Vascular epiphyte diversity and the correlation analysis with host tree characteristics: A case in a mid-mountain moist evergreen broad-leaved forest, Ailao Mountains

doi:10.17520/biods.2024072

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims: Vascular epiphytes have a significant contribution to maintaining biodiversity, carbon storage, ecological hydrology and nutrient flux in a forest ecosystem. Assessing the diversity pattern of epiphytes thus can provide a basis for community assembly mechanism, conservation and resource utilization of epiphytes in the context of global change. In this context, we aimed to analyze the species and phylogenetic diversity including the phylogenetic structure of vascular epiphytes, and their correlations with host characteristics in the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in the Ailao Mountains, Southwest China.

Methods: Using a built-in canopy crane, we observed 311 individuals of dominant host trees in the 1.44 ha permanent plot and recorded the occurrence of vascular epiphytes including host tree identity, diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height. Afterward, species richness (S), phylogenetic diversity (PD) and phylogenetic structure (net nearest taxa index (NTI) and net relatedness index (NRI)) of vascular epiphytes and their correlation with DBH, height and species of host trees were evaluated.

Results: A total of 62 species of vascular epiphytes belonging to 26 families and 44 genera were found. Remarkably, significant positive correlations were found between the epiphyte species richness and PD with the host DBH and height (P < 0.001). No significant correlations were detected between standard phylogenetic diversity (SES.PD) and species richness. The species richness and PD of epiphytes in Stewartia pteropetiolata were significantly lower than in other host species (P < 0.001). However, SES.PD significantly increased with the increase in host DBH (P < 0.05) and decreased with the increase in host height (P < 0.05). The phylogenetic structures of epiphytes on the Castanopsis wattii and Michelia floribunda were divergent, while epiphytes on the Lithocarpus xylocarpus and Stewartia pteropetiolata were clustered. Epiphytes on the other host trees did not show any phylogenetic structural pattern.

Conclusion: Host tree characteristics, including host size and host species differences, are the key factors that maintain the diversity pattern of vascular epiphytes. These results can provide a solid foundation for future analysis of the pattern and maintenance mechanism of epiphyte diversity from multiple dimensions and perspectives.

Key words: epiphytes, biodiversity, phylogeny, host size, canopy crane, subtropical forest

Yanyu Ai, Haixia Hu, Ting Shen, Yuxuan Mo, Jinhua Qi, Liang Song. Vascular epiphyte diversity and the correlation analysis with host tree characteristics: A case in a mid-mountain moist evergreen broad-leaved forest, Ailao Mountains[J]. Biodiv Sci, 2024, 32(5): 24072.

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URL: https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/10.17520/biods.2024072

https://www.biodiversity-science.net/EN/Y2024/V32/I5/24072

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 The correlation between epiphytic species richness and host characteristics. (a) The correlation between epiphytic species richness and DBH of host tree predicted by the negative binomial generalized linear model (shaded area represents 95% confidence intervals for the fitted line); (b) The correlation between epiphytic species richness and height of host tree predicted by the negative binomial generalized linear model (shaded area represents 95% confidence intervals for the fitted line); (c) Multiple comparisons of the epiphyte species richness on six host tree species, different lower-case letters indicate significant difference (P < 0.001). CW, Castanopsis wattii; LH, Lithocarpus hancei; LX, Lithocarpus xylocarpus; MF, Michelia floribunda; SN, Schima noronhae; SP, Stewartia pteropetiolata.

Fig. 2 Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination of vascular epiphyte communities on host tree species in canopy crane plot of Ailao Mountains. CW, Castanopsis wattii; LH, Lithocarpus hancei; LX, Lithocarpus xylocarpus; MF, Michelia floribunda; SN, Schima noronhae; SP, Stewartia pteropetiolata.

Table 1 Effects of host DBH, height and host tree species on vascular epiphyte species composition with permutational multivariate analysis of variance

宿主特征 Host characteristics	df	总方差 Sum of squares	R²	F	P
胸径 DBH	1	8.088	0.1036	39.681	0.001
树高 Height	1	2.424	0.0311	11.891	0.001
宿主物种 Host tree species	5	5.797	0.0743	5.688	0.001

Fig. 3 The correlation between epiphytic phylogenetic diversity and host characteristics. (a) and (d) Correlations of epiphytic phylogenetic diversity index (PD) and standard phylogenetic diversity index (SES.PD) with host tree DBH, respectively; (b) and (e) Correlations of epiphytic PD and SES.PD with host tree height; (c) and (f) Comparisons of the epiphyte PD and SES.PD on six host species. The shaded area on (a), (b), (d) and (e) represent 95% confidence intervals for the fitted line as predicted by the linear model; different lower-case letters on (c) and (f) indicate significant difference (P < 0.001). CW, Castanopsis wattii; LH, Lithocarpus hancei; LX, Lithocarpus xylocarpus; MF, Michelia floribunda; SN, Schima noronhae; SP, Stewartia pteropetiolata.

Table 2 Spearman correlation analysis between taxonomic and phylogenetic indices of vascular epiphytes

	S	PD	SES.PD	NRI
PD	0.9275^***
SES.PD	-0.0949	0.2640^***
NRI	-0.0543	-0.2791^***	-0.8146^***
NTI	0.0627	-0.1795^**	-0.7620^***	0.3676^***

Fig. 4 Spearman correlation between epiphytic phylogenetic structure and host characteristics. (a) Spearman correlation analysis between net relatedness index (NRI) of epiphyte and DBH of the host tree; (b) Spearman correlation analysis between nearest taxon index (NTI) of epiphyte and DBH of the host tree; (c) Spearman correlation analysis between NRI of epiphyte and height of the host tree; (d) Spearman correlation analysis between NTI of epiphyte and height of the host tree; (e) Phylogenetic structure of epiphytes on six host tree species. CW, Castanopsis wattii; LH, Lithocarpus hancei; LX, Lithocarpus xylocarpus; MF, Michelia floribunda; SN, Schima noronhae; SP, Stewartia pteropetiolata.

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