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Data from: Climatic drivers prevail in montane and lowland Odonata latitudinal diversity gradients, but human modification erodes lowland patterns

Liu, Zhenyuan12; Han, Bo-Ping1; Zhang, Haomiao3; Martín-Devasa, Ramiro2; Svenning, Jens-Christian4; Soininen, Janne2

Published Apr 21, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsc2s

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Apr 21, 2026 version files 3.03 MB

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Abstract

Latitudinal diversity gradients (LDGs) reflect the interplay of historical, ecological, and evolutionary processes, but these drivers may vary across landforms. Mountains, with steep elevational and climatic gradients, may sustain different diversity dynamics than adjacent lowlands, where human activities are often more intense. Using distributional and phylogenetic data for 732 Odonata species across eastern China, we compared taxonomic and phylogenetic LDGs between mountains and lowlands and identified their environmental determinants. Phylogenetic diversity was quantified using two complementary metrics: mean pairwise distance (MPD), capturing basal-level phylogenetic divergence, and mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD), reflecting tip-level divergence. Odonata species richness and phylogenetic diversity both declined significantly with latitude in mountains and lowlands. The magnitude of these gradients was similar for species richness and tip phylogenetic diversity, but basal phylogenetic diversity declined more steeply in mountains, suggesting stronger constraints on ancient Odonata lineages in montane environments. Random forest analysis revealed that mean annual temperature is the consistent key driver of LDGs in mountains and lowlands, whereas historical climate change had little effect on either. Moreover, temperature seasonality plays a particularly important role in shaping mountain LDGs, while human modification exerts a disproportionate negative effect in lowlands, especially reducing basal phylogenetic diversity. Our results show that Odonata display both taxonomic and phylogenetic LDGs, which are largely similar in mountains and lowlands of eastern China, yet the key factors driving these patterns vary. Montane LDGs primarily reflects temperature seasonality, while lowland LDGs are increasingly shaped by human disturbance superimposed on climatic gradients. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering landform context when interpreting broad-scale biodiversity patterns, and they emphasize the dual conservation challenge of safeguarding climate-sensitive montane lineages while mitigating the erosion of evolutionary heritage in heavily modified lowland ecosystems.