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opencc-zeroJun 2019View details →

Data from: Beta diversity and specialization in plant-pollinator networks along an elevational gradient

Aim: To assess whether the reduced nutritional resources available for pollinators due to plant community simplification along an elevational plant-diversity gradient changes pollinator niche breadth and richness. Additionally, we evaluated how body size and proboscis length of pollinators shifted along the gradient, and whether these changes were related to pollinator niche breadth. Location: An elevational gradient (2,350-3,520 m a.s.l.) on the oceanic high-mountain strato-volcano of El Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands). Taxon: Flowering plant and pollinator species. Methods: We compared quantitative plant–pollinator networks along the plant-diversity gradient. We calculated a set of niche-based topological metrics that capture the degree of specialization, niche breadth and niche overlap. Furthermore, we obtained β-diversity measures and the proportion of replacement and richness components. Results: There was an overall decline in species richness of pollinators with increasing elevation. This decline was mainly driven by the loss of species along the elevational gradient, which conformed a nested subset pattern. The whole network showed less specialization, greater connectance and lower modularity towards the summit. At high elevations, pollinators were more generalized and less selective in their flower choice, showing a greater trophic niche breadth compared to pollinators at lower elevations. Mean body size of pollinators increased with elevation, and species body size and proboscis length were positively associated with the number of plant species visited. Main conclusions. Overall, results indicated that the elevational gradient filters pollinator species, probably according to their thermal tolerance and ability to exploit a wide range of trophic resources. The finding that pollinators become more generalized and opportunistic at higher elevations is a novel result, which may have implications for new research into how ecological networks vary over environmental gradients. From an applied perspective, our results highlight the importance of considering the spatial variation of species assemblages when aiming to construct functionally reliable interaction networks along environmental gradients.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Patterns and drivers of leaf-litter ant diversity along a tropical elevational gradient in Mexico

Aim: Given their high environmental variation over relatively short distances, mountains represent ideal systems for evaluating potential factors shaping diversity gradients. Despite a long-standing interest in ecological gradients, ant diversity patterns and their related mechanisms occurring on mountains are still not well understood. Here, we (i) describe species diversity patterns (α and β) of leaf-litter ants along the eastern slope of Cofre de Perote in Veracruz, Mexico, and (ii) evaluate climatic and spatial factors in determining these patterns. Location: Veracruz, Mexico Taxon: Leaf-litter ants Methods: We sampled 320 m2 of leaf litter spread across 8 equally-spaced sites from sea level to 3500 m of elevation. We used regression models to predict α-diversity patterns with climatic (temperature and precipitation) and spatial (geometric constraints) variables. We also assessed, through multiple regression based on distance matrices (MRM), the relative importance of habitat filtering and dispersal limitations for shaping total dissimilarity (βsor), turnover (βsim) or nestedness (βnes). Results: A hump-shaped pattern was observed in the α- diversity with a peak at 600-1000 meters above sea level. This pattern is best explained by the temperature gradient with around 80% of variance explanation. β-diversity showed a non-linear pattern along the elevational gradient with total dissimilarity and turnover components better explained by habitat filtering (i.e., temperature distances). Main conclusions: The importance of temperature on both α- and β-diversity patterns reinforces its widespread importance in shaping litter ant diversity patterns across elevational gradients. The hump-shaped pattern in species richness is probably the result of harsh abiotic conditions at the base and the top of the mountain combined with biotic attrition in lowland sites. Niche specialization of ant species in their optimal thermal zones may explain total dissimilarity and ant species replacement along the studied gradient. Taken all together, these results suggest a high relevance of temperature-driven mechanisms in the origin and maintenance of the biodiversity of ectothermic taxa.

opencc-by-nc-4.0Apr 2018View details →

High diversity of Cetiocyon beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) along an elevational gradient on Mt. Wilhelm, New Guinea, with new records from the Bird´s Head Peninsula

This dataset contains the data used for phylogenetic analyses, the electronic supplement to the paper, and the full set of original unedited photographs and SEM micrographs used for the study.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Data from: BIOVERA-Tree: tree diversity, community composition, forest structure and functional traits along gradients of forest-use intensity and elevation in Veracruz, Mexico

Here, we describe BIOVERA-Tree, a database on tree diversity, community composition, forest structure, and functional traits collected in 120 forest plots distributed along an extensive elevational gradient in Veracruz State, Mexico. BIOVERA-Tree includes information on forest structure from three levels of forest-use intensity, namely old-growth, degraded, and secondary forest, replicated across eight elevations from sea-level to near the tree line at 3500 m and on size and location of 4549 tree individuals with a diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm belonging to 216 species, 154 genera, and 80 families. We also report measurements of eight functional traits, namely wood density for 143 species, maximum height for 216 species and leaf traits including: specific leaf area, lamina density, leaf thickness, chlorophyll content, and leaf area for 148 species and leaf dry matter content for 145 species.

FIG. 4 in Species richness, functional diversity and assemblage structure of insectivorous bats along an elevational gradient in tropical West Africa

FIG. 4. Mean pairwise distances (MPD) of multivariate traits (A and B), forearm length (C and D), greatest skull length (E and F), narrowest breadth of skull (G and H), ear length (I and J) and tail length (K and L) of insectivorous bat assemblages along the Mount Nimba elevational gradient. Observed MPD for each elevation is represented by the blue dots. A blue line of best fit is shown for significant relationships between observed MPD and elevation. The red dots indicate the expected MPD as calculated by 999 randomized community shuffles for figures on the left, and trait shuffles for figures on the right. A red line of best fit is shown for significant relationships between expected MPD and elevation. Instances where observed MPD differs significantly from the expected MPD are indicated by black rings

FIG. 2 in Species richness, functional diversity and assemblage structure of insectivorous bats along an elevational gradient in tropical West Africa

FIG. 2. Quadratic linear regression of species richness of assemblages versus elevation (P = 0.008; species richness = 34.32 - 7.893*elevation + 0.4881*elevation2)

FIG. 5 in Species richness, functional diversity and assemblage structure of insectivorous bats along an elevational gradient in tropical West Africa

FIG. 5. Mean nearest taxon distances (MNTD) of multivariate traits (A and B), forearm length (C and D), greatest skull length (E and F), narrowest breadth of skull (G and H), ear length (I and J) and tail length (K and L) of insectivorous bats along the Mount Nimba elevational gradient. Observed MNTD for each elevation is represented by the green dots. A green line of best fit is shown for significant relationships between observed MNTD and elevation. The red dots indicate the expected MNTD as calculated by 999 randomized community shuffles for figures on the left, and trait shuffles for figures on the right. A red line of best fit is shown for significant relationships between expected MNTD and elevation. Instances where observed MNTD differs significantly from the expected MNTD are indicated by black rings

FIG. 3 in Species richness, functional diversity and assemblage structure of insectivorous bats along an elevational gradient in tropical West Africa

FIG. 3. Dendrogram of bat functional groups present on Mount Nimba. Eight functional groups were identified, each represented by a different colour. See Supplementary Table S1 for full species names

FIG. 1 in Species richness, functional diversity and assemblage structure of insectivorous bats along an elevational gradient in tropical West Africa

FIG. 1. Study sites in Liberia and Guinea (Google Earth, 2015) and their assignment to the eight elevation belts. Key for site colours: red: <500 m; green: 500–600 m; yellow: 601–800 m; blue: 801–900 m; purple: 901–1100 m; black: 1101–1200 m; orange: 1201– 1400 m; white: 1401–1600 m