Abstract
This article presents an analysis of tree species abundance and its association with climatic variables along elevation gradient in the Gaoligong Mountains in west Yunnan, China. Data from scientific papers and books in the Gaoligong Mountains area were collected and extrapolated to elucidate a mechanistic understanding of elevation patterns and the relationship between the elevation range and elevation mid-point of tree species along the gradient by examining climatic variables. Tree species abundance showed a unimodal pattern with a peak at mid-elevation (about 2000 m) and species with a narrow elevation range occurred at higher or lower elevation, while a wider elevation range was found at the middle of the gradient. Tree species abundance was the highest where both temperature and water availability were moderate. The relationship between the climatic variables affecting species appear to be due to both direct and indirect factors, and the effect of these effects varied at different gradients.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bisby F A. The quiet revolution: biodiversity informatics and the Internet. Science, 2000, 289: 2309–2312
Kaiser J. Fossil databases move to the Web. Science, 2000, 289: 2307
Begon M, Townsend C, Harper J. Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystem. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2006
Spellerberg I F. Conserving biological diversity. In: Spellerberg I F, ed. Conservation Biology. Edingburgh Gate: Longman, 1996: 25–35
Brown J H. Macroecology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995: 269
Blackburn T M, Gaston K J. Some methodological issues in macroecology. Am Naturalist, 1998, 151: 68–83
Rahbek C, Graves G R. Multiscale assessment of patterns of avian species abundance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 2001, 98: 4534–4539
Jetz W, Rahbek C. Geographic range size and determinants of avian species abundance. Science, 2002, 297: 1548–1551
Ricklefs R E. A comprehensive framework for global patterns in biodiversity. Ecol Lett, 2004, 7: 1–15
Begon M, Harper J, Townsend C R. Ecology: Individuals, Populations and Communities. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 1990
Darwin C. Journal of the researches into the geology and natural history of various countries visited by the H.M.S. Beagle, under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N. from 1832 to 1836. London: Henry Colburn, 1839
Darwin C. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. London: John Murray, 1859
Von Humboldt A. Aspects of Nature in Different Lands and Different Climates, With Scientific Elucidations. Translated by M. Sabine. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longman, 1849
Wallace A R. The Geographical Distribution of Animals, 2 volumes. London: Macmillan, 1876
Wallace A R. Tropical Nature and Other Essays. New York: Macmillan, 1878
Merriam C H. Results of a biological survey of the San Francisco Mountain region and the desert of the Little Colorado, Arizona. North American Fauna, 1890, 3: 1–136
Brown J H. Mammals on mountainsides: Elevational patterns of diversity. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2001, 10: 101–109
Heaney L R. Small mammal diversity along elevational gradients in the Philippines: an assessment of patterns and hypotheses. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2001, 10: 15–39
Lomolino M V. Elevation gradients of species-density: Historical and prospective views. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2001, 10: 3–13
Stevens G C. The elevational gradient in altitudinal range: An extension of Rapoport’s latitudinal rule to altitude. American Naturalist, 1992, 140: 893–911
Rahbek C. The elevational gradient of species abundance: A uniform pattern? Ecography, 1995, 18: 200–205
Rahbek C. The relationship among area, elevation, and regional species abundance in Neotropical birds. American Naturalist, 1997, 149: 875–902
Herzog S K, Kessler M, Cahill T M. Estimating species abundance of tropical bird communities from rapid assessment data. J Am Ornithologists’ Union, 2002, 119: 749–769
McCain C M. Elevational gradients in diversity of small mammals. Ecology, 2005, 86: 366–372
IUCN. Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1. Switzerland: IUVN, Gland, 2001
Nic Lughahda E, et al. Measuring the fate of plant diversity: towards a foundation for future monitoring and opportunities for urgent action. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B. Biol Sci, 2005, B360: 359–372
Willis F, Moat J, Paton A. Defining a role for herbarium data in Red List assessments: A case study of Plectranthus from eastern and southern tropical Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation, 2003, 12: 1537–1552
Bhattarai K R, Vetaas O L. Variation in plant species abundance of different life forms along a subtropical elevation gradient in the Himalayas, east Nepal. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2003, 12: 327–340
Bhattarai K R, Vetaas O R. Can Rapoport’s rule explain tree species abundance along the Himalayan elevation gradient, Nepal? Diversity and Distributions, 2006, 12: 373–378
Li H, Guo H J, Dao Z L. Flora of Gaoligong Mountains (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 2000
Yunnan Institute of Forest Inventory and Planning. Nature Reserve in Yunnan (in Chinese), Beijing: China Forestry Press, 1989. 154–166
Fu S M, He D H. Genesis, Distribution and Characteristics of precipitation variations within Gaoligong Mountains. Meteorology (in Chinese), 1985, 11(3): 14–17
He D H, Fu S M. Climatic characteristics of temperature variations within Gaoligong Mountains, Meteorology (in Chinese), 1985, 11(11): 18–21
Feng Y, He D M. The character of precipitation geography and water resource utilization in high mountain and deep gorge area in Northwest Yunnan Province. Yunnan Geographic Environment Research (in Chinese), 1997, 9(1): 40–48
Zhang P, Guo H J, Dao Z H, et al. The microbial biochemical activities in soils of different land types in Gaoligong Mountains. Journal of Mountain Science (in Chinese), 2000, 18(5): 457–461
Zhang P, Dao Z L, Guo H J, et al. Influence of land use on numbers and diversity of soil microorganisms in Gaoligong Mountains. Acta Botanica Yunanica (in Chinese), 1999, (Suppl. XI): 84–89
Zhang P, Guo H J, Dao Z L, et al. A study on quantity and diversity of soil microorganisms in Gaoligong Mountains, Chinese Biodiversity (in Chinese), 1999, 7(4): 297–302
Zhang P, Guo H J, Dao Z L, et al. Preliminary study on soil biochemical activities in Gaoligong Mountains. Acta Pedol Sin (in Chinese), 2000, 37(2): 275–279
Zhang P, Yang S X, Dao Z L. Ecological distribution and biochemical properties of soil microorganisms in Gaoligong Mountains, Chin J Appl Ecol (in Chinese), 1999, 10(1): 74–78
Zhang Y G. Climatic division of the Hengduan mountains region, Mountain Res (in Chinese), 1989, 7(1): 21–28
González-Espinosa M, Rey-Benayas J M, Ramirez-Marcial N, et al. Tree diversity in the northern Neotropics: Regional patterns in highly diverse Chiapas, Mexico. Ecography, 2004, 27: 741–756
McCain C M. Could temperature and water avalibility drive elevational species abundance patterns? A global case study for bats. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2006, 16: 1–13
Wang Z H, Chen A J, Piao S L, et al. Pattern of species abundance along altitudinal gradient on Gaoligong mountans Southwest China. Biodivers Sci (in Chinese), 2004, 12(1): 82–88
Lieberman D, Lieberman M, Peralta R, et al. Tropical rainforest structure and composition on a large-scale altitudinal gradient in Costa Rica. J Ecol, 1996, 84: 137–152
Givnish T J. On the causes of gradients in tropical tree diversity. J Ecol, 1999, 87: 193–210
Lovett J C. Tanzanian forest tree plot diversity and elevation. J Tropical Ecol, 1999, 15: 689–694
Colwell R K, Lees D C. The mid-domain effect: geometric constraints on the geography of species abundance. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2000, 15: 70–76
Fang J Y, Lechowicz M J. Climatic limits for the present distribution of beech (Fagus L.) species in the world. J Biogeogr, 2006, 33: 1804–1819
Odland A, Birks H J B. The altitudinal gradient of vascular plant species abundance in Aurland, western Norway. Ecogr, 1999, 22: 548–566
Currie D J, Mittelbach G G, Cornell H V, et al. Predictions and tests of climate-based hypotheses of broadscale variation in taxonomic abundance. Ecol Lett, 2004, 7: 1121–1134
Rahbek C. The role of spatial scale and the perception of large-scale species-abundance patterns. Ecol Lett, 2005, 8: 224–239
Jin Z Z, Ou X K. Vegetation of Hot-dry Valley. Kunming: Yunnan University Press, 2000. 8–12
Rosenzweig M L. Species Diversity in Space and Time, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995
Kluge J, Kessler M, Dunn R R. What drives elevational patterns of diversity? A test of geometric constraints, climate and species pool effects for pteridophytes on an elevational gradient in Costa Rica. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2006, 15: 358–371
Vetaas O R, Grytnes J A. Distribution of vascular plant species abundance and endemic abundance along the Himalayan elevation gradient in Nepal. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2002, 11: 291–301
Palmer M W. The coexistence of species in fractal landscapes. Am Nat, 1992, 139: 375–397
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Supported by the National Basic Research Program (Grant No. 2003CB415102)
About this article
Cite this article
Sun, Z., Peng, S. & Ou, X. Rapid assessment and explanation of tree species abundance along the elevation gradient in Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan, China. Chin. Sci. Bull. 52 (Suppl 2), 225–231 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-7030-4
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-7030-4