Landscape heterogeneity drives spatial distribution of palm community in a Neotropical rainforest reserve affected by defaunation

Background: Our study presents the first assessment of relationships between environmental heterogeneity and palm community at landscape scale northern boundary tropical rainforest distribution in America.
 Question: How does landscape-level (edaphic, topographic as well density, diversity, tree biomass) shapes a protected reserve affected by defaunation?
 Study site date: The was carried out Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station, Veracruz, Mexico (2020).
 Methods: We delineated units (LUs) based on soil geomorphology to characterize biophysical mosaic. built rank-abundance curves compare richness their abundance among LUs. Permutational multivariate analysis variance (PERMANOVA) nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) were applied detect shifts across LUs.
 Results: Integrating abiotic biotic components delimiting LUs allowed us evaluate multifactorial effect community. density composition palms changed significantly LUs, influenced coarse fragments, elevation, slope inclination, annual precipitation. Tree had significant only when analyzed combination with soil-topography variables.
 Conclusions: results reveal that there is high edaphic influences species scale. approach allows capturing novel variation explain patterns coexistence highly diverse communities.