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Drivers of plant diversity, community composition, functional traits and soil processes along an alpine gradient in the central Chilean Andes
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  • Lucy Schroeder,
  • Valeria Robles,
  • Paola Jara-Arancio,
  • Cathleen Lapadat,
  • Sarah Hobbie,
  • Mary Arroyo,
  • Jeannine Cavender-Bares
Lucy Schroeder
University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Corresponding Author:schr1634@umn.edu

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Valeria Robles
University of Chile Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity
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Paola Jara-Arancio
University of Chile Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity
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Cathleen Lapadat
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
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Sarah Hobbie
University of Minnesota System
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Mary Arroyo
University of Chile Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity
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Jeannine Cavender-Bares
University of Minnesota System
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Abstract

Aim High alpine regions are threatened but understudied ecosystems that harbor diverse endemic species, making them an important biome for testing the role of environmental factors in driving functional trait-mediated community assembly processes. We tested the hypothesis that plant-soil feedbacks along a climatic and elevation gradient influence plant community assembly through shifts in habitat suitability, which drive plant functional, phylogenetic, and spectral diversity. Location In a high mountain system (2400-3500 m) of Región Metropolitana in the Chilean Andes (33°S, 70°W). Methods We surveyed vegetation and spectroscopic reflectance (400-2400 nm) to quantify taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional, and spectral diversity at five sites from 2400 m to 3500 m elevation. We characterized soil attributes and processes by measuring water content, carbon and nitrogen, and net nitrogen mineralization rates. Results At high elevation, colder temperatures reduced available soil nitrogen, while at warmer, lower elevations, soil moisture was lower. Metrics of taxonomic, functional, and spectral alpha diversity peaked at mid-elevations, while phylogenetic species richness was highest at low elevation. Leaf nitrogen increased with elevation at the community level and within individual species, consistent with global patterns of increasing leaf nitrogen with colder temperatures. Main conclusions The increase in leaf nitrogen, coupled with shifts in taxonomic and functional diversity associated with turnover in lineages, indicate that the ability to acquire and retain nitrogen in colder temperatures may be important in plant community assembly in this range. Such environmental filters have important implications for forecasting shifts in alpine plant communities under a warming climate.
19 May 2023Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
22 May 2023Submission Checks Completed
22 May 2023Assigned to Editor
23 May 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
22 Jun 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
06 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
30 Sep 20231st Revision Received
04 Oct 2023Submission Checks Completed
04 Oct 2023Assigned to Editor
04 Oct 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
31 Oct 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor