Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
Ecology. 2013 Jan;94(1):180-9. doi: 10.1890/12-0251.1.
Comparative analyses that link information on species' traits, environmental change, and organism response have rarely identified unambiguous trait correlates of vulnerability. We tested if species' traits could predict local-scale changes in dung beetle population response to three levels of forest conversion intensity within and across two biogeographic regions (the Neotropics and Afro-Eurasian tropics). We combined biodiversity surveys, a global molecular phylogeny, and information on three species' traits hypothesized to influence vulnerability to forest conversion to examine (1) the consistency of beetle population response across regions, (2) if species' traits could predict this response, and (3) the cross-regional consistency of trait-response relationships. Most beetle populations declined following any degree of forest conversion; these declines were strongest for Neotropical species. The relationship between traits and population trend was greatly influenced by local and biogeographic context. We discuss the ability of species' traits to explain population trends and suggest several ways to strengthen trait-response models.
比较分析将物种特征、环境变化和生物响应信息联系起来，但很少能明确确定易损性的特征相关性。我们测试了物种特征是否可以预测在两个生物地理区域（新热带地区和非洲-欧亚热带地区）内和跨地区的三种森林转化强度水平下，蜣螂种群对森林转化的局部尺度响应的变化。我们结合了生物多样性调查、全球分子系统发育以及假设影响森林转化易感性的三个物种特征信息，以检验：（1） 甲虫种群在不同地区的响应的一致性；（2） 物种特征是否可以预测这种响应；（3） 特征-响应关系的跨区域一致性。大多数蜣螂种群在任何程度的森林转化后都会减少；新热带地区的物种减少得最为强烈。特征与种群趋势之间的关系受到局部和生物地理背景的极大影响。我们讨论了物种特征解释种群趋势的能力，并提出了几种加强特征-响应模型的方法。
