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- Title
Two decades of increasing functional and phylogenetic richness in a mountaintop flora in central Norway.
- Authors
Vanneste, Thomas; Graae, Bente J.; Kyrkjeeide, Magni O.; Lindmo, Sigrid; Michelsen, Ottar; Naranjo‐Orrico, Domenica J.; Ray, Courtenay A.; Vandersteene, Matthias; Verheyen, Kris; De Frenne, Pieter
- Abstract
Questions: Analysing how multiple facets of biodiversity vary across space and time can help to predict the vulnerability of mountaintop floras to future environmental changes. Here we addressed the following questions: (a) Are elevational patterns of mountaintop plant diversity consistent across taxonomy, function and phylogeny? (b) How have the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic dimensions of mountaintop plant communities changed over the past two decades? (c) Is the magnitude of these temporal trends dependent on elevation? Location: Dovrefjell, central Norway. Methods: The floristic composition of four mountaintops, spread across an elevational gradient from the tree line to the uppermost margins of vascular plant life, was surveyed every 7 years between 2001 and 2022. Six metrics of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic richness and differentiation were calculated for each mountaintop and survey. Using these data, we assessed how richness and differentiation metrics varied over space (across the elevational gradient) and over time (between surveys). Results: All diversity metrics decreased towards higher elevations, except phylogenetic differentiation which increased significantly by 7% per 100 m elevational gain. Taxonomic richness remained virtually stable between 2001 and 2022, whereas phylogenetic richness increased by 7.5% per decade. Functional richness also increased, but mainly on the lowest mountaintop, by 17% per decade. No significant temporal trends in taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic differentiation were detected. Conclusions: Our findings underpin rearrangements in the functional and phylogenetic structure of mountain plant communities over the past two decades that cannot be predicted from trends in taxonomic richness alone. This highlights the necessity to look beyond species richness and consider multiple facets of biodiversity when studying environmental change impacts on mountain biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
- Subjects
PLANT diversity; SPECIES diversity; ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis; TIMBERLINE; PLANT communities
- Publication
Journal of Vegetation Science, 2024, Vol 35, Issue 4, p1
- ISSN
1100-9233
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jvs.13299