Journal Article

Identifying the patterns of changes in α‐ and β‐diversity across Dacrydium pectinatum communities in Hainan Island, China

Chen, Qiao, Liu, Hua, Chen, Yongfu, Xu, Zhiyang, Ma, Yongkang, Dai, Yunchuan, Liu, Haodong

2021

Overview

Exploring vegetation distribution spatial patterns facilitates understanding how biodiversity addresses the potential threat of future climate variability, especially for highly diverse and threatened tropical plant communities, but few empirical studies have been performed. Dacrydium pectinatum is a constructive and endangered species in the tropical mountain forests of Hainan Island, China. In this study, sixty‐eight 30 m × 30 m permanent plots of D. pectinatum were investigated, and species‐based and phylogenetic‐based methods were used to analyze the α‐ and β‐diversity pattern variation and its key drivers. Our study showed that species and phylogenetic α‐diversity patterns are different on a local scale. However, on a regional scale, the variations in the two α‐diversity patterns tend to converge, and they decrease with increasing elevation. The phylogenetic structure changes from overdispersion to convergence with increasing elevation. Soil (SOM, TP, AP), topography (EL, SL), and stand (CD) factors and α‐diversity showed close correlations. Species and phylogenetic β‐diversity have significant positive correlations with changing environmental distance and geographical distance; however, as a representative form of habitat heterogeneity, elevation distance has a greater impact on β‐diversity changes than geographical distance. In conclusion, the α‐ and β‐diversity patterns of the D. pectinatum community are mainly related to habitat filtering, especially in high‐elevation areas, and the colonization history of various regions also affects the formation of diversity patterns. Species‐based and phylogenetic‐based methods robustly demonstrated the key role of the habitat filtering hypothesis in community assembly. We believe that more plant diversity patterns need to be explored to understand the biodiversity formation mechanisms in tropical forests. We also recommend strengthening the construction and management of nature reserves to help address the biodiversity loss crisis in endangered tropical plant communities. Changes in α‐ and β‐diversity of Dacrydium pectinatum communities are closely related to environmental filtration and diffusion restrictions. Species coexistence in tropical plant communities requires mild environmental conditions, and low temperature, precipitation, soil nutrients, and light will aggravate environmental filtering and species competition.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Biodiversity / biodiversity hotspots / Biodiversity loss / Climate change / Climate variability / coexistence / Colonization / community assembly / Convergence / Dacrydium / Ecologists / Ecology / Elevation / Empirical analysis / Endangered plants / Endangered species / Environmental changes / Filtration / habitat filtering / Habitats / Heterogeneity / Hypotheses / Immigration / Mountain forests / Mountains / Nature reserves / Original Research / phylogenetic diversity / Phylogenetics / Phylogeny / Plant communities / Plant diversity / Precipitation / Species diversity / Tropical forests / Tropical plants / Wildlife conservation