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Plant Biodiversity Patterns and Their Driving Forces
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Plant Biodiversity Patterns and Their Driving Forces

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 9546

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Rainer W Bussmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
Interests: ethnobotany; ethnoecology; wild food plants and crop relatives; traditional knowledge; global change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Inayat Ur Rahman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra 21300, KP, Pakistan
2. William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Interests: forest ecology; vegetation dynamics; forest health; climate change; ecophysiology; ecological modeling; community assembly; environmental sustainability; species-environment interactions; stress adaptation; phytoremediation; ethnoecology; quantitative ethnobotany; ethnobiology; ethnography; ecosystem services; natural reservoir; ethnic practices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant ecological communities are one of nature’s most dynamic systems, with several species interacting and interconnected. The diversity patterns of these plant communities, including their driving forces, have sparked the interest of ecologists and evolutionists. Global climate change is a major challenge facing humanity and has led to an increased interest in the impacts and responses of plant species and ecosystems to environmental variation. Many locations around the world have a high diversity of plants, and about one percent of known plant species are on the border of extinction because of climate change. This unprecedented environmental variability might cause shifts in plant species composition and variations in community structure, translating into changes in ecosystem dynamics and forest health, as well as affecting the physiological attributes of plants, especially in high-altitude ecosystems.

Given the importance of understanding the relationship between climate change and biodiversity patterns, we need to assess how environmental variations affect plant species ecologically as well as physiologically. The most correct way to analyze the impacts of climate change on the structure and distribution of communities would be long-term data sets associating environmental variations over time with the community structure. However, such studies are limited in number and geographic scope because of the extensive and sustained resources they require. In this context, studies that test the influence of environmental variables on the ecology and physiology of plant species are necessary to understand how current and future climatic changes can impact species. Therefore, this Special Issue will focus on all the aforementioned aspects under the section Ecology, accepting scientific articles, i.e., original research and review articles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Ecological and physiological plasticity;
  • Climate change and biodiversity patterns;
  • Forest health and environment variability;
  • Vegetation dynamics and ecological gradients;
  • Environmental impact and community assembly;
  • Community structure and species interactions;
  • Species composition and diversity;
  • Forest carbon sequestration, biomass, and soil carbon pool estimation.

Prof. Dr. Rainer W Bussmann
Dr. Inayat Ur Rahman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecophysiology
  • forest ecology
  • climate change
  • soil ecology
  • environmental impact
  • stress adaptation
  • environmental sustainability
  • ecological informatics
  • ecological modeling
  • plant–environment relations
  • vegetation dynamics
  • community assembly
  • plant–microbe interactions
  • phytoremediation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2142 KiB  
Article
Ecological Characterization of the Flora in Reserva Ecológica Arenillas, Ecuador
by Alex Dumany Luna-Florin, Darío Alexander Nole-Nole, Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero, José Luis Molina-Pardo and Esther Giménez-Luque
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8656; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178656 - 29 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2437
Abstract
Ecuador, located in the Neotropics, has 66 protected natural areas, which represent about 13.77% of its overall territory. The Reserva Ecológica Arenillas reserve (REAr), located in southwestern Ecuador, protects an area of dry forest, coastal thorn forest, and mangroves. This dry forest is [...] Read more.
Ecuador, located in the Neotropics, has 66 protected natural areas, which represent about 13.77% of its overall territory. The Reserva Ecológica Arenillas reserve (REAr), located in southwestern Ecuador, protects an area of dry forest, coastal thorn forest, and mangroves. This dry forest is part of the Pacific equatorial core and is included the Tumbes–Chocó–Magdalena, one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots of the world. It is an extremely fragile ecosystem and therefore the need for conservation is of the utmost importance. Knowledge of the flora and their ecological characteristics is still limited, which was one of the main objectives of this work. In this study, 118 plots located in different locations of the REAr were selected in order to sample the trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants within them. This information was supplemented with data from the literature and the GBIF; life forms were included according to Raunkiaer’s classification and their growth habits. The flora of the REAr was represented by 381 species, belonging to 77 families. The two most numerous families were the Fabaceae (51 plant species) and Malvaceae (31 species). The dominant life form was the phanerophytes with 200 species (52.5%), followed by therophytes with 104 species (27.3%), and camephytes with 22 species (5.8%). Physiognomy was dominated by the herbaceous growth (44%). The biodiversity indices of two ecosystems were studied (The deciduous forest of the Jama-Zapotillo lowland and the low forest and deciduous shrubland of the Jama-Zapotillo lowland), obtaining higher values for the deciduous forest ecosystem of the Jama-Zapotillo lowland. With these indicators, a classification of each forest type was made by performing a hierarchical cluster analysis. The information provided in this paper is particularly important for focusing conservation efforts and preventing the loss of flora diversity in these forests, which are subject to great anthropogenic pressures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biodiversity Patterns and Their Driving Forces)
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22 pages, 19568 KiB  
Article
Typology of Pure Deodar Forests Driven by Vegetation–Environment Relations in Manoor Valley, Northwestern Himalaya
by Inayat Ur Rahman, Aftab Afzal, Zafar Iqbal, Eduardo Soares Calixto, Jawaher Alkahtani, Mona S. Alwahibi, Niaz Ali, Rukhsana Kausar, Uzma Khan and Rainer W. Bussmann
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2753; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052753 - 7 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2986
Abstract
The current research was carried out to characterize the phytosociology of the forests of one of Pakistan’s most valuable tree species (Deodar) across its native range. In this context, our main hypothesis was that, along the altitudinal gradient, we would find different plant [...] Read more.
The current research was carried out to characterize the phytosociology of the forests of one of Pakistan’s most valuable tree species (Deodar) across its native range. In this context, our main hypothesis was that, along the altitudinal gradient, we would find different plant communities that would be driven by different environmental variables (climatic, edaphic, and physiographic). Therefore, to assess the vegetation structure of the pure Deodar forests of the unexplored Manoor Valley (Northwestern Himalaya), Pakistan, frequent field visits were carried out during different seasons of 2015–2018. Ecological methods: Line transects sampling (23 stands) and phytosociological attributes were evaluated in relation to geographical and environmental variables. Various statistical software applications (i.e., PCORD, RStudio 4.0, and R 3.6.1) were used to examine all of the gathered data of plant species and environmental variables. A total of three different plant communities (Cedrus–Isodon–Cynodon, Cedrus–Cynodon–Dryopteris, and Sambucus–Cedrus–Desmodium) were identified by grouping 162 species and 23 stands in pure Deodar forests under the influence of geographic, slope, edaphic, and climatic variables, ranging from 1580.8 to 2373.8 m. The altitude (1936–2373 m), slope angle (25–85°), sandy (29–48%) and loamy soil texture, wind speed (1.45 ms−1), and temperature (25.8 °C) all had a strong influence on the Sambucus–Cedrus–Desmodium community. In contrast with this, the Cedrus–Cynodon–Dryopteris community showed a positively significant relationship with the northeastern slope, silty (32–58%) and sandy (15.8–55%) loamy soil texture, and barometric pressure (814.3 pa). Nonetheless, the Cedrus–Isodon–Cynodon community revealed a significant positive association with the northeastern to southwestern slope, pH (6.3), wet bulb (19.7), and dew point (17.7). We found significant differences (p < 0.001) among the three communities found in the pure Deodar forests in the four diversity indexes. The Sambucus–Cedrus–Desmodium community has the maximum number of plants (129 species), Shannon’s diversity (H’ = 3.7), and Simpson’s dominance (0.98) values among the recorded communities. The Pielou’s evenness index value was led by the Cedrus–Isodon–Cynodon community (0.97). Beta diversity showed a dissimilarity lower than 50% among the three communities. Simple term effects in the canonical correspondence analysis model revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in altitude, slope angle, slope (southeastern), and wind speed variables. The present investigation sheds light on vegetation pattern and species contribution as a function of environmental gradients and provides a baseline for future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biodiversity Patterns and Their Driving Forces)
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17 pages, 2166 KiB  
Article
Species Diversity, Growing Stock Variables and Carbon Mitigation Potential in the Phytocoenosis of Monotheca buxifolia Forests along Altitudinal Gradient across Pakistan
by Fayaz Ali, Nasrullah Khan, Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah and Adnan Ahmad
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031292 - 26 Jan 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2735
Abstract
The sub-tropical broadleaved forests in Pakistan are the main constituents of the ecosystem services playing a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC. is an important constituent of these forests, encompassing a variety of ecological and commercial uses. [...] Read more.
The sub-tropical broadleaved forests in Pakistan are the main constituents of the ecosystem services playing a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC. is an important constituent of these forests, encompassing a variety of ecological and commercial uses. To our best knowledge, no quantitative studies have been conducted in these forests across the landscape to establish a baseline for future monitoring. We investigated the forest structural attributes, growing stock characteristics and total biomass carbon stock and established relationships among them in the phytocoenosis of Monotheca forests along an altitudinal gradient in Pakistan to expand an eco-systemic model for assessment of the originally-implemented conservation strategies. A floristic survey recorded 4986 individuals of 27 species in overstory and 59 species in the understory stratum. Species richness (ANOVA; F = 3.239; p = 0.045) and Simpson’s diversity (ANOVA; F = 2.802; p = 0.043) differed significantly in three altitudinal zones, with a maximum value for lower elevations, followed by middle and higher elevations. Based on the importance values, Acacia modesta and Olea ferruginea are strong companions of M. buxifolia at lower and higher altitudes, whereas forests at mid elevation represent pure crop of M. buxifolia (IVI = ≥85.85%). A similar pattern in stem density, volume and Basal area were also recorded. The carbon stock in trees stratum (51.81 T ha−1) and understory vegetation (0.148 T ha−1) contributes high values in the lower elevation forests. In contrast, soil carbon had maximum values at higher elevation (36.21 T ha−1) and minimum at lower elevation (16.69 T ha−1) zones. Aboveground biomass carbon stock (AGB BMC) of woody trees, understory vegetation and soil organic carbon (SOC) were estimated higher (77.72 T ha−1) at higher and lower (68.65 T ha−1) elevations. Likewise, the AGB BMC exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) negative correlation with elevation and positive correlation with soil carbon. We concluded that lower elevation forests are more diverse and floristically rich in comparison to higher altitudinal forests. Similarly, the biomass carbon of Monotheca forests were recorded maximum at low altitudes followed by high and middle ranges, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Biodiversity Patterns and Their Driving Forces)
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