Rock climbing affects cliff-plant communities by reducing species diversity and altering species coexistence patterns

Abstract Cliffs are unique ecosystems with an outstanding but relatively unknown plant diversity, harboring rare, endemic and threatened species, also rock-specialist or generalist species that can become locally common dominant on cliffs. The rising popularity of climbing represents increasing threat to cliff biota, affecting community composition potentially diminishing diversity associations. We used a novel sampling design closely-paired climbed versus unclimbed points along the cliff-face. sampled routes different intensities in El Potrero Chico (Nuevo León, Mexico), identifying analyzing associations plots. Diversity cliffs was high, even greater than other regional ecosystems. found reduced abundance, cover, plots, irrespective intensity. Dominant were most negatively affected by rock terms some rare including endemics endangered entirely absent from Co-occurrence analysis showed number between pairs greatly positive existed plots not which may contribute disappearance species. Finally, NMDS revealed changed significantly due climbing. Our results indicate conservation science should convince stakeholders need for holistic focus solely emblematic since dynamics preservation depend interactions