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Dryad

Data from: Amphibian functional diversity is related to high annual precipitation and low precipitation seasonality in the New World

Cite this dataset

Ochoa-Ochoa, Leticia Margarita et al. (2019). Data from: Amphibian functional diversity is related to high annual precipitation and low precipitation seasonality in the New World [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk0bj96

Abstract

Aim. We examined the geographical distribution of functional diversity for American Amphibians and tested the relationship between functional diversity and environment. We also explored how the functional evenness of life history traits varies across biogeographical regions. Location. Continental Americas. Methods. We performed a trait classification based on an Eltonian approach and calculated functional diversity using Hill numbers, Shannon and Gini-Simpson indices. We tested the relationship between functional diversity and different axes of environmental variation by performing a series of spatial autoregressive models (SAR). Results. Based on 212 different functional attributes for 2776 species, we found that functional diversity has a latitudinal gradient consistent with that of species richness, regardless of the diversity index used. Evenness of functional diversity of amphibian assemblages varies depending on the region, but in general they are close to the maximum possible value. Areas with more functional richness relative to species richness, are associated with high annual precipitation and low precipitation seasonality regardless of temperature; in contrast, areas with fewer functions than expected are associated with high aridity. Main conclusions. The highest functional diversity is located in mountainous regions. Overall functional diversity is positively correlated with humid environments with low precipitation seasonality and low aridity regardless of temperature. This is especially relevant for amphibians facing contemporary climate change because it suggests that future variation in rainfall patterns, but not annual mean temperature, may interact with functional diversity to pose an imminent threat to amphibian functional diversity.

Usage notes

Location

Continental Americas