Community assembly processes shape an altitudinal gradient of forest biodiversity

A study at Shiretoko National Park, Japan, reveals that community assembly processes significantly shape altitudinal gradients of forest biodiversity. The research found that deterministic processes dominate in high-altitude, low-productivity stands due to niche partitioning among small individuals within less stratified environments. Conversely, stochasticity influences community structure in structurally developed, low-altitude stands, likely due to competition for light resources. While the altitudinal gradient of β-diversity was less pronounced in oribatid mites compared to plants, local-scale environmental heterogeneity still favored deterministic assembly processes. The study highlights that biogeographical patterns of biodiversity are not independent of community processes and are instead shaped by stochastic and deterministic factors that vary within a landscape.

Mori, A. S., Shiono, T., Koide, D., Kitagawa, R., Ota, A. T., & Mizumachi, E. (2013). Community assembly processes shape an altitudinal gradient of forest biodiversity. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22(7), 878–888. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12058