Trait-based approaches to paleoenvironmental reconstructions: What is in the community-weighted trait mean?

Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 112982 - 112982

Published: May 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Trophically integrated ecometric models as tools for demonstrating spatial and temporal functional changes in mammal communities

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 120(7)

Published: Feb. 6, 2023

We are in a modern biodiversity crisis that will restructure community compositions and ecological functions globally. Large mammals, important contributors to ecosystem function, have been affected directly by purposeful extermination indirectly climate land-use changes, yet functional turnover is rarely assessed on global scale using metrics based traits. Using ecometrics, the study of trait distributions turnover, we examine relationship between vegetation cover locomotor traits for artiodactyl carnivoran communities. show ability detect strengthened when both primary consumers (artiodactyls, n = 157 species) secondary (carnivorans, 138 combined into one trophically integrated ecometric model. Overall, 81% communities accurately estimate cover, establishing advantage models over single-group (58 65% correct). develop an innovative approach within ecometrics framework, anomalies evaluate mismatches model estimates observed values provide more nuance understanding relationships cover. apply our five paleontological sites illustrate past today demonstrate utility paleovegetation interpretations. Observed changes their associated vegetations across space time strong, rapid effect environmental filtering Ultimately, captures cascading interactions taxa, traits, changing environments.

Language: Английский

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Disruption of trait-environment relationships in African megafauna occurred in the middle Pleistocene

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(1)

Published: July 18, 2023

Abstract Mammalian megafauna have been critical to the functioning of Earth’s biosphere for millions years. However, since Plio-Pleistocene, their biodiversity has declined concurrently with dramatic environmental change and hominin evolution. While these declines are well-documented, implications ecological function megafaunal communities remain uncertain. Here, we adapt ecometric methods evaluate whether functional link between herbivorous, eastern African environments (i.e., trait-environment relationships) was disrupted as losses occurred over past 7.4 Ma. Herbivore taxonomic diversity began decline during Pliocene open grassland habitats emerged, persisted, expanded. In mid-Pleistocene, expansion intensified, climates became more variable arid. It then that phylogenetic declined, relationships herbivore shifted significantly. Our results divulge varying different in biodiversity. Only mid-Pleistocene were coincident a disturbance community function. Prior losses, conversely, species trait pool narrowed towards those adapted environments.

Language: Английский

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Ecometric models of small mammal hypsodonty can estimate paleoprecipitation across eastern Africa

Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 643, P. 112181 - 112181

Published: April 3, 2024

Ecometric analyses use the relationships between functional traits and environment at community level to quantitatively estimate past climatic environmental variables fossil sites. Hypsodonty (tooth crown height) in North American rodent lagomorph (Glires) communities is correlated with mean annual temperature precipitation. Here, we examine hypsodonty of Africa Glires test if this relationship translates a continent more extreme climates quantify paleoprecipitation important Categorical values were gathered from literature museum collections for 94 modern African taxa (88%). We used maximum likelihood model ecometric then produced trait-based estimates 26 well-sampled localities eastern over last 5.7 Ma. confirmed other regional studies by identifying increasing aridity decreasing precipitation (824 mm 480 mm) Late Miocene Kenya. From Ethiopian Shungura Formation, estimated temporal fluctuations that correspond presence or absence paleolakes rivers. Small mammal illustrates east have converged towards mesodont means high standard deviations response climate change.

Language: Английский

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Unique functional diversity during early Cenozoic mammal radiation of North America

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 291(2026)

Published: July 1, 2024

Mammals influence nearly all aspects of energy flow and habitat structure in modern terrestrial ecosystems. However, anthropogenic effects have probably altered mammalian community structure, raising the question how past perturbations done so. We used functional diversity (FD) to describe North American mammal palaeocommunities changed over 66 Ma, an interval spanning radiation following K/Pg several subsequent environmental disruptions including Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), expansion grassland, onset Pleistocene glaciation. For 264 fossil communities, we examined three ecological function: evenness, richness divergence. found that shifts FD were associated with major transitions. All measures increased immediately extinction non-avian dinosaurs, suggesting high degrees disturbance can lead synchronous responses both locally continentally. Otherwise, components decoupled responded differently changes last ~56 Myr.

Language: Английский

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