Czortek Patryk, Borkowska Lidia, Lembicz Marlena
Białowieża Geobotanical Station Faculty of Biology University of Warsaw Białowieża Poland.
Faculty of Natural Sciences Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities Siedlce Poland.
Ecol Evol. 2021 Oct 12;11(21):15030-15046. doi: 10.1002/ece3.8186. eCollection 2021 Nov.
Investigating the direction of changes in functional diversity involving successional pathways and historical disturbances may be a promising tool for predictions of the effectiveness of the seminatural meadows conservation, with great emphasis on formulation of more cost-effective restoration strategies. The goal of this research was to assess the differences in long-term shifts in the functional diversity of plant species in seminatural wet meadows unmanaged for the last 40 years, under the influence of different successional pathways and historical disturbances. Using ordination techniques, linear mixed-effect models, a set of plant functional traits and parameters of functional diversity, we assessed the importance of habitat filtering, competition, and niche partitioning in shaping community assembly changes over time. The most dramatic shifts in functional diversity were found in the successional pathway after topsoil removal, where colonization by successional inhibitors was the main driver causing decreases in functional dispersion and divergence. This was expressed as a decrease in the importance of habitat filtering and replacement of specialized species by competitors with heavier seeds and higher specific leaf area. Regarding the . and pathways, the magnitudes of shifts in functional diversity were milder and differed less between the historical topsoil removal and mowing treatments, thereby maintaining a large role for niche partitioning in shaping the vegetation structure. The results of our study highlight the importance of tussock sedges and shrubs as effective buffers against the functional homogenization of meadows driven by the decreases in functional diversity of plant species, even from a long-term perspective.
研究涉及演替路径和历史干扰的功能多样性变化方向，可能是预测半天然草甸保护效果的一个有前景的工具，尤其强调制定更具成本效益的恢复策略。本研究的目的是评估在不同演替路径和历史干扰的影响下，过去40年未管理的半天然湿草甸中植物物种功能多样性的长期变化差异。我们使用排序技术、线性混合效应模型、一组植物功能性状和功能多样性参数，评估了生境过滤、竞争和生态位分化在塑造群落组装随时间变化中的重要性。在去除表土后的演替路径中发现了功能多样性最显著的变化，其中演替抑制剂的定殖是导致功能离散和分化降低的主要驱动因素。这表现为生境过滤重要性的降低以及种子较重和比叶面积较高的竞争者取代了特化物种。关于……和……路径，功能多样性变化的幅度较小，在历史表土去除和刈割处理之间差异较小，从而在塑造植被结构方面保持了生态位分化的重要作用。我们的研究结果强调了苔草和灌木作为有效缓冲，防止草甸因植物物种功能多样性降低而导致功能同质化的重要性，即使从长期来看也是如此。
