Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient
Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) express plant preferences for temperature, light, continentality, soil moisture, pH, and soil nutrients, and have been largely used to deduce environmental characteristics from plant communities. However, EIVs might also be used to investigate the importance of filt...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| author | Letizia Di Biase Noelline Tsafack Loretta Pace Simone Fattorini |
| author_facet | Letizia Di Biase Noelline Tsafack Loretta Pace Simone Fattorini |
| author_sort | Letizia Di Biase |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ellenberg indicator values (EIVs) express plant preferences for temperature, light, continentality, soil moisture, pH, and soil nutrients, and have been largely used to deduce environmental characteristics from plant communities. However, EIVs might also be used to investigate the importance of filtering mechanisms in shaping plant communities according to species ecological preferences, a so far overlooked use of EIVs. In this paper, we investigated how community-weighted means (CWM), calculated with EIVs, varied along an elevational gradient in a small mountain in Central Italy. We also tested if species abundances varied according to their ecological preferences. We found that the prevalence of thermophilous species declines with elevation, being progressively replaced by cold-adapted species. Heliophilous species prevail at low and high elevations (characterized by the presence of open habitats), whereas in the middle of the gradient (occupied by the beech forest), sciophilous species predominate. Variations for moisture and soil nutrient preferences followed a similar pattern, probably because of the high moisture and nutrient levels of forest soils with a lot of humus. No distinct pattern was detected for EIVs for pH and continentality since these factors are subject to more local variations. These results highlight the possible role of EIVs to investigate how environmental gradients shape plant communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:29Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:08:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-f4ac9d3a29674164b2c7c61792e953252023-11-16T19:12:26ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372023-01-0112216110.3390/biology12020161Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational GradientLetizia Di Biase0Noelline Tsafack1Loretta Pace2Simone Fattorini3Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalycE3c–Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment, CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalDepartment of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyEllenberg indicator values (EIVs) express plant preferences for temperature, light, continentality, soil moisture, pH, and soil nutrients, and have been largely used to deduce environmental characteristics from plant communities. However, EIVs might also be used to investigate the importance of filtering mechanisms in shaping plant communities according to species ecological preferences, a so far overlooked use of EIVs. In this paper, we investigated how community-weighted means (CWM), calculated with EIVs, varied along an elevational gradient in a small mountain in Central Italy. We also tested if species abundances varied according to their ecological preferences. We found that the prevalence of thermophilous species declines with elevation, being progressively replaced by cold-adapted species. Heliophilous species prevail at low and high elevations (characterized by the presence of open habitats), whereas in the middle of the gradient (occupied by the beech forest), sciophilous species predominate. Variations for moisture and soil nutrient preferences followed a similar pattern, probably because of the high moisture and nutrient levels of forest soils with a lot of humus. No distinct pattern was detected for EIVs for pH and continentality since these factors are subject to more local variations. These results highlight the possible role of EIVs to investigate how environmental gradients shape plant communities.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/161Apenninescommunity ecologycommunity-weighted meanCWM regressionfourth-corner analysisItaly |
| spellingShingle | Letizia Di Biase Noelline Tsafack Loretta Pace Simone Fattorini Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient Biology Apennines community ecology community-weighted mean CWM regression fourth-corner analysis Italy |
| title | Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient |
| title_full | Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient |
| title_fullStr | Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient |
| title_short | Ellenberg Indicator Values Disclose Complex Environmental Filtering Processes in Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient |
| title_sort | ellenberg indicator values disclose complex environmental filtering processes in plant communities along an elevational gradient |
| topic | Apennines community ecology community-weighted mean CWM regression fourth-corner analysis Italy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/161 |
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