0000000000619984
AUTHOR
Ross Wetherbee
Functional structure of European forest beetle communities is enhanced by rare species
Biodiverse communities have been shown to sustain high levels of multifunctionality and thus a loss of species likely negatively impacts ecosystem functions. For most taxa, however, roles of individual species are poorly known. Rare species, often most likely to go extinct, may have unique traits and functional roles. Alternatively, rare species may be functionally redundant, such that their loss would not disrupt ecosystem functions. We quantified the functional role of rare species by using captures of wood-living (saproxylic) beetle species, combined with recent databases of morphological and ecological traits, from three regions in central and northern Europe. Using a rarity index based…
Data from: Functional structure of European forest beetle communities is enhanced by rare species
From article abstract: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109491 ABSTRACT Biodiverse communities have been shown to sustain high levels of multifunctionality and thus a loss of species likely negatively impacts ecosystem functions. For most taxa, however, the roles of individual species are poorly known. Rare species, often the most likely to go extinct, may have unique traits leading to unique functional roles. Alternatively, rare species may be functionally redundant, such that their loss would not disrupt ecosystem functions. We quantified the functional role of rare species by using capture records of wood-living (saproxylic) beetle species, combined with recent databases of their mo…