Multiple cushion plants enhance alpine plant diversity through sustaining plant-plant co-occurrence networks

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf116

J Plant Ecol ›› Advance articles DOI:10.1093/jpe/rtaf116

Multiple cushion plants enhance alpine plant diversity through sustaining plant-plant co-occurrence networks

Meng-Qiu Niu^1,2#, Mei-Hong Huang^2,3#, Peng-Fei Yang^2,4, Quan-Sheng Fu^2,5, Jie Lin^2,5, Junyi Chen⁶, Tao Zhang⁷, Zhi-Min Li⁴, Zhou-Yu Liao¹, Hang Sun^2*, Jian-Guo Chen^2,3*

¹School of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
²State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
³College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, China
⁴School of Life Science, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China
⁵University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
⁶School of Materials and Energy,Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
⁷School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China.

^#Equally contributed authors
^*Correspondences: Hang Sun & Jian-Guo Chen
Email: sunhang@mail.kib.ac.cn
Tel & Fax: +86-087165215002
Email: chenjianguo@mail.kib.ac.cn
Tel: +86-15887040521

Online:2025-07-22 Published:2025-07-22
Supported by:
This work was supported by the Yunnan Applied Basic Research Project [grant number 202201AT070127], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 32171552], the CAS “Light of West China” Program, and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (STEP) program [2019QZKK0502].

多种垫状植物通过维持植物-植物共现网络增强高山植物多样性

Abstract

Abstract: Alpine cushion plants are recognized as keystone species essential for sustaining plant communities and biodiversity. However, their contributions to the structures of plant–plant co–occurrence networks remain poorly understood. This study constructed plant–plant co–occurrence networks within cushion microhabitats at both regional and local scales in the Himalaya–Hengduan Mountains, focusing on the influences of multiple cushion plants in shaping plant–plant network structures. Results reveal that cushion plants significantly influence the network structures. Compared to random expectations, these networks display lower linkage density, weighted connectance and weighted nestedness (wNODF), but higher modularity, implying distinct organizational principles driven by cushion plant facilitation. Non–cushion plants show stronger associations with cushion microhabitats than with open ground microhabitats. Additionally, the spatial influence of cushion plants extends beyond their immediate canopies, highlighting their role in structuring surrounding plant assemblages. Moreover, the facilitation strength of cushion plants positively correlates with network metrics, indicating that network complexity increases with increasing facilitation by cushion plants. Simulations suggest that the loss of cushion plants would likely trigger cascading extinctions of associated non–cushion plants, particularly when high–degree centrality cushion species—those with the greatest network connectivity—are removed. These results highlight the keystone roles of cushion plants’ facilitation in supporting biodiversity via enhancing network complexity and robustness. Given the vulnerability of alpine ecosystem to environmental disturbances, our study emphasizes the urgent need to prioritize the conservation of cushion plant diversity. Future conservation strategies should adopt an integrated approach that protects not only individual cushion species but also the micro–communities they support.

Key words: alpine ecosystem, climate change, cushion plant, plant co–occurrence network, plant diversity, species extinction

摘要：
垫状植物是维持高山植物群落和生物多样性的关键物种，但目前对其在高山生态系统植物共现网络结构及其稳定性维持等方面的贡献仍知之甚少。本研究在喜马拉雅-横断山区域和局地尺度上构建了垫状植物微生境中的植物共现网络，重点探究多种垫状植物对网络结构的塑造作用。结果表明：垫状植物显著影响植物共现网络结构。与随机网络相比，这些网络具有更低的连接密度(linkage density)、加权连通性(weighted connectance)和加权嵌套度(wNODF)，但模块化(modularity)程度更高，表明垫状植物的促进作用驱动了垫状微群落内独特的物种聚集模式。与裸地微生境相比，非垫状植物与垫状微生境表现出更强的关联性。此外，垫状植物对物种关联的空间影响范围超出其冠层表面区域，凸显了其对周围植物群落积极的构建作用。垫状植物的促进作用强度与网络指标呈正相关，表明网络复杂性随垫状植物促进作用的增强而提升。物种灭绝模型结果显示，垫状植物的灭绝可能引发与其关联的非垫状植物的二次灭绝，尤其当具有高度中心性(即具有更高网络连通性)垫状物种被移除时，非垫状植物呈现更快的二次灭绝速率。上述研究结果揭示了垫状植物通过增强网络复杂性和稳定性，对植物多样性的维持起到了关键的支撑作用。鉴于高山生态系统对环境干扰的敏感性，本研究强调必须优先保护垫状植物多样性。未来的保护策略应采取整体性原则和方法，不仅要保护单个垫状物种，更需要关注由不同垫状植物所构建和维持的微群落系统。

关键词: 高山生态系统, 气候变化, 垫状植物, 植物共现网络, 植物多样性, 物种灭绝

Meng-Qiu Niu, Mei-Hong Huang, Peng-Fei Yang, Quan-Sheng Fu, Jie Lin, Junyi Chen, Tao Zhang, Zhi-Min Li, Zhou-Yu Liao, Hang Sun, Jian-Guo Chen. Multiple cushion plants enhance alpine plant diversity through sustaining plant-plant co-occurrence networks[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf116.

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