest at intermediate winter minimum temperatures. Patterns identified in families representing different growth forms varied to those observed for all species analysed together.ConclusionsStrong links between FD and climate could mean significant shifts in the FD of ecosystems with climate change. Monitoring changes in FD and associated ecosystem functions requires a detailed understanding of FD, which we begin to develop in this study.

Portfolio simplification arising from a century of change in salmon population diversity and artificial production

Abstract Population and life‐history diversity can buffer species from environmental variability and contribute to long‐term stability through differing responses to varying conditions akin to the stabilizing effect of asset diversity on financial portfolios. While it is well known that many salmon populations have declined in abundance over the last century, we understand less about how different dimensions of diversity may have shifted. Specifically, how has diminished wild abundance and increased artificial production (i.e. enhancement) changed portfolios of salmon populations, and how might such change influence fisheries and ecosystems? We apply modern genetic tools to century‐old sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka scales from Canada's Skeena River watershed to (a) reconstruct historical abundance and age‐trait data for 1913–1947 to compare with recent information, (b) quantify changes in population and life‐history diversity and the role of enhancement in population dynamics, and (c) quantify the risk to fisheries and local ecosystems resulting from observed changes in diversity and enhancement. The total number of wild sockeye returning to the Skeena River during the modern era is 69% lower than during the historical era; all wild populations have declined, several by more than 90%. However, enhancement of a single population has offset declines in wild populations such that aggregate abundances now are similar to historical levels. Population diversity has declined by 70%, and life‐history diversity has shifted: populations are migrating from freshwater at an earlier age, and spending more time in the ocean. There also has been a contraction in abundance throughout the watershed, which likely has decreased the spatial extent of salmon provisions to Indigenous fisheries and local ecosystems. Despite the erosion of portfolio strength that this salmon complex hosted a century ago, total returns now are no more variable than they were historically perhaps in part due to the stabilizing effect of artificial production. Policy implications. Our study provides a rare example of the extent of erosion of within‐species biodiversity over the last century of human influence. Rebuilding a diversity of abundant wild populations—that is, maintaining functioning portfolios—may help ensure that watershed complexes like the Skeena are robust to global change.

Effects of latitude, host body size, and host trophic guild on patterns of diversity of helminths associated with humans, wild and domestic mammals of Mexico.

Parasites are strictly associated with their hosts and present a great diversity of life histories, often resulting in different diversity patterns than those observed in free-living species. However, ecological approaches have detected that, in some cases, mammal-associated helminths respond similarly to non-parasitic species in terms of diversity patterns. Using 2200 recorded interactions, we analysed the diversity patterns of helminths (Acanthocephala, Nematoda and Platyhelminthes) harbored by humans, wild and domestic mammals of Mexico, depending on latitude, host body mass and trophic guild (carnivore, herbivore, insectivore, omnivore), considering helminth richness and average taxonomic distinctness, and host phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic clustering. Latitude was positively correlated with the average taxonomic distinctness encompassing the three parasite phyla and nematodes. Northern latitudes had less taxonomically related parasite assemblages. Host body mass had a significant negative relationship with the average taxonomic distinctness of acanthocephalans and the richness of helminths associated to wild hosts. The omnivore hosts had greater parasite richness, while insectivores had a less taxonomically related parasite assemblage and herbivores had a more heterogeneous parasite assemblage. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating different dimensions of diversity, such as average taxonomic distinctness and to consider the composition of parasite assemblages to better understand their diversity patterns.

Linking dimensions of data on global marine animal diversity.

Recent decades have seen an explosion in the amount of data available on all aspects of biodiversity, which has led to data-driven approaches to understand how and why diversity varies in time and space. Global repositories facilitate access to various classes of species-level data including biogeography, genetics and conservation status, which are in turn required to study different dimensions of diversity. Ensuring that these different data sources are interoperable is a challenge as we aim to create synthetic data products to monitor the state of the world's biodiversity. One way to approach this is to link data of different classes, and to inventory the availability of data across multiple sources. Here, we use a comprehensive list of more than 200 000 marine animal species, and quantify the availability of data on geographical occurrences, genetic sequences, conservation assessments and DNA barcodes across all phyla and broad functional groups. This reveals a very uneven picture: 44% of species are represented by no record other than their taxonomy, but some species are rich in data. Although these data-rich species are concentrated into a few taxonomic and functional groups, especially vertebrates, data are spread widely across marine animals, with members of all 32 phyla represented in at least one database. By highlighting gaps in current knowledge, our census of marine diversity data helps to prioritize future data collection activities, as well as emphasizing the importance of ongoing sustained observations and archiving of existing data into global repositories. This article is part of the theme issue 'Integrative research perspectives on marine conservation'.

(Re)Thinking diversity within sustainable development: A systematic mapping study

AbstractThis systematic mapping study aims to identify and systematize the existing theoretical contributions on workforce diversity in the private sector in order to provide a different approach to study diversity management. Diversity management is a process intended to create and maintain a favorable working environment in which all the similarities and differences among people are considered, thus enhancing their potential and maximizing their contribution to the achievement of an organization's strategic goals, ultimately guaranteeing sustainable development. Diversity aims to build an inclusive culture that promotes and enhances the talent of all of an organization's members. Therefore, sustainable human resource management is a challenge in many organizations. In this systematic mapping study, 80 primary studies were identified in the Scopus database, then the selected publications were classified according to their typology, focus, and contribution. This article proposes a different approach based on the cross‐sectional analysis of the different dimensions of diversity with the use of cluster analysis. This intersectionality encourages a continuous change of standpoints among different theories, concepts, and categories.

Dimensions of amphibian alpha diversity in the New World

AbstractAimThe links between taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity and how these vary geographically are key to understanding how historical and contemporary processes have shaped communities at regional and local scales. Here, we evaluate the links between taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity for the amphibians in the Continental Americas and how these vary geographically under an explicit hypothesis testing framework.LocationContinental Americas.TaxonAmphibia.MethodsWe identify spatial disparities between biodiversity dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic) using geographically weighted regressions. Based on these mismatches we examined whether different eco‐evolutionary processes would fit (competitive exclusion, habitat filtering, available ecological space, strong biotic interactions, speciation rates, and dispersion).ResultsWe found extensive variation in spatial mismatches between the three dimensions of biodiversity examined here. In general, at higher latitudes, we detected relatively little phylogenetic diversity, suggesting rapid functional diversification from temperate clades. In contrast, at low latitudes, environmental filtering mechanisms appear to be restricting functional diversity.Main conclusionsThe geographical mismatches between dimensions of diversity suggest different eco‐evolutionary causes. Patterns of diversification across amphibian lineages demonstrate how different environments can have contrasting effects on the different dimensions of diversity, potentially leading to decoupling. Neither dimension of alpha diversity of amphibians is a general predictor for another, and thus, general explanations for amphibian diversity and evolution should be avoided. Nonetheless, these dimensions can provide critical insights about conservation measures that explicitly emphasize evolutionary history, functionality or classic species richness.

Climate warming moderates the impacts of introduced sportfish on multiple dimensions of prey biodiversity.

Human-assisted introductions of exotic species are a leading cause of anthropogenic change in biodiversity; however, context dependencies and interactions with co-occurring stressors impede our ability to predict their ecological impacts. The legacy of historical sportfish stocking in mountainous regions of western North America creates a unique, natural quasiexperiment to investigate factors moderating invasion impacts on native communities across broad geographic and environmental gradients. Here we synthesize fish stocking records and zooplankton relative abundance for 685 mountain lakes and ponds in the Cascade and Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranges, to reveal the effects of predatory sportfish introduction on multiple taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic dimensions of prey biodiversity. We demonstrate an innovative analytical approach, combining exploratory random forest machine learning with confirmatory multigroup analysis using multivariate partial least-squares structural equation models, to generate and test hypotheses concerning environmental moderation of stocking impacts. We discovered distinct effects of stocking across different dimensions of diversity, including negligible (nonsignificant) impacts on local taxonomic richness (i.e. alpha diversity) and trophic structure, in contrast to significant declines in compositional uniqueness (i.e. beta diversity) and body size. Furthermore, we found that stocking impacts were moderated by cross-scale interactions with climate and climate-related land-cover variables (e.g. factors linked to treeline position and glaciers). Interactions with physical morphometric and lithological factors were generally of lesser importance, though catchment slope and habitat size constraints were relevant in certain dimensions. Finally, applying space-for-time substitution, a strong antagonistic (i.e. dampening) interaction between sportfish predation and warmer temperatures suggests redundancy of their size-selective effects, meaning that warming will lessen the consequences of introductions in the future and stocked lakes may be less impacted by subsequent warming. While both stressors drive biotic homogenization, our results have important implications for fisheries managers weighing the costs/benefits of stocking-or removing established non-native populations-under a rapidly changing climate.

Workforce diversity: from a literature review to future research agenda

PurposeWorkforce diversity is widely believed to enhance the knowledge and perspectives of organizations. The purpose of this study is to synthesize the existing diverse literature on workforce diversity and to enlighten the avenues for future research in managing workforce diversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study performs a comprehensive review of empirical and conceptual studies published on workforce diversity and its outcomes in the top 13 peer-reviewed leading management journals between 1990 and 2019.FindingsThe assessment of diversity literature reported mixed and inconsistent results that are the critical challenges of diversity management. Furthermore, most studies have not individually identified the problems of diversity dimensions. To understand the problems, this study has divided the different dimensions of diversity (e.g. age, gender, race, education, functional background and tenure) and their results, supported by various theories. The findings of this study suggested a different reason for existing conflicts and proposed a future research agenda.Originality/valueTo overcome the challenges of diversity, this study has proposed the future research agenda for future research. to take optimum advantage of workforce diversity, this study contributes a theoretical perspective that enhances the understanding of existing diversity in organizations and develops diverse organizations.

Using functional diversity and taxonomic diversity to assess effects of afforestation of grassland on bird communities

Birds are important bioindicators of environmental change and perform essential processes for ecosystem functioning. Afforestation of grasslands may lead to the reduction or loss of specific functions performed by bird species. We investigated the effects of afforestation of grasslands in southeastern South America on taxonomic and functional diversity of birds using multidimensional functional diversity indices. We collected data from bird communities in mosaics of native habitat and in eucalyptus plantations. We recorded taxonomic impoverishment in plantations, but no reduction in functional diversity was found in planted areas. The results demonstrate greater functional redundancy in riparian forest, which may confer greater stability for these communities, while higher values of functional diversity in plantations may indicate quite dynamic and less stable communities from a functional point of view. None of the diet categories were strongly associated with the sampled habitats. Nonetheless, omnivorous and insectivorous bird species were among the first to colonize plantations after cutting. Since the response of species to habitat changes are mediated by their traits, we can infer that, for a group of species, forest plantations are not totally unsuitable. However, to conserve different dimensions of diversity, it is essential to conserve mosaics of native vegetation to maintain bird diversity.

The effects of grassland ecosystem afforestation on avian phylogenetic diversity, taxonomic diversity and evolutionary distinctiveness

Forest plantations are among the main threats to the grassland ecosystems of southeastern South America. One key question is whether such plantations affect the evolutionary diversity of bird communities, since previous studies have shown a reduction in taxonomic and functional diversity. High levels of phylogenetic diversity can ensure the conservation of communities, and high evolutionary potential to adapt to environmental changes. Taking this into account we investigated whether the conversion of native grasslands into forest plantations impacted the evolutionary and taxonomic diversity of bird communities, through an analysis of the different dimensions of diversity. Our investigations took place in southern Brazil where native grasslands predominate, however many have been afforested in recent years. We collected data from bird communities in native grassland and forest habitats, as well as from eucalyptus plantations. Our results did not detect a reduction in phylogenetic diversity in the planted areas but did demonstrate the taxonomic impoverishment of bird communities. Furthermore, we registered a reduction in the evolutionary distinctiveness of bird communities in forest plantations and a variation of phylogenetic composition among habitats. This indicates the evolutionary adaptations of species to their habitat, whether it is forest or grassland. Riparian forest lineages appeared more capable of colonizing forest plantations, while grassland lineages appeared unfit to do so. Afforestation of grassland ecosystems may represent a future threat to the maintenance of evolutionarily distinct bird species, as well as to strict grassland species which have been shown to be evolutionarily unable to colonize forest plantations. We recommend the maintenance of forest plantations only in areas that have already been converted or degraded. Additionally, we emphasize the importance of practicing non-intensive economic activities in these areas, for example, cattle production in low-intensity. Such activities in low-intensity have been shown to be beneficial for the maintenance of the evolutionary and taxonomic diversity of bird communities.