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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Data from: Functional structure of European forest beetle communities is enhanced by rare species

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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 morphological and ecological traits, from three regions in central and northern Europe. Using a rarity index based on species��� local abundance, geographic range, and habitat breadth, we used local and regional species removal simulations to examine the contributions of both the rarest and the most common beetle species to three measures of community functional structure: functional richness, functional specialization, and functional originality. In both regional species pools and local communities, all three of these measures declined more rapidly when rare species were removed than under common (or random) species removal scenarios. These consistent patterns across scales and among several forest types give evidence that rare species provide unique functional contributions, and that their loss may disproportionately impact ecosystem functions. This implies that conservation measures targeting rare and endangered species, such as preserving intact forests with dead wood and mature trees, can provide broader ecosystem-level benefits. Experimental research linking functional structure to ecosystem processes should be prioritized to increase our understanding of the functional consequences of species loss and to develop more effective conservation strategies. DATASET DESCRIPTION This dataset includes a) beetle capture information and b) beetle trait information from three countries: 1) Norway, 2) Finland, and 3) Germany. FILES readme.txt -- this has the information from this description section Norway_traits.csv, Finland_traits.csv, Germany_traits.csv -- these are the trait files, including all species Norway_sites.species.csv, Finland_sites.species.csv, Germany_sites.species.csv -- this has species (rows) by sites (columns); values are the number of beetles caught (for number of traps, dates, and other site covariates, see related dataset: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tmpg4f50b and manuscript: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14272). Species names follow GBIF taxonomic backbone. Traits_METADATA.csv -- this has information on all the fields in the trait data