Thermal niche traits of high alpine plant species and communities across the tropical Andes and their vulnerability to global warming

Autor: Paul Viñas, Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, Jorge Jácome, Karina Yager, Julieta Carilla, Harald Pauli, Rosa Isela Meneses, Priscilla Muriel, Stephan G. Beck, Nikolay Aguirre, David Suárez-Duque, Francisco Cuesta, Stephan Halloy, Carolina Tovar, Wouter Buytaert, Luis D. Llambí, William D. Gosling
Přispěvatelé: Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics (IBED, FNWI)
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
instacron:CONICET
Journal of Biogeography, 47(2), 408-420. Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN: 0305-0270
DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13759
Popis: Aim: The climate variability hypothesis (CVH) predicts that locations with reduced seasonal temperature variation select for species with narrower thermal ranges. Here we (a) test the CVH by assessing the effect of latitude and elevation on the thermal ranges of Andean vascular plant species and communities, and (b) assess tropical alpine plants vulnerability to warming based on their thermal traits. Location: High tropical Andes. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: Temperature data for 505 vascular plant species from alpine communities on 49 summits, were extracted from 29,627 georeferenced occurrences. Species thermal niche traits (TNTs) were estimated using bootstrapping for: minimum temperature, optimum (mean) temperature and breadth (maximum-minimum). Plant community-weighted scores were estimated using the TNTs of their constituent species. CVH was tested for species, biogeographical species groups and communities. Vulnerability to global warming was assessed for species, biogeographical species groups and communities. Results: Species restricted to the equator showed narrower thermal niche breadth than species whose ranges stretch far from the equator, however, no difference in niche breadth was found across summits’ elevation. Biogeographical species groups distributed close to the equator and restricted to alpine regions showed narrower niche breadth than those with broader ranges. Community-weighted scores of thermal niche breadth were positively related to distance from equator but not to elevation. Based on their TNTs, species restricted to equatorial latitudes and plant communities dominated by these species were identified as the most vulnerable to the projected 1.5°C warming, due to a potentially higher risk of losing thermal niche space. Main conclusions: Our study confirms that the CVH applies to high tropical Andean plant species and communities, where latitude has a strong effect on the thermal niche breadth. TNTs are identified as suitable indicators of species’ vulnerability to warming and are suggested to be included in long-term biodiversity monitoring in the Andes. Fil: Cuesta, Francisco. Universidad de Las Américas; Ecuador. University of Amsterdam; Países Bajos. Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina. Biodiversity Department; Ecuador Fil: Tovar Ingar, Carolina. Royal Botanic Gardens; Reino Unido Fil: Llambí, Luis D.. Universidad de Los Andes; Venezuela Fil: Gosling, William D.. University of Amsterdam; Países Bajos Fil: Halloy, Stephan. Ministry for Primary Industries; Nueva Zelanda Fil: Carilla, Julieta. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina Fil: Muriel, Priscilla. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Ecuador Fil: Meneses, Rosa I.. Universidad Católica del Norte; Chile. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; Bolivia Fil: Beck, Stephan G.. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; Bolivia Fil: Ulloa Ulloa, Carmen. Missouri Botanical Garden; Estados Unidos Fil: Yager, Karina. NASA. Goddard Space Flight Center; Estados Unidos Fil: Aguirre, Nikolay. Universidad Nacional de Loja; Ecuador Fil: Viñas, Paul. Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional; Perú Fil: Jácome, Jorge. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Colombia Fil: Suárez Duque, David. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Ecuador Fil: Buytaert, Wouter. Imperial College London; Reino Unido Fil: Pauli, Harald. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences; Austria
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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