Climate-land-use interactions shape tropical mountain biodiversity and ecosystem functions

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Tropical mountain ecosystems are undergoing significant transformations due to agriculture and resource exploitation.
• The impacts of these land-use changes on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning remain largely unknown.
• Elevational gradients in tropical mountains create unique climatic conditions that influence land-use effects differently than in non-mountainous regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the combined effects of climate and land use on biodiversity and ecosystem functions in tropical mountain ecosystems.
• To understand how elevational gradients and climate modulate the consequences of land-use change.
• To determine the drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning changes on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of interacting effects of climate (temperature, precipitation) and land use intensity on species richness and composition.
• Assessment of impacts on various ecosystem functions, including soil properties, nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions, and biomass.
• Quantification of the relative contributions of single drivers versus interacting factors on observed variations.

Main Results:

• Increasing land-use intensity leads to greater species richness loss in arid lowlands compared to humid submontane and montane zones.
• Land-use intensity significantly alters plant, animal, and microorganism community composition, with stronger effects in arid and humid zones, respectively.
• Climate and land use jointly influence soil properties, nutrient turnover, greenhouse gas emissions, plant biomass, productivity, and animal interactions.

Conclusions:

• The interplay between climate and land use is a critical determinant of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical mountains.
• Ecosystems in climatically challenging environments exhibit lower resistance to land-use changes.
• Understanding these interactions is crucial for predicting the consequences of global change for mountain ecosystems and informing conservation strategies.