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Diversity and species associations in cryptogam communities along a pedoenvironmental gradient on Elephant Island, Maritime Antarctica

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Abstract

The Maritime Antarctica region has terrestrial ecosystems dominated by lichens and mosses, representing important ecological indicators of climate change. However, little is known about environmental factors that shape regional cryptogam communities at local scale. In this study we analyse changes in species richness, species composition and coverage of representative cryptogam communities across a pedoenvironmental gradient in Maritime Antarctica. We hypothesized that soil texture and chemical properties shape variations in species richness and composition. We selected fifteen different pedoenvironments, where 20 plots (20 × 20 cm) were sampled for obtaining phytosociological parameters of cryptogamous communities, and in each plot a composite topsoil sample was collected to determine chemical and physical soil properties. We then evaluated the main effects of soil attributes on the richness and composition of cryptogam species using direct gradient analysis and linear models. The ecological value of species was determined, allowing to identify the type of plant community and species associations in each pedoenvironment. Differences in species composition, richness and coverage were detected along the pedoenvironmental gradient. The model analysis showed that soil fertility has significant effects on species composition, but not on species richness. Based on gradient analysis, variability on soil fertility and nutrient contents were important pedoenvironmental filters for cryptogam communities in Maritime Antarctica. This study reveals that small-scale heterogeneity contributes to specific associations along pedoenvironmental gradients. We conclude that soil attributes drive the composition pattern of cryptogam species and also the type of communities present.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil, for concession the scholarship of the first author, and PDJ (CNPq) scholarship for the second author; and for the CNPq, Brazil for financial support of this project (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) (project # 406793/2013-1). This work is a contribution of the INCT-Criosfera TERRANTAR group.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Núcleo Terrantar, Departamento de Solos, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil

    Daniela Schmitz, Prímula Viana Campos & Carlos Ernesto G. R. Schaefer

  2. Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil

    Daniela Schmitz, Prímula Viana Campos & João Augusto Alves Meira Neto

  3. Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-900, Brazil

    Pedro Manuel Villa

  4. Universidade Federal do Pampa, São Gabriel, RS, Brazil

    Jair Putzke

  5. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil

    Roberto Ferreira Machado Michel

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  1. Daniela Schmitz
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Correspondence to Daniela Schmitz.

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Schmitz, D., Villa, P.M., Putzke, J. et al. Diversity and species associations in cryptogam communities along a pedoenvironmental gradient on Elephant Island, Maritime Antarctica. Folia Geobot 55, 211–224 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-020-09376-2

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