Environmental Filters Structure Cushion Bogs' Floristic Composition along the Southern South American Latitudinal Gradient.

Abstract

The environmental filtering hypothesis predicts that abiotic factors restrict communities by selecting species capable of survival and persistence under specific conditions, resulting in variations in beta diversity, phylogenetic clustering, and niche differentiation among communities when studying environmental gradients. Cushion bogs and high-altitude wetlands along the Andes display homogeneous flora contrasting with zonal vegetation. Despite being influenced by microclimatic conditions, these ecosystems are subject to diverse environmental effects. Here, we test the environmental filtering hypothesis on the structure of cushion bog communities along a broad-scale latitudinal gradient from 15° S to 42° S. We analyzed 421 bogs and 293 species across three macroclimatic regions with distinct summer, winter, and transitional arid rainfall regimes. Using variance partitioning and membership-based regionalization models, we examined the impacts of climatic, edaphic, and spatial variables on beta diversity. We also assessed species' niche overlap and the influence of environmental filters on the communities' phylogenetic diversity. Results show that species turnover and niche overlap vary with macroclimatic differences, delineating three distinct regions. Notably, phylogenetic clustering in the driest part of the gradient (23° S-24° S) highlights the impact of environmental filtering. Aridity and temperature variations at a broad scale serve as environmental filters shaping the composition of bog communities across southern South America.