Contrasting trait-based assembly mechanisms on different trophic levels: ants and plants on wood-pastures.

ABSTRACT: Complex landscapes (i.e., those harboring multiple habitat types at immediate spatial proximity) are highly relevant to both applied and theoretical ecological research, yet the mechanisms shaping functional trait distributions and diversity metrics across trophic levels in these systems remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we used wood-pastures as a model system and focused on two prominent groups occupying different trophic levels: plants and ants. We sampled three Central-European wood-pastures, with all four encompassed habitat types (grasslands, solitary trees, forest edges, and forests; 48 sites in total). Our results revealed significant differences in taxonomic and functional composition for both groups among the different habitat types of wood-pastures. However

SUBMITTER: Lorincz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12479661 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature