Data from: Bird species with similar effect traits maintain the temporal stability of community functions under disturbances of tropical cyclones

Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic
events such as tropical cyclones, raising concerns about ecological
stability under such disturbances. This study examined how functional
richness and redundancy influence the stability of two key ecological
functions—insect predation and seed dispersal—in forest bird communities
with contrasting histories of cyclone exposure. Using total biomass of
insectivores and frugivores as functional indicators, we found that the
stability of insect predation increased with redundancy in effect traits,
whereas the stability of seed dispersal was associated with redundancy in
both effect and response traits. In forests frequently exposed to
cyclones, both functional groups occupied a smaller overall trait space,
while frugivores showed greater trait similarity among individuals. These
results suggest that stability in insect predation and seed dispersal
under cyclone disturbances largely stems from the abundance of species
performing similar functional roles. High cyclone frequency appears to
exclude species with extreme traits and concentrate functional space
around a few dominant species with convergent traits. Because such
convergence buffers cyclone impacts, the loss of even a few redundant
species could increase functional uniqueness and, consequently, reduce the
functional stability of forest bird communities.