Abstract Detail

Ecological Section

Hong-Wa, Cynthia [1].

Multiscale spatial patterns of coexistence among closely related plant species.

Investigating patterns of richness and coexistence among congeneric species has great potential to provide insights into the mechanisms that drive community assembly and maintain diversity. In this study, analyses of broad-scale spatial patterns of species richness and endemism in the Madagascar olive (Noronhia, Oleaceae) showed that highest concentrations of species and highest endemism coincided with mountainous areas. Habitat heterogeneity likely explains how diversity is promoted and maintained in these topographically complex regions. Furthermore, analyses focused on a smaller spatial scale, the Montagne d’Ambre massif, indicated that sympatric congeneric species were environmentally filtered into different habitats within the mountain. They mainly segregated into two groups according to gradients of moisture and soil nutrients. The overall phylogenetic structure of this community was clustered, but trait clustering or dispersion was not observed suggesting that critical traits have been omitted. Overall, this study showed that landscape and environmental characteristics played a major role in the assembly and coexistence patterns of these phylogenetically closely related plant species both at large and small spatial scales. However, at the scale of the sampling plot, their coexistence can hardly be explained by environmental heterogeneity alone.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4500 Shaw Blvd, St . Louis, MO, 63110, USA

Keywords:
coexistence
community assembly
community structure
endemism
Noronhia
Oleaceae
phylogeny
Species richness.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 32
Location: Marlborough B/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 2:45 PM
Number: 32006
Abstract ID:839
Candidate for Awards:None