Diversity and composition of plants species along elevational gradient: research trends

Dani, Ram Sharan; Divakar, Pradeep K.; Baniya, Chitra Bahadur

doi:10.1007/s10531-023-02638-3

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 116 publications

(93 reference statements)

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“…This hump‐shaped pattern was also evident for both α‐TD and α‐PD in mosses overall, as well as for all three facets of liverworts, leafy liverworts, and pleurocarpous mosses. Comparable hump‐shaped patterns with similar peaks emerged when assessing α‐TD of both bryophytes in general (e.g., Boch et al., 2019 ; Grau et al., 2007 ; Iskandar et al., 2020 ) and other plant groups (e.g., Dani et al., 2023 ; Grytnes & Vetaas, 2002 ; Nogués‐Bravo et al., 2008 ). In line with our findings, Rahbek ( 2005 ) estimated that about 50% of the documented elevational patterns in species richness displayed a unimodal shape.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Ecological drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bryophytes in an oceanic island

Martins,

Collart,

Sim‐Sim

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Montane oceanic islands possess unique geographic and ecological attributes, rendering them valuable for assessing patterns and drivers of alpha and beta taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity along elevational gradients. Such comparisons of diversity facets can provide insights into the mechanisms governing community assembly on islands. Herein, we aimed to characterize taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic bryophyte diversity on Madeira Island within and across areas at varying elevations. We also assessed how these diversity facets for the alpha and beta components relate to ecological and anthropogenic factors. We estimated and compared alpha and beta taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity using 80 plots of 0.5 m × 0.5 m across the whole elevational gradient of the island. We compiled trait databases and supplemented them with our own observations. Phylogenetic information was sourced from the Moss and Liverwort Tree of Life. To assess the impact of ecological and anthropogenic factors on the three facets, we applied linear mixed‐effects models and generalized dissimilarity models to alpha‐ and beta‐diversity matrices, respectively. All facets of diversity exhibited strong correlations within both mosses and liverworts, indicating a substantial congruence when alpha and beta are analyzed separately. The bryophyte groups categorized by the growth form demonstrated contrasting patterns, aligning with their distinctive ecological requirements. While a mid‐elevation peak emerged as a common pattern across the three facets of alpha diversity, beta diversity often displayed the opposite trend. Although the relative influence of environmental factors varied depending on the diversity facet and bryophyte grouping considered, we found that alpha and beta diversity of bryophytes are more influenced by climatic factors and the predominant type of vegetation than by anthropogenic factors. In the current context of global change, these results should be interpreted with caution, but they point to the resilience of bryophytes to survive in relatively well‐preserved natural microhabitats within anthropogenic landscapes. In this study on Madeira Island, we investigated patterns and drivers of alpha and beta taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity along elevational gradients. We found that alpha and beta diversity of bryophytes are more strongly influenced by climatic factors and the predominant type of vegetation than by anthropogenic factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Ecological drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bryophytes in an oceanic island

Martins,

Collart,

Sim‐Sim

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Topography directly in uences light availability, soil nutrient levels, and physicochemical properties. It serves as a key landscape-scale driver, impacting species richness, composition, and spatial distribution within communities (Watanabe et al 2023;Dani et al 2023). The study area in SJ exhibits notably steeper slopes compared to NG.…”

Section: Redundancy Analysis (Rda) Of Species Composition and Environ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Soil Factors on Shrub Communities in the Central Subtropical Climate

Sun,

Han,

Wang

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background Shrub communities play a crucial role in forest restoration, soil and water conservation, and maintaining ecological balance in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the influence of environmental factors on the distribution characteristics of shrub plants, particularly in the subtropical region of China, remains poorly understood. Materials and methods Two subtropical areas with similar dimensions in southern Jiangxi and northeastern Guangxi, China were examined. We compared species composition, diversity and life forms in two subtropical regions, and quantified the niche width of the same species using Levins index (Bi). Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) were employed to comprehensively explore the relationship between shrub community composition and environmental factors. Results Southern Jiangxi (with 100 recorded shrub species) and northeastern Guangxi (with 108 recorded shrub species) exhibit comparable species richness in their respective shrub communities. Southern Jiangxi had higher species diversity and a more pronounced dominance of certain species compared to northeastern Guangxi. Additionally, northeastern Guangxi had a higher proportion of aboveground-shoot plants and underground-shoot plants compared to southern Jiangxi. The niche width and niche overlap of the same species exhibit significant differences between the two regions. Low similarity in species composition between their respective shrub communities while RDA analysis highlighted significant correlations between soil physicochemical factors (C, N, P, pH), slope aspect with species composition emphasizing variations in explanatory power across different environmental factors. Conclusion Soil factors exert a significant influence on the structure and species composition of shrub communities in subtropical climates, underscoring the intricate interplay between soil properties and vegetation dynamics within ecosystems.

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“…The greater susceptibility of lower elevations to perceived disturbance also contributes to their lower species diversity [12]. The mid-domain effect (MDE) may be another reason for the humplike elevation gradient pattern of species diversity [73,74]. The mid-domain effect is the increasing overlap of species ranges toward the center of a shared geographic domain due to geometric boundary constraints in relation to the distribution of species range sizes and midpoints [73].…”

Section: Response Of Community Structure To Elevationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Dominate Plant Families on Elevation Gradient Pattern of Community Structure in a Subtropical Forest

Li,

Luo,

Song

et al. 2023

Forests

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Dominant groups and rare groups often coexist in forests. Dominate plant families generally have more species diversity and occupy most of the biomass. However, their effects on community construction and species diversity maintenance remain to be studied. This study aims to investigate this question by using the two dominant plant families in a Chinese subtropical forest (Lauraceae and Fagaceae). In this study, 22 forest dynamic plots were established in the forest distribution area of Daming Mountain Nature Reserve at an elevation of 300–1400 m. We explored the elevational change in the community structure and its relationship with Lauraceae and Fagaceae using generalized additive models (GAM) and a regression analysis. Then we used a correlation analysis to describe the relationship between environmental factors and the community structure. Our results showed the species diversity index showed a hump-shape trend along the elevation, and the total basal area showed no significant change along the elevation. The richness of Lauraceae and Fagaceae showed a positive correlation with the species diversity, but only the richness of Fagaceae showed a positive correlated with the total basal area. Species diversity was positively correlated with soil total nitrogen and soil organic matter. Species diversity and the total basal area were negatively correlated with the soil pH. In summary, Lauraceae and Fagaceae are correlated for community structure, and this correlation is not affected by elevation. Fagaceae has played a more important role than Lauranceae. This study highlights the impact of dominant plant families on the forest community assembly along the elevational transect.

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Diversity and composition of plants species along elevational gradient: research trends

Cited by 11 publications

References 116 publications

Ecological drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bryophytes in an oceanic island

Ecological drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bryophytes in an oceanic island

Effect of Soil Factors on Shrub Communities in the Central Subtropical Climate

Effects of the Dominate Plant Families on Elevation Gradient Pattern of Community Structure in a Subtropical Forest

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