Functional diversity and its assessment in insect synecologystudies using the R statistical environment
Keywords:
community ecology, functional diversity, species traits, functional diversity indices, RLQ, R statistical environmentAbstract
Species diversity, although currently a widely used indicator of biodiversity, does not always reflect the overall state and functioning of ecosystems. Analysis of the functional diversity of communities based on species traits is increasingly used to establish relationships between the functions of organisms at the ecosystem level and to identify mechanisms of biotic responses to environmental change. Measuring functional diversity is a complex task, as most methods for calculating it are based on the R statistical environment, which requires programming skills. Using results of studies of ground beetle assemblages in several types of pine forests, we demonstrate the steps for assessing functional diversity in the R statistical environment. Programming code accessible to novice researchers is provided. A protocol for assessing functional diversity is discussed in detail. This protocol includes calculating community-weighted means (CWM) for species traits, calculating functional diversity indices (functional richness (FRic), evenness (FEve), divergence (FDiv), and Rao’s Q), as well as performing multivariate RLQ and fourth-corner analyses. The use of relevant packages, including FD and ade4, is justified.
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