Blog Post 7

My field study aims to explore how elevation influences the composition and distribution of plant species. The theoretical basis of my study is grounded in altitudinal zonation, where distinct layers of vegetation types are found at different elevation levels, often due to variations in abiotic and biotic factors. Changes in abiotic factors can include soil moisture and pH, light availability, and temperature. Although I did not explicitly look at abiotic factors in my study, previous studies have found similar patterns to the one I did which I can use to suggest why species composition and diversity changes. Biotic factors such as competition and facilitation also play an important role, as these processes can influence species evenness, species richness and diversity at different elevations. These factors also tie into species turnover, which is defined as the rate of change in species composition along an environmental gradient. I can use the species I’ve identified at each elevation to better understand their ecological requirements and preferred habitats, which will help me to predict the types of factors present at each elevation. My study also ties into the relationship between biodiversity and elevation, and what trend it tends to follow (unimodal, bimodal, monotonic). Keywords I would use for my study are “Elevational gradient,” “Plant diversity,” and “Species distribution.”