scholarly journals The species richness pattern of vascular plants along a tropical elevational gradient and the test of elevational Rapoport's rule depend on different life‐forms and phytogeographic affinities

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 4495-4503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yadong Zhou ◽  
Anne C. Ochola ◽  
Antony W. Njogu ◽  
Biyansa H. Boru ◽  
Geoffrey Mwachala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Rapoport’S Rule ◽  
Richness Pattern

Area-corrected species richness patterns of vascular plants along a tropical elevational gradient

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-704
Author(s):  
Xiang Xu ◽  
Hua-yong Zhang ◽  
Jian Luo ◽  
Dong-jie Zhang ◽  
Athen Ma
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Richness Patterns

scholarly journals Variations in Plant Richness, Biogeographical Composition, and Life Forms along an Elevational Gradient in a Mediterranean Mountain

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2090
Author(s):  
Letizia Di Biase ◽  
Loretta Pace ◽  
Cristina Mantoni ◽  
Simone Fattorini
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Mediterranean Species ◽  
Plant Richness ◽  
Shaped Pattern

Despite the increasing interest in elevational patterns in biodiversity, few studies have investigated variations in life forms and biogeographical composition, especially in the Mediterranean biome. We investigated elevational patterns in species richness, biogeographical composition (chorotypes) and life forms (Raunkiaer classification) along an elevational gradient in a Mediterranean mountain (Central Italy). We found a general hump-shaped pattern of species richness, which can be explained by harsher conditions at the lowest and highest elevations. This pattern is distinctly related to prevalence at mid elevations of species with European and Euro-Asiatic distribution, which are favored by a temperate climate. Phanerophytes and geophytes (which are mainly associated with woods) were concentrated at mid elevations where woodlands prevail. Hemicryptophytes increased with elevation, consistently with their ability to cope with high altitude climatic conditions. Mediterranean species declined with elevation because they are negatively affected by decreasing temperatures. Chamaephytes showed a U-shaped pattern, suggesting they are able to cope with arid and cold conditions at the extremes of the gradient. Endemics increased with elevation because of their association with mountainous areas as key places for endemism evolution. These results illustrate how elevational patterns in species richness, biogeographical composition and life forms are interrelated and demonstrate reciprocal insights for understanding current vegetation settings.

scholarly journals Plant Diversity and Composition Changes along an Altitudinal Gradient in the Isolated Volcano Sumaco in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Pablo Lozano ◽  
Omar Cabrera ◽  
Gwendolyn Peyre ◽  
Antoine Cleef ◽  
Theofilos Toulkeridis
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Active Volcano ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Ecuadorian Amazon ◽  
Nmds Analysis ◽  
Composition Changes

The paramo is a unique and severely threatened ecosystem scattered in the high northern Andes of South America. However, several further, extra-Andean paramos exist, of which a particular case is situated on the active volcano Sumaco, in the northwestern Amazon Basin of Ecuador. We have set an elevational gradient of 600 m (3200–3800 m a.s.l.) and sampled a total of 21 vegetation plots, using the phytosociological method. All vascular plants encountered were typified by their taxonomy, life form and phytogeographic origin. In order to determine if plots may be ensembled into vegetation units and understand what the main environmental factors shaping this pattern are, a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis was performed. In addition, species turnover was quantified in order to appreciate the quantity and sort of species which are responsible for the similarity or dissimilarity between vegetation units. Therefore, a SIMPER similarity percentage analysis was conducted. We encountered 68 plant species belonging to 54 genera and 31 families, of which three are Ecuadorian endemics. The most frequent life forms were erect herbs, rosette and tussocks, whereas the least were cushions. At genus level, 44% of the Sumaco paramo flora was of tropical origin, followed by temperate (33%) and finally cosmopolitan (22%). The neotropical montane element was the most represented with 15 species, followed by the Austral-Antarctic with ten, wide temperate with another ten and cosmopolitan with seven. Regarding vegetation, four floristically distinct groups were segregated being lower gradient (3250–3500 m a.s.l.) and high altitude (3500–3800 m a.s.l.)

scholarly journals Diversity Patterns of Different Life Forms of Plants along an Elevational Gradient in Crete, Greece

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lazarina ◽  
Athanasios Charalampopoulos ◽  
Maria Psaralexi ◽  
Nikos Krigas ◽  
Danai-Eleni Michailidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Species Pool ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity

Elevational gradients provide a unique opportunity to explore species responses to changing environmental conditions. Here, we focus on an elevational gradient in Crete, a climate-vulnerable Mediterranean plant biodiversity hotspot and explore the diversity patterns and underlying mechanisms of different plant life forms. We found that the significant differences in life forms’ elevational and environmental ranges are reflected in α- diversity (species richness at local scale), γ-diversity (species richness at regional scale) and β-diversity (variation in species composition). The α- and γ-diversity decreased with elevation, while β-diversity followed a hump-shaped relationship, with the peak varying between life forms. However, β-deviation (deviation from null expectations) varied significantly with elevation but was life formindependent. This suggests that species composition is shaped by the size of the available species pool which depends on life form, but also by other deterministic or stochastic processes that act in a similar way for different life forms. The strength of these processes varies with elevation, with hotter–drier conditions and increased human activities filtering species composition at lowlands and large-scale processes determining the species pool size overriding local ecological processes at higher elevations.

scholarly journals Species richness patterns of vascular plants and their drivers along an elevational gradient in the central Himalayas

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. e01279
Author(s):  
Jianchao Liang ◽  
Zhifeng Ding ◽  
Ganwen Lie ◽  
Zhixin Zhou ◽  
Paras Bikram Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Central Himalayas ◽  
Richness Patterns

Comparative Analysis of the Species Richness of Life Forms of Vascular Plants in the Middle Volga

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 310-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Shary ◽  
L. S. Sharaya ◽  
A. V. Ivanova ◽  
N. V. Kostina ◽  
G. S. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Middle Volga

scholarly journals Medicinal plants of Nepal: Distribution pattern along an elevational gradient and effectiveness of existing protected areas for their conservation

1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
KP Acharya ◽  
RP Chaudhary ◽  
OR Vetaas
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Published Data

This study explores patterns of medicinal plant species richness along an elevational gradient in Nepal and the effectiveness of existing protected areas for their conservation. We used published data on the distribution of medicinal plants. The number of medicinal plants and the number of protected areas present in each 100 m elevation band were collated by interpolation. We tested the number of protected areas and the number of species as the response variables against elevation as a predictor variable. To explain the relationship between the total medicinal plant richness and their different life forms with elevation and protected areas, we used generalized additive models (GAMs) and scatter plots. The elevational distribution of medicinal plants as a whole and disaggregated into different life forms revealed hump-shaped patterns. The maximum richness of medicinal plants was found at an elevation of 1100 m a.s.l. but the maximum numbers of protected areas were found at elevations between 3000-3500 m a.s.l. There was negative correlation between the altitudinal distribution of protected areas and medicinal plants in Nepal. This study suggests that the protected areas of Nepal were less concentrated where medicinal plants diversity was rich. Key words: Elevation gradient, generalized additive model, medicinal plants, species richness   doi: 10.3126/banko.v19i1.2178 Banko Janakari, Vol. 19, No. 1, 16-22

scholarly journals Species richness and community composition of sphingid moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) along an elevational gradient in southeast Peru

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clayton A. Sublett ◽  
Jerry L. Cook ◽  
John P. Janovec
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Energy Dynamics ◽  
Richness Pattern ◽  
Study Sites

A clear low-elevation skewed unimodal richness pattern is presented for hawkmoths in Southeast Peru. Several hypotheses offer plausible explanations for such a distribution. The effects of water-energy dynamics are partially supported by a strong correlation between temperature and species richness at higher elevations. Further, hypotheses of plant diversity influences on hawkmoth ranges are supported by species richness peaking in transitional habitats. Sphingid subfamilies do not appear to be influenced by habitat type or elevational factors, such as temperature. This may make subfamily analysis a poor means of characterizing sphingid community composition unless study sites vary in the level of disturbance. This study documents 134 species in 23 genera of Sphingidae from five Southeastern Peru sites from the 7,545 specimens collected for the study.

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