Ecological niche distribution along soil toxicity gradients: Bridging theoretical expectations and metallophyte conservation

Sylvain Boisson, Arnaud Monty, Maxime Séleck, Mylor Ngoy Shutcha, Michel-Pierre Faucon and Grégory Mahy

Ecological Modelling, 2020, vol. 415, issue C

Abstract: Ecological niche modelling helps us to understand the spatial assembly of species in heterogeneous environments. Three patterns have been widely reported in the research literature regarding the relationship between realised niches and macronutrient concentration gradients: (1) species’ optima are unevenly distributed, with a higher frequency in mesic conditions; (2) species’ response curves are narrower when optima density is higher; and (3) species with optima at the extremes of the gradients have skewed response curves with a longer tail toward mesic conditions. This study aims to test the existence of these patterns on a vegetation model occurring in metalliferous soils comprising copper and cobalt along a toxicity gradient in south-eastern D.R. Congo. Realised niches of 80 taxa were modelled using generalised additive models. The niche optima and the niche widths were determined for each taxon. Results highlighted three groups which differ according to the niche optima location along the soil metal concentration gradients. The patterns found along macronutrient concentration gradients were, to some extent, transposable along micronutrient concentration gradients. Our findings on the diversity and assembly of realised niches has consequences for plant conservation strategies.

Keywords: Micronutrient; GAM; Species response curve; Threatened oldgrowth grassland; Plant tolerance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380019303692
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:415:y:2020:i:c:s0304380019303692

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108861

Access Statistics for this article

Ecological Modelling is currently edited by Brian D. Fath

More articles in Ecological Modelling from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().