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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Population, Community, and Ecosystem Dynamics
Volume 12 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1376263
Exploring the driving factors of bryophyte assemblage distribution patterns in Tibet
Provisionally accepted- 1 College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 2 Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Agriculture, College of Resources and Environment, China Agricultural University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
- 3 Resources & Environment College, Tibet Agriculture & Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi, Tibet 860000, China, Nyingchi, China
- 4 School of Foreign Studies, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330036 China, Nanchang, China
Plant communities are complex systems shaped by a combination of deterministic and stochastic ecological processes. Bryophytes are an essential component of plant diversity in natural ecosystems, yet our understanding of their community ecology needs to catch up to that of other organisms. The unique geological history, alpine climatic conditions, and high habitat heterogeneity of Tibet provide suitable areas for bryophytes to survive in the alpine regions. Therefore, field surveys were conducted across 184 plots in forest, thicket, and herbaceous vegetation of Tibet to investigate the role of deterministic processes such as biological interactions and abiotic effects, along with stochastic processes, in shaping the distribution of bryophyte assemblages. We employed various analytical methods, including mixed effects models, partial least squares path modeling, null model analysis, and neutral community models. The study showed that bryophyte richness was highest in forests. Bryophyte assemblages showed greater segregation in forest and thicket environments compared to herbaceous vegetation. As the influence of stochastic processes increased, that of deterministic processes decreased from forests through thickets to herbaceous vegetation. Deterministic processes were the main driving forces for the bryophyte assemblage pattern. Soil properties and climatic factors, particularly pH played a key role in determining bryophyte patterns in Tibet. This study has deepened our comprehension of how deterministic and stochastic ecological processes interplay and shape bryophyte distribution patterns in Tibet.
Keywords: Bryophyte, Biodiversity, deterministic processes, stochastic processes, neutral community model, Tibet
Received: 25 Jan 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Gu, Song, Ye, Shao, Liao and Shao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaoming Shao, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, Beijing Municipality, China
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