Phylogenetic structure and diversity of herbaceous communities in the conifer forests along an elevational gradient in Luya Mountain, Shanxi, China

AbstractEcologists have embraced phylogenetic measures of assemblage structure, in large part for the promise of better mechanistic inferences. However, phylogenetic structure is driven by a wide array of factors from local biotic interactions to biogeographical history, complicating the mechanistic interpretation of a pattern. This may be particularly problematic along elevational gradients, where rapidly changing physical and biological conditions overlap with geological and biogeographical history, potentially producing complex patterns of phylogenetic dispersion (relatedness). We focus on the longest elevational gradient of vegetation in the world (i.e. c. 6000 m in Nepal) to explore patterns of phylogenetic dispersion for angiosperms (flowering plants) along this elevational gradient. We used the net relatedness index to quantify phylogenetic dispersion for each elevational band of 100 m. We found a zig-zag pattern of phylogenetic dispersion along this elevational gradient. With increasing elevation, the phylogenetic relatedness of species decreased for the elevational segment between 0 and c. 2100 m, increased for the elevational segment between 2100 and c. 4200 m, and decreased for the elevational segment above c. 4200 m. We consider this pattern to be a result of the interaction of geophysical (e.g. plate tectonics) and eco-evolutionary processes (e.g. niche conservatism and trait convergence). We speculate on the mechanisms that might have generated this zig-zag pattern of phylogenetic dispersion.

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Species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure patterns of exotic and native plants along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya

Ecological Processes ◽

10.1186/s13717-021-00335-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kumar Manish

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Exotic Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Species Assemblages ◽

Native Plant ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Phylogenetic Overdispersion ◽

The Himalaya

Abstract Background So far, macroecological studies in the Himalaya have mostly concentrated on spatial variation of overall species richness along the elevational gradient. Very few studies have attempted to document the difference in elevational richness patterns of native and exotic species. In this study, this knowledge gap is addressed by integrating data on phylogeny and elevational distribution of species to identify the variation in species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of exotic and native plant species along an elevational gradient in the Himalaya. Results Species distribution patterns for exotic and native species differed; exotics tended to show maximum species richness at low elevations while natives tended to predominate at mid-elevations. Native species assemblages showed higher phylogenetic diversity than the exotic species assemblages over the entire elevational gradient in the Himalaya. In terms of phylogenetic structure, exotic species assemblages showed majorly phylogenetic clustering while native species assemblages were characterized by phylogenetic overdispersion over the entire gradient. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that areas with high native species richness and phylogenetic diversity are less receptive to exotic species and vice versa in the Himalaya. Species assemblages with high native phylogenetic overdispersion are less receptive to exotic species than the phylogenetically clustered assemblages. Different ecological processes (ecological filtering in case of exotics and resource and niche competition in case of natives) may govern the distribution of exotic and native species along the elevational gradient in the Himalaya.

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Phylogenetic structure and phylogenetic diversity of angiosperm assemblages in forests along an elevational gradient in Changbaishan, China

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtt072 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 154-165 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Hong Qian ◽

Zhanqing Hao ◽

Jian Zhang

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Phylogenetic Structure

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Distribution and Community Assembly of Trees Along an Andean Elevational Gradient

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants8090326 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 326

Author(s):

Samantha J. Worthy ◽

Rosa A. Jiménez Paz ◽

Álvaro J. Pérez ◽

Alex Reynolds ◽

Jennifer Cruse-Sanders ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Elevation Gradient ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Pairwise Distance ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Tree Ferns ◽

Fern Species ◽

Standardized Effect Sizes ◽

Angiosperm Species

Highlighting patterns of distribution and assembly of plants involves the use of community phylogenetic analyses and complementary traditional taxonomic metrics. However, these patterns are often unknown or in dispute, particularly along elevational gradients, with studies finding different patterns based on elevation. We investigated how patterns of tree diversity and structure change along an elevation gradient using taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity metrics. We sampled 595 individuals (36 families; 53 genera; 88 species) across 15 plots along an elevational gradient (2440–3330 m) in Ecuador. Seventy species were sequenced for the rbcL and matK gene regions to generate a phylogeny. Species richness, Shannon–Weaver diversity, Simpson’s Dominance, Simpson’s Evenness, phylogenetic diversity (PD), mean pairwise distance (MPD), and mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) were evaluated for each plot. Values were correlated with elevation and standardized effect sizes (SES) of MPD and MNTD were generated, including and excluding tree fern species, for comparisons across elevation. Taxonomic and phylogenetic metrics found that species diversity decreases with elevation. We also found that overall the community has a non-random phylogenetic structure, dependent on the presence of tree ferns, with stronger phylogenetic clustering at high elevations. Combined, this evidence supports the ideas that tree ferns have converged with angiosperms to occupy the same habitat and that an increased filtering of clades has led to more closely related angiosperm species at higher elevations.

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Floral colour structure in two Australian herbaceous communities: it depends on who is looking

Annals of Botany ◽

10.1093/aob/mcz043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 124 (2) ◽

pp. 221-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mani Shrestha ◽

Adrian G Dyer ◽

Jair E Garcia ◽

Martin Burd

Keyword(s):

Flowering Plants ◽

Floral Colour ◽

Random Structure ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Colour Perception ◽

Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽

Herbaceous Communities ◽

Hymenopteran Species ◽

Complex Landscape ◽

Colour Signals

Abstract Background and Aims Pollinator-mediated interactions between plant species may affect the composition of angiosperm communities. Floral colour signals should play a role in these interactions, but the role will arise from the visual perceptions and behavioural responses of multiple pollinators. Recent advances in the visual sciences can be used to inform our understanding of these perceptions and responses. We outline the application of appropriate visual principles to the analysis of the annual cycle of floral colour structure in two Australian herbaceous communities. Methods We used spectrographic measurements of petal reflectance to determine the location of flowers in a model of hymenopteran colour vision. These representations of colour perception were then translated to a behaviourally relevant metric of colour differences using empirically calibrated colour discrimination functions for four hymenopteran species. We then analysed the pattern of colour similarity in terms of this metric in samples of co-flowering plants over the course of a year. We used the same method to analyse the annual pattern of phylogenetic relatedness of co-flowering plants in order to compare colour structure and phylogenetic structure. Key Results Co-flowering communities at any given date seldom had colour assemblages significantly different from random. Non-random structure, both dispersion and clustering, occurred occasionally, but depended on which bee observer is considered. The degree of colour similarity was unrelated to phylogenetic similarity within a co-flowering community. Conclusions Perceived floral colour structure varied with the sensory capabilities of the observer. The lack of colour structure at most sample dates, particularly the rarity of strong dispersion, suggests that plants do not use chromatic signals primarily to enable bees to discriminate between co-flowering species. It is more likely that colours make plants detectable in a complex landscape.

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Family Legacy: Depicting Diversity-Elevation Relationships of Tropical Tree Communities

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1236838/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Vitor de Andrade Kamimura ◽

Gabriel Mendes Marcusso ◽

Gabriel Pavan Sabino ◽

Marco Antonio Assis ◽

Carlos Alfredo Joly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elevational Gradient ◽

Species Selection ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Tropical Rainforests ◽

Ecological Processes ◽

Phylogenetic Structure ◽

Diversity Pattern ◽

Tree Communities ◽

Fern Species ◽

Unimodal Pattern

Abstract Unveiling the ecological processes driving diversity and its relationship to the environment remains a central goal in ecological studies. Here, we investigated the elevation effect on plant diversity patterns of tropical rainforests, using beta-, phylogenetic and alpha diversities. To do so, we compiled a forest dataset with 22,236 trees (DBH ≥ 4.8 cm) from 17 plots of 1 ha each along an elevational gradient (0 – 1,200 m a.s.l) in the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil. We found high phylogenetic and species rates of turnover – beta-diversity - along the elevational gradient. Alpha phylodiversity showed a monotonic decrease with increasing elevation, including or not fern species (a distantly related clade usually ignored in tropical ecology studies), while the phylogenetic structure was highly affected by the inclusion of fern trees. Species diversity showed a unimodal pattern for the whole community, and different patterns for the richest families. The diversity pattern of the whole community emerges from differences among species distribution of the richest families, while phylogenetic diversity seems to be gradually filtered by elevation. At intermediate elevations, higher species diversification within families might have led to different strategies and cooccurrence in tropical rainforests. We also showed that intricate effects of elevation in species assemblages can be better assessed using both ecological and evolutionary approaches, stressing the importance of species selection in diversity analyzes. Finally, we demonstrate that elevation has different effects on the species distributions of the richest families and warn that these differences should be considered in conservation planning.

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

10.32942/osf.io/sx9n8 ◽

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.

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