How Biodiversity, Climate and Landscape Drive Functional Redundancy of British Butterflies

Biodiversity promotes the functioning of ecosystems, and functional redundancy safeguards this functioning against environmental changes. However, what drives functional redundancy remains unclear. We analyzed taxonomic diversity, functional diversity (richness and beta-diversity) and functional redundancy patterns of British butterflies. We explored the effect of temperature and landscape-related variables on richness and redundancy using generalized additive models, and on beta-diversity using generalized dissimilarity models. The species richness-functional richness relationship was saturating, indicating functional redundancy in species-rich communities. Assemblages did not deviate from random expectations regarding functional richness. Temperature exerted a significant effect on all diversity aspects and on redundancy, with the latter relationship being unimodal. Landscape-related variables played a role in driving observed patterns. Although taxonomic and functional beta-diversity were highly congruent, the model of taxonomic beta-diversity explained more deviance than the model of functional beta-diversity did. Species-rich butterfly assemblages exhibited functional redundancy. Climate- and landscape-related variables emerged as significant drivers of diversity and redundancy. tau axonomic beta-diversity was more strongly associated with the environmental gradient, while functional beta-diversity was driven more strongly by stochasticity. Temperature promoted species richness and beta-diversity, but warmer areas exhibited lower levels of functional redundancy. This might be related to the land uses prevailing in warmer areas (e.g., agricultural intensification).

Automated summary

Biodiversity plays a crucial role in promoting ecosystem functioning. This study on British butterflies found that species-rich communities exhibit functional redundancy. Temperature and landscape variables significantly affect diversity and redundancy, with a non-linear relationship for the latter. Taxonomic diversity explains more variation along the environmental gradient, while functional diversity is more influenced by stochasticity. Warmer areas show lower levels of functional redundancy.