Different range shifts and determinations of elevational redistributions of native and non-native plant species in Jinfo Mountain of subtropical China

Abstract

Species are changing their elevational distributions in response to climate change, leading to biodiversity loss and changes in community structure. Yet whether native and non-native species have consistent elevational shifts remains to be evaluated. Subtropical mountains are rich in biodiversity, sensitive to climate change, and are experiencing high risks of biological invasion. Hence exploring the changes in species elevational distributions induced by climate change in subtropical mountains is an urgent need. Here, we explored the impact of climate change on the elevational distribution of seed plant species in Jinfo Mountain (Mt. Jinfo), a subtropical mountain in China with rich plant diversity. Notably, we compared the elevational redistributions of native and non-native plants in response to climate change. The results showed that the elevational centroids of native plant species moved downhill, while those of non-native plants shifted upward on average. The upper limit of native plants shifted downward, while the upper limit of non-native plants shifted upward on average. The elevational shifts of non-native plants were dominated by changes in the upper range limits, while those of native plants were affected by the lower limits. These opposite elevational shifts of native vs non-native species led to the increase in the elevational range size of the non-native plants, but decrease in the elevational range size of native plants, especially in high altitudes. The differences in the directions and magnitudes of elevational shifts between the native and non-native plants are mainly due to differences in their climate adaptation. Changes in temperature and precipitation influenced the elevational range shifts of native plants but not of non-native ones. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the elevational redistribution of native and non-native plant species in subtropical mountains, and suggests that climate change has stronger influence on native than non-native species.