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Ecological niche shifts of understorey plants along a latitudinal gradient of temperate forests in north‐western E urope
Author(s) -
Wasof Safaa,
Lenoir Jonathan,
GalletMoron Emilie,
Jamoneau Aurélien,
Brunet Jörg,
Cousins Sara A. O.,
De Frenne Pieter,
Diekmann Martin,
Hermy Martin,
Kolb Annette,
Liira Jaan,
Verheyen Kris,
Wulf Monika,
Decocq Guillaume
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
global ecology and biogeography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.164
H-Index - 152
eISSN - 1466-8238
pISSN - 1466-822X
DOI - 10.1111/geb.12073
Subject(s) - niche , ecology , ecological niche , habitat , understory , environmental gradient , detrended correspondence analysis , gradient analysis , temperate climate , niche differentiation , species diversity , temperate forest , temperate rainforest , biology , ecosystem , ordination , canopy
Aim In response to environmental changes and to avoid extinction, species may either track suitable environmental conditions or adapt to the modified environment. However, whether and how species adapt to environmental changes remains unclear. By focusing on the realized niche (i.e. the actual space that a species inhabits and the resources it can access as a result of limiting biotic factors present in its habitat), we here examine shifts in the realized‐niche width (i.e. ecological amplitude) and position (i.e. ecological optimum) of 26 common and widespread forest understorey plants across their distributional ranges. Location Temperate forests along a ca. 1800‐km‐long latitudinal gradient from northern F rance to central S weden and E stonia. Methods We derived species' realized‐niche width from a β‐diversity metric, which increases if the focal species co‐occurs with more species. Based on the concept that species' scores in a detrended correspondence analysis ( DCA ) represent the locations of their realized‐niche positions, we developed a novel approach to run species‐specific DCA s allowing the focal species to shift its realized‐niche position along the studied latitudinal gradient while the realized‐niche positions of other species were held constant. Results None of the 26 species maintained both their realized‐niche width and position along the latitudinal gradient. Few species (9 of 26: 35%) shifted their realized‐niche width, but all shifted their realized‐niche position. With increasing latitude, most species (22 of 26: 85%) shifted their realized‐niche position for soil nutrients and pH towards nutrient‐poorer and more acidic soils. Main conclusions Forest understorey plants shifted their realized niche along the latitudinal gradient, suggesting local adaptation and/or plasticity. This macroecological pattern casts doubt on the idea that the realized niche is stable in space and time, which is a key assumption of species distribution models used to predict the future of biodiversity, hence raising concern about predicted extinction rates.