Effects of altitude and topography on species richness of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in alpine communities

Bruun, Hans Henrik; Moen, Jon; Virtanen, Risto; Grytnes, John Arvid; Oksanen, Lauri; Angerbjörn, Anders

doi:10.1658/1100-9233(2006)017[0037:eoaato]2.0.co;2

Cited by 199 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Bruun et al 2006;Grytnes et al 2006;Chytrý et al 2012). The absence of a statistically significant richness-altitude relationship reported by Willner et al (2004) for beech forests can be explained by the evolutionary history of the studied sites (Willner et al 2009) and by the confounding effects of soil nutrient-related parameters and light conditions.…”

Section: Species Richness-altitudinal Gradientmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Because the unimodal pattern seems to be typical for studies covering complete altitudinal gradients of vegetation (from plants, as such, up to particular vegetation types; e.g. Bruun et al 2006;Brinkmann et al 2009;McCain and Grytnes 2010), and our material covered the whole gradient of beech-dominated forests in the area of interest, we expected to find a unimodal species richness-altitude relationship as well. Our aim was to describe and examine the species richness-altitude relationship and to identify the main drivers of this pattern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests

et al. 2013

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The unimodal species richness-altitude distribution pattern seems to be universal. To investigate the validity of this phenomenon in homogeneous substrate and vegetation conditions, we sampled beech-dominated forests in five volcanic mountain ranges in the Western Carpathians. European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) formed monodominant closed-canopy stands at altitudes from 300 to 1,200 m. Along this gradient, the influence of beech on understory plant species richness was expected to be strong and uniform. The shape of the species richness-altitude relationship was analyzed for three datasets: herb layer, shrub layer, and both layers merged together. Contrary to prediction, the studied species richness-altitude relationship was inversely unimodal, with a minimum at intermediate altitudes. Quadratic regression models were statistically significant for all three datasets (P<0.001) and the explained variability ranged from 12 % to 20 %. The possible explanation for the observed pattern is twofold. In the central part of the altitudinal gradient, low species richness is due to strong competition by monodominant beech with accumulation of leaf litter and uptake soil resources, mainly water. This influence is somewhat released towards the margins of the gradient. Secondly, the species pool from the neighbouring communities increases species richness only in the lower parts of the altitudinal gradient.

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Section: Species Richness-altitudinal Gradientmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests

et al. 2013

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“…Mesotopography is a measure of local topography and reflects snow accumulation, solar radiation interception, and drainage patterns (Billings, 1973). It was scored from one (bottom of depression) to 10 (ridge top), following the methodology of Bruun et al (2006) (Fig. 2, part C).…”

Section: Study Sites and Field Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation Mediates Soil Temperature and Moisture in Arctic-Alpine Environments

Aalto

Roux

Luoto

2013

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…Topography imposes environmental and resource gradients that influence wind exposure, length of growing season, incident solar radiation, moisture availability, soil development, organic matter and nutrient accumulations (Whittaker, 1989;Franklin et al, 2000;Meentemeyer et al, 2001;Choler, 2005;Bruun et al, 2006;Cutler et al, 2008a;Kharuk et al, 2010). In consequence, variations in environmental conditions across topographic gradients modulate the establishment and growth of plants.…”

Section: Causes Of Spatial Variability In Vegetation Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Topography, which influences microclimate and soil properties, is a primary environmental factor determining species distribution (Whittaker, 1989;Franklin et al, 2000;Meentemeyer et al, 2001;Choler, 2005;Bruun et al, 2006;Cutler et al, 2008a;Kharuk et al, 2010). By sampling vegetation in sites with similar aspect and topography, many studies have attempted to control the effects of topographical variations on primary succession.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of microsite colonisation on two young lava flows on Mount Hekla, Iceland

Cutler

Belyea

Dugmore

2008

J Vegetation Science

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Questions: How does vegetation first establish on newly‐formed lava substrates? Do very small (cm) and meso‐scale (m) variations in the physical environment influence this process and subsequent vegetation development? Location: Mount Hekla, southern Iceland (64°00’ N, 19°40’ W). Methods: Data on vegetation structure and the incidence of ‘safe sites’ suitable for colonisation were collected from high and low points on the surfaces of lava flows emplaced during the 1991 and 2000 A.D. eruptions of Mount Hekla. Effects of flow age and meso‐topographic position on vegetation structure (moss cover, patch density, stem length) were assessed by two‐way analyses of variance. The distributions of colonisation events and available safe sites were analysed using point pattern techniques. Results: Rapid colonisation of the lava surface was observed, despite stressful environmental conditions. The 1991 and 2000 flows differed significantly in vegetation structure, but there were no significant differences in moss cover, patch density and stem length between ‘high’ and ‘low’ sites. Conclusions: Colonisation events are invariably associated with small‐scale irregularities on the surface of the lava. The colonisation process appears to be spatially random. Development of the moss ‘carpet’ proceeds by vertical thickening and lateral growth and coalescence of moss patches that establish in ‘safe sites’. This process is rapid, with close to 100% of available safe sites exploited within 20 years. Topographic position makes no difference to the very early stages of vegetation development and cannot be used to ‘forecast’ the later stages of development.

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Effects of altitude and topography on species richness of vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens in alpine communities

Cited by 199 publications

References 37 publications

Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests

Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests

Vegetation Mediates Soil Temperature and Moisture in Arctic-Alpine Environments

Spatial patterns of microsite colonisation on two young lava flows on Mount Hekla, Iceland

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