Santillan, V.; Quitian, M.; Tinoco, B.A.; Zarate, E.; Schleuning, M.; Boehning-Gaese, K. & Neuschulz, E. (2019): <b>Direct and indirect effects of elevation, climate and vegetation structure on bird communities on a tropical mountain</b>. <i>Acta Oecologica</i> <b>102</b>, 103500.
Resource Description
Title:
Direct and indirect effects of elevation, climate and vegetation structure on bird communities on a tropical mountain
FOR816dw ID:
1819
Publication Date:
2019-12-01
License and Usage Rights:
Resource Owner(s):
Individual:
Vinicio Santillan
Contact:
email:
Vinicio.Santillan <at> senckenberg.de
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Individual:
Marta Quitian
Contact:
email:
marta.quitian <at> senckenberg.de
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Individual:
Boris A. Tinoco
Contact:
email:
webmaster <at> tropicalmountainforest.org
Individual:
E Zarate
Contact:
email:
webmaster <at> tropicalmountainforest.org
Individual:
Matthias Schleuning
Contact:
email:
webmaster <at> tropicalmountainforest.org
Individual:
Katrin Boehning-Gaese
Contact:
email:
katrin.boehning-gaese <at> senckenberg.de
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Senckenberganlage 25
Germany
Individual:
Eike-Lena Neuschulz
Contact:
email:
elneuschulz <at> senckenberg.de
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Abstract:
Climate and vegetation structure are important predictors of biodiversity along mountain slopes. The drivers of elevational biodiversity gradients are not yet fully resolved. For instance, there is little understanding of how direct and indirect effects of elevation shape species communities along mountain slopes. In this study, we identify the main drivers of bird diversity along an elevational gradient spanning 2000 m in the Ecuadorian Andes. We simultaneously tested the direct and indirect effects of elevation, temperature, precipitation and vegetation structure on overall bird diversity and on frugivorous and insectivorous birds, using structural equation models (SEMs). We found that elevation was mostly indirectly associated with bird diversity, mediated via abiotic (i.e., temperature, precipitation) and biotic (i.e., vegetation structure) factors. We found consistent positive effects of temperature and vegetation structure and negative effects of precipitation on overall bird diversity and on frugivorous and insectivorous birds. In addition, elevation was directly, positively associated with insectivore richness and abundance, but not with that of frugivores. Our results show that climatic factors and vegetation structure jointly shape the richness of bird communities on tropical mountains. However, other factors, such as biotic interactions or different evolutionary histories of lowland and highland communities, may additionally contribute to elevational patterns in bird diversity. Thus, species communities across tropical mountain slopes are shaped by a multitude of abiotic and biotic factors that need to be studied simultaneously for a mechanistic understanding of patterns in biodiversity.
Keywords:
| avian diversity patterns |
Literature type specific fields:
ARTICLE
Journal:
Acta Oecologica
Volume:
102
Page Range:
103500
Metadata Provider:
Individual:
Eike-Lena Neuschulz
Contact:
email:
elneuschulz <at> senckenberg.de
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
