TY - JOUR
T1 - Water availability drives gradients of tree diversity, structure and functional traits in the Atlantic-Cerrado-Caatinga transition, Brazil
AU - Nunes Santos Terra, Marcela de Castro
AU - dos Santos, Rubens Manoel
AU - do Prado Junior, Jamir Afonso
AU - de Mello, Jose Marcio
AU - Soares Scolforo, Jose Roberto
AU - Leite Fontes, Marco Aurelio
AU - Schiavini, Ivan
AU - dos Reis, Aliny Aparecida
AU - Bueno, Inacio Thomaz
AU - Silva Magnago, Luiz Fernando
AU - ter Steege, Hans
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - Aims Climate and soil are among the most important factors determining variation in tree communities, but their effects have not been thoroughly elucidated to date for many vegetation features. In this study, we evaluate how climate and soil gradients affect gradients of vegetation composition, species diversity and dominance, structure and functional traits (seed mass and wood density) using over 327 000 trees in 158 sites distributed along environmental gradients in the transitions among the Atlantic forest, Cerrado and Caatinga in Minas Gerais State (MG), Brazil (nearly 600 000 km 2). Methods Gradients in species, genus and family abundance in addition to basal area, stem density, species diversity (Fisher's alpha), dominance percentage, seed mass and wood density were correlated using multiple regressions with environmental variables, as summarized in four principal component analysis axes (two climatic - precipitation seasonality and temperature range - and two edaphic - soil fertility and soil moisture). Additionally, ordinary kriging maps were used to better illustrate the gradients. Important Findings Multiple regression models indicate that all variables but dominance percentage were affected by one or more of the environmental gradients, but the average R 2 was low (26.25%). Kriging maps reinforced the patterns observed in the regression models. Precipitation seasonality and soil moisture gradients were the most important gradients affecting vegetation features. This finding suggests that water availability is an important determinant of vegetation features in these vegetation transitions.
AB - Aims Climate and soil are among the most important factors determining variation in tree communities, but their effects have not been thoroughly elucidated to date for many vegetation features. In this study, we evaluate how climate and soil gradients affect gradients of vegetation composition, species diversity and dominance, structure and functional traits (seed mass and wood density) using over 327 000 trees in 158 sites distributed along environmental gradients in the transitions among the Atlantic forest, Cerrado and Caatinga in Minas Gerais State (MG), Brazil (nearly 600 000 km 2). Methods Gradients in species, genus and family abundance in addition to basal area, stem density, species diversity (Fisher's alpha), dominance percentage, seed mass and wood density were correlated using multiple regressions with environmental variables, as summarized in four principal component analysis axes (two climatic - precipitation seasonality and temperature range - and two edaphic - soil fertility and soil moisture). Additionally, ordinary kriging maps were used to better illustrate the gradients. Important Findings Multiple regression models indicate that all variables but dominance percentage were affected by one or more of the environmental gradients, but the average R 2 was low (26.25%). Kriging maps reinforced the patterns observed in the regression models. Precipitation seasonality and soil moisture gradients were the most important gradients affecting vegetation features. This finding suggests that water availability is an important determinant of vegetation features in these vegetation transitions.
KW - climate
KW - environmental gradient
KW - soil
KW - southeastern Brazil
KW - vegetation
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U2 - 10.1093/jpe/rty017
DO - 10.1093/jpe/rty017
M3 - Article
VL - 11
SP - 803
EP - 814
JO - JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
JF - JOURNAL OF PLANT ECOLOGY
SN - 1752-9921
IS - 6
ER -