A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change
Abstract Recent findings of peak plant species diversity occurring in alpine tundra in Alaska may reflect the filtering of the regional species pool during Pleistocene Epoch cold periods. Specifically, herbaceous plant groups and those with far northern geographic distributions centered in Beringia...
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crwiley:10.1002/ecs2.2832 2024-06-02T08:15:27+00:00 A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change Roland, Carl A. Sadoti, Giancarlo Nicklen, E. Fleur McAfee, Stephanie A. Stehn, Sarah E. National Park Service 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fecs2.2832 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2832 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ecosphere volume 10, issue 8 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 journal-article 2019 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2832 2024-05-03T11:41:20Z Abstract Recent findings of peak plant species diversity occurring in alpine tundra in Alaska may reflect the filtering of the regional species pool during Pleistocene Epoch cold periods. Specifically, herbaceous plant groups and those with far northern geographic distributions centered in Beringia may have persisted coincident with repeated diminution of tall‐statured and southern continental plant groups during cold intervals, thus potentially structuring current diversity patterns in relation to elevation. Numerous biotic and abiotic drivers of plant species distributions vary with elevation, raising questions concerning which of these drivers are responsible for these surprising diversity patterns. We used structural equation modeling to investigate relationships among a suite of biotic and abiotic covariates and the richness of species groups based on growth form ( GF ) and biogeographic affinity across interior Alaska. Our results confirm the primary importance of microclimate in controlling the distribution, abundance, and richness of woody plants, which increased in warm, south‐exposed plots. In contrast, the suite of other site factors had considerably stronger combined direct influences on richness of forbs, graminoids, and dwarf shrubs as compared to microclimate. Thus, species groups with negative richness responses to increasing temperature and potential solar radiation may have a competitive disadvantage to woody species, suggesting competitive displacement as one mechanism for these patterns. Our findings reveal that conditions associated with the high plant diversity (including cooler air temperatures, ground disturbance, and weakly acidic soil pH ) are spatially restricted as compared to widespread conditions associated with low species diversity (warm lowlands with acidic soil reaction). Our results confirm a strong correspondence between localized richness patterns and variation in the overall fractions of the GF and biogeographic groups within the regional species pool. Our work suggests ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra Alaska Beringia Wiley Online Library Ecosphere 10 8 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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English |
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Abstract Recent findings of peak plant species diversity occurring in alpine tundra in Alaska may reflect the filtering of the regional species pool during Pleistocene Epoch cold periods. Specifically, herbaceous plant groups and those with far northern geographic distributions centered in Beringia may have persisted coincident with repeated diminution of tall‐statured and southern continental plant groups during cold intervals, thus potentially structuring current diversity patterns in relation to elevation. Numerous biotic and abiotic drivers of plant species distributions vary with elevation, raising questions concerning which of these drivers are responsible for these surprising diversity patterns. We used structural equation modeling to investigate relationships among a suite of biotic and abiotic covariates and the richness of species groups based on growth form ( GF ) and biogeographic affinity across interior Alaska. Our results confirm the primary importance of microclimate in controlling the distribution, abundance, and richness of woody plants, which increased in warm, south‐exposed plots. In contrast, the suite of other site factors had considerably stronger combined direct influences on richness of forbs, graminoids, and dwarf shrubs as compared to microclimate. Thus, species groups with negative richness responses to increasing temperature and potential solar radiation may have a competitive disadvantage to woody species, suggesting competitive displacement as one mechanism for these patterns. Our findings reveal that conditions associated with the high plant diversity (including cooler air temperatures, ground disturbance, and weakly acidic soil pH ) are spatially restricted as compared to widespread conditions associated with low species diversity (warm lowlands with acidic soil reaction). Our results confirm a strong correspondence between localized richness patterns and variation in the overall fractions of the GF and biogeographic groups within the regional species pool. Our work suggests ... |
author2 |
National Park Service |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Roland, Carl A. Sadoti, Giancarlo Nicklen, E. Fleur McAfee, Stephanie A. Stehn, Sarah E. |
spellingShingle |
Roland, Carl A. Sadoti, Giancarlo Nicklen, E. Fleur McAfee, Stephanie A. Stehn, Sarah E. A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
author_facet |
Roland, Carl A. Sadoti, Giancarlo Nicklen, E. Fleur McAfee, Stephanie A. Stehn, Sarah E. |
author_sort |
Roland, Carl A. |
title |
A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
title_short |
A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
title_full |
A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
title_fullStr |
A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
title_full_unstemmed |
A structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in Alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
title_sort |
structural equation model linking past and present plant diversity in alaska: a framework for evaluating future change |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fecs2.2832 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ecs2.2832 https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ecs2.2832 |
genre |
Tundra Alaska Beringia |
genre_facet |
Tundra Alaska Beringia |
op_source |
Ecosphere volume 10, issue 8 ISSN 2150-8925 2150-8925 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2832 |
container_title |
Ecosphere |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
8 |
_version_ |
1800739641714802688 |