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Data from: The interplay of traits, phylogeny, and abundance shapes spatial mammal diversity patterns

Zin Than, Kay1; Hughes, Alice2; Wang, Lin1; Zaw, Zaw1; Quan, Rui-Chang1

Published Nov 10, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ghx3ffc0n

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Nov 10, 2025 version files 14.77 MB

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Abstract

Terrestrial mammal communities are crucial indicators of the health and sustainability of tropical ecosystems. Consequently, understanding the mechanisms of community assembly and the population dynamics that determine the structure and composition of these communities across spatial and temporal scales is crucial, yet these factors are often overlooked when identifying conservation hotspots. This study aims to evaluate the relative importance of environmental filtering processes in shaping mammal communities at different spatial scales and understand how these processes are influenced by species traits, phylogenetic relationships, and abundances. Ultimately, high mammal diversity areas reflecting underlying assembly mechanisms are identified as conservation hotspots. We analyzed the occurrence data of 44 terrestrial mammal species, collected over six years from 936 camera trap stations in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, including Upper Myanmar and Xishuangbanna, China, using community hierarchical models. Climate and habitat factors predominantly drive species richness, while traits and phylogenetic relatedness together shape distinct community patterns. Large-bodied mammals with omnivorous guilds prefer stable temperature niches, while reduced precipitation tends to filter communities with wide-ranging mammals. Anthropogenic disturbances and reduced forest cover alter community structures, diminishing the prevalence of carnivorous traits. Phylogenetically clustered niches were observed in the Cervidae and Felidae families, likely driven by shared evolutionary adaptations for temperature tolerance in ungulates and disturbance tolerance in carnivores. Mammal diversity hotspots reflecting distribution and abundance patterns highlight the northwest and southeast ranges of Myanmar as key areas for fostering ecological connectivity with the Far Eastern Himalaya and Dawna-Tanintharyi landscapes. Ultimately, this study presents a novel framework for improving climate- and habitat-based biodiversity models by integrating trait- and phylogeny-driven assembly patterns, while also accounting for population abundances in suitable habitats to define ecologically representative and effective conservation areas.