Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prediction of neotropical tree and liana species richness from soil and climatic data

  • Papers
  • Published:
Biodiversity & Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We present an analysis of local species richness in neotropical forests, based on a number of 0.1 ha samples of woody plants collected by the late Alwyn Gentry. For each of 69 forests, soils were analysed and climatic data were collated. Using transformed independent variables and interaction terms, multiple regression equations were developed that explained the greatest possible amount of variation in species richness, and the best equations were selected on the basis of regression diagnostics. The best models are presented for (a) all neotropical forests, (b) forests west of the Andes (transandean) and (c) east of the Andes (cisandean), and for various subsets based on elevation and annual rainfall. For the whole dataset, and for most subsets, annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality were the most important variables for explaining species richness. Soil variables were correlated with precipitation — drier forests have more nutrient-rich soils. After the inclusion of rainfall variables, available soil nutrient concentrations contributed little to explaining or accounting for additional variation in species numbers, indicating that tropical forest species richness is surprisingly independent of soil quality. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that plants in mature tropical forests may obtain nutrients through the process of direct cycling, in which mineral nutrients are extracted from litterfall before they enter the soil. The strong relationship between community species richness and rainfall patterns has implications for biodiversity conservation. Wet forests with an ample year-round moisture supply harbour the greatest number of woody plant species and should be a focus of conservation efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, J.M. (1989) Species diversity and productivity of trees. Plants Today (Nov–Dec), 183–7.

  • Ashton, P. (1977) A contribution of rain forest research to evolutionary theory. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 64, 694–705.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, P. (1989) Species richness in tropical forests. In Tropical Forests. (L.Holm-Nielsen, I.Nielsen and H.Balslev, eds) pp. 239–51 New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, P. (1992) Species richness in plant communities. In Conservation Biology (P.Fielder and S.Jain, eds) pp. 3–22. London: Chapman and Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, P.S. and Hall, P. (1992) Comparisons of structure among mixed dipterocarp forests of north-western Borneo. J. Ecol. 80, 459–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baillie, I.C., Ashton, P.S., Court, M.N., Anderson, J.A.R., Fitzpatrick, E.A. and Tinsley, J. (1987) Site characteristics and the distribution of tree species in mixed dipterocarp forest on tertiary sediments in Central Sarawak, Malaysia. J. Trop. Ecol. 3, 201–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsley, D.A., Kuh, E. and Welsch, R.E. (1980) Regression Diagnostics: Identifying Influential Data and Sources of Collinearity. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clinebell II, R.R. (1993) Prediction of Neotropical Tree and Liana Diversity from Soil and Climatic Data. MA Thesis, Mathematics Department Washington University, St Louis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faber-Langendoen, D. and Gentry, A.H. (1991) The structure and diversity of rain forests at Bajo Calima, Chocó region, western Colombia. Biotropica 23, 2–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, A.G. (1960) Latitudinal variation in organic diversity. Evolution 14, 64–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, R. (1990) Long-term change in the successional forest community of the Rio Manu floodplain. In Four Neotropical Forests (A.Gentry, ed.) pp. 565–72. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1982) Patterns of Neotropical plant species diversity. Evol. Biol. 15, 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1986) Species-richness and floristic composition of Chocó region plant communities. Caldasia 15, 71–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1988a) Changes in plant community diversity and floristic composition on environmental and geographical gradients. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75, 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1988b) Tree species richness of upper Amazonian forests. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 85, 156–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1991) The distribution and evolution of climbing plants. In The biology of Vines (F.Putz and H.Mooney, eds) pp. 3–49. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1992a) Diversity and floristic composition of Andean forests of Peru and adjacent countries: implications for their conservation. Mem. Museo Hist. Nat. (Lima) 21, 11–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1992b) Tropical forest biodiversity: distributional patterns and their conservational significance. Oikos 63, 19–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1993) Diversity and floristic composition of lowland forest in Africa and South America. In Biogeography of Africa and South America (P.Goldblatt, ed.) pp. 500–46. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H. (1994) Patterns of diversity and floristic composition in neotropical montane forests. Brittonia (in press).

  • Gentry, A.H., and Ortiz, R. (1993) Patrones de composición florística en la Amazonia Peruana. In Amazonia Peruana — vegetación húmeda tropical en el llano subandino (R.Kalliola, M.Puhakka and W.Danjoy, eds) pp. 155–66. Jyväskylä: PAUT and ONERN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentry, A.H., and Terborgh, J. (1990) Composition and dynamics of the Cocha Cashu ‘mature’ floodplain forest. In Four Neotropical Forests (A.H.Gentry, ed.) pp. 542–564. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grubb, P.J. (1977) The maintenance of species richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Biol. Rev. 52, 107–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herrera, P., Merida, R., Stark N. and Jordan, C. (1978) Direct phosphorus transfer from leaf litter to roots. Naturwissenshaften 65.S.208.

  • Hesse, P. (1972) A Textbook of Soil Chemical Analysis. New York: Chemical Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holdridge, L. (1967) Life Zone Ecology. San José, Costa Rica: Tropical Science Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holdridge, L., Grenke, W., Hatheway, W., Liang, T. and Tosi, J. (1971) Forest Environments in Tropical Life Zones: a Pilot Study. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, M. (1979) A general hypothesis of species diversity. Am. Nat. 113, 81–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huston, M. (1980) Soil nutrients and tree species richness in Costa Rican forests. J. Biogeog. 7, 147–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, C.F., and Herrera, P. (1981) Tropical rain forests: are nutrients really critical? Am. Nat. 117. 167–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, C.F., Herrera, P. and Stark, N. (1978) Retención de nutrientes en la estera de raices de un bosque pluvial Amazónico. Acta Cien. Venez. 29, 263–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleinbaum, D.G., Kupper, L.L. and Muller, K.E. (1988) Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods, 2nd edn. Boston, MA: PWS-Kent.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur, R. (1965) Patterns of species diversity. Biol. Rev. 210, 510–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Page, A.L. (1982) Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2, No. 9, Agronomy Series. Madison, WI: American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, C.M., Balick, M.J. Kahn, F. and Anderson, A.B. (1989) Oligarchic forests of economic plants in Amazonia: utilization and conservation of an important tropical resource. Conserv. Biol. 3, 341–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, O.L., Hall, P. Gentry, A.H., Vásquez, R., and Sawyer, S. (1994) Dynamics and species richness of tropical rain forests. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 91, 2805–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pianka, L. (1966) Latitudinal gradients in species diversity: a review of concepts. Am. Nat. 100, 33–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasanen, M.E., Neller, N., Salo, J.S. and Jungner, H. (1992) Recent and ancient fluvial deposition systems in the Amazonian foreland basin, Peru. Geol. Mag. 129, 293–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricklefs, R.E. and Latham, R.E. (1993) Global patterns of diversity in mangrove floras. In Species Diversity in Ecological Communities (R.Ricklefs and D.Schluter, eds) pp. 215–29. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenzweig, M. (1968) Net primary productivity of terrestrial communities: prediction from climatological data. Am. Nat. 102, 67–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenzweig, M. and Abramsky, Z. (1993) How are diversity and productivity related? In Species Diversity in Ecological Communities (R.Ricklefs and D.Schluter, eds) pp. 52–65. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salo, J., Kalliola, R., Hakkinen, A., Makinen, Y., Niemela, P., Puhakka, K. and Coley, P.D. (1986) River dynamics and the diversity of Arnazon lowland forest. Nature 322, 254–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • S.A.S. [Statistical Analytical Systems] Institute. (1985) User's Guide, Statistics, Version 5. Cary, NC: S.A.S. Institute, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, S.R. (1966) Matrix Algebra for the Biological Sciences. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, N. (1970) Nutrient content of plants and soils from Brazil and Surinam. Biotropica 2, 51–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, N. (1971a) Nutrient cycling I. Elemental content of soils from South America. Int. J. Trop. Ecol. 12, 24–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, N. (1971b) Nutrient cycling II. Nutrient distribution in Amazonian vegetation. Int. J. Trop. Ecol. 12, 177–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark, N. (1978) Man, forests and the biological life of a soil. Biotropica 10, 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, G.C. (1989) The latitudinal gradient in geographical range: how so many species exist in the tropics. Am. Nat. 133, 240–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman, G.D. (1982) Resource Competition and Community Structure. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman, G.D. (1984) Plant dominance along an experimental nutrient gradient. Ecol. 65, 1445–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman, G.D., and Pacala, S. (1993) The maintenance of species richness in plant communities. In Species Diversity in Ecological Communities. (R.Ricklefs and D.Schluter, eds.) pp. 13–25. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valencia, R., Balslev, H., and Paz y Miño, G. (1994) High tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian Ecuador. Biodiver. Conserv. 3, 21–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter, H., and Lieth, H. (1967) Climate Diagram World Atlas. Jena: VEB Gustav Fischer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Went, F. and Stark, N. (1968) Mycorrhiza. BioSci. 18, 1025–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, R.H. (1972) Evolution and measurement of species diversity. Taxon 21, 213–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worid Meteorological Organization (1979a) Climatic Atlas of North and Central America. Paris: WHO, UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Meterological Organization (1979b) Climatic Atlas of South America. Paris: WHO, UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Youngberg, C.T., and Davey, C.B. (eds) (1970) Tree Growth and Forest Soils, Proceedings of the North American Forest Soils Conference. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Richard R. Clinebell II

    Present address: Biology Department, St Louis University, 3507 Laclede, 63103, St Louis, MO, USA

  2. Oliver L. Phillips

    Present address: School of Geography, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, UK

  3. Nellie Stark

    Present address: , 36053 Blakesley Creek Road, 97370, Philomath, OR, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematics Department, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, 63130, St Louis, MO, USA

    Richard R. Clinebell II

  2. Missouri Botanical Garden, Box 299, 63166, St Louis, MO, USA

    Oliver L. Phillips & Alwyn H. Gentry

  3. School of Forestry, University of Montana, 59812, Missoula, MT, USA

    Nellie Stark & Hans Zuuring

Authors
  1. Richard R. Clinebell II
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Oliver L. Phillips
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alwyn H. Gentry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nellie Stark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hans Zuuring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Died 3 August 1993.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Clinebell, R.R., Phillips, O.L., Gentry, A.H. et al. Prediction of neotropical tree and liana species richness from soil and climatic data. Biodivers Conserv 4, 56–90 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115314

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115314

Keywords

Search

Navigation