Species Functional Groups Research Articles

Elevational patterns of species richness and phylogenetic diversity in a Mediterranean island

Understanding the abiotic factors influencing biodiversity patterns on Earth is a crucial task for conservation scientists. At the regional level, meso-climate factors, primarily associated with elevational gradients, are of great importance. However, disentangling these factors can be challenging due to the influence of other variables, such as geological substrata. To address this issue and better understand elevational gradients, it is essential to study geologically homogeneous terrains, particularly in Mediterranean islands where such research is lacking. In this study, we investigated the distribution of plant species richness along the elevational gradient of the Limbara massif, which consists predominantly of granite rocks and ranks as the third-highest peak in Sardinia at 1,359 meters a.s.l. We employed generalized linear models to analyze richness patterns, considering various factors, including all plant species, functional species groups categorized by Raunkiær life forms, chorological groups of species, alien species and phylogenetic diversity. Our findings revealed a hump-shaped model of species richness along the elevational gradient, with lower elevations exhibiting the highest species richness. Additionally, endemic species richness increased with higher elevations, while alien species were predominantly found at lower elevations. These results indicate that the Limbara massif possesses a significant elevational gradient in species composition, likely reflecting a unique plant evolutionary history. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of published floras as valuable sources of biodiversity data for such studies.

The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of inselbergs.

Islands are fundamental model systems in ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary biology. However, terrestrial islands, unlike their aquatic counterparts, have received comparatively less attention. Among these land islands, inselbergs (i.e. isolated rock outcrops with diverse lithologies and a modest topographical prominence) stand out as iconic examples distributed worldwide across global biomes. Due to their durable lithology, inselbergs change slowly, persisting for tens of millions of years. In this review, we propose a biological definition for inselbergs that captures three fundamental characteristics of inselbergs from the perspective of biota. These are old age, isolation and the presence of unique microhabitats that are rare or absent in the surrounding matrix, fostering distinct communities often with unique and endemic biota. We synthesise the state of the art and formulate a set of testable hypotheses to deepen our understanding of the origins and maintenance of diversity on inselbergs, which are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic threats. By offering different habitats compared to the surrounding habitat matrix (e.g. moist microhabitats in dryland landscapes and xeric environments in humid tropical landscapes), inselbergs may allow specific lineages to thrive beyond their typical geographical limits. Particularly in drylands and degraded landscapes, inselbergs may not just provide different habitats but also act as ecological refuges or evolutionary refugia by providing a wider range of potential microhabitats than the surrounding matrix, enhancing resilience and promoting regional biodiversity. The central role of the matrix ensures that the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of inselbergs differ from those of true islands such as oceanic islands. Given that inselberg biota coexist within a terrestrial matrix, interactions between inselberg and matrix populations impact each other significantly. Over evolutionary timescales, matrix species may contract to inselberg refugia, preserving lineages while cycles of isolation and reconnection may drive speciation via a species pump. Although inselberg biodiversity has been studied predominantly from an island biogeography perspective, we argue that depending on the spatial scale, habitat specificity and mobility of the organisms considered, a range of different theories and paradigms can help explain the biogeography and local distribution patterns of different taxonomic and functional groups of inselberg species.

Response of understory vegetation to long-term occupancy by introduced Pinus species in temperate deciduous hardwood forests

In many temperate regions of the world, conifer species have been planted to stabilize soils and promote site recovery on former hardwood sites that were cleared for agriculture. In many areas of eastern North America, these conifer plantings consisted of introduced (non-native) Pinus species planted on abandoned agricultural land once dominated by mesophytic hardwood species. These plantings constitute a shift in overstory composition away from native hardwood species with nutrient-rich litter that decomposes more quickly towards Pinus species with recalcitrant litter that may alter soil chemistry and nutrient availability. To examine how edaphic conditions associated with long-term introduced Pinus species occupancy are related to forest regeneration and herbaceous-layer diversity and composition, we sampled a total of 97 plots in planted Pinus echinata and Pinus strobus stands and naturally regenerated hardwood stands growing on two ecological landtype phases (ELTPs) of southern Indiana, USA forests, Fagus-Acer saccharum/Arisaema Mesic Ridges, and Acer saccharinum/Boehmeria Bottomlands. We collected vegetation data and analyzed soil samples to examine herbaceous-layer species distribution across gradients using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination. Two-way ANOVA was used to examine differences in individual species and species functional groups across stand types (P. echinata, P. strobus, and native hardwoods) and ELTPs. Our results show that differences in soil chemistry resulting from Pinus spp. occupancy were associated with differences in the composition and distribution of herbaceous-layer species in ordination space. Species across stand types and ELTPs were distributed across dominant gradients related to litter depth, cation exchange capacity, cation content, and soil aluminum concentration. Hardwood sites had significantly greater herbaceous-layer cover (139.6 ± 8.0 %) than P. echinata (48.5 ± 6.2 %) or P. strobus sites (81.7 ± 7.7 %), as well as greater herbaceous-layer species richness and diversity (mean species richness was 46.9 ± 2.1 on hardwood stands vs. 33.3 ± 1.6 and 36.4 ± 2.0 on P. echinata and P. strobus stands, respectively). Pinus echinata stands contained a greater density of woody regeneration, including Quercus spp. (201 ± 48 saplings ha−1) and Fagus grandifolia stems (415 ± 82 saplings ha−1), both of which occurred in greater density than Acer saccharum (163 ± 93 saplings ha−1) and A. rubrum (70 ± 64 saplings ha−1). Our results suggest that pine occupancy has created divergent successional trajectories in comparison to hardwood stands. These differing trajectories may offer both challenges and opportunities for restoration efforts. For example, the greater abundance of Quercus reproduction under P. echinata on ridges, combined with less productive soils, may allow Quercus stems to be promoted into the canopy with less competition from mesophytic competitors.

Patch shape, connectivity and functional groups moderate the responses of bird diversity to agricultural diversification — A meta-analysis

Agricultural expansion and intensification pose significant threats to global biodiversity. However, the conservation of agricultural biodiversity is essential for harmonizing agricultural production with ecological sustainability. Agricultural diversification can mitigate the negative impacts of agriculture on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Characteristics of the broader landscape may also play an important moderating role in diversified agricultural landscapes, but are not fully solved. To bridge this gap, we conducted a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies to compare bird abundance and species richness in diversified agricultural landscapes compared to those in simplified farmlands and natural landscapes. We also explored the moderating role of species functional groups and 11 metrics of landscape composition, configuration and heterogeneity. We found a generally positive effect of perimeter-to-area ratio of farmland patches, connectivity within farmland patches, and connectivity within patches of natural and semi-natural habitats on bird abundance and species richness. Responses to other landscape metrics were less consistent. For pollinators, the abundance was higher in diversified agricultural landscapes compared to control groups, and particularly when compared to natural landscapes. For natural enemies, the species richness was significantly lower in diversified agricultural landscapes than in natural landscapes, while their abundance was not. The overall abundance and species richness of granivores and frugivores in diversified agricultural landscapes were comparable to those in control landscapes. These results indicated landscape type of control groups, species functional groups, and their interactions had consistent impacts on the responses of bird diversity. We found a vital role of farmland patch shape and connectivity within farmland and habitat patches for bird conservation in diversified agricultural landscapes, which has been rarely reported in previous studies. These insights underscore the need for policymakers and managers to develop farmland management and planning strategies at multiple scales to fulfill growing human demands while achieving biodiversity conservation objectives.

Precipitation changes alter plant dominant species and functional groups by changing soil salinity in a coastal salt marsh

Specific mechanisms of precipitation change due to global climate variability on plant communities in coastal salt marsh ecosystems remain unknown. Hence, a field manipulative precipitation experiment was established in 2014 and 5 years of field surveys of vegetation from 2017 to 2021 to explore the effects of precipitation changes on plant community composition. The results showed that changes in plant community composition were driven by dominant species, and that the dominance of key species changed significantly with precipitation gradient and time, and that these changes ultimately altered plant community traits (i.e., community density, height, and species richness). Community height increased but community density decreased with more precipitation averaged five years. Furthermore, changes in precipitation altered dominant species composition and functional groups mainly by influencing soil salinity. Salinity stress caused by decreased precipitation shifted species composition from a dominance of taller perennials and grasses to dwarf annuals and forbs, while the species richness decreased. Conversely, soil desalination caused by increased precipitation increased species richness, especially increasing in the dominance of grasses and perennials. Specifically, Apocynaceae became dominance from rare while Amaranthaceae decreased in response to increased precipitation, but Poaceae was always in a position of dominance. Meanwhile, the dominance of grasses and perennials has the cumulative effect of years and their proportion increased under the increased 60% of ambient precipitation throughout the years. However, the annual forb Suaeda glauca was gradually losing its dominance or even becoming extinct over years. Our study highlights that the differences in plant salinity tolerance are key to the effects of precipitation changes on plant communities in coastal salt marsh. These findings aim to provide a theoretical basis for predicting vegetation dynamics and developing ecological management strategies to adapt to future precipitation changes.

Quantifying marine larval dispersal to assess MPA network connectivity and inform future national and transboundary planning efforts

A marine protected area (MPA) network of multiple reserves can protect biodiversity across space, but to be effective, network configuration should support dispersal among MPAs as well as spillover to unprotected habitats. The ability of MPAs to function as an interacting network of populations connected by dispersal, however, is difficult to estimate at broad spatial scales, and therefore, connectivity is often not integrated in MPA design. Here, we simulate passive larval dispersal using a biophysical model to estimate potential transboundary network connectivity of MPAs in western Canada and United States. Drift time was varied to represent generic functional groups of nearshore species with planktonic larvae and sedentary adult stages. We found that MPAs potentially act as an interacting network and meet connectivity design criteria for nearshore invertebrate species, many MPAs (65%–90%) possibly exchange individuals, and a third of larvae from MPAs (25%–32%) source areas of the unprotected coast. This analysis provides a first approximation of multispecies connectivity to inform ongoing transboundary MPA design, and it can be used as a foundation for future model development.

Environmental DNA time series analysis of a temperate stream reveals distinct seasonal community and functional shifts

AbstractEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) extracted from water is routinely used in river biodiversity research, and via metabarcoding eDNA can provide comprehensive taxa lists with little effort and cost. However, eDNA‐based species detection in streams and rivers may be influenced by sampling season and other key factors such as water temperature and discharge. Research linking these factors and also informing on the potential of eDNA metabarcoding to detect shifts in ecological signatures, such as species phenology and functional feeding groups across seasons, is missing. To address this gap, we collected water samples every 2 weeks for 15 months at a long‐term ecological research (LTER) site and at three different positions in the river's cross section, specifically the water surface, riverbed, and riverbank. For these 102 samples, we analyzed macroinvertebrate species and molecular operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and temporal community turnover across seasons based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) metabarcoding data. Using Generalized Additive Models, we found a significant influence of sampling season on species richness. Community turnover followed a cyclic pattern, reflecting the continuous change of the macroinvertebrate community throughout the year (“seasonal clock”). Although water temperature had no influence on the inferred species richness, higher discharge reduced the number of Annelida and Ephemeroptera species detectable with eDNA. Most macroinvertebrate taxa showed the highest species richness in spring, in particular merolimnic species with univoltine life cycles. Further, we detected an increase in the proportion of shredders in winter and parasites in summer. Our results show the usefulness of highly resolved eDNA metabarcoding time series data for ecological research and biodiversity monitoring in streams and rivers.

Function rather than structure of phytoplankton community reveals changes of water quality in an ecological restored lake.

Although phytoplankton is well known as robust bioindicators to aquatic environments, their indicating functions based on different community parameters remain to be understood. In order to filter effective bioindicators in aquatic ecosystems, four phytoplankton community parameters including species richness (SR), total biomass (SBP), functional groups (FGBP), and size-fractionated chlorophyll-a (SC) were demonstrated in a subtropical artificial lake with ecological restoration in South China. Our results indicated that all the above four parameters exhibited high sensitivity to environmental variations and illustrated distinct aspects of indicating functions to aquatic environments due to their individual biological characteristics. Based on FGBP, both spatial and temporal differences in phytoplankton community could be identified. SR and SBP only classified the spatial and temporal distributions, respectively, while SC could distinguish the sewage outfalls from other sites. In terms of ecological management, two parameters (SR and FGBP) could distinguish the restored waters from untreated environments as non-point source pollution, and another parameter SC could indicate the sewage outfalls as point source pollution. Therefore, the combination of the above two categories of phytoplankton community parameters could make the strongest indicating functions. Our study provided greater insight into indicating functions of phytoplankton community parameters in an ecological restored lake and enabled better managements in such artificial lakes.

Plant diversity and functional identity drive grassland rhizobacterial community responses after 15 years of CO2 and nitrogen enrichment

Abstract Improved understanding of bacterial community responses to multiple environmental filters over long time periods is a fundamental step to develop mechanistic explanations of plant–bacterial interactions as environmental change progresses. This is the first study to examine responses of grassland root‐associated bacterial communities to 15 years of experimental manipulations of plant species richness, functional group and factorial enrichment of atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) and soil nitrogen (+N). Across the experiment, plant species richness was the strongest predictor of rhizobacterial community composition, followed by +N, with no observed effect of eCO2. Monocultures of C3 and C4 grasses and legumes all exhibited dissimilar rhizobacterial communities within and among those groups. Functional responses were also dependent on plant functional group, where N2‐fixation genes, NO3−‐reducing genes and P‐solubilizing predicted gene abundances increased under resource‐enriched conditions for grasses, but generally declined for legumes. In diverse plots with 16 plant species, the interaction of eCO2+N altered rhizobacterial composition, while +N increased the predicted abundance of nitrogenase‐encoding genes, and eCO2+N increased the predicted abundance of bacterial P‐solubilizing genes. Synthesis: Our findings suggest that rhizobacterial community structure and function will be affected by important global environmental change factors such as eCO2, but these responses are primarily contingent on plant species richness and the selective influence of different plant functional groups.

The LHS scheme and wood density define functional groups of woody species in the Brazilian semiarid? Capturing functional syndromes in the Caatinga.

For the Caatinga vegetation, it has not yet been definitively established which adaptive strategies best define the functional groups of woody plants and which syndromes emerge from the relationships between functional traits to achieve success in a semi-arid tropical region. To fill some of these gaps, we analyzed a specific set of characteristics that make up the LHS scheme of the plant ecological strategy (leaf-heigh-seed). The LHS scheme captures the functional niche of plants regarding the functional traits specific leaf area (SLA), plant height (HE), and seed mass (SM). We associate wood density (WD) to this scheme because this trait is a key feature for the identification of functional strategies in seasonally dry vegetation such as the Caatinga. We measured these characteristics in eight woody species and classified them according to their leaf phenology into deciduous and evergreen. The experiment was carried out between December 2017 and November 2018 in Caatinga areas located in the municipality of Barra de Santana, PB, a semiarid region of Brazil. Using cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation analyses, we found significant relations between SLA and SM, and HE and WD. The SLA was the main predictor of plant strategy in the Caatinga. According to this characteristic, we identified two functional groups: species with a low SLA and species with a high SLA. We also recognized differences between deciduous and evergreen species based on the same trait. The traits measured, which represent the axes of the plant ecological strategy scheme LHS and wood density, are efficient in the discrimination of functional groups in the Brazilian semiarid. These groups relate to leaf phenology of woody species in this vegetation.

Importance of restoration of dung beetles in the maintenance of ecosystem services

Abstract Dung beetles have key roles in ecosystems including accelerating dung decomposition, improving nutrient cycling and influencing physical (such as structure) and chemical (such as pH and available nutrients) soil properties. Without dung beetles, dung decomposition slows, nutrient cycling is impaired, and water infiltration decreases. Dung beetles face various threats, including climate change, anthropogenic chemicals and habitat degradation. However, there is limited information on the restoration of dung beetles in areas where they have been lost. The restoration framework utilized in this review considers three primary facets: environmental conditions, which encompass crucial abiotic features; biotic characteristics, which involve all other species; and focal species, which denote all native functional groups of species that require reintroduction or re‐establishment. This review aims to examine the ecosystem services provided by dung beetles, highlight the threats they face and conceptualize a restoration framework for these crucial organisms.

Eco-Friendly Method for Wood Aerogel Preparation with Efficient Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol.

The advancement of science and technology and the growth of industry have led to an escalating discharge of domestic sewage and industrial wastewater containing dyes. This surge in volume not only incurs higher costs but also exacerbates environmental burdens. However, the benefits of green and reusable catalytic reduction materials within dye processes are still uncertain. Herein, this study utilized the eco-friendly deep eutectic solvent method (DESM) and the chlorite-alkali method (CAM) to prepare a cellulose-composed wood aerogel derived from natural wood for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction. The life cycle assessment of wood aerogel preparative process showed that the wood aerogel prepared by the one-step DESM method had fewer environmental impacts. The CAM method was used innovatively to make uniform the chemical functional groups of different wood species and various wood maturities. Subsequently, palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were anchored in the skeleton structure of the wood aerogel with the native chemical groups used as a reducing agent to replace external reducing agents, which reduced secondary pollution and prevented the agglomeration of nanoparticles. Results showed that the catalytic reduction efficiency of 4-NP can reach 99.8%, which shows promises for applications in wastewater treatment containing dyes. Moreover, investigation of the advantages of preparation methods of wood aerogel has important implications for helping researchers and producers choose suitable preparation strategies according to demand.

Macroinvertebrates beta diversity and responses of functional traits to water environmental factors in the Qingyijiang River, China

AbstractThe diversity of functional traits of macroinvertebrates in freshwater ecosystems is one of the current research hotspots in the field of biodiversity. Understanding the functional trait composition of macroinvertebrates and their factors can make the study of watershed beta diversity and river ecological security patterns more effective. Based on two field surveys conducted in September 2020 and July 2021 in the Qingyijiang (QYJ) River, the longest tributary on the south bank of the lower Yangtze River in China, we explored the functional trait compositions of macroinvertebrates and relationships between functional traits and water environment factors using functional diversity indices, beta diversity decomposition, R‐mode linked to Q‐mode, and fourth‐corner analysis methods. Our results showed that water environmental factors affected the distribution of macroinvertebrates traits, and the degree of effect was reflected by the correlation between water environmental factors and the abundance of species traits. Physical factors like flow velocity and water depth were significantly correlated with biological traits of species such as body size and swimming ability. In counterparts, some nutrient indicators significantly affected species ecological traits, such as total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, and chemical oxygen demand, which affected species habits and functional feeding group traits. At the same time, we also found a high turnover rate between communities in the river, reflecting the strong dispersal ability of the species. This will be an important guide for the conservation of macroinvertebrates diversity in the river. Local governments can take measures such as conducting quarterly monitoring of macroinvertebrates species; restoring riparian vegetation; limiting hardening of riverbanks and dredging of rivers; controlling wastewater discharges from residential areas on both sides of the river; controlling the use of pesticides in agricultural lands, and so on. These will become the key directions for the conservation of macroinvertebrates diversity.

How do environmental variables affect the temporal dynamics of zooplankton functional groups in a hyper-eutrophic wetland?

In recent years, trait-based research on zooplankton has gained importance to enable comprehensive interpretation of ecosystem processes, but this approach is still limited in inland waters. Wetlands, one of the most important inland water resources, provide many ecological and economic services in the ecosystem, but like all other water bodies in the world, they are under threat of deterioration and depletion for various reasons. In this study, the taxonomic structure of the zooplankton community in Lake Manyas, one of the important wetlands of Türkiye, as well as their functional characteristics such as body size (small, large) and feeding strategies (microphagous, raptorials) were investigated monthly between 2019 and 2020. The hypothesis that environmental variables influence the species composition and functional groups of zooplankton was tested, given that their structure is shaped by environmental gradients. A total of 62 taxa, including rotifer-dominated, cosmopolite and eutrophication indicator species, were identified. These taxa categorized into three functional groups dominated by small microphagous. Although the zooplankton structure had a high taxonomic diversity, functional homogeneity was observed which reflected a low grazing rate in the ecosystem. Albeit water temperature and total organic carbon significantly affected the distribution of all functional groups, each dominant taxa interacted with different environmental variables. Changing environmental conditions in the lake affected the presence and/or quantity of the zooplankton functional groups (ZFGs). The results showed that ZFGs are strongly associated with environmental conditions and that the response of trait-based functional groups to environmental changes can provide useful knowledge about aquatic ecosystem's health.

Responses of Bird Communities to Habitat Structure along an Aridity Gradient in the Steppes North of the Sahara

We explored the influence of habitat structure on bird density and species richness in the poorly known bird communities in the steppes of Eastern Morocco, along a 200 km long N–S gradient of increasing aridity. The birds were surveyed, and habitat structure was measured in 44 transects regularly distributed along the gradient and during the winter and spring seasons in two consecutive years. After applying a principal component analysis (PCA), five axes were identified, including one related to the latitude–altitude–soil-type gradient and another describing the development of herbaceous vegetation. Generalized linear models were used to explore the relations between bird density and species richness with PCA axes in each season, considering both the entire community and groups of granivorous, insectivorous, and mixed-diet species. More than 90% of the birds were year-round residents, with larks dominating the community in both seasons. We conclude that a distinct multifactorial response can be identified for each functional group of species. In the winter, the community is mainly affected by the structure of the habitat, while aridity (and its assumed relation to primary production) is less influential. In the spring, habitat structure continues to have the greatest explanatory power, but location along the aridity gradient becomes more relevant. These findings reveal the interaction of the negative effects of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the habitat available to these bird communities, with a greater impact expected on birds with diets that include seeds, as well as a general shift of optimal breeding conditions toward more northerly latitudes.

Correlation of plasma generated long-lived reactive species in aqueous and gas phases with different feeding gases

Reactive species are believed to play an important role in the treatment effects in both direct and indirect plasma applications. To better understand plasma chemistry and reveal the reactive species generated in the aqueous and gas phases, this study investigated the reactive species (i.e. H2O2, and ) that were generated using two types of plasma jets with different feeding gases (i.e. air, CO2, and N2) and treatment time (i.e. 0, 5, 10 and 20 min) in both aqueous and gas phases. Under the same treatment conditions, the determinations of reactive species in ambient air (X-variable) were carried out using optical absorption spectroscopy (OAS), and the detection of reactive species in plasma-activated water (PAW, Y-variable) was using wet chemical-based colourimetric methods. For both measurements, OAS spectral features and the contents of reactive species in PAW varied from different feeding gases and treatment times. The correlations of X and Y were developed using partial least squares (PLS) regression modelling. High collinearity (R2CVs ∼ 0.955–1) was shown between the independent X and Y. Based on the PLS regression results, the selectivity ratio (SR) algorithm was used to select the most important spectral wavelengths that are highly related to the functional groups of these reactive species.

Comparative study on the effects of soil quality improvement between urban spontaneous groundcover and lawn

Ecological restoration of today's urban soils is a global challenge. Soil quality improvement through groundcover is one of the practical ways in urban ecological restoration practice, and the selection of suitable groundcover types is the key to successful soil ecological restoration. Spontaneous groundcover and lawn, as the two typical urban groundcovers, are mostly used for urban soil restoration. However, few studies have quantified and compared their effects on improving soil quality in urban environments, making it difficult to make scientific choices in practice. Furthermore, the improving mechanism of groundcovers on soil quality is still not quite clear. First, root biomass is commonly considered to be a direct factor affecting soil quality, however, most of the current studies focus on the relationship between a single soil quality index and root mass, and few studies systematically explore the relationship between soil quality index and root mass. Second, species richness and functional group are two main differences in species composition between autochthonous groundcover and lawn, one of which must be the driving factor for the difference in soil improvement effect. At present, there are inconsistent results on whether the driving factors of groundcover for soil quality improvement are species richness or functional groups. In order to explore the above problems, this study sets up a comparative experiment in the urban environment. this study. Twelve typical groundcovers (including six urban groundcovers and six lawns) covering five functional groups (grass (G), forbs (F) and grass (L), G + F and G + F + L) were selected for experiments. Soil quality indicators including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), boron (B), iron (Fe), soil organic carbon (SOC), catalase (CAT), root biomass and species richness were tested, and the soil quality index (SQI) reflecting soil quality was calculated. The results showed that the soil quality index (SQI) of autochthonous groundcover was 35 % higher than that of lawn, and the contents of N, P, K and SOC in autochthonous groundcover were significantly higher than those in lawn. N, P, SOC, CAT showed a response to the root mass of groundcovers. Among all the indicators, only CAT was significantly correlated with groundcover species richness, while N, P, K, and SOC were significantly dependent on their functional diversity, and showed significant differences in different functional combinations. This study shows that the improvement effect of urban autochthonous groundcover on soil quality is significantly better than that of lawn. Functional groups may be the driving factors for the change of groundcover soil quality. Different functional groups may affect the root system of groundcover through compensation effect, thus affecting soil quality, which ultimately leads to the difference in the improvement effect of spontaneous groundcover and lawn on soil quality. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of groundcover and lawn in urban soil ecological restoration in the future. In the practice of ecological restoration, if the goal is to improve soil quality, groundcover will be a more sensible choice than lawn. At the same time, attention should be paid to the diversity of functional groups to maximize the benefits of soil ecological restoration.

A meta‐analysis of shrub density as a predictor of animal abundance

Facilitative interactions between shrub and animal species influence the structure and composition of communities. The benefits associated with woody shrub species can critically influence local animal populations, in particular. Here, we tested the relative importance of the density of shrub species on the local abundance of animal populations using a meta‐analysis. Full‐text review for shrub density, animal abundance or density and sampling effort, resulted in a total of 113 independent observations that reported both shrub density and animal abundance. A meta‐regression of shrub density on animal density with feeding functional group of the animal species as a moderator was used to test the predictive capacity of this simple vegetation measure on animal populations. Shrub density positively predicted animal abundance in these studies – particularly in deserts and grasslands. Shrub and woody plant density can thus be used as a potential rapid proxy for habitat in predicting local animal abundances. This method can support restoration and conservation of resident animal species in impacted ecosystems structured by woody shrubs globally.

The Role of Organ and Leaf Habit on the Secondary Xylem Anatomy Variation across 15 Species from Brazilian Cerrado

Xylem is a complex tissue connecting the organs of plants and it performs multiple functions, including water transport, mechanical support, and storage. Because of the interaction between structure and function, xylem anatomy can provide useful information about its role in plant strategies. However, knowledge of how xylem anatomical traits change across organs and species functional groups is still limited. Here, we tested the role of different plant organs (stem and roots) and leaf habits (deciduous, semi-deciduous, and evergreen) on xylem anatomy variation across 15 woody species from the Brazilian Cerrado. Vessels, fibers, and parenchyma traits were measured on 45 individuals sampled in 2014 in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Our results revealed a higher parenchyma fraction and less fiber fraction in roots than in stems across species. Differences in wood anatomical traits between organs were mainly species-specific in parenchyma traits rather than vessel and fiber traits. Across leaf habits, only the root ray fraction was higher in evergreen species compared to deciduous species. These findings highlight a potential role of organs and leaf habits in xylem storage across Cerrado woody species.

High‐diversity seed additions promote herb‐layer recovery during restoration of degraded oak woodland

Abstract Seed limitation represents a fundamental constraint to the restoration of native plant communities, and practitioners often apply seed additions to overcome this barrier. However, surprisingly few studies have experimentally tested whether seed additions can increase diversity in herbaceous communities of oak woodlands, which have undergone large‐scale transformation due to logging, altered fire regimes and invasion by non‐native species. Previous studies suggest that structural (thinning of woody biomass) and process‐based (prescribed fire) restoration treatments alone are unlikely to restore the full breadth of taxonomic and functional diversity in the herb layer, which accounts for most species in woodland ecosystems. To explore whether seed additions can improve restoration outcomes in an oak woodland, we sowed high‐diversity seed mixes in paired transects (seeded vs. controls) along a topographic gradient in a degraded site undergoing restoration with non‐native shrub removal, selective tree thinning and prescribed fire. Seed mixes contained native forbs, grasses and sedges from locally sourced material (n = 169 total species) in the regional species pool, and were designed to match species' habitat affinity to appropriate locations along the topographic gradient. The herb flora was sampled pre‐seeding, and for two consecutive years after additions. Seed additions significantly altered community and functional composition, and increased native species richness by 29% (43.0 vs 55.4), and floristic quality by 30% relative to controls. However, fewer than half of the sown species were established 2 years after planting, suggesting that dispersal and establishment limitation are both important barriers to the recovery of the herb flora in oak woodlands. We also tested if species' sown abundance, conservatism or functional group predicted establishment success. Species sown at high abundances and less conservative species recruited the most reliably. Grass and forb establishment rates were more dependent on seeding rate than sedges or legumes, and the mechanisms behind this trend merit further investigation. We found that adding high‐diversity seed mixes in conjunction with non‐native shrub removal, canopy thinning and burning, can accelerate recovery of herbaceous communities in a highly degraded woodland.