The Importance of Including Soil Properties When Disentangling the Drivers of Species Richness: The Case of the Alpine Genus Saxifraga L. in China

Xu, Ying; Tang, Yigong; Du, Weihua; Shao, Chen; Wu, Jiang; Zhao, Lina; Zhang, Lei; Liu, Jianquan; Xu, Xiaoting

doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.00244

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Finally, although the section Ciliatae is insufficiently investigated, the available evidence indicates that auto-and possibly allopolyploidy likely contributed to diversification. Still, we cannot draw any inferences on the relative contribution of this process compared to other scenarios, such as rapid allopatric speciation driven by habitat heterogeneity, soil properties and/or changing climatic conditions, as recently proposed [57], to overall species richness in this section. We had originally hoped to use the results of this review to deepen our understanding of the section Ciliatae.…”

Section: Hybridisation and Polyploidisation As Drivers For Saxifraga Diversitymentioning

confidence: 82%

“…In contrast, little to no evidence for hybridisation was found in Ciliatae subsection Rosulares using molecular methods [56]. Thus, hybridisation in the large section Ciliatae and its distribution across its subsections clearly need to be assessed more thoroughly, particularly as populations from distinct species can occur in close proximity of each other (<10 cm [57]). In section Porphyrion, which is also species-rich in Asian mountain systems, only four species pairs were reported to hybridise in the Himalayas [58] and only three species pairs are known to hybridise in the Caucasus Mountains [45].…”

Section: Taxonomic Geographic and Temporal Distribution Of Hybridisation In Saxifragamentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Hybridisation in the Making of the Species-Rich Arctic-Alpine Genus Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae)

et al. 2020

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Evolutionary processes fuelling rapid species diversification are not yet fully understood, although their major contribution to overall patterns of plant biodiversity is well established. Hybridisation is among the least understood of these processes, despite its multifaceted role in speciation processes being widely accepted. Species of the large arctic-alpine genus Saxifraga are notorious for their ability to hybridise; however, the overall role of hybridisation and polyploidisation for the diversification of this genus remains unknown. Here, we provide a comprehensive genus-wide review of hybridisation accounts and ploidy levels. We find that the sections of Saxifraga vary greatly in their propensity to hybridise. The majority of natural hybridisation accounts are from recent localised events (n = 71). Hybridisation hotspots were located in the Pyrenees and the European Alps, thus contrasting with the overall distribution of species richness in the genus. Hybrids or hybrid populations are often short-lived in Saxifraga due to a multitude of reproductive barriers, most commonly low F1 hybrid fertility. However, these barriers are not always fully effective, allowing for backcrossing and the formation of hybrid swarms. In addition, we find that the incidence of polyploidy varies widely across different sections of Saxifraga, with species-rich sections Porphyrion and Saxifraga showing divergent polyploidy proportions. Overall, we show that hybridisation and polyploidisation played differential roles in the diversification of this large genus. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of species are yet to be scrutinised, particularly among the Asian Saxifraga species, illustrating the need for systematic further study to fully unravel the role of hybridisation during the evolution of Saxifraga.

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Section: Hybridisation and Polyploidisation As Drivers For Saxifraga Diversitymentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Taxonomic Geographic and Temporal Distribution Of Hybridisation In Saxifragamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Hybridisation in the Making of the Species-Rich Arctic-Alpine Genus Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae)

et al. 2020

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“…Rather, it is an indicator of a mélange of biotic and abiotic determinants, which influence species richness. Determinants to be considered are manifold (Vetaas, 2021 ) and include variables relevant for metabolism like the availability of energy and water such as temperature, and humidity (Kluge et al, 2017 ) and other environmental factors like soil properties (Liu et al, 2020 ; Ohdo & Takahashi, 2020 ; Sánchez‐González & López‐Mata, 2005 ), land surface area (Karger et al, 2011 ), past geological processes including orogeny and plate tectonics (Descombes et al, 2017 ; Hagen et al, 2019 ; Zhao & Li, 2017 ), phylogenetic processes such as diversification rates and phylogenetic diversity (Kluge & Kessler, 2011 ; Scholl & Wiens, 2016 ), biogeographic processes including source‐sink effects and overlaps of lowland and montane floras (Grytnes, 2003a ; Kessler, Hofmann, et al, 2011 ). One of the major challenges in identifying these drivers of elevational richness patterns is that many potential explanatory factors covary with elevation and among each other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Liverworts show a globally consistent mid‐elevation richness peak

Maul

Wei

Iskandar

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The study of elevational gradients allows to draw conclusions on the factors and mechanisms determining patterns in species richness distribution. Several earlier studies investigated liverwort diversity on single or few elevational transects. However, a comprehensive survey of the elevational distribution patterns of liverwort richness and their underlying factors is lacking so far. This study's purpose was to fill this gap by compiling an extensive data set of liverwort elevational patterns encompassing a broad diversity of mountains and mountain ranges around the world. Using polynomial regression analyses, we found a prevalence of hump-shaped richness patterns (19 of 25 gradients), where liverwort species richness peaked at mid-elevation and decreased towards both ends of the gradient. Against our expectation and unlike in other plant groups, in liverworts, this pattern also applies to elevational gradients at mid-latitudes in temperate climates. Indeed, relative elevation, calculated as the percentage of the elevational range potentially inhabited by liverworts, was the most powerful predictor for the distribution of liverwort species richness. We conclude from these results that the admixture of low-and high-elevation liverwort floras, in combination with steep ecological gradients, leads to a mid-elevation floristic turnover shaping elevational patterns of liverwort diversity. Our analyses further detected significant effects of climatic variables (temperature of the warmest month, potential evapotranspiration, and precipitation of the warmest month) in explaining elevational liverwort richness patterns. This indicates that montane liverwort diversity is restricted by high temperatures and subsequent low water availability especially towards lower elevations, which presumably will lead to serious effects by temperature shifts associated with global warming.

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“…Elevation reflects a series of interrelated biotic and abiotic determinants. As an elevation rises or falls, there are certain changes in climate, soil composition, and geographic processes [8][9][10]. The role of climate in shaping biological processes is well known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Diversity and Community Pattern of Liverworts on Sygera Mountain, Tibet

Song,

Gu,

et al. 2023

Forests

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Elevation has been a cornerstone of biodiversity research, and changes in the environmental factors behind it influence biodiversity and community patterns. Exploring the potential reasons behind liverwort community patterns has been a matter of multiplied interest for ecologists. In the present study, we recorded the liverwort taxa of Sygera Mountain growing on decaying wood, trees, soil, and rocks along an elevational gradient from 3100 m to 4500 m using complex field surveys in 2017 and 2019; we investigated the effects of elevation and various climatic factors on the liverworts’ diversity and community composition. Furthermore, we used mixed effect modeling, NMDS, ANOSIM, and CCA to help us critically assess liverwort diversity with respect to environmental variables. The results of the study showed a bimodal variation in the richness of liverwort communities according to elevation, with peaks occurring at 3500 m and 4100 m, respectively. The variation in elevation was significant, with communities at 4300 m being associated with high mean diurnal range environments and those at 3100 m and 3300 m favoring areas of higher solar radiation and the precipitation of the wettest month. Among the climatic factors, the variation in the mean diurnal range was found to be the determinant of liverwort communities. The results suggest that the mean diurnal range plays a crucial role in the distribution and community structure formation of mountain liverwort. This study deepens our understanding of liverwort ecology and emphasizes the importance of climatic variables in determining liverwort community composition.

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The Importance of Including Soil Properties When Disentangling the Drivers of Species Richness: The Case of the Alpine Genus Saxifraga L. in China

Abstract: Richness-Environment Relationships for Saxifraga L. richness patterns in China, especially for alpine plant groups. The negative association of species richness with temperature suggests a potential threat of alpine biodiversity loss in HHM from future warming.

Cited by 6 publications

References 64 publications

The Role of Hybridisation in the Making of the Species-Rich Arctic-Alpine Genus Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae)

The Role of Hybridisation in the Making of the Species-Rich Arctic-Alpine Genus Saxifraga (Saxifragaceae)

Liverworts show a globally consistent mid‐elevation richness peak

The Diversity and Community Pattern of Liverworts on Sygera Mountain, Tibet

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