Functional traits inform ecological processes underlying global springtail diversity
2 Department of Ecological Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Community and Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Science, University of Groningen
3 UMR 5175 CEFE. Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Univ. Montpellier, EPHE, CNRS, IRD
4 ISYEB, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle
5 UMR ECOSYS, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay
6 Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice
7 Institute of Biology and Chemistry, Moscow Pedagogical State University
8 UMR 7179 MECADEV - AVIV department, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
9 Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
10 JFB Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen; A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, University of Leipzig
O 6.2 in Session 6: Functional biogeography
05.05.2023, 15:45-16:00, SWO conference room
Niche differentiation is a mechanism that allows multiple soil invertebrate species to co-occur locally. While ecological niches are represented by species traits, the multidimensionality of functional traits has yet to be revealed in soil invertebrates. We used two unique global springtail datasets, #GlobalCollembola (43,601 communities) and trait data (1,384 taxa), to reveal assembly processes - filtering and niche partitioning - in springtail communities across habitats both globally and in the Paleoarctic.
We quantified trait responses using community-weighted mean and mean pairwise distance among coexisting species with seven traits: antenna-to-body ratio, body length, pigmentation, colouration pattern, eye number, furca development and reproductive mode.
All of these traits showed a response. Springtails were smaller, had fewer ommatidia, but longer furca and antenna and more parthenogenetic individuals than expected by chance. In shrub habitats, Collembola were less patterned and their antenna was shorter. Furca development and eye number were the traits filtered by habitat, while reproductive mode revealed partitioning processes. Body length showed filtering in shrubs but partitioning in agricultural fields. In contrast, antenna-to-body ratio revealed filtering in scrub but partitioning in woodland. Colouration pattern contributed to partitioning in agricultural fields, but filtering in grassland, shrubs and woodland. However, body pigmentation as a filtering trait could only be validated in shrubs. Taking all traits together, local springtail communities were driven by partitioning in agricultural fields but filtering in shrub habitats.
Our study reveals multidimensional functional traits underlying springtail community assembly. The application of trait-based methods improves our understanding of the mechanisms regulating soil biodiversity.
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