Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
Ecol Lett. 2013 Oct;16(10):1294-306. doi: 10.1111/ele.12157. Epub 2013 Aug 4.
Recent functional trait studies have shown that trait differences may favour certain species (environmental filtering) while simultaneously preventing competitive exclusion (niche partitioning). However, phenomenological trait-dispersion analyses do not identify the mechanisms that generate niche partitioning, preventing trait-based prediction of future changes in biodiversity. We argue that such predictions require linking functional traits with recognised coexistence mechanisms involving spatial or temporal environmental heterogeneity, resource partitioning and natural enemies. We first demonstrate the limitations of phenomenological approaches using simulations, and then (1) propose trait-based tests of coexistence, (2) generate hypotheses about which plant functional traits are likely to interact with particular mechanisms and (3) review the literature for evidence for these hypotheses. Theory and data suggest that all four classes of coexistence mechanisms could act on functional trait variation, but some mechanisms will be stronger and more widespread than others. The highest priority for future research is studies of interactions between environmental heterogeneity and trait variation that measure environmental variables at within-community scales and quantify species' responses to the environment in the absence of competition. Evidence that similar trait-based coexistence mechanisms operate in many ecosystems would simplify biodiversity forecasting and represent a rare victory for generality over contingency in community ecology.
最近的功能特征研究表明，特征差异可能有利于某些物种（环境过滤），同时防止竞争排斥（生态位分割）。然而，现象特征分散分析并不能确定产生生态位分割的机制，从而无法基于特征预测生物多样性的未来变化。我们认为，这种预测需要将功能特征与涉及空间或时间环境异质性、资源分割和天敌的公认共存机制联系起来。我们首先使用模拟演示了现象学方法的局限性，然后（1）提出了基于特征的共存测试，（2）提出了关于哪些植物功能特征可能与特定机制相互作用的假设，（3）综述了这些假设的文献证据。理论和数据表明，所有四类共存机制都可能作用于功能特征的变化，但有些机制比其他机制更强、更普遍。未来研究的最高优先级是研究环境异质性与特征变化之间的相互作用，这些研究需要在社区尺度上测量环境变量，并在没有竞争的情况下量化物种对环境的反应。有证据表明，许多生态系统中存在类似的基于特征的共存机制，这将简化生物多样性预测，并在群落生态学中代表着对一般性的罕见胜利，而不是对偶然性的胜利。
