Population and community responses along envi- ronmental gradients across spatio-temporal scales Dissertation von Nicolas Alexander Konstantin Frieß Philipps-Universität Marburg März 2019 Population and community responses along environ- mental gradients across spatio-temporal scales Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) dem Fachbereich Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg vorgelegt von Nicolas Alexander Konstantin Frieß aus Frankfurt am Main Marburg an der Lahn, März 2019 Vom Fachbereich Biologie der Philipps-Universität Marburg als Dissertation am 17.05.2019 angenommen. Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Roland Brandl Zweitgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Nina Farwig Tag der mündlichen Prüfung am 27.06.2019 Table of Contents Table of Contents Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. iv Zusammenfassung ............................................................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1 General Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Ecological organization and processes ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Aim of the thesis .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Community structure along environmental gradients ................................................................................................................... 4 The role of species’ traits in modulating species’ success ............................................................................................................. 5 The role of trait-environment interactions for community dynamics across spatial scales .................................................... 5 Chapter 2.1 Biodiversity along an elevational gradient of the Bohemian Forest – the BIOKLIM project ............................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2.2 Biodiversity along temperate forest succession ..................................................................... 23 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31 Discussion........................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 2.3 Arthropod communities in fungal fruitbodies are weakly structured by climate and biogeography across European beech forests .............................................................................................. 39 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 41 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 44 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 47 Discussion........................................................................................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 3.1 Habitat availability drives the distribution-abundance relationship in phytophagous true bugs in managed grasslands ............................................................................................................................ 59 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 61 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 61 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 64 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 68 Discussion........................................................................................................................................................................................... 72 i Chapter 3.2 Mobility costs and energy uptake modulate the occurrence of butterflies........................ 79 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 81 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 81 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 83 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 88 Discussion........................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 Chapter 4.1 The dark side of Lepidoptera: Color lightness of geometrid moths decreases with increasing latitude ............................................................................................................................................. 95 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 97 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 97 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 99 Results ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 102 Discussion......................................................................................................................................................................................... 105 Chapter 4.2 A local elevational gradient in the body size and color lightness of nocturnal insects: contrasting strategies among noctuid and geometrid moths ................................................................... 109 Summary ..........................................................................................................................................................................................