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The effect of elevation on species richness in tropical forests depends on the considered lifeform: results from an East African mountain forest

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Abstract

Elevation gradients in tropical forests have been studied but the analysis of patterns displayed by species richness and elevation have received little attention. We examined whether the effect of elevation on species richness varies according to forest lifeforms and the main plant families in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, within the Albertine Rift. We established 20 1-ha plots from 810 to 2760 m asl. Inside each plot, species inventories were carried out within three nested sub-plots: the tree lifeform (i.e. species with a dbh ≥ 10 cm), the shrub lifeform (dbh < 10 cm) and the herbaceous lifeform. For trees and shrubs (woody lifeforms) abundance data (i.e. number of individuals per species) were taken into account whereas the herbaceous lifeform was surveyed using presence–absence data. We plotted species counts vs elevation for each of the ten richest families per forest lifeform and resorted to Poisson regression models to assess the statistical meanings of the displayed results. Hurdle models (truncated Poisson regression) were used to account for overdispersion in the data. For woody lifeforms, we observed a monotonic decrease of species richness, while species richness appeared to be increasing with elevation for the herbaceous lifeform. Woody lifeforms displayed various vegetation patterns according to the considered families, therefore, contrasting with the general pattern observed in the herbaceous lifeform. These findings suggest the existence of specific eco-physiological properties pertaining to each forest lifeform and the existence of family-specific elevation patterns of species richness.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is part of a PhD thesis research being conducted at the University of Kisangani (UNIKIS) thanks to financial support from the European Union (EU) through the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Heartfelt thanks to our field guides as well as to the many people who helped us during data collection campaigns, species identification, data analysis and manuscript preparation. We also express our gratitude to the anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté des Sciences, Université du Cinquantenaire, Lwiro, Sud-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Legrand Cirimwami

  2. Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, PO Box. 2012, Kisangani, Tshopo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Legrand Cirimwami & Jean-Marie Kahindo

  3. UR Forêts et Sociétés, CIRAD, Campus International de Baillargue TA-C-105/D, F-34398 Cedex 5, Montpellier, France

    Charles Doumenge

  4. Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences et Sciences Appliquées, Université Officielle de Bukavu, PO Box. 570, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Christian Amani

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  1. Legrand Cirimwami
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Cirimwami, L., Doumenge, C., Kahindo, JM. et al. The effect of elevation on species richness in tropical forests depends on the considered lifeform: results from an East African mountain forest. Trop Ecol 60, 473–484 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-019-00050-z

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