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Disturbances, elevation, topography and spatial proximity drive vegetation patterns along an altitudinal gradient of a top biodiversity hotspot

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Abstract

The correlation between vegetation patterns (species distribution and richness) and altitudinal variation has been widely reported for tropical forests, thereby providing theoretical basis for biodiversity conservation. However, this relationship may have been oversimplified, as many other factors may influence vegetation patterns, such as disturbances, topography and geographic distance. Considering these other factors, our primary question was: is there a vegetation pattern associated with substantial altitudinal variation (10–1,093 m a.s.l.) in the Atlantic Rainforest—a top hotspot for biodiversity conservation—and, if so, what are the main factors driving this pattern? We addressed this question by sampling 11 1-ha plots, applying multivariate methods, correlations and variance partitioning. The Restinga (forest on sandbanks along the coastal plains of Brazil) and a lowland area that was selectively logged 40 years ago were floristically isolated from the other plots. The maximum species richness (>200 spp. per hectare) occurred at approximately 350 m a.s.l. (submontane forest). Gaps, multiple stemmed trees, average elevation and the standard deviation of the slope significantly affected the vegetation pattern. Spatial proximity also influenced the vegetation pattern as a structuring environmental variable or via dispersal constraints. Our results clarify, for the first time, the key variables that drive species distribution and richness across a large altitudinal range within the Atlantic Rainforest.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the BIOTA/FAPESP Program for supporting the BIOTA Functional Gradient Project (Atlantic Ombrophyllous Dense Forest: Floristic Composition, Structure and Functioning within the “Serra do Mar” State Park, Brazil FAPESP Grants); the Graduate Programs in Plant Biology and Ecology at UNICAMP; CNPq for the PhD scholarship granted to the first author; and CNPq, CAPES and FAPESP for Grants awarded to the other authors and researchers directly or indirectly involved with this paper.

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  1. Pedro V. Eisenlohr

    Present address: Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Instituto de Biologia, CP 6109, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil

    Pedro V. Eisenlohr, Luciana F. Alves, Maíra C. G. Padgurschi, Flavio Antonio M. dos Santos, André Luís C. Rochelle, Fernando R. Martins, Larissa S. Pereira, Jorge Y. Tamashiro, Marcos A. S. Scaranello, Cora J. Caron & Carlos Alfredo Joly

  2. Centro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) CP 28, Campinas, SP, 13012-970, Brazil

    Luciana F. Alves, Luís Carlos Bernacci, Roseli B. Torres & José Ataliba M. A. Gomes

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, CP 478, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, AM, 69060-001, Brazil

    Eduardo M. B. Prata

  4. Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro, CP 199, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rio Claro, SP, 13506-900, Brazil

    Marco Antônio Assis & Eliana Ramos

  5. School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, M089 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Mariana C. R. Campos

  6. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Pontal do Araguaia, MT, 78698-000, Brazil

    Fernando Pedroni & Maryland Sanchez

  7. Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (NEPAM), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, 13083-867, Brazil

    Simone A. Vieira

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  1. Pedro V. Eisenlohr
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Correspondence to Pedro V. Eisenlohr.

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Eisenlohr, P.V., Alves, L.F., Bernacci, L.C. et al. Disturbances, elevation, topography and spatial proximity drive vegetation patterns along an altitudinal gradient of a top biodiversity hotspot. Biodivers Conserv 22, 2767–2783 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0553-x

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