Assessing the relation between geodiversity and species richness in mountain heaths and tundra landscapes

Abstract

Context Recent studies show that geodiversity—the diversity of Earth's landforms, materials, and processes—has a positive relationship with biodiversity at a landscape scale. However, there is a substantial lack of evidence from finer scales, although this knowledge could improve the understanding of biodiversity patterns. Objectives We investigate whether plot-scale geodiversity and plant species richness (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and total richness) are positively linked in different tundra landscapes. Methods We collected geodiversity (presence of different geofeatures) and plant species richness data from 165 sites in three distinct regions: isolated low-lying mountain heaths, and in sporadic and continuous mountain heaths and tundra. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination to explore the correlations between the composition of geofeatures and species richness, followed by univariate and multivariate generalized linear models (GLM), to assess whether georichness is important for species richness. Results Geofeature composition was linked to species richness in all regions, as indicated by NMDS ordination. Both univariate and multivariate GLM models showed statistically significant relationship between species richness and georichness in all studied species richness groups in continuous Arctic-alpine tundra. Additionally, there was a positive link between georichness and lichen richness in isolated boreal mountain tops. Main conclusions We showed that plot-scale geodiversity has a positive relationship with species richness, yet the effect varies regionally and between species groups. Our study provides strong empirical evidence that geodiversity supports species richness in continuous Arctic-alpine tundra. This information can be used in species richness models but also be applied in biodiversity management and conservation.

A framework for quantifying geodiversity at the local scale: a case study from the Rokua UNESCO Global Geopark

“…(d) Topographical variation data from field surveys Topographical heterogeneity was observed in the field according to the methodology of Salminen et al [21]. The assessments are based on expert judgement and observation of the topography in the field, by making a detailed survey of each of the 5 and 25 m radius study circles.…”

“…Both α and γ geodiversity can be measured e.g. with simple richness measures or diversity indices, whereas β geodiversity can be calculated with different distance-based statistical methods [18][19][20][21]. To date, most quantitative geodiversity assessments have been carried out at the α geodiversity level, i.e.…”

Quantitative measurement of geodiversity uniqueness: research implications and conservation applications

“…Alpha geodiversity refers to the number or abundance of geofeatures (elements of geodiversity, such as rock types or landforms) in a site, and gamma geodiversity is the sum of geofeatures across all sites surveyed in a region, respectively [21]. In addition, investigations based on measuring the variation of geofeatures between sites within a given study area have started to emerge in the literature [25][26][27]. They can be referred to as measurements of beta geodiversity, which is the between-site difference in geofeatures.…”

“…Beta diversity has been measured in several ways in ecological research [28] but, thus far, only a few of these approaches have been used in geodiversity research (e.g. [26,27]). Information on beta geodiversity can be used for various purposes, ranging from scientific explorations to nature conservation planning and management [4,21].…”

“…In the previous studies concerning beta geodiversity, all sites were assumed to have an equal contribution to total beta geodiversity within a study area. For example, multivariate techniques, such as principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling, have been used to investigate variation in geodiversity patterns at landscape scale [26] and in a specific tundra environment at local scale [27]. Geodiversity uniqueness provides a different research angle by assessing how individual sites (and geofeatures) contribute to total beta geodiversity in a study area.…”