The use of ‘altitude’ in ecological research

Körner, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.006

Cited by 2,336 publications

(2,124 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

1,906

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…2013), due in part to the dramatic variation in environmental factors (e.g., temperature, UV intensity) that occurs over short geographic scales (Heath and Williams 1979; Korner 2007). Size varies along altitudinal gradients for a diversity of animals (Hodkinson 2005; Keller et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history evolution and cellular mechanisms associated with increased size in high‐altitude Drosophila

Lack

Yassin

Sprengelmeyer

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the physiological and genetic basis of growth and body size variation has wide‐ranging implications, from cancer and metabolic disease to the genetics of complex traits. We examined the evolution of body and wing size in high‐altitude Drosophila melanogaster from Ethiopia, flies with larger size than any previously known population. Specifically, we sought to identify life history characteristics and cellular mechanisms that may have facilitated size evolution. We found that the large‐bodied Ethiopian flies laid significantly fewer but larger eggs relative to lowland, smaller‐bodied Zambian flies. The highland flies were found to achieve larger size in a similar developmental period, potentially aided by a reproductive strategy favoring greater provisioning of fewer offspring. At the cellular level, cell proliferation was a strong contributor to wing size evolution, but both thorax and wing size increases involved important changes in cell size. Nuclear size measurements were consistent with elevated somatic ploidy as an important mechanism of body size evolution. We discuss the significance of these results for the genetic basis of evolutionary changes in body and wing size in Ethiopian D. melanogaster.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history evolution and cellular mechanisms associated with increased size in high‐altitude Drosophila

Lack

Yassin

Sprengelmeyer

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition to the altitudinal reduction of land area, four primary atmospheric changes are associated with altitude rather than with latitude: (i) decreasing total atmospheric pressure and partial pressure of all atmospheric gases, including CO 2 ; (ii) increasing radiation when the sky is cloudless; (iii) a higher fraction of UV-B radiation; and (iv) steep gradients in temperature and ambient humidity, occurring over distances of metres (as opposed to similar changes occurring over kilometres along latitudinal transects) [59]. Moreover, altitudinal gradients are not subject to the variation in seasonal changes in photoperiod that occurs across latitudes.…”

Section: Climatic Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In principle, these factors could enhance plant responses to warming in mountain regions. However, physiological adjustments, such as increased CO 2 fixation efficiency, can negate or substantially reduce the impacts of change (i), whereas increased cloud and fog at higher altitudes might negate changes (ii) and (iii) [59]. A mismatch between altitudinal and latitudinal climatic and/or physical gradients is insufficient to explain the observed disparity because temperature has a key role in determining species distributions in mountain and lowland regions.…”

Section: Climatic Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Jump

Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

431

369

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing temperatures are driving rapid upward range shifts of species in mountains. An altitudinal range retreat of 10 m is predicted to translate into a $10-km latitudinal retreat based on the rate at which temperatures decline with increasing altitude and latitude, yet reports of latitudinal range retractions are sparse. Here, we examine potential climatic, biological, anthropogenic and methodological explanations for this disparity. We argue that the lack of reported latitudinal range retractions stems more from a lack of research effort, compounded by methodological difficulties, rather than from their absence. Given the predicted negative impacts of increasing temperatures on wide areas of the latitudinal distributions of species, the investigation of range retractions should become a priority in biogeographical research.Climate change and shifting plant distribution The geographical distribution of plants is strongly influenced by climate [1]. Minimum temperatures are particularly important in limiting the poleward (see Glossary) expansion of plant species, whereas limited water availability interacts with high temperatures to exert a direct climatic limitation on their expansion in the opposite, or equatorial, direction in many regions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Changes in climate are, therefore, predicted to alter the geographic distribution of plant species at global to local scales.Contemporary plant range shifts are most frequently reported from mountain regions, with elevational shifts of the mountain treeline being the most commonly documented response to increasing temperatures [8][9][10][11][12]. The distributions of species in mountain regions are typically restricted to relatively narrow and well-delineated altitudinal bands, in comparison with often broad and poorly defined latitudinal distributions in the lowlands. This strong altitudinal zonation of mountain vegetation, and its climatic sensitivity [13], makes mountains ideal 'natural laboratories' and favoured locations for the study of climate change impacts worldwide [13][14][15].The altitudinal compression of montane vegetation zones is due to a rapid decrease in temperature with increasing elevation ($5-6.5 8C per 1000 m) [3,14], which contrasts with a similar temperature decline occurring over $1000 km of latitude (6.9 8C at 458 N or S) [3]. An implication of this altitude-for-latitude temperature model is that general biogeographical patterns resulting from the climatic limitations imposed on plants in mountains should also be observed in neighbouring lowland regions with similar temperature and moisture regimes. Distributional shifts already observed in mountain plants [8,[16][17][18] should, therefore, be mirrored by lowland range changes occurring over distances that are several orders of magnitude larger (Figure 1).Here, we discuss the implications of the altitude-forlatitude model for shifts in plant distributions and examine why lowland range shifts, particularly range retractions, are rarely reported. We discuss potential climati...

show abstract

“…2014; Lawson and Weir 2014), climatic (Hulshof et al. 2013), elevation (McCain and Grytnes 2010; Körner 2007; Bryant et al. 2008), temporal (Enquist et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining variation in the leaf mass per area of dominant species across two contrasting tropical gradients in light of community assembly

Neyret

Bentley

Oliveras

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding variation in key functional traits across gradients in high diversity systems and the ecology of community changes along gradients in these systems is crucial in light of conservation and climate change. We examined inter‐ and intraspecific variation in leaf mass per area (LMA) of sun and shade leaves along a 3330‐m elevation gradient in Peru, and in sun leaves across a forest–savanna vegetation gradient in Brazil. We also compared LMA variance ratios (T‐statistics metrics) to null models to explore internal (i.e., abiotic) and environmental filtering on community structure along the gradients. Community‐weighted LMA increased with decreasing forest cover in Brazil, likely due to increased light availability and water stress, and increased with elevation in Peru, consistent with the leaf economic spectrum strategy expected in colder, less productive environments. A very high species turnover was observed along both environmental gradients, and consequently, the first source of variation in LMA was species turnover. Variation in LMA at the genus or family levels was greater in Peru than in Brazil. Using dominant trees to examine possible filters on community assembly, we found that in Brazil, internal filtering was strongest in the forest, while environmental filtering was observed in the dry savanna. In Peru, internal filtering was observed along 80% of the gradient, perhaps due to variation in taxa or interspecific competition. Environmental filtering was observed at cloud zone edges and in lowlands, possibly due to water and nutrient availability, respectively. These results related to variation in LMA indicate that biodiversity in species rich tropical assemblages may be structured by differential niche‐based processes. In the future, specific mechanisms generating these patterns of variation in leaf functional traits across tropical environmental gradients should be explored.

show abstract

The use of ‘altitude’ in ecological research

Cited by 2,336 publications

References 48 publications

Life history evolution and cellular mechanisms associated with increased size in high‐altitude Drosophila

Life history evolution and cellular mechanisms associated with increased size in high‐altitude Drosophila

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Examining variation in the leaf mass per area of dominant species across two contrasting tropical gradients in light of community assembly

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About