Specific island biogeographic and landscape features shape plant diversity and habitat specialism on edaphic quartz islands in an arid ocean

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: March 22, 2025

Abstract Edaphic habitat islands offer unique environmental conditions for plants and often harbour specialized floras, thus having high nature conservation value. Besides edaphic uniqueness, distinct spatial features landscape filters characterize islands. However, their role as drivers of biodiversity on remains unclear. We aim to quantify the extent which parameters (island shape characteristics, diversity) (insularity parameters, surrounding matrix effects) explain plant diversity natural in an arid hotspot. The quartz our study area (Knersvlakte, South Africa), resemble within a semi-arid vegetation matrix, hosting unique, predominantly dwarf locally endemic succulent plants. In comprehensive field survey, we sampled richness 47 analysed characteristics derived from satellite imagery. Island were most reliable predictors diversity. Including measures features, (e.g. contrast) improved predictive power several models. distance-based isolation had little explanatory value relation observed variance. These results suggest that can be effectively described using specific island biogeographic such or measuring systems may require alternative quantification methods incorporating properties. Based this study, recommend combining different biogeography terrestrial

Language: Английский

Preface to the Special Issue on African Flora in a Changing World: Integrating multiple dimensions of diversity

Annals of Botany, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 133(5-6), P. 643 - 648

Published: April 4, 2024

Africa is home to globally important biodiversity.Straddling the equator and extending temperate latitudes (at 37°N 34°S; not including oceanic islands such as Marion Prince Edward), continent accommodates a variety of ecosystems biomes, tropical forests, savanna montane grasslands, deserts, Mediterranean-type (Olson et al., 2011;Linder, 2014).The has remained relatively stable in Cenozoic period (66 2.5 million years ago, Ma), despite dramatic geological events, shifting coastlines, volcanism formation rift valley (Couvreur 2021).Africa rich diversity vascular plants, with over 65 000 species recorded on its surrounding (Qian 2021).This equates approximately 18.5% plant (Antonelli 2023).However, efforts catalogue African composition are uneven, certain regions (e.g.tropical east central Africa) being well catalogued others (e.g.Sudan) barely explored (Marshal 2016).At same time, increased ecological evolutionary research points varied patterns diversification assembly flora; however, there lack wider consolidation disparate knowledge.This Special Issue aims bring together pan-African build holistic synthesis knowledge ecology evolution plants.

Language: Английский

Deserts and Semideserts of Southern Africa

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Language: Английский