Unveiling anthropogenic disturbance effects on tropical tree communities: clade-based insights across elevations

Abstract

Community assemblies in tropical forests are influenced by both environmental filtering and anthropogenic disturbance processes, posing significant challenges in ecological research. To disentangle these complex effects, we applied species-level and phylogenetic approaches to a dataset of 14,500 tree individuals from 310 species across eight communities in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, including both undisturbed and selectively logged plots along an elevational gradient. Using rarefaction and ordination analyses, and node-based assessments of species distributions—with and without tree ferns—we investigated how selective logging influences community assembly across elevations and whether its effects vary among evolutionary lineages. Selective logging had a stronger impact on tree communities at lower elevations, suggesting that their species assembly and phylogenetic structure are more susceptible to the same anthropogenic disturbance in montane communities. Regarding clade-based perspective, Cyatheaceae and Magnoliids were over-represented in montane forests and Fabidae and Myrtaceae in submontane forests, yet disturbance markedly reduced Fabidae in submontane areas, decreased Magnoliids in both forest types, and led to a significant decline of Myrtaceae in disturbed montane forests. In general, we underscore that species clades varied in their responses to environmental and anthropogenic filters, highlighting the necessity for clade-specific analyses to enhance our understanding of community assembly processes and improve conservation strategies. By recognizing the differential responses of tree species clades, conservation efforts can be better tailored to address the unique challenges faced by different species and clades. This approach can contribute to more effective and sustainable management of tropical forest ecosystems in the face of ongoing environmental and anthropogenic changes.