Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China
Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity reveal important insights into the biogeographical processes that influence forest ecosystems. Although previous studies have extensively documented β-diversity within relatively small spatial extents, the potential drivers of β-diversity along latitudinal gr...
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| Format: | Article |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Plant Diversity |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001732 |
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| author | Maochou Liu Wenxiang Wu Ke Wang Xinshuai Ren Xueqin Zhang Lei Wang Jing Geng Bo Yang |
| author_facet | Maochou Liu Wenxiang Wu Ke Wang Xinshuai Ren Xueqin Zhang Lei Wang Jing Geng Bo Yang |
| author_sort | Maochou Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity reveal important insights into the biogeographical processes that influence forest ecosystems. Although previous studies have extensively documented β-diversity within relatively small spatial extents, the potential drivers of β-diversity along latitudinal gradients are still not well understood at larger spatial extents. In this study, we determined whether tree β-diversity is correlated with latitude in forests of southeastern China, and if so, what ecological processes contribute to these patterns of tree β-diversity. We specifically aimed to disentangle the relative contributions from interspecific aggregation and environmental filtering across various spatial extents. We delineated regional communities comprising multiple nearby national forest inventory (NFI) plots around random focal plots. The number of NFI plots in a regional community served as a surrogate for spatial extent. We also used a null model to simulate randomly assembled communities and quantify the deviation (β-deviation) between observed and expected β-diversity. We found that β-diversity decreased along a latitudinal gradient and that this pattern was clearer at larger spatial extents. In addition, latitudinal patterns of β-deviation were explained by the degree of species spatial aggregation. We also identified environmental factors that drive β-deviation in these forests, including precipitation, seasonality, and temperature variation. At larger spatial extents, these environmental variables explained up to 84% of the β-deviation. Our results reinforce that ecological processes are scale-dependent and collectively contribute to the β-gradient in subtropical forests. We recommend that conservation efforts maintain diverse forests and heterogeneous environments at multiple spatial extents to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2abdda63e9648b6a6b09744828054fe |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2468-2659 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plant Diversity |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2abdda63e9648b6a6b09744828054fe2025-02-12T05:31:35ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Plant Diversity2468-26592025-01-014718997Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern ChinaMaochou Liu0Wenxiang Wu1Ke Wang2Xinshuai Ren3Xueqin Zhang4Lei Wang5Jing Geng6Bo Yang7Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Environment and Resources, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaKey Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Environment and Resources, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaKey Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Environment and Resources, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaKey Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaKey Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Department of Environment and Resources, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaZhai Mingguo Academician Work Station, Sanya University, Sanya 572022, ChinaZhai Mingguo Academician Work Station, Sanya University, Sanya 572022, ChinaLatitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity reveal important insights into the biogeographical processes that influence forest ecosystems. Although previous studies have extensively documented β-diversity within relatively small spatial extents, the potential drivers of β-diversity along latitudinal gradients are still not well understood at larger spatial extents. In this study, we determined whether tree β-diversity is correlated with latitude in forests of southeastern China, and if so, what ecological processes contribute to these patterns of tree β-diversity. We specifically aimed to disentangle the relative contributions from interspecific aggregation and environmental filtering across various spatial extents. We delineated regional communities comprising multiple nearby national forest inventory (NFI) plots around random focal plots. The number of NFI plots in a regional community served as a surrogate for spatial extent. We also used a null model to simulate randomly assembled communities and quantify the deviation (β-deviation) between observed and expected β-diversity. We found that β-diversity decreased along a latitudinal gradient and that this pattern was clearer at larger spatial extents. In addition, latitudinal patterns of β-deviation were explained by the degree of species spatial aggregation. We also identified environmental factors that drive β-deviation in these forests, including precipitation, seasonality, and temperature variation. At larger spatial extents, these environmental variables explained up to 84% of the β-deviation. Our results reinforce that ecological processes are scale-dependent and collectively contribute to the β-gradient in subtropical forests. We recommend that conservation efforts maintain diverse forests and heterogeneous environments at multiple spatial extents to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001732Environmental filteringLatitudinal patternForest beta diversitySpatial extentSpecies spatial aggregationRegional community |
| spellingShingle | Maochou Liu Wenxiang Wu Ke Wang Xinshuai Ren Xueqin Zhang Lei Wang Jing Geng Bo Yang Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China Plant Diversity Environmental filtering Latitudinal pattern Forest beta diversity Spatial extent Species spatial aggregation Regional community |
| title | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China |
| title_full | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China |
| title_fullStr | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China |
| title_short | Latitudinal patterns of tree β-diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern China |
| title_sort | latitudinal patterns of tree β diversity and relevant ecological processes vary across spatial extents in forests of southeastern china |
| topic | Environmental filtering Latitudinal pattern Forest beta diversity Spatial extent Species spatial aggregation Regional community |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468265924001732 |
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