Analogous environments across the tropics have similar levels of tree species alpha diversity

Different regions of the tropics vary in overall tree species diversity, with the tropical Americas exhibiting strikingly higher regional tree species richness than Africa and Southeast Asia. We investigated whether these differences also occur at the local scale and whether the environmental conditions associated with tree species richness are consistent across tropical regions despite highly dissimilar species pools. A spatial random forest model was trained by using a network of 429 1-hectare plots across the tropics, together with 24 environmental variables, to predict plot-level tree α diversity. A combination of climatic, soil and topographical variables explained ∼86% of the variation in richness. Despite differences in regional species pools and the potentially disruptive effects of different geological, climatic and evolutionary histories, the relationship between environmental variables and local-scale tree species richness is closely similar across different continents. Our findings imply a pervasive role of niche-based mechanisms in structuring local tree species richness, regardless of the regional species assemblages. This pantropical convergence in the richness-environment relationship poses a challenge for ecology to explain.

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Journal
National Science Review
Published
2025-10-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf465
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Type
article
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0.00

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article

Analogous environments across the tropics have similar levels of tree species alpha diversity

Kenneth J. Feeley, Miguel A. Munguía‐Rosas, Somaiah Sundarapandian, Jurgi Cristóbal‐Azkarate et al.
National Science Review
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
article

Analogous environments across the tropics have similar levels of tree species alpha diversity

Kenneth J. Feeley, Miguel A. Munguía‐Rosas, Somaiah Sundarapandian, Jurgi Cristóbal‐Azkarate, Felipe Zamborlini Saiter, Ashaq Ahmad Dar, Giselda Durigan, Robin L. Chazdon, Eddy Nurtjahya, Jochen Schöngart, Katrin Böhning‐Gaese, Manuel J. Macía, Selene Báez, Edward L. Webb, Layon Oreste Demarchi, Susan G. W. Laurance, María Teresa Fernández Piedade, Orlando Rangel, Zhe‐Kun Zhou, Sharif A. Mukul, José Roberto Rodrigues Pinto, L. Rasingam, Yrma Andreina Carrero Márquez, Serge A. Wich, Pantaleo Munishi, Faridah Ibrahim, Manichanh Satdichanh, Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri, Polyanna da Conceição Bispo, Donald R. Drake, Bruno Hérault, Michael Kessler, Mohammad Shah Hussain, Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, Luis Torres Montenegro, Antonio‐Román Muñoz, Francisco Mora, Tânia Wendt, S. Muthuramkumar, Nigel C. A. Pitman, Tao Su, Rahmad Zakaria, Kanda Naveen Babu, Irié C. Zo‐Bi, Isau Huamantupa‐Chuquimaco, M. Rajkumar, Robert Steinmetz, S. Kothandaraman, Ferry Slik, Marcelo Tabarelli, Satish Chandra Garkoti, Adriano Costa Quaresma, Rizza Karen A. Veridiano, Jose Don T. De Alban, Florian Wittmann, John Herbohn, Mohammed Latif Khan, Eddie Lenza de Oliveira, Samir Rolim, Thiago Metzker, Sumit Chakravarty, John R. Poulsen, Phourin Chhang, Javid Ahmad Dar, Aisha Sultana, Víctor Arroyo‐Rodríguez, Ida Theilade, Kyle Warwick Tomlinson, John N. Williams, Luciana F. Alves, Carlos Alfredo Joly, Andes Hamuraby Rozak, Simone Aparecida Vieira, Jonathan M. Adams, N. Parthasarathy, Michael J. Lawes, David J. Harris, Meredith L. Bastian, Ole R. Vetaas, Narayanan Ayyappan, Onrizal Onrizal, André Gabriel, Andrew R. Marshall, Gopal Shukla, Daniel M. Griffith, José Rafael Lozada, Mark Schulze, James Grogan, Eduardo van den Berg, Márcio Seiji Suganuma, Diogo Souza Bezerra Rocha, Jon C. Lovett, Hidetoshi Nagamasu, R. Tumaneng, Khalid Rehman Hakeem, Hans Verbeeck, Daniel Piotto, Jürgen Homeier, Wanlop Chutipong, Douglas Sheil, P. Rama Chandra Prasad, Rhett D. Harrison, V. S. Ramachandran, Juan Ernesto Guevara-Andino, Shufeng Li, Marcos Antonio Ríos Paredes, Mashhor Mansor, Shumei Xiao, Shijo Joseph, Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez, Laumonier Yves, Mattheas van de Bult, Naret Seuaturian, Naveenkumar Jagadeesan
article en

Abstract

Different regions of the tropics vary in overall tree species diversity, with the tropical Americas exhibiting strikingly higher regional tree species richness than Africa and Southeast Asia. We investigated whether these differences also occur at the local scale and whether the environmental conditions associated with tree species richness are consistent across tropical regions despite highly dissimilar species pools. A spatial random forest model was trained by using a network of 429 1-hectare plots across the tropics, together with 24 environmental variables, to predict plot-level tree α diversity. A combination of climatic, soil and topographical variables explained ∼86% of the variation in richness. Despite differences in regional species pools and the potentially disruptive effects of different geological, climatic and evolutionary histories, the relationship between environmental variables and local-scale tree species richness is closely similar across different continents. Our findings imply a pervasive role of niche-based mechanisms in structuring local tree species richness, regardless of the regional species assemblages. This pantropical convergence in the richness-environment relationship poses a challenge for ecology to explain.

National Science ReviewVol. 13(2)
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (EC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE), University of Delhi (IN), Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR), University of Copenhagen (DK), Fauna and Flora International (GB), The Nature Conservancy (US), Forest Research Institute (IN), Botanical Survey of India (IN), Tropical Forest Research Institute (IN), Science Museum of Minnesota (US), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), Universiti Putra Malaysia (MY), University of Leeds (GB), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), Universidade Federal de Lavras (BR), National Academy of Sciences (US), WWF Colombia (CO), National Academy of Engineering (US), National Science and Technology Development Agency (TH), University of Helsinki (FI), University of Bonn (DE), Universiti Sains Malaysia (MY), University of Miami (US), Universidade de Brasília (BR), Jawaharlal Nehru University (IN), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (GB), University of the Basque Country (ES), Duke University (US), University of the Sunshine Coast (AU), Pondicherry University (IN), Copenhagen Business School (DK), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), King Abdulaziz University (SA), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (SA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), International Institute of Information Technology (IN), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (BN), North Eastern Hill University (IN), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN), Smith College (US), University of Zurich (CH), Universidad de Los Andes (VE), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (IN), Kyoto University (JP), Dhaka International University (BD), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (BR), Universitas Sumatera Utara (ID), University of Michigan (US), University of Bangka Belitung (ID), Africa Center (US), Center for Plant Conservation (US), Helsinki Institute of Physics (FI), Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AU), Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (CN), Field Museum of Natural History (US), University of Manchester (GB), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), Chengdu University of Technology (CN), Ghent University (BE), Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas (CO), Universidad Nacional de Colombia (CO), Nanjing University of Science and Technology (CN), Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (BR), North Yorkshire County Council (GB), Sustainability Institute (ZA), Amazon National University of Madre de Dios (PE), Universidade Federal do Sul da Bahia (BR), State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (CN), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), University of Kikwit (CD), SRM University, Andhra Pradesh (IN), Universidad de Las Américas (EC), Helsinki Art Museum (FI), National Polytechnic School (EC), Wind Power Engineering (Japan) (JP), Museum of Kyoto (JP), DMI St. Eugene University (ZM), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TZ), North Bengal Agricultural University (IN), Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (BR), Chiangrai College (TH), Bristol-Myers Squibb (United Kingdom) (GB), Forests and Societies (FR), Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES), Instituto Florestal (BR), Forest Research Institute (BG), Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (CI), Universidad Andina del Cusco (PE), Care Resource (US), Radiology Associates of Albuquerque (US), International Institute for Sustainability (BR), Forestry Commission (ZW), Services déconcentrés d'appui à la recherche Occitanie-Montpellier (FR), Cambodia Development Resource Institute (KH), Institute of Botany (CN), Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo (BR), Department of Science and Technology (PH), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), University of Bergen (NO), World Agroforestry Centre (KE), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (MX), National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (US), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (TH), Liverpool John Moores University (GB), United International University (BD), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IN), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (MX), Chitkara University (IN), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (IN), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (BR), University of California, Davis (US), Sokoine University of Agriculture (TZ), James Cook University (AU), French Institute of Pondicherry (IN), Nanjing University (CN), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Dr. Hari Singh Gour University (IN), Wageningen University & Research (NL), Center for International Forestry Research (ID), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (MY), University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
West Virginia University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, United International University, University of the Sunshine Coast, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
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Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
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