Past landscape structure drives the functional assemblages of plants and birds

Landscape structure is a major driver of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. However, the response of biodiversity can be delayed after landscape changes. This study aimed to determine the effect of current and past landscape structure on plant and bird assemblages. We used a trait-based approa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2021-02, Vol.11 (1), p.3443-3443, Article 3443
Main Authors: Lecoq, Lucie, Ernoult, Aude, Mony, Cendrine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158
631/158/853
Agricultural land
Animals
Biodiversity
Biodiversity and Ecology
Birds
Birds - physiology
Delayed response
Dispersal
Environmental Sciences
Female
Forests
Habitat fragmentation
Humanities and Social Sciences
Male
Models, Biological
multidisciplinary
Plants
Population Dynamics
Reproduction - physiology
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Species extinction
Species richness
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Summary:Landscape structure is a major driver of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. However, the response of biodiversity can be delayed after landscape changes. This study aimed to determine the effect of current and past landscape structure on plant and bird assemblages. We used a trait-based approach to understand their responses to landscape simplification and habitat fragmentation. We quantified landscape structure at three different years (1963, 1985, 2000) and sampled current plant and bird assemblages in twenty 1 km 2 landscape windows located along the Seine Valley (France). For each window, we calculated plant and bird species richness, Community Weighted Variance (CWV), and Community Weighted Mean (CWM) of five functional traits related to dispersal capacity, reproduction, and life-cycle. We detected non-random patterns of traits for both taxa. Plant and bird species richness was lower in simple landscapes. The functional variance of plant traits was higher in landscapes simple in configuration. Both plant and bird assemblages strongly responded to past landscapes, especially their traits related to reproduction and life-cycle. It suggests that landscapes of the Seine valley will face a functional extinction debt. Further research is needed to better predict the delayed response of biodiversity expected to occur after landscape structure changes.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-82851-8