Patterns and determinants of plant richness by elevation in a mountain ecosystem in South Korea: area, mid-domain effect, climate and productivity

Abstract

We examined patterns of plant species richness on an elevation gradient and evaluated the effects of climatic variables including mean annual temperature and precipitation, area, the mid-domain effect and productivity on species richness along two transects on Mt. Seorak, South Korea. A total of 235 plant species of 72 families and 161 genera were recorded from 130 plots along the two transects. Two different patterns, monotonic decline and a unimodal shape, were observed for woody plants with the change in elevation along the two transects, whereas multimodal patterns were observed for all plant species considered together and for herbaceous plants. Area and productivity showed significant relationships with total plant richness. Climatic variables were better predictors than other variables for variation by elevation in woody plant richness, whereas productivity was a more important variable for herbaceous plant richness. Although area was an important variable for predicting species richness patterns, the effects differed by transect and plant group. No empirical evidence was linked to the mid-domain effect. Different elevational patterns may characterize different groups in the same taxon and there might be fundamental differences in the mechanisms underlying these richness patterns.