Publication
Title
The drivers of dark diversity in the Scandinavian mountains are metric‐dependent
Author
Abstract
Question: Dark diversity refers to the set of species that are not observed in an area but could potentially occur based on suitable local environmental conditions. In this paper, we applied both niche-based and co-occurrence-based methods to estimate the dark diversity of vascular plant species in the subarctic mountains. We then aimed to unravel the drivers explaining (a) why some locations were missing relatively more suitable species than others, and (b) why certain plant species were more often absent from suitable locations than others. Location: The Scandinavian mountains around Abisko, northern Sweden. Methods: We calculated the dark diversity in 107 plots spread out across four mountain trails using four different methods: two co-occurrence-based (Beals’ index and the hypergeometric method) and two niche-based (the climatic niche model and cli-matic niche model followed by species-specific threshold). We then applied multiple Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models and General Linear Models to determine which habitat characteristics and species traits contributed the most to dark diversity. Results: The study showed a notable divergence in the predicted drivers of dark diversity depending on the method used. Nevertheless, we can conclude that plot-level dark diversity was generally 17% higher in areas at low elevations and 31% higher in areas with a low species richness. Conclusion: Our findings call for caution when interpreting statistical findings of dark-diversity estimates. Even so, all analyses point toward an important role for natural processes such as competitive dominance as the main driver of the spatial patterns found in dark diversity in the northern Scandes.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of vegetation science. - Uppsala, 1990, currens
Publication
Uppsala : 2023
ISSN
1100-9233 [print]
1654-1103 [online]
DOI
10.1111/JVS.13212
Volume/pages
34 :6 (2023) , p. 1-16
Article Reference
e13212
ISI
001099919700001
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
The potential for upward range expansion of alien plant species in cold-climate mountains in a warming world.
Advancing predictions of Species Distribution Models by incorporating local-scale abiotic and biotic drivers.
SoilTemp
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 07.11.2023
Last edited 25.05.2024
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