Multiple Facets of Biodiversity: Assembly Processes, Trait Composition, and Functionality Along Tropical Elevation Gradients
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Multiple facets of biodiversity: Assembly processes, trait composition, and functionality along tropical elevation gradients Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer.nat.) dem Fachbereich Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg vorgelegt von Yvonne Christin Tiede aus Gifhorn Marburg an der Lahn, Oktober 2017 Vom Fachbereich Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg als Dissertation am 21.11.2017 angenommen. Erstgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Nina Farwig Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Roland Brandl Tag der mündlichen Prüfung am: 07.12.2017 Land of the Sun! Where joyous green-robes Spring And leaf-crowned Summer deck the Earth for ever; No Winter stern their sweet embrace to sever And numb to silence every living thing, But bird and insect ever on the wing, Flitting ‚mid forest glades and tangled bowers, While the life-giving orb’s effulgent beams Through all the circling year call forth the flowers. Here graceful palms, here luscious fruits have birth; The fragrant coffee, life-sustaining rice, Sweet canes, and wondrous gums, and odorous spice; While Flora`s choicest treasures crowd the teeming earth. Beside each cot the golden Orange stands, And broad-leaved Plantain, pride of Tropic lands. Alfred R. Wallace Table of contents Table of contents Chapter 1 General introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Biodiversity as the backbone of functioning ecosystems ........................................................................... 3 Why elevation gradients matter ....................................................................................................................... 4 The three aspects of biodiversity ...................................................................................................................... 4 Taxonomic diversity – biological richness at the species-level .................................................. 4 Phylogenetic diversity – a mirror for processes behind species assembly ................................. 5 Functional diversity – traits form the basis for interactions between species and their environment ............................................................................... 7 Functional diversity – a driver of ecosystem processes ............................................................. 7 Aims of the thesis ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Study areas................................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2 Phylogenetic niche conservatism does not explain elevational patterns of species richness, phylodiversity and family age of tree assemblages in Andean rainforest ................................................................................................................11 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 13 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Results ................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 3 Beyond body size: Consisten decrease of traits within orthopteran assemblages with elevation ...............................................................................................25 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 27 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................. 29 Results ................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 34 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 36 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ 37 Table of contents Chapter 4 Ants as indicators of environmental change and ecosystem processes ................ 39 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................... 41 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 41 Methods ................................................................................................................................................................. 43 Results .................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................. 49 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 52 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................ 52 Chapter 5 Synthesis ................................................................................................................................ 55 Phylogenetic diversity – a mirror for processes behind species assembly ......................................... 57 Functional diversity – traits form the basis for interactions between species and their environment ........................................................................................................ 58 Functional diversity – a driver of ecosystem processes ...................................................................... 58 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................ 59 Chapter 6 Perspectives .......................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 7 Deutsche Zusammenfassung ............................................................................................ 69 Chapter 8 Appendix chapter 2 ............................................................................................................. 75 Chapter 9 Appendix chapter 3 ............................................................................................................. 87 Chapter 10 Appendix chapter 4 ........................................................................................................ 103 References................................................................................................................................................ 109 Danksagung / Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... 133 Curriculum vitae .................................................................................................................................... 137 Erklärung ................................................................................................................................................. 141 1 Chapter 1 General introduction General introduction 3 “We’ll never succeed in global transformation unless we achieve a mindshift reconnecting mankind to biosphere.” Johan Rockström Biodiversity as the backbone for ecosys- their effects on ecosystem processes are complex tem functioning and still not fully resolved (Schwartz et al. 2000, Arnan et al. 2017). Biodiversity encompasses biological variation at Irrespective of the knowledge gaps regarding the level of genes, species, and ecosystems related patterns and processes, biodiversity faces (Swenson 2011). This diversity is essential for the