Differential influences of island biogeographic effects on the diversity among three plant life-forms

作者：Saiqiang Li, Qinqin Pan, Xiaodong Yang, Yongchao Gao, Mingshan Xu · 发表于：Global Ecology and Conservation · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03499 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Plant Ecology and Soil Science、Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Traditional island biogeography posits that area and remoteness are key determinants of species richness. However, this theory is challenged by recent changes in species dispersal patterns caused by human activity and climate change. These emerging factors may affect the species richness of different plant life forms in distinct ways. While most studies focus on overall species richness, few have explored these factors separately influence trees, shrubs, and herbs. This study hypothesizes that the impacts of island area, remoteness, climate, and human activities vary across plant life-forms. By examining the species richness of three plant life-forms across 30 uninhabited islands on China's eastern continental shelf, we provide new insights into island biodiversity. We employed various statistical models and PLS-PM to interpret the mechanisms that maintain the richness of different plant life-forms. We found that species richness of total plants, trees, shrubs, and herbs showed a strong positive correlation with island area (0.36 ≤ R² ≤ 0.51, p < 0.01), while remoteness negatively affected total, tree, and shrub richness (0.15 ≤ R² ≤ 0.22, p < 0.05) but not herbs. Invasive plant richness increased with land use intensity and habitat heterogeneity (R² = 0.29, 0.47; p < 0.01). The PLS-PM showed that island biogeographic effects, climate, and human activities influence plant richness differently among the three plant life-forms. The area is a major determinant for shrub and herb...