Data from: Niche packing, but not niche expansion, explains the co-occurrence of hummingbirds-visited plants
Data files
Dec 30, 2024 version files 25.07 KB
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niche_packing_occ.csv
11.54 KB
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niche_packing_sites.csv
833 B
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niche_packing_traits.csv
11.35 KB
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README.md
1.36 KB
Abstract
Tropical mountains often harbour high species richness. Yet the mechanisms behind such high richness remain poorly understood. One prominent hypothesis for high species richness is niche partitioning, which reduces competition and promotes coexistence. Here, we evaluate niche structure and specialisation of plant species based on the floral traits related to pollination interactions across an elevational gradient in the northern Andes. Niche structure can vary among sites, either expanding or contracting, or becoming more or less packed. We sampled eleven communities of hummingbird-visited plants along an elevation gradient in the Ecuadorian Andes and measured a series of functional traits associated with hummingbird pollination. We used the traits of all co-occurring species to calculate community weighted means, functional richness, and mean nearest neighbour distances and evaluated how they varied across elevation. Additionally, we measured specialisation based on plant-hummingbird interaction records to assess if packing is associated with narrower resource use or greater niche overlap. Species and functional richness were constant along the elevation gradient; however, niche packing was stronger at mid-elevation. We found changes in network specialisation, where the least specialised communities were those with higher niche packing. These results suggest that traits related to pollination and plant reproduction help to explain species co-occurrence and specialisation.
README: Niche packing, but not niche expansion, explains the co-occurrence of hummingbirds-visited plants
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tdz08kq89
Description of the data and file structure
Files and variables
File: niche_packing_occ.csv
Description: floral abundance per site
Variables
File: niche_packing_sites.csv
Description: geospatial information of each locality
Variables
- site
- longitude
- latitude
- elevation (m or ft)
File: niche_packing_traits.csv
Description: trait means for each plant species
Variables
- FlowerSymmetry: binary variable (0 - non actinomorphic; 1 - actinomorphic)
- FlowerType: binary variable (0 - non pendular flowers; 1 - pendular flowers)
- AntherDehiscence: binary variable (0 - non poricidal, 1 -with poricidal anthers)
- Tubelength: continuous (length of floral tube measured in cm)
- StamenLength: continuous (length of stamen measured in cm)
- StyleLength: continuous (length of style measured in cm)
- CurvatureCentral: continuous (ratio of 1: radius in cm of te circle fits in the flower)
- Opening_corolla: continuous (smaller corolla diameter in cm)
Access information
Data was derived from the following sources: