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Phylogenetic patterns of shrub communities along the longitudinal and latitudinal gradients on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
Biodiversity distribution patterns are a basic and long-standing but crucial aspect of ecology research. These patterns form the primary source of data used to develop biodiversity protection practices, especially in mountain ecosystems. Shrubs comprise one of the main types of vegetation on the Qin...
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Published in: | Journal of mountain science 2020-05, Vol.17 (5), p.1106-1114 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Biodiversity distribution patterns are a basic and long-standing but crucial aspect of ecology research. These patterns form the primary source of data used to develop biodiversity protection practices, especially in mountain ecosystems. Shrubs comprise one of the main types of vegetation on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, where they serve vital ecological functions. In this study, we used a community phylogenetic approach to examine the distribution patterns of shrub communities along the longitudinal and latitudinal gradients on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We observed significant latitudinal trends in both the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and net relatedness index (NRI) values of shrub communities, such that the former decreased and the latter increased with increasing latitude. However, no significant PD, NRI and nearest taxon index (NTI) distribution patterns were observed along a longitudinal gradient. A further analysis revealed that the combination of temperature-related and precipitation-related climate variables most strongly affected the PD, NRI and NTI values of shrub communities, indicating that the latitudinal patterns in the PD, NRI and NTI of a shrub community may be determined mainly by interactions with these climate factors. |
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ISSN: | 1672-6316 1993-0321 1008-2786 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s11629-019-5561-1 |