scholarly journals Habitat area and environmental filters determine avian richness along an elevation gradient in mountain peatlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan N. H. Reynolds ◽  
Heidi K. Swanson ◽  
Rebecca C. Rooney
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Environmental Filters ◽  
Habitat Area ◽  
Mountain Peatlands

Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Yanina
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

scholarly journals Altitudinal gradient affect abundance, diversity and metabolic footprint of soil nematodes in Banihal-Pass of Pir-Panjal mountain range

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahid Afzal ◽  
Humira Nesar ◽  
Zarrin Imran ◽  
Wasim Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Carbon Assimilation ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Nematode Community ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Soil Nematode ◽  
Nematode Communities ◽  
Nematode Abundance ◽  
Belowground Carbon ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

AbstractDespite enormous diversity, abundance and their role in ecosystem processes, little is known about how community structures of soil-inhabiting nematodes differ across elevation gradient. For this, soil nematode communities were investigated along an elevation gradient of 1000–2500 masl across a temperate vegetation in Banihal-Pass of Pir-Panjal mountain range. We aimed to determine how the elevation gradient affect the nematode community structure, diversity and contribution to belowground carbon assimilation in the form of metabolic footprint. Our results showed that total nematode abundance and the abundance of different trophic groups (fungivores, herbivores and omnivores) declined with the increase of elevation. Shannon index, generic richness and evenness index indicated that nematode communities were more diverse at lower elevations and declined significantly with increase in elevation. Nematode community showed a pattern of decline in overall metabolic footprint with the increase of elevation. Nematode abundance and diversity proved to be more sensitive to elevation induced changes as more abundant and diverse nematode assemblage are supported at lower elevations. Overall it appears nematode abundance, diversity and contribution to belowground carbon cycling is stronger at lower elevations and gradually keep declining towards higher elevations under temperate vegetation cover in Banihal-pass of Pir-Panjal mountain range.

scholarly journals Controls on Streamflow Densities in Semiarid Rocky Mountain Catchments

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 521
Author(s):  
Caroline Martin ◽  
Stephanie K. Kampf ◽  
John C. Hammond ◽  
Codie Wilson ◽  
Suzanne P. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Channel Network ◽  
Stream Discharge ◽  
Geologic Maps ◽  
National Hydrography Dataset ◽  
Active Flow

Developing accurate stream maps requires both an improved understanding of the drivers of streamflow spatial patterns and field verification. This study examined streamflow locations in three semiarid catchments across an elevation gradient in the Colorado Front Range, USA. The locations of surface flow throughout each channel network were mapped in the field and used to compute active drainage densities. Field surveys of active flow were compared to National Hydrography Dataset High Resolution (NHD HR) flowlines, digital topographic data, and geologic maps. The length of active flow declined with stream discharge in each of the catchments, with the greatest decline in the driest catchment. Of the tributaries that did not dry completely, 60% had stable flow heads and the remaining tributaries had flow heads that moved downstream with drying. The flow heads were initiated at mean contributing areas of 0.1 km2 at the lowest elevation catchment and 0.5 km2 at the highest elevation catchment, leading to active drainage densities that declined with elevation and snow persistence. The field mapped drainage densities were less than half the drainage densities that were represented using NHD HR. Geologic structures influenced the flow locations, with multiple flow heads initiated along faults and some tributaries following either fault lines or lithologic contacts.

scholarly journals Competition-free gaps are essential for the germination and recruitment of alpine species along an elevation gradient in the European Alps

Alpine Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Margreiter ◽  
Janette Walde ◽  
Brigitta Erschbamer
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Seed Sowing ◽  
Plant Plant

AbstractSeed germination and seedling recruitment are key processes in the life cycle of plants. They enable populations to grow, migrate, or persist. Both processes are under environmental control and influenced by site conditions and plant–plant interactions. Here, we present the results of a seed-sowing experiment performed along an elevation gradient (2000–2900 m a.s.l.) in the European eastern Alps. We monitored the germination of seeds and seedling recruitment for 2 years. Three effects were investigated: effects of sites and home sites (seed origin), effects of gaps, and plant–plant interactions. Seeds of eight species originating from two home sites were transplanted to four sites (home site and ± in elevation). Seed sowing was performed in experimentally created gaps. These gap types (‘gap + roots’, ‘neighbor + roots’, and ‘no-comp’) provided different plant–plant interactions and competition intensities. We observed decreasing germination with increasing elevation, independent of the species home sites. Competition-released gaps favored recruitment, pointing out the important role of belowground competition and soil components in recruitment. In gaps with one neighboring species, neutral plant–plant interactions occurred (with one exception). However, considering the relative vegetation cover of each experimental site, high vegetation cover resulted in positive effects on recruitment at higher sites and neutral effects at lower sites. All tested species showed intraspecific variability when responding to the experimental conditions. We discuss our findings considering novel site and climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Ecological drivers of avian community assembly along a tropical elevation gradient

Ecography ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia A. Montaño‐Centellas ◽  
Bette A. Loiselle ◽  
Morgan W. Tingley
Keyword(s):  
Community Assembly ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Avian Community

scholarly journals Multi-Year NDVI Values as Indicator of the Relationship between Spatiotemporal Vegetation Dynamics and Environmental Factors in the Qaidam Basin, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1240
Author(s):  
Junpeng Lou ◽  
Guoyin Xu ◽  
Zhongjing Wang ◽  
Zhigang Yang ◽  
Sanchuan Ni
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Different Altitudes

The Qaidam Basin is a unique and complex ecosystem, wherein elevation gradients lead to high spatial heterogeneity in vegetation dynamics and responses to environmental factors. Based on the remote sensing data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS), we analyzed the spatiotemporal variations of vegetation dynamics and responses to precipitation, accumulative temperature (AT) and soil moisture (SM) in the Qaidam Basin from 2001 to 2016. Moreover, the contribution of those factors to vegetation dynamics at different altitudes was analyzed via an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The results indicated that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values in the growing season showed an overall upward trend, with an increased rate of 0.001/year. The values of NDVI in low-altitude areas were higher than that in high-altitude areas, and the peak values of NDVI appeared along the elevation gradient at 4400–4600 m. Thanks to the use of ANN, we were able to detect the relative contribution of various environmental factors; the relative contribution rate of AT to the NDVI dynamic was the most significant (35.17%) in the low-elevation region (< 2900 m). In the mid-elevation area (2900–3900 m), precipitation contributed 44.76% of the NDVI dynamics. When the altitude was higher than 3900 m, the relative contribution rates of AT (39.50%) and SM (38.53%) had no significant difference but were significantly higher than that of precipitation (21.97%). The results highlight that the different environmental factors have various contributions to vegetation dynamics at different altitudes, which has important theoretical and practical significance for regulating ecological processes.

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