Plant phylogenetic diversity of tropical mountaintop rocky grasslands: local and regional constraints

Author(s)

de Mattos, Jacqueline Salvi ^[1] ; Cerdeira Morellato, Leonor Patricia ^[2] ; Gutierrez Camargo, Maria Gabriela ^[2] ; Batalha, Marco Antonio ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Bot, POB 676, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Dept Bot, Lab Phenol, Av 24A 1515, BR-13506900 Rio Claro - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLANT ECOLOGY; v. 220, n. 12, p. 1119-1129, DEC 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Mountains are interesting systems for studying patterns of diversity distribution and the role of environmental filters and competition on community assembly. According to the phylogenetic niche conservatism theory, the co-occurrence of closely related species might indicate that environmental filters are more important than competition when structuring communities in time and space. We investigated the patterns of phylogenetic diversity and the influence of environmental filters in the Brazilian rocky grasslands and tested the influence of phylogenetic niche conservatism. We placed 180 plots of 1 m(2) in five sites along an altitudinal gradient at the Cipo Mountains (Espinhaco Range, southeastern Brazil) and surveyed all vascular plant species and edaphic variables. We assessed the phylogenetic diversity of the communities by calculating the phylogenetic species variability and phylogenetic species richness. These measures were related to altitude and the edaphic variables through a principal component analysis and regressions. Phylogenetic species variability decreased towards higher altitudes and less fertile sites, whereas phylogenetic species richness increased. Thus, the number of species and the degree of phylogenetic clustering increased with increasing altitude, suggesting that the intensity of abiotic factors acting as environmental filters increased with altitude and could be constraining species in the community to a smaller number of clades. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50155-0 - Combining new technologies to monitor phenology from leaves to ecosystems
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - University-Industry Cooperative Research (PITE)
• FAPESP's process: 09/54208-6 - Multi-User Centralized Laboratory at the São Paulo State University Center for Biodiversity Studies
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 18/21646-0 - Ecological relationships in time and space: flower signal standardization in congeneric species
• Grantee: Maria Gabriela Gutierrez de Camargo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 15/10754-8 - Spatio-temporal variations in the flower-color spectra according to the pollinators' visual systems
• Grantee: Maria Gabriela Gutierrez de Camargo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral