To what extent can we predict variation of bryophyte and tracheophyte community composition at fine spatial scale along an elevation gradient?

Ecological drivers of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bryophytes in an oceanic island

“…In partial agreement with our initial hypothesis H3, which posited that both climatic and anthropogenic factors would significantly impact α‐ and β‐TD, PD, and FD of bryophytes, our results indicated that precipitation and the dominant vegetation type were the most influential factors in shaping multiple facets of bryophyte biodiversity on Madeira. This result aligns with previous evidence showing that vegetation structure and climate play a key role in explaining patterns of biodiversity facets at both global and regional scales (Feng et al., 2020 ; Prescott et al., 2016 ; Rurangwa et al., 2021 ), including bryophytes (Chen et al., 2017 ; Collart et al., 2024 ; Ilić et al., 2023 ; Mežaka et al., 2012 ; Shen et al., 2023 ). At the local scale, environmental filtering associated with elevation, climate, and habitat structure played a more important role in shaping α‐ and β‐components of TD, FD, and PD in bryophytes (Araújo et al., 2022 ; Chen et al., 2017 ) and spermatophytes (Ben Saadi et al., 2022 ; Culmsee & Leuschner, 2013 ).…”

“…However, caution should be exercised when interpreting these results, as they might also point to limitations in the variables considered. Future research stands to gain from the increasing accessibility of trait and phylogenetic data (Vasconcelos, 2023 ) and higher‐resolution environmental factors from additional Macaronesian archipelagos (Borges et al., 2018 ; Collart et al., 2024 ; Patiño et al., 2023 ). Such data would facilitate the evaluation of the universality of plant community diversity patterns across environmental gradients and provide insights into how community assembly and biodiversity might respond to long‐term human pressures on oceanic islands (Whittaker et al., 2008 ).…”