Functional redundancy of multiple forest taxa along an elevational gradient: predicting the consequences of non‐random species loss

A study in Shiretoko National Park, Japan, reveals that while climate change may alter the taxonomic composition of plant and invertebrate communities along elevational gradients, functional redundancy—where different species perform similar ecological roles—may buffer ecosystem processes. Researchers found that functional turnover was generally lower than taxonomic turnover, suggesting that novel communities emerging due to rising temperatures could maintain critical ecosystem functions. However, non-random species loss from mammalian overgrazing/browsing significantly accelerated functional turnover, potentially eroding this redundancy and threatening ecosystem stability. The findings highlight the synergistic impacts of climate change and other environmental stressors on ecological communities.

Mori, A. S., Shiono, T., Haraguchi, T. F., Ota, A. T., Koide, D., Ohgue, T., Kitagawa, R., Maeshiro, R., Aung, T. T., Nakamori, T., Hagiwara, Y., Matsuoka, S., Ikeda, A., Hishi, T., Hobara, S., Mizumachi, E., Frisch, A., Thor, G., Fujii, S., et al. (2015). Functional redundancy of multiple forest taxa along an elevational gradient: predicting the consequences of non‐random species loss. Journal of Biogeography, 42(8), 1383–1396. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12514