scholarly journals Dimensions of passerine biodiversity along an elevational gradient: a nexus for historical biogeography and contemporary ecology

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin R. Burgio ◽  
Steven J. Presley ◽  
Laura M. Cisneros ◽  
Katie E. Davis ◽  
Lindsay M. Dreiss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Historical Biogeography ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Functional Biodiversity ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Peruvian Andes

ABSTRACTAimThe incorporation of functional and phylogenetic information is necessary to comprehensively characterize spatial patterns of biodiversity and to evaluate the relative importance of ecological and evolutionary mechanisms in molding such patterns. We evaluated the relative importance of mechanisms that shape passerine biodiversity along an extensive elevational gradient.LocationManu Biosphere Reserve in the Peruvian AndesTaxonSongbirds (order Passeriformes)MethodsWe quantified elevational gradients of species richness, phylogenetic biodiversity, and functional biodiversity for all passerines as well as separately for suboscines and oscines; determined if phylogenetic or functional biodiversity was consistent with random selection or if there was evidence of particular mechanisms dominating community assembly; and compared patterns for each dimension of biodiversity for the two suborders.ResultsFor all passerines and for suboscines, species richness decreased in a saturating fashion, phylogenetic biodiversity declined linearly, and functional biodiversity was stochastic along the elevation gradient. For oscines, species richness and phylogenetic biodiversity decreased linearly, and functional biodiversity decreased in a saturating fashion.Main conclusionsElevational gradients of biodiversity at Manu result from a combination of adaptations associated with radiations that occurred elsewhere (suboscines in Amazonian lowlands, oscines in colder climes of North America) and an in situ radiation in the Andes (tanagers). Our results suggest a combination of temperature-related physiological constraints and a reduction in functional redundancy associated with decreasing resource abundance at higher elevations molded the passerine assemblages along this elevational gradient. Explicit consideration of historical biogeography and conservatism of ancestral niches is necessary to comprehensively understand the mechanisms that mold gradients of biodiversity.

Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Yanina
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

scholarly journals Changes in the acoustic structure and composition along a tropical elevational gradient

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marconi Campos-Cerqueira ◽  
T. Mitchell Aide
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Luquillo Mountains ◽  
Acoustic Community

Elevational gradients influence the distribution and composition of animal species and can provide useful information for the development of conservation strategies in the context of climate change. Despite an increase in studies of species diversity along elevational gradients, there is still a lack of information about community responses to environmental gradients, in part because of the logistical limitations of sampling multiple taxa simultaneously. One solution is to use passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to acquire and analyze information from different animal taxa simultaneously along an entire elevational gradient. To improve our understanding of how environmental gradients influence patterns of animal communities and to test the relationship between soundscapes and animal composition we investigated how variation in bird and anuran composition affect the acoustic structure and composition of the soundscapes along an elevation gradient. We used PAM deploying portable acoustic recorders along three elevational transects in the Luquillo Mountains (LM), Puerto Rico. We found that elevation plays a major role in structuring the acoustic community and that the soundscape composition reflected the same patterns of anuran and bird distribution and composition along the elevational gradient. This study shows how different animal taxa respond to environmental gradients and provide strong evidence for the use of soundscapes as a tool to describe and compare species distribution and composition across large spatial scales.

scholarly journals Sampling methods affect nematode-trapping fungi biodiversity patterns across an elevational gradient.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deng Wei ◽  
Wang Jia-Liang ◽  
Matthew B. Scott ◽  
Fang Yi-Hao ◽  
Liu Shuo-Ran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Distribution Pattern ◽  
Sampling Design ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Altitude Range ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Lower Altitude ◽  
Western Yunnan

Abstract Background Understanding the patterns of species richness across elevational gradients is a key concept for contemporary research in ecology and evolution, and critical to understanding large-scale trends in biodiversity, global change and conservation. However, patterns of elevational species richness between taxonomic groups, regions and latitudes are inconsistent, so that the various, sometimes conflicting hypotheses exist. Several scholars have pointed out that research on elevational distribution patterns is often biased by the sampling design employed. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed species richness of nematode-trapping fungi (NTF) across an elevation gradient at two mountainous sites in western Yunnan Province, P.R. China. We tested for potential differences in the results when using different sampling designs.Results A total of 3 genera, 17 species, 222 strains of NTF were isolated and identified from Gaoligongshan and Cangshan. Species accumulation curves for both sites and sampling modes had acceptable leveling, demonstrating sufficient sampling effort. At Gaoligongshan, the elevation distribution patterns of NTF were different under two sampling patterns. When reducing the analyzed altitude range in Gaoligongshan, the elevation distribution pattern of the NTF changed. A similar elevation distribution pattern was observed in Cangshan when testing the same altitude range. In general, when treating the same dataset using different sampling designs, the resulting distribution patterns of species richness and occurrence frequencies were clearly different. Moreover, after removal of the samples located within lower-altitude zones affected by anthropogenic interferences, the distribution pattern of NTF in the two sites tended to become uniform.Conclusion The sampling design, and in particular the elevation interval between plots, has a significant effect on the assessment of species distribution in mountainous regions. Other factors such as human activities and the multi-dimensionality of biodiversity also contribute to result biases. It is recommended that future studies on the elevational gradients of species richness consider with care sampling design using stratified approaches according to the most relevant factors.

scholarly journals Species richness and β-diversity patterns of macrolichens along elevation gradients across the Himalayan Arc

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Subzar Ahmad Nanda ◽  
Manzoor-ul Haq ◽  
S. P. Singh ◽  
Zafar A. Reshi ◽  
Ranbeer S. Rawal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Shaped Pattern ◽  
The Himalaya

AbstractUnderstanding the species richness and β-diversity patterns along elevation gradients can aid in formulating effective conservation strategies particularly in areas where local anthropogenic stresses and climate change are quite significant as in the Himalaya. Thus, we studied macrolichen richness and β-diversity along elevational gradients at three sites, namely Kashmir (2200 to 3800 m a.m.s.l), Uttarakhand (2000–3700 m a.m.s.l) and Sikkim (1700 to 4000 m a.m.s.l) which cover much of the Indian Himalayan Arc. In all, 245 macrolichen species belonging to 77 genera and 26 families were collected from the three sites. Only 11 species, 20 genera and 11 families were common among the three transects. Despite the differences in species composition, the dominant functional groups in the three sites were the same: foliose, fruticose and corticolous forms. The hump-shaped elevation pattern in species richness was exhibited by most of the lichen groups, though an inverse hump-shaped pattern was also observed in certain cases. β-diversity (βsor) based on all pairs of comparisons along an elevation gradient varied from 0.48 to 0.58 in Kashmir, 0.03 to 0.63 in Uttarakhand and 0.46 to 0.77 in Sikkim. The contribution of turnover to β-diversity was more than nestedness at all the three transects. Along elevation β-diversity and its components of turnover and nestedness varied significantly with elevation. While species turnover increased significantly along the elevation in all the three transects, nestedness decreased significantly in Kashmir and Sikkim transects but increased significantly in the Uttarakhand transect. Except for the Kashmir Himalayan elevation transect, stepwise β-diversity and its components of turnover and nestedness did not vary significantly with elevation. The present study, the first of its kind in the Himalayan region, clearly brings out that macrolichen species richness, β-diversity, and its components of turnover and nestedness vary along the elevation gradients across the Himalayan Arc. It also highlights that contribution of turnover to β-diversity is higher in comparison to nestedness at all the three transects. The variations in species richness and diversity along elevation gradients underpin the importance of considering elevational gradients in planning conservation strategies.

scholarly journals The evolutionary assembly of forest communities along environmental gradients: recent diversification or sorting of pre-adapted clades?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander G. Linan ◽  
Jonathan A. Myers ◽  
Christine E. Edwards ◽  
Amy E. Zanne ◽  
Stephen A. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Peruvian Andes ◽  
Adaptive Diversification ◽  
Primary Mechanism ◽  
Tree Communities ◽  
Phylogenetic Framework ◽  
Ecological Sorting

AbstractHistorical biogeographic events such as mountain orogeny are associated with the creation of environmental gradients, giving rise to the assembly of communities of species observed today. However, key gaps remain in our understanding of the relative importance of different eco-evolutionary processes acting as drivers of community assembly across environmental gradients. In this study, we test two non-exclusive hypotheses of the eco-evolutionary processes that shape tree communities across the Central Andean elevational gradient: Communities are assembled via 1) immigration and ecological sorting of pre-adapted clades, and 2) recent adaptive diversification along the elevational gradient. We used species surveys in the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes and a novel phylogenetic framework to test the relative importance of these hypotheses. Although adaptive diversification has previously been observed in specific clades, immigration and sorting of clades pre-adapted to montane habitats is the primary mechanism shaping communities across elevations.

Tallow tree allocates contrasting secondary chemicals in response to varying environments along elevational gradients

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-303
Author(s):  
Li Xiao ◽  
Jialiang Zhang ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Juli Carrillo ◽  
Evan Siemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Feeding Guilds ◽  
Ecological Strategies ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Chinese Tallow ◽  
Tallow Tree ◽  
Secondary Chemicals ◽  
Varying Environments

Abstract Aims Understanding how tree species regulate multiple types of secondary chemicals along elevational gradients is critical for elucidating the physiological and ecological strategies of plants in response to varying biotic and/or abiotic environments. This study aims to examine how Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) allocates resources to the production of different secondary chemicals in response to varying environments across elevational gradients. Methods We conducted field surveys of different herbivore feeding guilds and their damage rates on Chinese tallow trees along an elevational gradient in China and measured secondary chemicals (tannins and flavonoids) in damaged and undamaged leaves. Important Findings The odds of a leaf being damaged (chewing or scarring) decreased with elevation. Flavonoid concentrations increased with elevation in undamaged leaves but decreased with elevation in damaged leaves, with quercitrin contributing most strongly to this pattern, likely as results of plant responding to changing biotic or abiotic stresses along elevational gradients. Tannin concentrations did not vary with elevation, so undamaged leaves had relatively lower tannin to flavonoid ratios at high elevation than at low elevation. Our study reveals variation in herbivory and contrasting trends in plant secondary metabolism along an elevation gradient and highlights the importance of simultaneously considering multiple types of secondary chemicals in plant physiological and ecological strategies.

scholarly journals Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South American and African forest communities with elevation

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 5313-5321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijn Bauters ◽  
Hans Verbeeck ◽  
Miro Demol ◽  
Stijn Bruneel ◽  
Cys Taveirne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
South American ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Global Biogeochemical Cycles

Abstract. The Amazon and Congo basins are the two largest continuous blocks of tropical forest with a central role for global biogeochemical cycles and ecology. However, both biomes differ in structure and species richness and composition. Understanding future directions of the response of both biomes to environmental change is paramount. We used one elevational gradient on both continents to investigate functional and stoichiometric trait shifts of tropical forest in South America and Africa. We measured community-weighted functional canopy traits and canopy and topsoil δ15N signatures. We found that the functional forest composition response along both transects was parallel, with a shift towards more nitrogen-conservative species at higher elevations. Moreover, canopy and topsoil δ15N signals decreased with increasing altitude, suggesting a more conservative N cycle at higher elevations. This cross-continental study provides empirical indications that both South American and African tropical forest show a parallel response with altitude, driven by nitrogen availability along the elevational gradients, which in turn induces a shift in the functional forest composition. More standardized research, and more research on other elevational gradients is needed to confirm our observations.

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 Spatial patterns of species richness and nestedness in ant assemblages along an elevational gradient in a Mediterranean mountain range

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Flores ◽  
J. Seoane ◽  
V. Hevia ◽  
F.M. Azcárate
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
High Elevations

AbstractThe study of biodiversity spatial patterns along ecological gradients can serve to elucidate factors shaping biological community structure and predict ecosystem responses to global change. Ant assemblages are particularly interesting as study cases, because ant species play a key role in many ecosystem processes and have frequently been identified as useful bioindicators. Here we analyzed the response of ant species richness and assemblage composition to elevational gradients in Mediterranean grasslands and subsequently tested whether these responses were stable spatially and temporally. We sampled ant assemblages in two years (2014, 2015) in two mountain ranges (Guadarrama, Serrota) in Central Spain, along an elevational gradient ranging from 685 to 2390 m a.s.l.Jackknife estimates of ant species richness ranged from three to 18.5 species and exhibited a hump-shaped relationship with elevation that peaked at mid range values (1100 - 1400 m). This pattern was transferable temporally and spatially. Elevation was significantly related to ant assemblage composition and facilitated separation of higher elevation assemblages (> 1700 m) from the remaining lower elevation species groups. Ant assemblages were nested; therefore species assemblages with a decreased number of species were a subset of the richer assemblages, although species turnover was more important than pure nestedness in all surveys. The degree of nestedness changed non-linearly as a cubic polynomial with elevation. These assembly patterns were observed over time but not between the two study regions.We concluded double environmental stressors typical of Mediterranean mountains explained species richness patterns: drought at low elevations and cold temperatures at high elevations likely constrained richness at both extremes of elevational gradients. The fact that species turnover showed a dominant role over pure nestedness suggested current ant assemblages were context-dependent (spatio-temporal factors) and highly vulnerable to global change, which threatens the conservation of present day native ant communities, particularly at high elevations.

scholarly journals Geomorphic controls on elevational gradients of species richness

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (7) ◽  
pp. 1737-1742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Bertuzzo ◽  
Francesco Carrara ◽  
Lorenzo Mari ◽  
Florian Altermatt ◽  
Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradients ◽  
Complex Network Theory ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Local Species ◽  
A Site ◽  
Zero Sum

Elevational gradients of biodiversity have been widely investigated, and yet a clear interpretation of the biotic and abiotic factors that determine how species richness varies with elevation is still elusive. In mountainous landscapes, habitats at different elevations are characterized by different areal extent and connectivity properties, key drivers of biodiversity, as predicted by metacommunity theory. However, most previous studies directly correlated species richness to elevational gradients of potential drivers, thus neglecting the interplay between such gradients and the environmental matrix. Here, we investigate the role of geomorphology in shaping patterns of species richness. We develop a spatially explicit zero-sum metacommunity model where species have an elevation-dependent fitness and otherwise neutral traits. Results show that ecological dynamics over complex terrains lead to the null expectation of a hump-shaped elevational gradient of species richness, a pattern widely observed empirically. Local species richness is found to be related to the landscape elevational connectivity, as quantified by a newly proposed metric that applies tools of complex network theory to measure the closeness of a site to others with similar habitat. Our theoretical results suggest clear geomorphic controls on elevational gradients of species richness and support the use of the landscape elevational connectivity as a null model for the analysis of the distribution of biodiversity.

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