Data from: Postglacial determinants of regional species pools in alpine grasslands

  1. Jiménez-Alfaro, Borja 1
  2. Willner, Wolfgang 2
  3. Ruprecht, Eszter 3
  4. Vassilev, Kiril 4
  5. Kuzmanovic, Nevena 5
  6. Ćušterevska, Renata 6
  7. Milanovic, Djordjije 7
  8. Sibik, Josef 8
  9. Abdulhak, Sylvain 9
  10. Stanisci, Angela 10
  11. Carranza, Maria Luisa 10
  12. Bergamini, Ariel 11
  13. Marcenó, Corrado 12
  14. Giusso Del Galdo, Gianpietro 13
  1. 1 Universidad de Oviedo
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    Universidad de Oviedo

    Oviedo, España

    ROR https://ror.org/006gksa02

  2. 2 University of Vienna
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    University of Vienna

    Viena, Austria

    ROR https://ror.org/03prydq77

  3. 3 Babeș-Bolyai University
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    Babeș-Bolyai University

    Cluj, Rumanía

    ROR https://ror.org/02rmd1t30

  4. 4 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
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    Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

    Sofía, Bulgaria

    ROR https://ror.org/01x8hew03

  5. 5 University of Belgrade
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    University of Belgrade

    Belgrado, Serbia

    ROR https://ror.org/02qsmb048

  6. 6 University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava
  7. 7 University of Banja Luka
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    University of Banja Luka

    Bania Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina

    ROR https://ror.org/0282m7c06

  8. 8 Slovak Academy of Sciences
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    Slovak Academy of Sciences

    Bratislava, Eslovaquia

    ROR https://ror.org/03h7qq074

  9. 9 Alpine National Botanical Conservatory
  10. 10 University of Molise
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    University of Molise

    Campobasso, Italia

    ROR https://ror.org/04z08z627

  11. 11 Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research
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    Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

    Birmensdorf, Suiza

    ROR https://ror.org/04bs5yc70

  12. 12 Masaryk University
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    Masaryk University

    Brno, República Checa

    ROR https://ror.org/02j46qs45

  13. 13 University of Catania
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    University of Catania

    Catania, Italia

    ROR https://ror.org/03a64bh57

Éditeur: Dryad

Année de publication: 2021

Type: Dataset

Résumé

Aim: Alpine habitats support unique biodiversity confined to high-elevation areas in the current interglacial. Plant diversity in these habitats responds to area, environment, connectivity and isolation, yet these factors have been rarely evaluated in concert. Here we investigate major determinants of regional species pools in alpine grasslands, and the responses of their constituent species groups. Location: European mountains below 50ºN. Time Period: Between 1928 and 2019. Major Taxa Studied: Vascular plants. Methods: We compiled species pools from alpine grasslands in 23 regions, including 794 alpine species and 2,094 non-alpines. We used species-area relationships to test the influence of the extent of alpine areas on regional richness, and mixed-effects models to compare the effects of 12 spatial and environmental predictors. Variation in species composition was addressed by generalized dissimilarity models and by a coefficient of dispersal direction to assess historical links among regions. Results: Pool sizes were partially explained by current alpine areas, but the other predictors largely contributed to regional differences. The number of alpine species was influenced by area, calcareous bedrock, topographic heterogeneity and regional isolation, while non-alpines responded better to connectivity and climate. Regional dissimilarity of alpine species was explained by isolation and precipitation, but non-alpines only responded to isolation. Past dispersal routes were correlated with latitude, with alpine species showing stronger connections among regions. Main Conclusions: Besides area effects, edaphic, topographic and spatiotemporal determinants are important to understand the organization of regional species pools in alpine habitats. The number of alpine species is especially linked to refugia and isolation, but their composition is explained by past dispersal and postglacial environmental filtering, while non-alpines are generally influenced by regional floras. New research on the dynamics of alpine biodiversity should contextualize the determinants of regional species pools and the responses of species with different ecological profiles