Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Amazon tree dominance across forest strata

Authors

Frederick C. Draper, Florida International University, University of Leeds, Arizona State University
Flavia R C Costa, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Gabriel Arellano, University of Michigan
Oliver L. Phillips, University of Leeds
Alvaro Duque, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Manuel J. Macía, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Hans ter Steege, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Vrije Universiteit
Gregory P. Asner, Arizona State University
Erika Berenguer, Lancaster University, University of Oxford
Juliana Schietti, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Jacob B. Socolar, University of Life Sciences
Fernanda Coelho de Souza, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Kyle G. Dexter, University of Edinburgh
Peter M. Jørgensen, Missouri Botanical Garden
J. Sebastian Tello, Missouri Botanical Garden
William E. Magnusson, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Timothy R. Baker, University of Leeds
Carolina V. Castilho, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa)
Abel Monteagudo-Mendoza, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Paul V A Fine, University of California Berkeley
Kalle Ruokolainen, University of Turku
Euridice N. Honorio Coronado, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Gerardo Aymard, Herbario Universitario (PORT), Compensation International Progress S. A.—Ciprogress Greenlife
Nállarett Dávila, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Mauricio Sánchez Sáenz, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Marcos A. Rios Paredes, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Julien Engel, Université de Montpellier
Claire Fortunel, Université de Montpellier
C. E. Timothy Paine, University of New England
Jean-Yves Goret, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane
Aurelie Dourdain, CIRAD
Pascal Petronelli, CIRAD
Elodie Allie, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane
Juan E. Guevara Andino, Universidad de Las Américas
Roel J. W. Brienen, University of Leeds
Leslie Cayola Pérez, Instituto de Ecología
Ângelo G. Manzatto, Universidade Federal de Rondônia
Narel Y. Paniagua Zambrana, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia
Jean-François Molino, Université de Montpellier
Daniel Sabatier, Université de Montpellier
Jerôme Chave, Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB) CNRS/UPS
Sophie Fauset, University of Plymouth
Roosevelt Garcia Villacorta, Cornell University
Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Université de Montpellier
Paul E. Berry, University of Michigan
Karina Melgaço, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Ted R. Feldpausch, University of Exeter
Elvis Valderamma Sandoval, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Estación Biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Italo Mesones, University of California Berkeley
André B. Junqueira, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Katherine H. Roucoux, University of St Andrews
José J. de Toledo, Federal University of Amapá
Ana C. Andrade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
José Luís Camargo, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Jhon del Aguila Pasquel, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Flávia D. Santana, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
William F. Laurance, James Cook University
Susan G. Laurance, James Cook University
Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University
James A. Comiskey, USA Smithsonian Institution
David R. Galbraith, University of Leeds
Michelle Kalamandeen, University of Cambridge, Laurentian University
Gilberto E. Navarro Aguilar, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Jim Vega Arenas, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Carlos A. Amasifuen Guerra, Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA)
Manuel Flores, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Luis A. Torres Montenegro, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana
Ricardo Zarate Gomez, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Marcelo P. Pansonato, Universidade de São Paulo
Victor Chama Moscoso, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Estación Biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Jason Vleminckx, Arizona State University
Oscar J. Valverde Barrantes, Arizona State University,
Joost F. Duivenvoorden, University of Amsterdam
Sidney Araújo de Sousa, Universidade Federal de Roraima
Luzmila Arroyo, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno
Ricardo O. Perdiz, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Jessica Soares Cravo, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Beatriz S. Marimon, Universidad do Estado de Mato Grosso
Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Universidad do Estado de Mato Grosso
Fernanda Antunes Carvalho, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
Gabriel Damasco, University of Minnesota
Mathias Disney, University College London
Marcos Salgado Vital, Universidade Federal de Roraima
Pablo R. Stevenson Diaz, Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia)
Alberto Vicentini, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Henrique Nascimento, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Niro Higuchi, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Tinde Van Andel, Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Yadvinder Malhi, University of Oxford
Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro, Universidade Federal do Acre
John W. Terborgh, Duke University
Raquel S. Thomas, Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development
Francisco Dallmeier, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute
Adriana Prieto, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Renato R. Hilário, Federal University of Amapá
Rafael P. Salomão, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Richarlly da Costa Silva, Universidade Federal do Acre
Luisa F. Casas, Universidad de Los Andes - Colombia
Ima C. Guimarães Vieira, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno
Fredy Ramirez Arevalo, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Hirma Ramírez-Angulo, Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela
Emilio Vilanova Torre, Universidad de los Andes, University of Washington
Maria C. Peñuela, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam
Timothy J. Killeen, Agteca-Amazonica
Guido Pardo, Universidad Autónoma del Beni
Eliana Jimenez-Rojas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Wenderson Castro, Universidade Federal do Acre
Darcy Galiano Cabrera, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
John Pipoly III, Broward County Parks and Recreation, Florida Atlantic University-DavieFollow
Thaiane Rodrigues de Sousa, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA)
Marcos Silvera, Universidade Federal do Acre
Vincent Vos, Universidad Autónoma del Beni
David Neill, Universidad Estatal Amazónica
Percy Núñez Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Dilys M. Vela, Washington University in St Louis
Luiz E. O. C. Aragão, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos
Ricardo Keichi Umetsu, Universidad do Estado de Mato Grosso
Rodrigo Sierra, Geoinformática & Sistemas (GeoIS)
Ophelia Wang, Northern Arizona University
Kenneth R. Young, University of Texas at Austin
Nayane C. C. S. Prestes, Universidad do Estado de Mato Grosso
Klécia G. Massi, São Paulo State University (UNESP)
José Reyna Huaymacari, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Germaine A. Parada Gutierrez, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno
Ana M. Aldana, Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia)
Miguel N. Alexiades, University of Kent
Fabrício Baccaro, Universidade Federal do Amazonas
Carlos Céron, Universidad Central del Ecuador
Adriane Esquivel Muelbert, University of Birmingham
Julio M. Grandez Rios, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Antonio S. Lima, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Jonathan L. Lloyd, Imperial College London
Nigel C. A. Pitman, The Field Museum, Chicago
Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Estación Biológica del Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Cesar J. Cordova Oroche, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
Alfredo F. Fuentes, Herbario Nacional de Bolivia
Walter Palacios, Herbario Nacional del Ecuador
Sandra Patiño, Research Institute Alexander von Humboldt
Armando Torres-Lezama, Universidad de Los Andes, Venezuela
Christopher Baraloto, Florida International University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2021

Publication Title

Nature Ecology & Evolution

Keywords

Biodiversity, Tropical ecology

ISSN

2397-334X

First Page

1

Last Page

20

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.

Comments

We dedicate this study to the late Alwyn Gentry, who not only established 41 of the plots that form the foundation of our analyses but also pioneered the synthetic approach that underpins our study. This paper is a product of the RedGentry, RAINFOR, PPBio and ATDN networks. Data from many of these networks are curated by ForestPlots.net, a cyber-infrastructure initiative that unites plot records and their contributing scientists from the world’s tropical forests. These initiatives have been supported by numerous people and grants but we are indebted to hundreds of institutions, field assistants, botanists and local communities for help in establishing plots and identifying their >4,600 species. We would especially like to thank the following for their important role: E. Hase, R. Nazaré Oliveira de Araújo, S. Almeida, J. Serrano, J. Batista de Silva, K. Cangani, O. Souza Pereira, J. do Vale, M. Carmozina, E. da Costa Pereira, S. Salvino de Souza, C. Ballón Falcón, M. Corrales Medina, A. Magalhães da Silva, J. Farreras and F. Molina. F.C.D. was funded by an EU MSC global fellowship no. 794973 ‘E-FUNDIA’. F.C.D. and C.B. supported the collaborative network with funds from l’Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Florida International University and the William R. Kenan, Jr Charitable Trust. Funding for field plot data collection came from a wide range of sources but particularly the following grants: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico/Projetos Ecológicos de Longa Duração-CNPq/PELD (grant no. 441244/2016-5), Agence Nationale de la Recherche Blanc projet NEBEDIV (grant no. ANR-13-BSV7-009), an ‘Investissement d’avenir’ grant from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (CEBA, grant no. ANR-10-LABX-25-01), a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) fellowship to T.R.B. (grant no. NE/C517484/1) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grant nos. CGL2015-72431-EXP and CGL2016-75414-P). Many bodies funded the development of RAINFOR and ForestPlots.net, with key support including from NERC (grant nos. NE/F005806/1, NE/D005590/1, NE/N012542/1 and NE/N011570/1), as well as the European Research Council (grant no. T-FORCES 291585) and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grant no. 1656) to O.L.P. This study is no. 787 of the Technical Series of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments (BDFFP-INPA). This is an output of ForestPlots.net approved Project 26. Re-evaluating hyperdominance across tree strata in Amazonia.

Additional Comments

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2021

DOI

10.1038/s41559-021-01418-y

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