Deciphering the patterns and drivers of tardigrade diversity along altitudinal gradients
Rattachement africain : pl, it. Niveau de preuve : code pays fourni par la source.
Le résumé fourni par la source
Altitudinal gradients offer a unique opportunity to understand the drivers of species richness, as mountain regions cover vast areas and contribute disproportionately to global terrestrial biodiversity. However, most studies have focused on larger organisms, often neglecting microscopic animals such as meiofauna also in mountain biodiversity research. In this study, we investigated patterns of tardigrade diversity and distribution in the Western Alps (Northern Italy) by compiling an extensive inventory of taxa inhabiting bryophytes. We analyzed 546 bryophyte samples collected across a broad altitudinal gradient and used DNA metabarcoding to characterize tardigrade communities. For each taxon, we gathered functional trait data to assess how species characteristics influence distribution. We then evaluated the effects of macroenvironmental variables (altitude, vegetation type, slope exposition) and microhabitat-level traits (bryophyte biological and structural features) using spatially explicit statistical modeling. We found that species richness decreased with altitude, whereas standardized phylogenetic and functional diversity increased, indicating higher redundancy at lower elevations. Community composition was not driven by specific bryophyte species but rather by general bryophyte functional traits. Our results reveal that tardigrade communities in bryophyte microhabitats are highly heterogeneous, with strong species turnover and prevalent phylogenetic and functional underdispersion. Despite the influence of stochastic processes in shaping their distributions, we show that macroenvironmental variables such as altitude and geographic location drive species turnover, while microhabitat traits govern trait-based community structure. These findings suggest that macroenvironmental gradients shape species distributions, whereas trait-based environmental filtering operates primarily at the microhabitat scale.
Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.
Le contrôle bibliographique ouvert
DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- Deciphering the patterns and drivers of tardigrade diversity along altitudinal gradients
- Date Crossref
- 15/12/2025
- Éditeur
- California Digital Library (CDL)
- Type
- posted-content
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Institute of Ecosystem Study pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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University of Agriculture in Krakow pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Water Research Institute (CNR-IRSA) National Research Council of Italy pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
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Faculty of Forestry Department of Forest Biodiversity pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Pieniny National Park pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Institute of Ecosystem Study et Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, avec 5 autres affiliations.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.