Data from: Diversity in form and function: vertical distribution of soil fauna mediates multidimensional trait variation

1. It has been widely recognized that species show extensive variation in
form and function. Based on species’ attributes they can be positioned
along major axes of variation, which are often defined by life history
traits, such as number of offspring, age at maturity or generation time.
Less emphasis has been given in this respect to tolerance traits,
especially to resistance to abiotic stress conditions, which often
determine community (dis)assembly and distribution. 2. Soil fauna species
distribution is governed to a large extent by environmental conditions
that filter communities according to functional traits, such as abiotic
stress-tolerance, morphology, and body size. Trait-based approaches have
been successfully used to predict soil biota responses to abiotic stress.
It remains unclear, though, how these traits relate to life history traits
that determine individual performance, i.e., reproduction and survival. 3.
Here, we analyze patterns in multidimensional trait distribution of
dominant groups of soil fauna, i.e., Isopoda, Gastropoda and Collembola,
known to be important to the functioning of ecosystems. We compiled trait
information from existing literature, trait databases and supplementary
measurements. We looked for common patterns in major axes of trait
variation and tested if vertical distribution of species in the soil
explained trait variation based on three components of trait diversity
(trait richness, evenness and divergence). 4. Our results showed that two
to three axes of variation structured the trait space of life history and
tolerance traits in each of the taxonomic groups, and that vertical
distribution in soil explained the main axis of trait variation. We also
found evidence of environmental filtering on soil fauna along the vertical
soil distribution, with lower trait richness and trait divergence in
soil-dwelling than in surface-living species. 5. Our study was partially
limited by the lack of detailed trait measurements for the selected
taxonomic groups. In this regard, there is an urgent need for standardized
trait databases across invertebrate groups to improve trait-based
diversity analysis and fill gaps in the mechanistic understanding behind
trait distribution, trait filtering and the link with species fitness and
performance.