Alpha and beta phylogenetic diversities jointly reveal ant community assembly mechanisms along a tropical elevational gradient.

ABSTRACT: Despite the long-standing interest in the organization of ant communities across elevational gradients, few studies have incorporated the evolutionary information to understand the historical processes that underlay such patterns. Through the evaluation of phylogenetic α and β-diversity, we analyzed the structure of leaf-litter ant communities along the Cofre de Perote mountain in Mexico and evaluated whether deterministic- (i.e., habitat filtering, interspecific competition) or stochastic-driven processes (i.e., dispersal limitation) were driving the observed patterns. Lowland and some highland sites showed phylogenetic clustering, whereas intermediate elevations and the highest site presented phylogenetic overdispersion. We infer that strong environmental constraints found at the bottom

SUBMITTER: Perez-Toledo GR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9095595 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature