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

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Biodiversity Science
• Paleoecology

Background:

• Modern biodiversity crisis threatens global community compositions and ecological functions.
• Large mammals are crucial for ecosystem function but are impacted by human activities and environmental changes.
• Assessing functional turnover on a global scale using functional traits is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between vegetation cover and locomotor traits in artiodactyl and carnivoran communities using ecometrics.
• To develop and validate a trophically integrated ecometric model for assessing functional trait distributions and turnover.
• To apply the model for paleovegetation interpretations and understanding environmental filtering effects.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ecometrics, focusing on functional trait distributions and turnover.
• Developed a trophically integrated ecometric model combining locomotor traits of primary (artiodactyls) and secondary (carnivorans) consumers.
• Introduced ecometric anomalies to assess mismatches between model estimates and observed values.

Main Results:

• The integrated ecometric model accurately estimated vegetation cover for 81% of communities, outperforming single-group models (58-65%).
• Locomotor traits of combined artiodactyl and carnivoran communities showed a stronger functional relationship with vegetation cover.
• The model successfully identified past and present mismatches, demonstrating utility for paleovegetation reconstruction.

Conclusions:

• Trophically integrated ecometric models are advantageous for assessing functional trait-environment relationships.
• Environmental filtering strongly and rapidly influences community traits and associated vegetation.
• The model captures cascading interactions between taxa, traits, and environmental changes, offering insights into biodiversity dynamics.