Tropical tree community composition and diversity variation along a volcanic elevation gradient

Martínez‐Camilo, Rubén; Martínez-Meléndez, Manuel; Martínez‐Meléndez, Nayely; Jiménez‐López, Derio Antonio; Ríos, Mauricio José

doi:10.1007/s11629-021-7034-6

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Another common phenomenon is that species richness shows a monotonously decreasing trend with the increase of altitude, while there are few studies on species richness increasing monotonously with the increase of altitude or no obvious trend [23]. The pattern of species diversity distribution along various elevations reflects the biological and ecological traits of species, their distribution status and environmental suitability [24][25][26]. Elevation has a substantial impact on changes in moss species diversity, biomass, and water-holding capacity [27][28][29], The diversity of moss species increased significantly with altitude, especially at high altitudes [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of lithophytic moss species in karst regions in response to elevation gradients

Jin

Wang

2023

PLoS ONE

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The distribution pattern of species diversity along various elevation gradients reflects the biological and ecological characteristics of species, distribution status and adaptability to the environment. Altitude, a comprehensive ecological factor, affects the spatial distribution of species diversity in plant communities by causing integrated changes in light, temperature, water and soil factors. In Guiyang City, we studied the species diversity of lithophytic mosses and the relationships between species and environmental factors. The results showed that: (1) There were 52 species of bryophytes in 26 genera and 13 families within the study area. The dominant families were Brachytheciaceae, Hypnaceae and Thuidiaceae. The dominant genera were Brachythecium, Hypnum, Eurhynchium, Thuidium, Anomodon and Plagiomnium; The dominant species were Eurohypnum leptothallum, Brachythecium salebrosum, Brachythecium pendulum etc. The number of family species and dominant family genera increased first and then decreased with the increase of altitude, and their distribution in elevation gradient III (1334-1515m) was the largest, with 8 families, 13 genera and 21 species. The elevation gradient I (970-1151m) was the least species distributed, with 5 families, 10 genera and 14 species. The dominant species with the largest number in each elevational gradient were Eurohypnum leptothallum, Brachythecium pendulum, Brachythecium salebrosum and Entodon prorepens; (2) There were five kinds of life forms in different elevation gradients, including Wefts, Turfs, Mat, Pendants and Tail. Among them, wefts and turfs appeared in all elevations, while a small amount of Pendants appeared in the area of elevational gradient I (970-1151m), and the most abundant life form was found in the range of elevational gradient III (1334-1515m); (3) Patrick richness index and Shannon-Wiener diversity index were highly significantly (p<0.01) positively correlated, both of which increased and then decreased with elevation, reaching a maximum at elevation gradient III (1334-1515m); The Simpson dominance index had a highly significant (p<0.01) negative correlation with the Patrick richness index and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, which showed a decreasing and then increasing trend with increasing altitude; Pielou evenness index showed no discernible trend; (4) β diversity study revealed that while the similarity coefficient tended to decrease with increasing altitude, the species composition of bryophytes increased. The elevation gradient II (1151-1332m) and elevation gradient I (970-1151m) shared the most similarities, whereas elevation gradient III (1515-1694m) and elevation gradient I shared the least similarities (970-1151m). The findings can enrich the theory of the distribution pattern of lithophytic moss species diversity at distinct elevation gradients in karst regions, and serve a scientific and reasonable reference for restoring rocky desertification and protecting biodiversity there.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of lithophytic moss species in karst regions in response to elevation gradients

Jin

Wang

2023

PLoS ONE

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“…belts. The association between elevation, climatic variation, and the isolation of populations may promote an increase in species richness in regions with high topographic heterogeneity, such as the Sierra Madre of Chiapas (Damon et al, 2015;Martínez-Camilo et al, 2022). In addition, in the region of the Tacaná Volcano, in the extreme southern part of our study area, elevation and the slope of the ravines influenced the high local richness of epiphyte species (Damon et al, 2015).…”

Section: Composition and General Patterns Of Species Richnessmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…In the tropics, because species generally have smaller elevational ranges owing to their narrower thermal tolerances compared with species in temperate zones (Janzen, 1967; Ghalambor et al, 2006), the structure and composition of communities tend to vary among elevation belts. The association between elevation, climatic variation, and the isolation of populations may promote an increase in species richness in regions with high topographic heterogeneity, such as the Sierra Madre of Chiapas (Damon et al, 2015; Martínez‐Camilo et al, 2022). In addition, in the region of the Tacaná Volcano, in the extreme southern part of our study area, elevation and the slope of the ravines influenced the high local richness of epiphyte species (Damon et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, in the region of the Tacaná Volcano, in the extreme southern part of our study area, elevation and the slope of the ravines influenced the high local richness of epiphyte species (Damon et al, 2015). The elevation and orientation of slopes are also significant factors in tree diversity in these areas (Martínez‐Camilo et al, 2022), evidencing environmental determination of the composition of communities in relation to climatic gradients on a local and regional scale (Janzen, 1967; Steinbauer et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We are not yet aware of a study that has determined the diversity pattern of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and epiphytes along the same elevational gradient, and therefore we do not know whether all the groups can show the same pattern, although what is expected is that some of these groups are more affected by climate, topography heterogeneity, and disturbance. For example, it is common for tree diversity to peak at mid‐elevation (Martínez‐Camilo et al, 2022). In other contexts, tree diversity decreases monotonically with increasing elevation, which is mainly attributed to a decrease in temperature with elevation (Vázquez & Givnish, 1998; but see otherwise in Bhatta et al, 2021; Vetaas et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plant life‐form distribution patterns in a tropical mountain region: Effect of climate, topography, and human disturbance

Jiménez‐López

Ramírez‐Marcial

Krömer

et al. 2023

J Vegetation Science

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Question Understanding the specific distribution patterns of vascular plants on different spatial scales is central in ecology and conservation. We evaluate the distribution patterns of five plant life forms (climbers, epiphytes, herbs, shrubs, and trees) along the elevation gradient and geographic space of a mountain system, analyzing climate, topography, and human disturbance to explain variation in the richness of each life form, and determine the contribution of each life form to total richness along the elevation gradient. Location Sierra Madre of Chiapas, southeastern Mexico. Methods We used linear models to evaluate the elevational pattern of richness for each life form, as well as total richness, and analyzed the effects of climate (water–energy dynamics, thermal range), topography (topographic heterogeneity), and disturbance (Human Influence Index) on variation in total richness as well as of each life form using Generalized Linear Models (GLM). We used Non‐Metric Multidimensional (Distance) Scaling to determine variation in species composition along the elevation gradient. Finally, the contribution of each life form to total richness was evaluated using GLM. Results We recorded 235 families, 1,439 genera, and 5,196 species. Total richness and the richness of each life form increased with increasing elevation. GLM explained a high proportion of the variation in the richness of each life form (34.3% for total richness; climbers 17.2%, epiphytes 44.9%, herbs 20.4%, shrubs 33.5%, and trees 24.9%). The proportion of richness of herbs and trees to total richness decreased, and the proportion of shrubs, epiphytes, and climbers increased with elevation. Climate largely determined species richness for all life forms, whereas disturbance was significant only for epiphyte richness. Conclusions Results suggest that mechanisms driven by climatic variables (especially thermal range) contribute to maintaining the richness of each life form. However, human disturbance modifies distribution patterns and leads to a decrease in epiphyte richness. The differential contribution of each life form to total richness along the elevation gradient presents a challenge for designing conservation strategies applicable to all plant groups.

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Tropical tree community composition and diversity variation along a volcanic elevation gradient

Cited by 2 publications

References 49 publications

Diversity of lithophytic moss species in karst regions in response to elevation gradients

Diversity of lithophytic moss species in karst regions in response to elevation gradients

Plant life‐form distribution patterns in a tropical mountain region: Effect of climate, topography, and human disturbance

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