Frontiers | Exploring the driving factors of bryophyte assemblage distribution patterns in Tibet

IF 2.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Pub Date : 2024-07-15 DOI:10.3389/fevo.2024.1376263

Jiqi Gu, Xiaotong Song, Yanhui Ye, Xiaohong Shao, Yujia Liao, Xiaoming Shao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Plant communities are complex systems shaped by a combination of deterministic and stochastic ecological processes. Bryophytes are an essential component of plant diversity in natural ecosystems, yet our understanding of their community ecology needs to catch up to that of other organisms. The unique geological history, alpine climatic conditions, and high habitat heterogeneity of Tibet provide suitable areas for bryophytes to survive in the alpine regions. Therefore, field surveys were conducted across 184 plots in forest, thicket, and herbaceous vegetation of Tibet to investigate the role of deterministic processes such as biological interactions and abiotic effects, along with stochastic processes, in shaping the distribution of bryophyte assemblages. We employed various analytical methods, including mixed effects models, partial least squares path modeling, null model analysis, and neutral community models. The study showed that bryophyte richness was highest in forests. Bryophyte assemblages showed greater segregation in forest and thicket environments compared to herbaceous vegetation. As the influence of stochastic processes increased, that of deterministic processes decreased from forests through thickets to herbaceous vegetation. Deterministic processes were the main driving forces for the bryophyte assemblage pattern. Soil properties and climatic factors, particularly pH played a key role in determining bryophyte patterns in Tibet. This study has deepened our comprehension of how deterministic and stochastic ecological processes interplay and shape bryophyte distribution patterns in Tibet.

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前沿 | 探索西藏红叶植物群落分布模式的驱动因素

植物群落是由确定性和随机性生态过程共同作用形成的复杂系统。苔藓植物是自然生态系统中植物多样性的重要组成部分，但我们对其群落生态学的了解还需要赶上其他生物。西藏独特的地质历史、高寒的气候条件和高度的生境异质性为苔藓植物在高寒地区的生存提供了适宜的区域。因此，我们对西藏森林、灌丛和草本植被中的184个地块进行了实地调查，以研究生物相互作用和非生物效应等决定性过程以及随机过程在塑造苔藓植物群落分布中的作用。我们采用了多种分析方法，包括混合效应模型、偏最小二乘路径模型、空模型分析和中性群落模型。研究表明，森林中的红叶植物丰富度最高。与草本植被相比，森林和灌丛环境中的叶绿体群落表现出更大的分离性。从森林到灌丛再到草本植被，随机过程的影响越来越大，而确定过程的影响则越来越小。确定性过程是植物群落模式的主要驱动力。土壤特性和气候因素，尤其是酸碱度，在决定西藏红叶植物模式中起着关键作用。这项研究加深了我们对决定性和随机性生态过程如何相互作用并形成西藏红叶植物分布模式的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Environmental Science-Ecology

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

1143

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research across fundamental and applied sciences, to provide ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it should best be managed. Field Chief Editor Mark A. Elgar at the University of Melbourne is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics and the public worldwide. Eminent biologist and theist Theodosius Dobzhansky’s astute observation that “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution” has arguably even broader relevance now than when it was first penned in The American Biology Teacher in 1973. One could similarly argue that not much in evolution makes sense without recourse to ecological concepts: understanding diversity — from microbial adaptations to species assemblages — requires insights from both ecological and evolutionary disciplines. Nowadays, technological developments from other fields allow us to address unprecedented ecological and evolutionary questions of astonishing detail, impressive breadth and compelling inference. The specialty sections of Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution will publish, under a single platform, contemporary, rigorous research, reviews, opinions, and commentaries that cover the spectrum of ecological and evolutionary inquiry, both fundamental and applied. Articles are peer-reviewed according to the Frontiers review guidelines, which evaluate manuscripts on objective editorial criteria. Through this unique, Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution aims to provide colleagues and the broader community with ecological and evolutionary insights into our natural and anthropogenic world, and how it might best be managed.