Topography and edge effects are more important than elevation as drivers of vegetation patterns in a neotropical montane forest
Topography and edge effects are more important than elevation as drivers of vegetation patterns in a neotropical montane forest
复制标题
DOI：
10.1111/jvs.12132
复制
发表时间：
2014-05-01
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Schleuning, Matthias
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lippok, Denis;Beck, Stephan G.;Schleuning, Matthias
目的热带山地森林植物物种多样性高，生境沿海拔和地形梯度异质性高。我们量化了海拔、地形和森林边缘对热带山地森林片断的生境条件和木本植物多样性的影响。位置：热带山地森林片断，玻利维亚‘YUNGAS’。方法我们测量了沿海拔600m的森林边缘、森林内部、山脊和峡谷的小气候和采样土壤性质以及木本植物。利用线性混合效应模型和去趋势对应分析(DCA)分析了海拔、地形和林缘对生境条件(小气候、土壤性质和森林结构)、物种丰富度、均匀度和组成的影响。结果生境条件沿海拔梯度的变化弱于林内和林缘之间以及不同地形之间。物种丰富度不受任何坡度的影响，而物种均匀度在林缘降低。3种梯度对物种组成均有影响，但地形和林缘的影响大于海拔的影响。结论总体上，海拔600m梯度的影响弱于林缘和地形的影响。边缘效应使物种组成向先锋物种转移，而地形异质性对于在山地森林中产生高度多样性尤为重要。这些结果表明，边缘效应对山地森林残留物具有严重的后果，在预测由于全球变暖而导致的热带山地森林植物物种单调上坡迁移的研究中，应该考虑地形微生境之间的小尺度差异。
AimsThe high plant species diversity of tropical mountain forests is coupled with high habitat heterogeneity along gradients in elevation and topography. We quantified the effects of elevation, topography and forest edge on habitat conditions and woody plant diversity of tropical montane forest fragments.LocationTropical montane forest fragments, 'Yungas', Bolivia.MethodsWe measured microclimate and sampled soil properties and woody vegetation at forest edges and in the forest interior on ridges and in gorges along an elevational gradient of 600m. We analysed effects of elevation, topography and forest edge on habitat conditions (i.e. microclimate, soil properties and forest structure), species richness, evenness and composition with linear mixed effects models and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA).ResultsChanges in habitat conditions were weaker along the elevational gradient than between forest interior and forest edge and between different topographies. Species richness was not affected by any gradient, while species evenness was reduced at forest edges. All three gradients affected species composition, while effects of topography and forest edge were stronger than that of elevation.ConclusionsIn general, effects of the 600-m elevational gradient were weak compared to effects of forest edge and topography. Edge effects shifted species composition towards pioneer species, while topographical heterogeneity is particularly important for generating high diversity in montane forests. These results underscore that edge effects have severe consequences in montane forest remnants and that small-scale variation between topographical microhabitats should be considered in studies that predict monotonous upslope migrations of plant species in tropical montane forests due to global warming.