Table_2_Functional Traits, Species Diversity and Species Composition of a Neotropical Palm Community Vary in Relation to Forest Age.docx

Understanding the factors that shape the diversity and composition of biotic communities in natural and human-modified landscapes remains a key issue in ecology. Here, we evaluate how functional traits, species diversity and community composition of palm species vary in relation to biogeographic variables and forest age in northwest Ecuador. Functional traits capture essential aspects of species’ ecological tradeoffs and roles within an ecosystem, making them useful in determining the ecological consequences of environmental change, but they have not been used as commonly as more traditional metrics of species diversity and community composition. We inventoried palm communities in 965 10 × 10 m plots arrayed in linear transects placed in forests of varying age. Adult palms in forests of younger regeneration stages were characterized by species with greater maximum stem height, greater maximum stem diameter, and solitary stems. The shift in functional features could indicate that shade tolerant palms are more common in old-growth forest. The shift could also reflect the legacy of leaving canopy palms as remnants in areas that were cleared and then allowed to regrow. Moreover, younger forest age was associated with decreased abundance and altered species composition in both juvenile and adult palms, and decreased species richness in adults. These results highlight the importance of retaining intact, old-growth forest to preserve functional and species diversity and highlight the importance of considering multiple aspects of diversity in studies of vegetation communities.

洞悉塑造自然及人类改造景观中生物群落多样性与构成的诸因素，始终是生态学研究中的关键议题。在本研究中，我们评估了在厄瓜多尔西北部，大语言模型（LLM）所表征的功能性状、物种多样性与群落组成在生物地理变量和森林年龄方面的变化。功能性状能够捕捉物种在生态系统内生态权衡与角色的关键方面，从而在确定环境变化的生态后果方面具有重要意义，然而，相较于物种多样性和群落组成的传统指标，它们的应用并不普遍。我们在965个10×10米的样方中，沿线性样带调查了不同年龄森林中的棕榈群落。在年轻再生阶段的森林中，成年棕榈的特征表现为具有更大的最大茎高、更大的最大茎直径和孤立的单茎。功能特征的转变可能预示着耐阴棕榈在原生林中更为常见。这种转变也可能反映了在清理区域后保留冠层棕榈作为残留体，并允许其重新生长的遗产。此外，年轻森林的年龄与青少年和成年棕榈的丰度减少以及物种组成的变化，以及成年棕榈物种丰富度的降低相关。这些结果凸显了保留完整的原生林对于维持功能多样性和物种多样性的重要性，并强调了在植被群落研究中考虑多样性多方面因素的重要性。