Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us
  • Follow SWCS on Twitter
  • Visit SWCS on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Section

Changes in functional structure characteristics mediate ecosystem functions during human-induced land-cover alteration: A case study in southwest China

D. Fu, X. Wu, C. Duan, Q. Guan and N. Huang
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation July 2018, 73 (4) 461-468; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.73.4.461
D. Fu
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
X. Wu
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
C. Duan
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Q. Guan
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
N. Huang
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Past studies have provided extensive documentation of changes in species diversity in response to land-cover alteration; however, little is known about the effects of land-cover alteration on the patterns of functional structures and ecosystem functions. In this study, we introduce a functional trait-based methodology for incorporating multiple levels of functional structures into models to assess the impacts of human-induced land-cover changes on functional structures and to evaluate how these functional attributes affect ecosystem functions. To this purpose, different functional structure indices (species diversity, functional diversity, and community-weighted mean trait values) in three widespread communities (a man-made Pinus yunnanensis forest, a man-made Eucalyptus smithii forest, and a natural secondary forest) were determined, with a focus on our study sites in southwest China. Meanwhile, ecosystem functions (soil nutrients, water and soil conservation, and multifunctionality) were quantified. Our results showed that most community diversity indices were affected by human-dominated land-cover changes, except species richness and functional evenness. Changes in the relationship between species diversity and functional diversity displayed two patterns. The first pattern reflected reduced species diversity with an increase in functional diversity, whereas the second pattern was associated with a correlated loss of species and functional diversity, indicating the removal of environmental filters in response to changes from natural secondary forest to man-made forests. Community-weighted mean trait values (related to leaf nitrogen [N] concentration, leaf phosphorus [P] concentration, and seed mass) were negatively correlated with water and soil conservation and multifunctionality, which accounted for 65.9% and 48.5% of the variance, respectively. Functional diversity (based on functional richness, quadratic entropy, and functional dispersion) was positively associated with soil nutrients and explained 33.6% of the variance. These results suggest that the community functional structure was affected by land-cover alteration through changes in environmental filters and replacement by functionally different species. Moreover, changes in functional structure characteristics mediate different ecosystem functions by niche complementarity or the mass ratio effect under land-cover alteration.

  • © 2018 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 73 (4)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 73, Issue 4
July/August 2018
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Changes in functional structure characteristics mediate ecosystem functions during human-induced land-cover alteration: A case study in southwest China
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
10 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Changes in functional structure characteristics mediate ecosystem functions during human-induced land-cover alteration: A case study in southwest China
D. Fu, X. Wu, C. Duan, Q. Guan, N. Huang
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 2018, 73 (4) 461-468; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.73.4.461

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Changes in functional structure characteristics mediate ecosystem functions during human-induced land-cover alteration: A case study in southwest China
D. Fu, X. Wu, C. Duan, Q. Guan, N. Huang
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 2018, 73 (4) 461-468; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.73.4.461
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Microbial respiration gives early indication of soil health improvement following cover crops
  • Aerial interseeding and planting green to enhance nitrogen capture and cover crop biomass carbon
  • Rice producer enrollment and retention in a USDA regional conservation partnership program in the southern United States
Show more Research Section

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Early Online
  • Archive
  • Subject Collections

Info For

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers
  • Advertisers

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions and Reprints
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

SWCS

  • Membership
  • Publications
  • Meetings and Events
  • Conservation Career Center

© 2023 Soil and Water Conservation Society