Integrating the effects of latitude and altitude on the spatial differentiation of plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem in China

Abstract

Varying patterns of plant community diversity along geographical gradients are a significant topic in biodiversity research. Here, to explore the integrated effects of latitude and altitude on the plant community diversity in a mountainous ecosystem, we set Guancen Mountain in the northern section, Guandi Mountain in the middle section, and Wulu Mountain in the southern section of the Lvliang Mountains as study areas, and the plant community diversity (basal diameter and height of tree and species diversity indices of shrub and herb) was measured horizontally at different latitude gradients and vertically at different altitude gradients in late July 2015. The results showed that (1) the trees were taller and wider at the middle latitude and higher altitude with a stronger spatial heterogeneity in the structures along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. The evergreen tree growth preceded that of the deciduous trees in the higher latitude and lower altitude regions, whereas the deciduous tree growth preceded that of the evergreen trees in the middle latitude and higher altitude regions. (2) Shrubs and herbs tended to grow well in the lower latitude and middle-lower altitude regions. The shrubs had a larger species diversity at lower latitude and lower altitude, but the species diversity of the herbs was not sensitive to the influences of the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. With the latitude and altitude increasing, perennial herbs tended to grow well at higher latitude and higher altitude, while annual herbs tended to thrive at the middle latitude and lower altitude. In conclusion, environmental deviations caused by latitudinal and altitudinal gradients had great influences on the spatial distributions of the plant community diversity in the Lvliang Mountains.

Monarch Butterfly Distribution and Breeding Ecology in Idaho and Washington

“…Geographic and elevation ranges for the 40+ species of western milkweeds are highly variable, owing to the integrated effects of latitude and altitude, and their influence on temperature, precipitation, humidity, heat, and illumination (Xu et al, 2017). The 5 milkweed species native to our study area have geographic ranges extending a few 100 to 2,000+ km south of Idaho and Washington and occur at elevations up to ∼2,700 m in southwestern states (e.g., Arizona, Nevada, Utah).…”

Divergent growth trends and climatic response of Picea obovata along elevational gradient in Western Sayan mountains, Siberia

“…Mountain ecosystems are more vulnerable to climate change due to the limited area and steep gradients of external conditions; therefore, they can serve as indicators of its ecological consequences (Becker and Bugmann 2001;Anderson and Goulden 2011;Tognetti and Palombo 2013). On the other hand, a variety of climatic and landscape conditions provides a high diversity of vegetation in mountains, primarily along of elevational gradients (Körner 1995(Körner , 2003(Körner , 2007Becker et al 2007;Sang 2009;Xu et al 2017;Fauquette et al 2018). The distribution of mountain vegetation is closely connected with the heat and moisture supply, primarily depending on elevation (Hamann and Wang 2006;Li et al 2014).…”

Altitudinal Effect on Diversity and Distribution of Araceae in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai Province in Thailand

“…Many researches reported about the effect of altitudinal gradients factor could determine the distribution of many plant families in Doi Inthanon National Park [30,31] and Doi Suthep-Pui National Park [32,33]. In South Korea on the ridge of the Baekdudaegan Mountains [34] and in China at Gauncen Mountain [35], the latitude and altitude had effects on plant species richness, diversity and community and different species were also found in Malaysia [36] and Brazil [37]. However, the difference of species distribution must be from other factors: light intensity, soil texture, soil pH and soil moisture content differed by forest type and forest subtype, deciduous or evergreen [32,33,[38][39][40].…”