Does logging and forest conversion to oil palm agriculture alter functional diversity in a biodiversity hotspot?

ABSTRACT: Forests in Southeast Asia are rapidly being logged and converted to oil palm. These changes in land-use are known to affect species diversity but consequences for the functional diversity of species assemblages are poorly understood. Environmental filtering of species with similar traits could lead to disproportionate reductions in trait diversity in degraded habitats. Here, we focus on dung beetles, which play a key role in ecosystem processes such as nutrient recycling and seed dispersal. We use morphological and behavioural traits to calculate a variety of functional diversity measures across a gradient of disturbance from primary forest through intensively logged forest to oil palm. Logging caused significant shifts in community composition but had very little effect on functional dive

SUBMITTER: Edwards FA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4372061 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature