Global Decoupling of Functional and Phylogenetic Diversity in Plant Communities

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

Publisher

Nature Publishing

Source Publication

Nature Ecology & Evolution

Source ISSN

2397-334X

Original Item ID

Doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02589-0

Abstract

Plant communities are composed of species that differ both in functional traits and evolutionary histories. As species’ functional traits partly result from their individual evolutionary history, we expect the functional diversity of communities to increase with increasing phylogenetic diversity. This expectation has only been tested at local scales and generally for specific growth forms or specific habitat types, for example, grasslands. Here we compare standardized effect sizes for functional and phylogenetic diversity among 1,781,836 vegetation plots using the global sPlot database. In contrast to expectations, we find functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity to be only weakly and negatively correlated, implying a decoupling between these two facets of diversity. While phylogenetic diversity is higher in forests and reflects recent climatic conditions (1981 to 2010), functional diversity tends to reflect recent and past climatic conditions (21,000 years ago). The independent nature of functional and phylogenetic diversity makes it crucial to consider both aspects of diversity when analyzing ecosystem functioning and prioritizing conservation efforts.

Comments

Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 9 (2025): 237-248. DOI.

Please refer to original article for list of authors.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS