RARE SPECIES SUPPORT VULNERABLE FUNCTIONS IN HIGH DIVERSITY ECOSYSTEMS.

Mouillot, D., Bellwood, D.R., Baraloto, C., Chave, J., Galzin, R., Harmelin-Vivien, M., Kulbicki, M., Lavergne, L., Lavorel, S., Mouquet, N., Paine, C.E.T., Renaud, J. and Thuiller, T. (2013).

PLoS Biology, 11, e1001569, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001569

Key message :Here, using extensive datasets of species occurrences and functional traits from three highly diverse ecosystems (846 coral reef fishes, 2,979 alpine plants, and 662 tropical trees), we demonstrate that the most distinct combinations of traits are supported predominantly by rare species both in terms of local abundance and regional occupancy. Moreover, species that have low functional redundancy and are likely to support the most vulnerable functions, with no other species carrying similar combinations of traits, are rarer than expected by chance in all three ecosystems. For instance, 63% and 98% of fish species that are likely to support highly vulnerable functions in coral reef ecosystems are locally and regionally rare, respectively. For alpine plants, 32% and 89% of such species are locally and regionally rare, respectively. Remarkably, 47% of fish species and 55% of tropical tree species that are likely to support highly vulnerable functions have only one individual per sample on average. Our results emphasize the importance of rare species conservation, even in highly diverse ecosystems, which are thought to exhibit high functional redundancy. Rare species offer more than aesthetic, cultural, or taxonomic diversity value; they disproportionately increase the potential breadth of functions provided by ecosystems across spatial scales. As such, they are likely to insure against future uncertainty arising from climate change and the ever-increasing anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems. Our results call for a more detailed understanding of the role of rarity and functional vulnerability in ecosystem functioning.

Percentage of rare and rarest species for different levels of functional vulnerability. The functional vulnerability index is scaled (0-1) and was divided into four categories from high to least. Locally rare species are those with a mean abundance value over the samples where present less than 5% of the maximum local abundance value and rarest species are those with only one individual by sample where present on average. We obtained the confidence interval at 90% by randomization and we tested whether the observed percentage of rare and rarest species is higher (red star) or lower (blue star) than expected by chance, otherwise black circle. The vertical grey line is the median obtained at random.

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OTHER TOPICS: Aesthetics of Biodiversity, Biogeography, Macroecology & Ecophylogenetics, Experimental Evolution, Functional Biogeography, Functional Rarity, Nature for Future, Metacommunities, Metaecosystems, Reviews and Synthesis, Trophic Biogeography & Metaweb