Effects of forest-use intensity on vascular epiphyte diversity along an elevational gradient

Aim: Understanding patterns of tropical plant diversity and their vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance at different spatial scales remains a great challenge in ecology and conservation. Here, we study how the effects of forest-use intensity on vascular epiphyte diversity vary along a tropical elevational gradient. Location: 3500-m elevational gradient along the eastern slopes of Cofre de Perote, Mexico.
Methods: We studied the effects of forest-use intensity on alpha, beta, and gamma diversity of vascular epiphyte assemblages in old-growth, degraded, and secondary forests at eight study sites at 500 m intervals along the elevational gradient. At each elevation and in each of the three forest-use intensity levels, we established five 400 m² plots yielding a total of 120 plots. Results: Interactive effects of elevation and forest-use intensity strongly impacted local-scale patterns of vascular epiphyte diversity. We found a bimodal trend, with species diversity peaking at 500 and 1...