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Pattern of tree species co-occurrence in an ecotone responds to spatially variable drivers

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Abstract

Context

Ecological structure in ecotones, defined by how species from adjacent systems co-occur, affects ecosystem functions and climate change responses. Ecotone structure can vary spatially, yet variability in broader-scale ecotones is poorly understood. In Wisconsin (USA) the Tension Zone is an ecoregional ecotone, separating northern and southern ecosystems.

Objectives

Characterize ecotone structure in the Tension Zone, examine how structure varied spatially, and identify how environmental drivers affected structure.

Methods

Using historical (1800s) tree occurrence data, we examined co-occurrence of northern and southern species at multiple scales (1.0 km to 7.5 km) at different locations in the Tension Zone, identifying the finest scale at which co-occurrence was detected. We assessed relationships between co-occurrence and environmental variables.

Results

Co-occurrence emerged at different scales, related to interacting climate and soil variables and location within the ecotone. Northern and southern trees co-occurred at broader scales near ecotone center and at locations with higher climatic water availability and sandier soils; they co-occurred at finer scales in locations with higher climatic water availability and richer soils. Sites with xeric tree species were associated with broader-scale co-occurrence.

Conclusions

We detected spatially variable structure within the Tension Zone, resulting from multi-scale processes among underlying environmental drivers. Finer-scale co-occurrence may have resulted from competition in high-resource environments, while broader scale co-occurrence may have been driven by fire and associated feedbacks. Characterizing structure in an ecoregional ecotone adds to a growing body of evidence that finer-scale factors play a role in defining the characteristics, functions, and responses of broader-scale ecotones.

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Data availability

Data and code will be available in a permanent github repository (doi link to repository will be provided when final version is available, following reviews and revisions).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by McIntire-Stennis (1003714) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. We appreciate assistance and feedback from Sara Hotchkiss, Phil Townsend, Jack Williams, and two anonymous reviewers that greatly improved the manuscript.

Funding

Funding was provided by National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States (Grant No.: 1003714).

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Author notes

  1. Monika E. Shea

    Present address: Savanna Institute, 1360 Regent Street #124, Madison, WI, 53715, USA

  2. Stephen Berg

    Present address: Department of Statistics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

  3. Hayden Elza

    Present address: State Cartographer’s Office, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Monika E. Shea, David J. Mladenoff & Hayden Elza

  2. Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Murray K. Clayton & Stephen Berg

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Contributions

MS initially conceived of the project with substantial input from DM and MC All authors contributed intellectually to the direction of the project. MS and HE prepared the data for analysis. MS carried out data analysis, with assisstance from MC and SB. MS wrote the main manuscript text, with substantial input from DM. All authors reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Monika E. Shea.

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Shea, M.E., Mladenoff, D.J., Clayton, M.K. et al. Pattern of tree species co-occurrence in an ecotone responds to spatially variable drivers. Landsc Ecol 37, 2327–2342 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01485-x

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