Unraveling the Influence of Elevation on Moss Species–Area Relationships and the Effect of Spatial Scale on Elevational Richness Patterns in Mt Wutai With a Nested‐Plot Sampling Design

-values, respectively. A positively skewed hump-shaped pattern in species richness along the elevational gradient was found at small spatial scales, whereas a decelerating increasing trend with a less distinct mid-elevation peak was found at larger spatial scales. A stronger relationship between elevational richness pattern and environmental variables was detected as sampling scale increased. With increasing spatial scale, the relative importance of the mid-domain effect and Bio14 declined, whereas that of NDVI, NPP, and annual temperature range rose significantly when explaining variations in species richness. The scale-dependent elevational richness patterns of mosses, marked by a fine-scale mid-elevation peak and shifting predictor importance, are driven by their sensitivity to microhabitat, climate, energy, and scale-dependent ecological processes. Given scale-dependent elevational richness patterns, we emphasize the need to establish an integrated "large-scale guiding, small-scale refining" conservation framework.