Elevational range size of the breeding bird assemblages and its relationships with richness in the Eastern Himalayas

Abstract

Species range size reflects the underlying niche of species and directly affects the spatial pattern of species richness. However, the exploration of community mean range size has received relatively limited attention compared to the emphasis on species richness patterns. Additionally, few studies have tested how the rescue effect (the proximity of the distribution limits of potentially interacting species) relates to species richness. In this study, we used a two-year dataset of breeding birds along an elevational gradient in the Lebu Valley, Eastern Himalayas of China, aiming to explore (a) the association between the mean elevational range size of bird community and elevation, using three different ways to calculate the mean elevational range size (Stevens' method, midpoint method and specimen method), (b) examine the influence of drivers (including temperature seasonality, precipitation seasonality, net primary productivity, habitat diversity, geometric constraint, and interspecific competition) on the mean elevational range size pattern, and (c) investigate the effect of rescue effect on species richness pattern. Our results showed that the pattern of mean elevational range size and its underlying drivers vary significantly depending on the assessment method used. Using Stevens' method, which were calculated based on species occurrences, we observed a low-plateau pattern in mean elevational range size. In contrast, the midpoint and specimen methods, which calculate based on the species' distributing midpoint and abundance center, respectively, revealed a mid-peak pattern. Besides, our study supports several ecological hypotheses, including the ambient energy hypothesis, mid-domain hypothesis, and interspecific competition hypothesis. Furthermore, we found that geometric constraints and interspecific competition were the most influential predictors of mean elevational range size patterns, irrespective of the calculation method. Additionally, a significantly positive correlation was observed between the overlap of range margins and species richness, suggesting a contribution of the rescue effect to species richness patterns. The significance of the correlation is associated with the definition of species range size boundaries. Remarkably, this correlation becomes significant only when species range margins reach their 43 % threshold; beyond the 78 % range margin, the increase in correlation strength becomes minimal. Moreover, the rescue effect from low-elevation species was significantly more pronounced than that from high-elevation species, resulting in a species richness hump skewed towards lower elevations. Our findings contribute to validating the applicability and limitations of hypotheses related to species distribution, enhancing both theoretical and empirical aspects of research. This provides deeper insights for a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the local dynamics and interactions within the ecosystem.

Keywords

• Birds
• Elevational range size
• Himalayas
• Rescue effect
• Species richness