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Alpha diversity of vascular plants in European forests
- Source :
- Večeřa, M, Divíšek, J, Lenoir, J, Jiménez-Alfaro, B, Biurrun, I, Knollová, I, Agrillo, E, Campos, J A, Čarni, A, Crespo Jiménez, G, Ćuk, M, Dimopoulos, P, Ewald, J, Fernández-González, F, Gégout, J C, Indreica, A, Jandt, U, Jansen, F, Kącki, Z, Rašomavičius, V, Řezníčková, M, Rodwell, J S, Schaminée, J H J, Šilc, U, Svenning, J C, Swacha, G, Vassilev, K, Venanzoni, R, Willner, W, Wohlgemuth, T & Chytrý, M 2019, ' Alpha diversity of vascular plants in European forests ', Journal of Biogeography, vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 1919-1935 . https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13624, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Biogeography, Wiley, 2019, 46 (9), pp.1919-1935. ⟨10.1111/jbi.13624⟩, Journal of Biogeography, 46(9), 1919-1935, Journal of Biogeography 46 (2019) 9, Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Blackwell Publishing, 2019.
-
Abstract
- Aim The former continental‐scale studies modelled coarse‐grained plant species‐richness patterns (gamma diversity). Here we aim to refine this information for European forests by (a) modelling the number of vascular plant species that co‐occur in local communities (alpha diversity) within spatial units of 400 m2; and (b) assessing the factors likely determining the observed spatial patterns in alpha diversity. Location Europe roughly within 12°W–30°E and 35–60°N. Taxon Vascular plants. Methods The numbers of co‐occurring vascular plant species were counted in 73,134 georeferenced vegetation plots. Each plot was classified by an expert system into deciduous broadleaf, coniferous or sclerophyllous forest. Random Forest models were used to map and explain spatial patterns in alpha diversity for each forest type separately using 19 environmental, land‐use and historical variables. Results Our models explained from 51.0% to 70.9% of the variation in forest alpha diversity. The modelled alpha‐diversity pattern was dominated by a marked gradient from species‐poor north‐western to species‐rich south‐eastern Europe. The most prominent richness hotspots were identified in the Calcareous Alps and adjacent north‐western Dinarides, the Carpathian foothills in Romania and the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. Energy‐related factors, bedrock types and terrain ruggedness were identified as the main variables underlying the observed richness patterns. Alpha diversity increases especially with temperature seasonality in deciduous broadleaf forests, on limestone bedrock in coniferous forests and in areas with low annual actual evapotranspiration in sclerophyllous forests. Main conclusions We provide the first predictive maps and analyses of environmental factors driving the alpha diversity of vascular plants across European forests. Such information is important for the general understanding of European biodiversity. This study also demonstrates a high potential of vegetation‐plot databases as sources for robust estimation of the number of vascular plant species that co‐occur at fine spatial grains across large areas.<br />M.V., J.D., I.K., M.Ř. and M.C. were supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Centre of Excellence Pladias; project no. 14–36079G). I.B. and J.A.C. were supported by the Basque Government (IT936‐16). B.J.‐A. was supported by the Marie Curie Clarín‐COFUND program of the Principate of Asturias and the European Union (ACB17‐26). J.‐C.S. considers this work a contribution to his VILLUM Investigator project “Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World” funded by VILLUM FONDEN (grant 16549) and his Danish Council for Independent Research | Natural Sciences TREECHANGE project (grant 6108‐00078B).
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Random Forests
plant community
Bos- en Landschapsecologie
Biodiversity
01 natural sciences
Vegetation-plot database
Forest and Landscape Ecology
vascular plants
[SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology, environment
0303 health sciences
Diversity
Ecology
biology
European Vegetation Archive
Vegetation
PE&RC
Europe
Geography
Plantenecologie en Natuurbeheer
Forest vegetation
Vegetatie, Bos- en Landschapsecologie
species-richness patterns
Vascular plant
forest vegetation
Gamma diversity
[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes
Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation
[SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity
Plant community
010603 evolutionary biology
diversity
03 medical and health sciences
Species-richness patterns
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Vegetatie
030304 developmental biology
European Vegetation Archive (EVA)
predictive modelling
vegetation-plot database
Vascular plants
Predictive modelling
Species diversity
15. Life on land
biology.organism_classification
Alpha diversity
Vegetation, Forest and Landscape Ecology
Species richness
[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03050270 and 13652699
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Večeřa, M, Divíšek, J, Lenoir, J, Jiménez-Alfaro, B, Biurrun, I, Knollová, I, Agrillo, E, Campos, J A, Čarni, A, Crespo Jiménez, G, Ćuk, M, Dimopoulos, P, Ewald, J, Fernández-González, F, Gégout, J C, Indreica, A, Jandt, U, Jansen, F, Kącki, Z, Rašomavičius, V, Řezníčková, M, Rodwell, J S, Schaminée, J H J, Šilc, U, Svenning, J C, Swacha, G, Vassilev, K, Venanzoni, R, Willner, W, Wohlgemuth, T & Chytrý, M 2019, ' Alpha diversity of vascular plants in European forests ', Journal of Biogeography, vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 1919-1935 . https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13624, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Biogeography, Wiley, 2019, 46 (9), pp.1919-1935. ⟨10.1111/jbi.13624⟩, Journal of Biogeography, 46(9), 1919-1935, Journal of Biogeography 46 (2019) 9, Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC, instname
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ddd2d957d0965a79654457d4630c9468