Table 1 List of hypotheses for the diversity-thermal variability relationship.
From: Effects of diversity on thermal niche variation in bird communities under climate change
Diversity dimension | Model | Hypothesis | Ecological context | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxonomic | Thermal variability ~ Number of species | Communities with more species have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Species-rich communities include temporally and functionally complementary species that respond asynchronically to climate change | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Functional richness | Communities covering a larger functional space have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities covering a larger niche space ensure functionality and prevent invasions of new species | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Functional dispersion | Functionally more dispersed communities have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities with more evenly distributed functional niche space ensure functionality and prevent invasions of new species | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Community weighted mean of diet diversity | Communities with higher degree of diet generalism have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities with higher degree of diet generalism adjust to climate-induced changes in food resources via interaction rewiring | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Community weighted mean of habitat niche breadth | Communities with higher degree of habitat generalism have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities with higher degree of habitat generalism adjust to climate-induced changes in habitat via species-level responses | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Community weighted mean of thermal niche breadth | Communities with higher degree of thermal niche generalism have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities with wider average temperature tolerance adjust to climate-induced changes in environmental conditions | |
Functional | Thermal variability ~ Community weighted mean of vertebrates in diet | Communities involving more top predators have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Communities with higher degree of top predators have longer food chains, more complex network structure and more functional complementarity among species | |
Evolutionary | Thermal variability ~ Phylogenetic diversity | Communities with evolutionary more distinct lineages have less variability in their average thermal niche over time | Phylogenetically diverse communities have higher evolutionary potential to adapt and respond to changes in environmental conditions |
