UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Amazon tree dominance across forest strata

Draper, FC; Costa, FRC; Arellano, G; Phillips, OL; Duque, A; Macía, MJ; Ter Steege, H; ... Baraloto, C; + view all (2021) Amazon tree dominance across forest strata. Nature Ecology & Evolution , 5 pp. 757-767. 10.1038/s41559-021-01418-y. Green open access

[thumbnail of Article]
Preview
Text (Article)
Disney_Draper_etal_Amazonian_hyperdominance_post_review2.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (1MB) | Preview
[thumbnail of Supplementary information]
Preview
Text (Supplementary information)
Disney_Amazonian hyperdominance-SI_post_review2.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

The forests of Amazonia are among the most biodiverse plant communities on Earth. Given the immediate threats posed by climate and land-use change, an improved understanding of how this extraordinary biodiversity is spatially organized is urgently required to develop effective conservation strategies. Most Amazonian tree species are extremely rare but a few are common across the region. Indeed, just 227 ‘hyperdominant’ species account for >50% of all individuals >10 cm diameter at 1.3 m in height. Yet, the degree to which the phenomenon of hyperdominance is sensitive to tree size, the extent to which the composition of dominant species changes with size class and how evolutionary history constrains tree hyperdominance, all remain unknown. Here, we use a large floristic dataset to show that, while hyperdominance is a universal phenomenon across forest strata, different species dominate the forest understory, midstory and canopy. We further find that, although species belonging to a range of phylogenetically dispersed lineages have become hyperdominant in small size classes, hyperdominants in large size classes are restricted to a few lineages. Our results demonstrate that it is essential to consider all forest strata to understand regional patterns of dominance and composition in Amazonia. More generally, through the lens of 654 hyperdominant species, we outline a tractable pathway for understanding the functioning of half of Amazonian forests across vertical strata and geographical locations.

Type: Article
Title: Amazon tree dominance across forest strata
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01418-y
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01418-y
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Tropical ecology
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10126402
Downloads since deposit
45Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item