Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees

Chengjin Chu; James A. Lutz; Kamil Král; Tomáš Vrška; Xue Yin; Jonathan A. Myers; Iveren Abiem; Alfonso Alonso; Norm Bourg; David F.R.P. Burslem; Min Cao; Hazel Chapman; Richard Condit; Suqin Fang; Gunter A. Fischer; Lianming Gao; Zhanqin Hao; Billy C.H. Hau; Qing He; Andrew Hector; Stephen P. Hubbell; Mingxi Jiang; Guangze Jin; David Kenfack; Jiangshan Lai; Buhang Li; Xiankun Li; Yide Li; Juyu Lian; Luxiang Lin; Yankun Liu; Yu Liu; Yahuang Luo; Keping Ma; William McShea; Hervé Memiaghe; Xiangcheng Mi; Ming Ni; Michael J. O'Brien; Alexandre A. de Oliveira; David A. Orwig; Geoffrey G. Parker; Xiujuan Qiao; Haibao Ren; Glen Reynolds; Weiguo Sang; Guochun Shen; Zhiyao Su; Xinghua Sui; I. Fang Sun; Songyan Tian; Bin Wang; Xihua Wang; Xugao Wang; Youshi Wang; George D. Weiblen; Shujun Wen; Nianxun Xi; Wusheng Xiang; Han Xu; Kun Xu; Wanhui Ye; Bingwei Zhang; Jiaxin Zhang; Xiaotong Zhang; Yingming Zhang; Kai Zhu; Jess Zimmerman; David Storch; Jennifer L. Baltzer; Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira; Gary G. Mittelbach; Fangliang He

doi:10.1111/ele.13175

Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees

Chengjin Chu, James A. Lutz, Kamil Král, Tomáš Vrška, Xue Yin, Jonathan A. Myers, Iveren Abiem, Alfonso Alonso, Norm Bourg, David F.R.P. Burslem, Min Cao, Hazel Chapman, Richard Condit, Suqin Fang, Gunter A. Fischer, Lianming Gao, Zhanqin Hao, Billy C.H. Hau, Qing He, Andrew HectorStephen P. Hubbell, Mingxi Jiang, Guangze Jin, David Kenfack, Jiangshan Lai, Buhang Li, Xiankun Li, Yide Li, Juyu Lian, Luxiang Lin, Yankun Liu, Yu Liu, Yahuang Luo, Keping Ma, William McShea, Hervé Memiaghe, Xiangcheng Mi, Ming Ni, Michael J. O'Brien, Alexandre A. de Oliveira, David A. Orwig, Geoffrey G. Parker, Xiujuan Qiao, Haibao Ren, Glen Reynolds, Weiguo Sang, Guochun Shen, Zhiyao Su, Xinghua Sui, I. Fang Sun, Songyan Tian, Bin Wang, Xihua Wang, Xugao Wang, Youshi Wang, George D. Weiblen, Shujun Wen, Nianxun Xi, Wusheng Xiang, Han Xu, Kun Xu, Wanhui Ye, Bingwei Zhang, Jiaxin Zhang, Xiaotong Zhang, Yingming Zhang, Kai Zhu, Jess Zimmerman, David Storch, Jennifer L. Baltzer, Kristina J. Anderson-Teixeira, Gary G. Mittelbach, Fangliang He

Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review

107 Scopus citations

Abstract

Climate is widely recognised as an important determinant of the latitudinal diversity gradient. However, most existing studies make no distinction between direct and indirect effects of climate, which substantially hinders our understanding of how climate constrains biodiversity globally. Using data from 35 large forest plots, we test hypothesised relationships amongst climate, topography, forest structural attributes (stem abundance, tree size variation and stand basal area) and tree species richness to better understand drivers of latitudinal tree diversity patterns. Climate influences tree richness both directly, with more species in warm, moist, aseasonal climates and indirectly, with more species at higher stem abundance. These results imply direct limitation of species diversity by climatic stress and more rapid (co-)evolution and narrower niche partitioning in warm climates. They also support the idea that increased numbers of individuals associated with high primary productivity are partitioned to support a greater number of species.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	245-255
Number of pages	11
Journal	Ecology Letters
Volume	22
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13175
State	Published - Feb 2019

Keywords

CTFS-ForestGEO
Climate tolerance hypothesis
latitudinal diversity gradient
more-individuals hypothesis
species-energy relationship
structural equation modelling

Access to Document

10.1111/ele.13175

Cite this

Chu, C., Lutz, J. A., Král, K., Vrška, T., Yin, X., Myers, J. A., Abiem, I., Alonso, A., Bourg, N., Burslem, D. F. R. P., Cao, M., Chapman, H., Condit, R., Fang, S., Fischer, G. A., Gao, L., Hao, Z., Hau, B. C. H., He, Q., ... He, F. (2019). Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees. Ecology Letters, 22(2), 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13175

@article{a3dfa0ce979b453694747469d55560b3,

title = "Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees",

abstract = "Climate is widely recognised as an important determinant of the latitudinal diversity gradient. However, most existing studies make no distinction between direct and indirect effects of climate, which substantially hinders our understanding of how climate constrains biodiversity globally. Using data from 35 large forest plots, we test hypothesised relationships amongst climate, topography, forest structural attributes (stem abundance, tree size variation and stand basal area) and tree species richness to better understand drivers of latitudinal tree diversity patterns. Climate influences tree richness both directly, with more species in warm, moist, aseasonal climates and indirectly, with more species at higher stem abundance. These results imply direct limitation of species diversity by climatic stress and more rapid (co-)evolution and narrower niche partitioning in warm climates. They also support the idea that increased numbers of individuals associated with high primary productivity are partitioned to support a greater number of species.",

keywords = "CTFS-ForestGEO, Climate tolerance hypothesis, latitudinal diversity gradient, more-individuals hypothesis, species-energy relationship, structural equation modelling",

author = "Chengjin Chu and Lutz, {James A.} and Kamil Kr{\'a}l and Tom{\'a}{\v s} Vr{\v s}ka and Xue Yin and Myers, {Jonathan A.} and Iveren Abiem and Alfonso Alonso and Norm Bourg and Burslem, {David F.R.P.} and Min Cao and Hazel Chapman and Richard Condit and Suqin Fang and Fischer, {Gunter A.} and Lianming Gao and Zhanqin Hao and Hau, {Billy C.H.} and Qing He and Andrew Hector and Hubbell, {Stephen P.} and Mingxi Jiang and Guangze Jin and David Kenfack and Jiangshan Lai and Buhang Li and Xiankun Li and Yide Li and Juyu Lian and Luxiang Lin and Yankun Liu and Yu Liu and Yahuang Luo and Keping Ma and William McShea and Herv{\'e} Memiaghe and Xiangcheng Mi and Ming Ni and O'Brien, {Michael J.} and {de Oliveira}, {Alexandre A.} and Orwig, {David A.} and Parker, {Geoffrey G.} and Xiujuan Qiao and Haibao Ren and Glen Reynolds and Weiguo Sang and Guochun Shen and Zhiyao Su and Xinghua Sui and Sun, {I. Fang} and Songyan Tian and Bin Wang and Xihua Wang and Xugao Wang and Youshi Wang and Weiblen, {George D.} and Shujun Wen and Nianxun Xi and Wusheng Xiang and Han Xu and Kun Xu and Wanhui Ye and Bingwei Zhang and Jiaxin Zhang and Xiaotong Zhang and Yingming Zhang and Kai Zhu and Jess Zimmerman and David Storch and Baltzer, {Jennifer L.} and Anderson-Teixeira, {Kristina J.} and Mittelbach, {Gary G.} and Fangliang He",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS",

year = "2019",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1111/ele.13175",

language = "English",

volume = "22",

pages = "245--255",

journal = "Ecology Letters",

issn = "1461-023X",

number = "2",

}

Chu, C, Lutz, JA, Král, K, Vrška, T, Yin, X, Myers, JA, Abiem, I, Alonso, A, Bourg, N, Burslem, DFRP, Cao, M, Chapman, H, Condit, R, Fang, S, Fischer, GA, Gao, L, Hao, Z, Hau, BCH, He, Q, Hector, A, Hubbell, SP, Jiang, M, Jin, G, Kenfack, D, Lai, J, Li, B, Li, X, Li, Y, Lian, J, Lin, L, Liu, Y, Liu, Y, Luo, Y, Ma, K, McShea, W, Memiaghe, H, Mi, X, Ni, M, O'Brien, MJ, de Oliveira, AA, Orwig, DA, Parker, GG, Qiao, X, Ren, H, Reynolds, G, Sang, W, Shen, G, Su, Z, Sui, X, Sun, IF, Tian, S, Wang, B, Wang, X, Wang, X, Wang, Y, Weiblen, GD, Wen, S, Xi, N, Xiang, W, Xu, H, Xu, K, Ye, W, Zhang, B, Zhang, J, Zhang, X, Zhang, Y, Zhu, K, Zimmerman, J, Storch, D, Baltzer, JL, Anderson-Teixeira, KJ, Mittelbach, GG & He, F 2019, 'Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees', Ecology Letters, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13175

TY - JOUR

T1 - Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees

AU - Chu, Chengjin

AU - Lutz, James A.

AU - Král, Kamil

AU - Vrška, Tomáš

AU - Yin, Xue

AU - Myers, Jonathan A.

AU - Abiem, Iveren

AU - Alonso, Alfonso

AU - Bourg, Norm

AU - Burslem, David F.R.P.

AU - Cao, Min

AU - Chapman, Hazel

AU - Condit, Richard

AU - Fang, Suqin

AU - Fischer, Gunter A.

AU - Gao, Lianming

AU - Hao, Zhanqin

AU - Hau, Billy C.H.

AU - He, Qing

AU - Hector, Andrew

AU - Hubbell, Stephen P.

AU - Jiang, Mingxi

AU - Jin, Guangze

AU - Kenfack, David

AU - Lai, Jiangshan

AU - Li, Buhang

AU - Li, Xiankun

AU - Li, Yide

AU - Lian, Juyu

AU - Lin, Luxiang

AU - Liu, Yankun

AU - Liu, Yu

AU - Luo, Yahuang

AU - Ma, Keping

AU - McShea, William

AU - Memiaghe, Hervé

AU - Mi, Xiangcheng

AU - Ni, Ming

AU - O'Brien, Michael J.

AU - de Oliveira, Alexandre A.

AU - Orwig, David A.

AU - Parker, Geoffrey G.

AU - Qiao, Xiujuan

AU - Ren, Haibao

AU - Reynolds, Glen

AU - Sang, Weiguo

AU - Shen, Guochun

AU - Su, Zhiyao

AU - Sui, Xinghua

AU - Sun, I. Fang

AU - Tian, Songyan

AU - Wang, Bin

AU - Wang, Xihua

AU - Wang, Xugao

AU - Wang, Youshi

AU - Weiblen, George D.

AU - Wen, Shujun

AU - Xi, Nianxun

AU - Xiang, Wusheng

AU - Xu, Han

AU - Xu, Kun

AU - Ye, Wanhui

AU - Zhang, Bingwei

AU - Zhang, Jiaxin

AU - Zhang, Xiaotong

AU - Zhang, Yingming

AU - Zhu, Kai

AU - Zimmerman, Jess

AU - Storch, David

AU - Baltzer, Jennifer L.

AU - Anderson-Teixeira, Kristina J.

AU - Mittelbach, Gary G.

AU - He, Fangliang

PY - 2019/2

Y1 - 2019/2

N2 - Climate is widely recognised as an important determinant of the latitudinal diversity gradient. However, most existing studies make no distinction between direct and indirect effects of climate, which substantially hinders our understanding of how climate constrains biodiversity globally. Using data from 35 large forest plots, we test hypothesised relationships amongst climate, topography, forest structural attributes (stem abundance, tree size variation and stand basal area) and tree species richness to better understand drivers of latitudinal tree diversity patterns. Climate influences tree richness both directly, with more species in warm, moist, aseasonal climates and indirectly, with more species at higher stem abundance. These results imply direct limitation of species diversity by climatic stress and more rapid (co-)evolution and narrower niche partitioning in warm climates. They also support the idea that increased numbers of individuals associated with high primary productivity are partitioned to support a greater number of species.

AB - Climate is widely recognised as an important determinant of the latitudinal diversity gradient. However, most existing studies make no distinction between direct and indirect effects of climate, which substantially hinders our understanding of how climate constrains biodiversity globally. Using data from 35 large forest plots, we test hypothesised relationships amongst climate, topography, forest structural attributes (stem abundance, tree size variation and stand basal area) and tree species richness to better understand drivers of latitudinal tree diversity patterns. Climate influences tree richness both directly, with more species in warm, moist, aseasonal climates and indirectly, with more species at higher stem abundance. These results imply direct limitation of species diversity by climatic stress and more rapid (co-)evolution and narrower niche partitioning in warm climates. They also support the idea that increased numbers of individuals associated with high primary productivity are partitioned to support a greater number of species.

KW - CTFS-ForestGEO

KW - Climate tolerance hypothesis

KW - latitudinal diversity gradient

KW - more-individuals hypothesis

KW - species-energy relationship

KW - structural equation modelling

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058378107&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/ele.13175

DO - 10.1111/ele.13175

M3 - Letter

C2 - 30548766

AN - SCOPUS:85058378107

SN - 1461-023X

VL - 22

SP - 245

EP - 255

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

IS - 2

ER -

Direct and indirect effects of climate on richness drive the latitudinal diversity gradient in forest trees

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this