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Nested communities of alpine plants on isolated mountains: relative importance of colonization and extinction

Bruun, Hans Henrik LU and Moen, Jon (2003) In Journal of Biogeography 30(2). p.297-303
Abstract
Aim This paper seeks to investigate whether alpine floras on isolated mountains in boreal forest show nestedness, and, if that is the case, to determine whether selective extinction or colonization is the likely cause of the observed patterns.

Location Isolated mountains in the boreal coniferous forests of northern Sweden (province of Norrbotten, c. 66°N; 18°E). The timberline in the region probably has been 300-400 m above the present some thousands of years before present, potentially covering these mountains.

Methods A data matrix of twenty-seven alpine plant species on twenty-seven isolated mountains was subjected to nested subsets analysis. Extinction probability was assumed to increase with decreasing area, and... (More)
Aim This paper seeks to investigate whether alpine floras on isolated mountains in boreal forest show nestedness, and, if that is the case, to determine whether selective extinction or colonization is the likely cause of the observed patterns.

Location Isolated mountains in the boreal coniferous forests of northern Sweden (province of Norrbotten, c. 66°N; 18°E). The timberline in the region probably has been 300-400 m above the present some thousands of years before present, potentially covering these mountains.

Methods A data matrix of twenty-seven alpine plant species on twenty-seven isolated mountains was subjected to nested subsets analysis. Extinction probability was assumed to increase with decreasing area, and colonization probability was assumed to decrease with increasing isolation. By sorting the data matrix by these factors and sequentially computing the degree of nestedness, we were able to determine whether the alpine floras were structured mainly by selective extinction or mainly by differential colonization.

Results When ordered by decreasing area the data matrix was significantly more nested than random, but that was not the case when ordered by decreasing isolation. Ordering by maximum altitude also produced significant nestedness. Main conclusions Contrary to the conventional view that isolated mountains were completely covered with boreal forest some thousands of years ago, the nestedness patterns of alpine plants indicate that many of them survived the forest period on the isolated mountains, probably on cliffs and slopes too steep for the formation of closed forest. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Scandes Mountains, relaxation, Nestedness, species richness, palaeoecology, timberline
in
Journal of Biogeography
volume
30
issue
2
pages
297 - 303
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:0037294195
ISSN
1365-2699
DOI
10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00806.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Plant Ecology and Systematics (Closed 2011) (011004000)
id
07e0bc81-726d-4ff0-848c-93768a5fa78f (old id 118648)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:19:49
date last changed
2022-01-29 20:09:51
@article{07e0bc81-726d-4ff0-848c-93768a5fa78f,
  abstract     = {{Aim This paper seeks to investigate whether alpine floras on isolated mountains in boreal forest show nestedness, and, if that is the case, to determine whether selective extinction or colonization is the likely cause of the observed patterns.<br/><br>
Location Isolated mountains in the boreal coniferous forests of northern Sweden (province of Norrbotten, c. 66°N; 18°E). The timberline in the region probably has been 300-400 m above the present some thousands of years before present, potentially covering these mountains.<br/><br>
Methods A data matrix of twenty-seven alpine plant species on twenty-seven isolated mountains was subjected to nested subsets analysis. Extinction probability was assumed to increase with decreasing area, and colonization probability was assumed to decrease with increasing isolation. By sorting the data matrix by these factors and sequentially computing the degree of nestedness, we were able to determine whether the alpine floras were structured mainly by selective extinction or mainly by differential colonization.<br/><br>
Results When ordered by decreasing area the data matrix was significantly more nested than random, but that was not the case when ordered by decreasing isolation. Ordering by maximum altitude also produced significant nestedness. Main conclusions Contrary to the conventional view that isolated mountains were completely covered with boreal forest some thousands of years ago, the nestedness patterns of alpine plants indicate that many of them survived the forest period on the isolated mountains, probably on cliffs and slopes too steep for the formation of closed forest.}},
  author       = {{Bruun, Hans Henrik and Moen, Jon}},
  issn         = {{1365-2699}},
  keywords     = {{Scandes Mountains; relaxation; Nestedness; species richness; palaeoecology; timberline}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{297--303}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Biogeography}},
  title        = {{Nested communities of alpine plants on isolated mountains: relative importance of colonization and extinction}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5513440/623895.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1046/j.1365-2699.2003.00806.x}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}