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Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests

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Abstract

The unimodal species richness-altitude distribution pattern seems to be universal. To investigate the validity of this phenomenon in homogeneous substrate and vegetation conditions, we sampled beech-dominated forests in five volcanic mountain ranges in the Western Carpathians. European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) formed monodominant closed-canopy stands at altitudes from 300 to 1,200 m. Along this gradient, the influence of beech on understory plant species richness was expected to be strong and uniform. The shape of the species richness-altitude relationship was analyzed for three datasets: herb layer, shrub layer, and both layers merged together. Contrary to prediction, the studied species richness-altitude relationship was inversely unimodal, with a minimum at intermediate altitudes. Quadratic regression models were statistically significant for all three datasets (P<0.001) and the explained variability ranged from 12 % to 20 %. The possible explanation for the observed pattern is twofold. In the central part of the altitudinal gradient, low species richness is due to strong competition by monodominant beech with accumulation of leaf litter and uptake soil resources, mainly water. This influence is somewhat released towards the margins of the gradient. Secondly, the species pool from the neighbouring communities increases species richness only in the lower parts of the altitudinal gradient.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dušan Senko for preparing the map. Our study was supported by grants of the Slovak Grant Agency for Science VEGA (2/0059/11, 2/0027/13) and the long-term research development project no. RVO 67985939 to the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-845 23, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Richard Hrivnák & Michal Slezák

  2. Department of Phytology, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University, T. G. Masaryka 24, SK-960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia

    Dušan Gömöry & Karol Ujházy

  3. Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Education, Catholic University, Hrabovská cesta 1, SK-034 01, Ružomberok, Slovakia

    Michal Slezák

  4. Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of Czech Republic, Lidická 25/27, CZ-602 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    Radim Hédl

  5. Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ľ. Štúra 2, SK-960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia

    Benjamín Jarčuška

  6. Department of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, T. G. Masaryka 24, SK-960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia

    Mariana Ujházyová

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  1. Richard Hrivnák
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Hrivnák, R., Gömöry, D., Slezák, M. et al. Species Richness Pattern along Altitudinal Gradient in Central European Beech Forests. Folia Geobot 49, 425–441 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-013-9174-0

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