Functional and Phylogenetic Structure of Forest Bird Assemblages Along an Afrotropical Elevational Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Elevational gradients offer valuable opportunities to investigate biodiversity patterns and the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape them. Although tropical mountains are recognized as biodiversity hotspots, the various dimensions of biodiversity in these systems, particularly in equatorial Africa, remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined the functional (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD) of bird assemblages along a primary forest elevational gradient in Cameroon, West-Central Africa, spanning from lowland forests to the treeline (~2300 m a.s.l.). We analyzed how FD and PD vary with elevation and tested the roles of abiotic filtering and biotic interactions, such as competition, in community assembly. Additionally, we assessed whether taxonomic diversity (TD) incre

SUBMITTER: Pernice R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12391590 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature