Species Richness of the Family Ericaceae along an Elevational Gradient in Yunnan, China

Wang, Jihua; Cai, Yafei; Zhang, Lu; Xu, Chuan-Kun; Zhang, Shi‐Bao

doi:10.3390/f9090511

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(80 reference statements)

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“…The latitudinal diversity gradient (i.e., the decrease of species richness with increasing latitude) is one of the most conspicuous and robust biogeographic patterns (Rosenzweig, 1995;Hillebrand, 2004). Previous studies have shown that the northern limits of species distributions in North America are associated with low temperature in winter (Huntley et al, 1989;Zanne et al, 2014; hereafter minimum winter temperature or minimum temperature), which is often measured as the average minimum temperature of the coldest month (e.g., Hawkins et al, 2014) or the average overall temperature of the coldest month (e.g., Chen et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2018;Chen and Su, 2020). These two measures of minimum temperature are often nearly perfectly correlated (e.g., r = 0.996 in data from WorldClim for North America, www.worldclim.org).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of minimum winter temperature and temperature seasonality to the northern range limit and species richness of trees in North America

et al. 2022

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Biologists have considered both winter coldness and temperature seasonality as major determinants of the northern limits of plants and animals in the Northern Hemisphere, which in turn drive the well-known latitudinal diversity gradient. However, few studies have tested which of the two climate variables is the primary determinant. In this study, we assess whether winter coldness or temperature seasonality is more strongly associated with the northern latitudinal limits of tree species and with tree species richness in North America. Tree species were recorded in each of 1198 quadrats of 110 km × 110 km in North America. We used correlation and regression analyses to assess the relationship of the latitude of the northern boundary of each species, and of species richness per quadrat, with winter coldness and temperature seasonality. Species richness was analyzed within 38 longitudinal, i.e., north-south, bands (each being >1100 km long and 110 km wide). The latitudes of the northern range limits of tree species were three times better correlated with minimum temperatures at those latitudes than with temperature seasonality. On average, minimum temperature and temperature seasonality together explained 81.5% of the variation in the northern range limits of the tree species examined, and minimum temperature uniquely explained six-fold (33.7% versus 5.8%) more of this variation than did temperature seasonality. Correlations of tree species richness with minimum temperatures were stronger than correlations with temperature seasonality for most of the longitudinal bands analyzed. Compared to temperature seasonality, winter coldness is more strongly associated with species distributions at high latitudes, and is likely a more important driver of the latitudinal diversity gradient.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of minimum winter temperature and temperature seasonality to the northern range limit and species richness of trees in North America

et al. 2022

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“…1 b). Paudel et al 1 and Wang et al 24 explained the least effect of the MDE in the richness pattern of threatened plant species in Nepal and Ericaceae in Yunnan Province, China, respectively. In the present study, the climatic variables were more influential than the MDE, and this phenomenon may have suppressed the MDE.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the MDE states that the diversity in species richness in mountain domains is independent of any environmental gradients and that it represents a "null model" for diversity patterns 21,22 . Some studies have validated the effect of the MDE in the mountains of China [23][24][25] . In the present paper, the effects of temperature, precipitation, PET, DIST, and the MDE responsible for the richness pattern of threatened plants in Sichuan Province were examined.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Precipitation and potential evapotranspiration determine the distribution patterns of threatened plant species in Sichuan Province, China

Pandey

Dakhil

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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A fundamental goal of ecologists is to determine the large-scale gradients in species richness. The threatened plants are the priority of such studies because of their narrow distribution and confinement to a specific habitat. Studying the distribution patterns of threatened plants is crucial for identifying global conservation prioritization. In this study, the richness pattern of threatened plant species along spatial and elevation gradients in Sichuan Province of China was investigated, considering climatic, habitat-heterogeneity (HHET), geometric constraint and human-induced factors. The species richness pattern was analyzed, and the predictor variables, including mean annual temperature (MAT), mean annual precipitation (MAP), potential evapotranspiration (PET), HHET, and disturbance (DIST), to species richness were linked using the geographical distribution data of threatened species compiled at a spatial resolution of 20 km × 20 km. Generalized linear models and structural equation modelling were used to determine the individual and combined effects of each variable on species richness patterns. Results showed a total of 137 threatened plant species were distributed between 200 and 4800 m.a.s.l. The central region of the province harbors the highest species diversity. MAP and PET profoundly explained the richness pattern. Moreover, the significant role of DIST in the richness patterns of threatened plants was elucidated. These findings could help determine the richness pattern of threatened plant species in other mountainous regions of the world, with consideration of the impact of climate change.

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“…3) with centers of diversity and abundance in the temperate south-west and south-east forests, shrublands and montane regions (https://www.ala.org.au/), characterized by impoverished soils (Rossel and Bui, 2016;Kooyman et al, 2017). In Yunnan, China, ericaceous species richness, which includes many Rhododendron species, shows a unimodal relationship with mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, and the elevational pattern of species richness is shaped by the combined effects of climate and competition (Wang et al, 2018). Zhang et al (2018) analyzed nutrient concentrations in 32 Ericaceae from 161 sites across southern China, from 27 m to 4906 m above sea level, none of which qualify as cold tundra or boreal forest habitats, and only some were associated with montane areas, all of which Tedersoo et al (2020) consider major habitats for Ericaceae.…”

Section: On Ericaceaementioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting mycorrhizal dogmas: Are mycorrhizas really functioning as they are widely believed to do?

2020

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Since the discovery of mycorrhizas, dogmas have been developed regarding their function, ecology, and distribution. We explore if these dogmas are valid, and if there are research biases toward regions inhabited by most researchers and away from regions inhabited by most plant species. We found, first, that the mycorrhizal status is known in less than 1% of plant species, with few having proven mycorrhizal benefits for growth and development. Second, the mycorrhizal status of a plant species varies within families, even genera. Third, mycorrhizas are important for phosphorus acquisition only within a narrow phosphorus range. Fourth, mycorrhizal plants are not uniform in their response to environment; taxonomy, phylogeny and continental history strongly drive mycorrhizal diversity. For example, the center of diversification of Ericaceae and Orchidaceae is in the neotropics, rather than, as recently claimed, in cold and high-latitude climates. Understanding the importance of mycorrhizas at the family-wide and biome-wide level is therefore conflicted by a research bias toward research-intensive regions outside the phylogenetic hotspots of diversification. The current precepts on mycorrhizas provide important starting points for hypotheses to robustly test when and where mycorrhizas play a role in determining ecological trajectory. The time has come to move forward and revisit past assumptions and update the dogmas, rather than assume functional significance in terms of nutritional benefits from studies on extraneous regions and species. We conclude that non-nutritional benefits deserve far greater attention.

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Species Richness of the Family Ericaceae along an Elevational Gradient in Yunnan, China

Cited by 8 publications

References 53 publications

Relationship of minimum winter temperature and temperature seasonality to the northern range limit and species richness of trees in North America

Relationship of minimum winter temperature and temperature seasonality to the northern range limit and species richness of trees in North America

Precipitation and potential evapotranspiration determine the distribution patterns of threatened plant species in Sichuan Province, China

Revisiting mycorrhizal dogmas: Are mycorrhizas really functioning as they are widely believed to do?

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