Side by side? Vascular plant, invertebrate, and microorganism distribution patterns along an alpine to nival elevation gradient

Winkler, Manuela; Illmer, Paul; Querner, Pascal; Fischer, Barbara; Hofmann, Katrin; Lamprecht, Andrea; Praeg, Nadine; Schied, Johannes; Steinbauer, Klaus; Pauli, Harald

doi:10.1080/15230430.2018.1475951

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…This result is in agreement with carabid species richness patterns investigated in other mountain areas (e.g. Maveety, Browne, & Erwin, ; Winkler et al, ; Zou, Sang, Zhou, Huang, & Axmacher, ). Our results highlighted that the studied species traits (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Trait‐modulated decline of carabid beetle occurrence along elevational gradients across the European Alps

Chamberlain

Gobbi

Negro

et al. 2020

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: To assess how species traits modulate the responses of carabids to elevational gradients, and how consistent these relationships are across different Alpine regions.Location: Italian Alps. Taxon: Coleoptera, Carabidae (ground beetles).Methods: Carabid communities were sampled using pitfall traps along elevational gradients (697-2,840 m) in 416 study sites comprising a range of habitat types. The probability of carabid occurrence was modelled in relation to elevation and its interaction with two key traits, body size and wing development, using a mixed-modelling framework. The consistency of these associations was then assessed across three geographically separated regions. Results:Carabid occurrence declined with increasing elevation, although this relationship was modulated by both body size and wing development. Smaller species were less likely to occur than larger-bodied species at lower elevations. There was a steep decline in occurrence of larger species from low to high elevation, but a slight increase in smaller species, when considering all regions combined. All wing development types declined with elevation, most notably for brachypterous (reduced wings) species. However, these patterns also varied regionally, especially for wing development, indicating that trait-elevation interactions are not geographically consistent.Habitat could not explain the differences between regions for body size, but was likely an important driver of regional differences in the role of wing development on carabid occurrence. Main conclusions:Species traits are important in explaining the distribution of carabids along elevational gradients in mountains, and they may help to identify the species that are the most vulnerable, and the most resilient, to future environmental change. Increased probability of occurrence of smaller species at higher elevations suggests that they may be particularly vulnerable to environmental change in the future. However, the difference in responses to elevation between regions has important implications for modelling species distributions, as it suggests low model transferability, that is, a trait-based model derived from one region cannot necessarily be used to project relative elevational shifts in a wider area. | 1031 CHAMBERLAIN Et AL.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Trait‐modulated decline of carabid beetle occurrence along elevational gradients across the European Alps

Chamberlain

Gobbi

Negro

et al. 2020

Journal of Biogeography

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“…Our findings of different patterns for different taxonomical groups in the same region are in line with the results of Winkler et al [ 74 ], who showed that the abundance of beetles and spiders was affected by elevation in the Central Alps, while this was not the case in springtails and oribatid mites. In our study, millipede abundance showed no significant pattern with elevation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Six groups of ground-dwelling arthropods show different diversity responses along elevational gradients in the Swiss Alps

et al. 2022

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Elevational gradients along mountain slopes offer opportunities to study key factors shaping species diversity patterns. Several environmental factors change over short distances along the elevational gradient in predictable ways. However, different taxa respond to these factors differently resulting in various proposed models for biodiversity patterns along elevational transects. Using a multi-taxa approach, we investigated the effects of elevation, area, habitat and soil characteristics on species richness, individual abundance and species composition of six groups of ground-dwelling arthropods along four transect lines in the Swiss National Park and its surroundings (Eastern Alps). Spiders, millipedes, centipedes, ants, ground beetles and rove beetles were sampled using standardized methods (pitfall traps, cardboard traps, visual search) in 65 sites spanning an elevational range from 1800 to 2750 m a.s.l.. A total of 14,782 individuals comprising 248 species were collected (86 spider, 74 rove beetle, 34 ground beetle, 21 millipede, 19 centipede and 14 ant species). Linear mixed model-analysis revealed that rarefied species richness in five out of the six arthropod groups was affected by elevation (the quadratic term of elevation provided the best fit in most cases). We found three different patterns (linear decrease in centipedes, low elevation plateau followed by a decrease in ants and rove beetles, and midpoint peak in spiders and millipedes). These patterns were only partially mirrored when considering individual abundance. Elevation influenced species composition in all groups examined. Overall, elevation was the most important factor explaining the diversity patterns, while most local habitat and soil characteristics have little influence on these patterns. Our study supports the importance of using multi-taxa approaches when examining effects of elevational gradients. Considering only a single group may result in misleading findings for overall biodiversity.

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“…The trend of beetle decline was in line with other studies [6,63]. The sharp decline in beetles has been recorded in a similar situation in European countries [64]. Reductions in the abundance and richness of carabids were partly attributed to natural evolution [65], which cannot be clearly separated from time-related effects, e.g., structural disturbances [66].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Decrease in Carabid Beetles in Grasslands of Northwestern China: Further Evidence of Insect Biodiversity Loss

Liu

Wang

Bai

et al. 2021

Insects

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Ground-dwelling beetles are important functional components in nutrient-poor grasslands of middle temperate steppe ecosystems in China. Here, we assessed the changes in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities in the grasslands of northwestern China over 12 years to improve the management and conservation of beetles all over the world. The Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was applied to estimate the changes in carabid beetle communities in two regions: a desert steppe (Yanchi region), and a typical steppe and meadow steppe (Guyuan region). During the 12-year investigation, a total of 34 species were captured. We found that species abundance and richness per survey declined by 0.2 and 11.2%, respectively. Precipitation was the main factor affecting the distribution of carabid beetles. A distinct decline in carabid beetle species in the Yanchi region indicated that they may be threatened by less precipitation and loss of habitat, which could be due to climate change. Overall, species richness was stable in the Guyuan region. It is necessary to estimate and monitor the changes in carabid beetle communities in a temperate steppe of northern China and to protect them. Extensive desertification seriously threatens the distribution of carabid beetles. Future research should develop methods to protect carabid beetle communities in temperate steppes in China.

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Side by side? Vascular plant, invertebrate, and microorganism distribution patterns along an alpine to nival elevation gradient

Cited by 17 publications

References 64 publications

Trait‐modulated decline of carabid beetle occurrence along elevational gradients across the European Alps

Trait‐modulated decline of carabid beetle occurrence along elevational gradients across the European Alps

Six groups of ground-dwelling arthropods show different diversity responses along elevational gradients in the Swiss Alps

Decrease in Carabid Beetles in Grasslands of Northwestern China: Further Evidence of Insect Biodiversity Loss

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