Diversity and Community Assembly of Forest Birds and Mammals Are Associated With Stand Types and Altitude
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: ABSTRACT In subtropical regions, deforestation of forests and establishment of economic forests for economic development have resulted in extensive areas of secondary and plantation forests. The determinants of the disparities in animal diversity and community assembly between secondary and plantation forests remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we compared multidimensional species diversity metrics of between secondary and plantation forests and their corresponding stand types, and analyzed their response to altitude. The results indicated the independently effective records of birds and mammals in secondary forest were significantly higher than those in plantations. The diversity of birds and mammals varied significantly between secondary and plantation forests, with differences observed across different forest types and altitudinal gradients. Additionally, the continuous altitudinal changes were closely correlated with the phylogenetic diversity and community assembly. These findings highlight the critical role of forest stand structure and altitude in shaping wildlife community assembly. Meanwhile, they underscore the importance of preserving different forest types and considering altitudinal connectivity to effectively conserve animal biodiversity in managed subtropical landscapes.
Institution: Nanjing Forestry University
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4415145672
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