scholarly journals Habitat Islands on the Aegean Islands (Greece): Elevational Gradient of Chasmophytic Diversity, Endemism, Phytogeographical Patterns and need for Monitoring and Conservation

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kontopanou ◽  
Maria Panitsa
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Variable Intensity ◽  
Aegean Islands ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Elevational Range ◽  
Natural Laboratory

The Aegean archipelago, characterized as a natural laboratory for research concerning plant species diversity and phytogeography has a complex geological and paleogeographical history that varies among its phytogeographical areas. A different combination of factors of variable intensity and duration time drives patterns of its impressive plant species richness and endemism. Cliffs, a conspicuous feature of the Aegean landscape, consist of biologically closed communities that serve as refugia for obligate chasmophytes, the majority of which are Greek or Aegean endemics, and for this reason, they are also considered as habitat islands on the Aegean islands. A synoptic analysis is presented concerning chasmophytic plant diversity focusing on endemic obligate chasmophytes. Phytogeographical patterns of obligate chasmophytes, and especially the endemic ones as well as their elevational range and distribution and zeta diversity, are analyzed and discussed in the frame of climatic change, mentioning that the most threatened endemic obligate chasmophytes are those specialized in high elevation areas, and focusing on the need for monitoring and conservation.

scholarly journals Family graveyards form underappreciated local plant diversity hotspots in China's agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Gong ◽  
Liangtao Li ◽  
Jan C. Axmarcher ◽  
Zhenrong Yu ◽  
Yunhui Liu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Landscape Features ◽  
Habitat Islands ◽  
Local Plant ◽  
Ecological Functioning

AbstractIn the intensively farmed, homogenous agricultural landscape of the North China Plain, family graveyards form distinct cultural landscape features. In addition to their cultural value, these graveyards represent semi-natural habitat islands whose potential roles in biodiversity conservation and ecological functioning has remained poorly understood. In this study, we investigated plant species richness on 199 family graveyards of different ages and sizes. In accordance with biogeography theory, both overall and insect-pollinated plant species richness increased with area and age of graveyards. Even small graveyards show a strong potential for conserving local plant richness, and a mosaic of both large and small family graveyards could play an important role in the conservation of farmland biodiversity and related ecosystem functions. The launch of agri-environmental measures that conserve and create semi-natural habitats, in turn benefitting agricultural biodiversity and ecological functioning, has proven difficult in China due to the shortage of dispensable arable land. Given the great value of family graveyards as semi-natural habitats reflected in our study, we propose to focus preliminary efforts on conserving these landscape features as existing, widespread and culturally important semi-natural habitat islands. This would represent an effective, complementary policy to a subsequent re-establishment of other semi-natural habitats for the conservation of biodiversity and ecological functioning in agricultural landscapes.

scholarly journals Area modulates the effect of elevation but not of land use or canopy on tropical plant species richness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hemp ◽  
Corina Del Fabbro ◽  
Markus Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tropical Plant ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Elevational Range

AbstractOne of the few general patterns in ecology is the increase of species richness with area. However, factors driving species-area relationship (SAR) are under debate, and the role of human-induced changes has been overlooked so far. Furthermore, SAR studies in tropical regions, in particular in multilayered rain forests are scarce. On the other side, studies of global change-induced impacts on biodiversity have become increasingly important, particular in the tropics, where these impacts are especially pronounced. Here, we investigated if area modulates the effect of land use, elevation and canopy on plant species richness. For the first time we studied SAR in multilayered tropical forests considering all functional groups. We selected 13 natural and disturbed habitats on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, distributed over an elevational range of 3700 m. In each habitat type, we set up three to six modified Whittaker plots. We recorded all plant species in 64 plots and 640 subplots and described SAR using the power function. Area consistently modulated effects of elevation on plant species richness, partly effects of land use but not effects of plant canopy. Thus, area needs to be taken into account when studying elevational plant species richness patterns. In contrast to temperate regions open and forest habitats did not differ in SAR, probably due to a distinct vertical vegetation zonation in tropical forests. Therefore, it is important to consider all vegetation layers including epiphytes when studying SAR in highly structured tropical regions.

scholarly journals Climate-Induced Elevational Range Shifts and Increase in Plant Species Richness in a Himalayan Biodiversity Epicentre

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e57103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmeen Telwala ◽  
Barry W. Brook ◽  
Kumar Manish ◽  
Maharaj K. Pandit
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Elevational Range
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