Tropical high Andean drylands: species diversity and its environmental determinants in the Central Andes

Abstract

Diversity determinants have mostly been evaluated in high diversity areas, leaving behind regions with less species diversity such as drylands. Here we aim to analyze the patterns of plant diversity in tropical drylands in the southern Central Andes, and determine the importance of water, energy, and environmental heterogeneity as diversity determinants of the arid and semi-arid adapted flora. We examined the distribution of 645 native species from lowlands to 6000 m.a.s.l. in the north-western region of Argentina (NWA) and define hotspots of diversity within each NWA ecoregion. Diversity is concentrated in regions of middle elevation with intermediate values of water and energy, at the transition between arid and semi-arid regions. Furthermore, we showed that in tropical drylands energy input is as fundamental for plant diversity as water input is and, we found that the effects of these variables varied with elevation and, also with aridity. Water variables had the strongest effect on the flora in the arid high Andean ecoregions, where an increase in precipitation during the growing season stimulated species diversity. Energy only became more important than water when the arid adapted flora entered the low and semi-arid regions where energy increments reduce species diversity. Our analysis provides strong quantitative support for climate variables as the main determinants of plant diversity across different ecoregions of the southern Central Andes. Given the present climate change events, knowing how these variables affect the distribution of the arid adapted flora is crucial for planning strategies for achieve their present and future conservation.