“…Over larger spatial scales, latitude has a direct effect on species distribution (Gaston, 2000), and, as a result of the adaptation of species or even populations to climate, also influences the distribution of ecological strategies (Vasseur et al., 2018). Environmental filters determine species distributions via selection on species characteristics, resulting in changes in species composition (Bergamin et al., 2012; Rezende et al., 2015), alpha and beta diversity (dos Santos, Saraiva, Müller, & Overbeck, 2015), and ecological strategies (Maracahipes et al., 2018) of communities across environmental gradients. Thus, in transition zones between phytogeographical units, even short variations in environmental conditions may determine different ecological strategies at the regional scale, as observed by the significant associations of components C, S, and R with temperature and precipitation variables.…”