The contribution of the spatial hydrological niche to species diversity in rare plant communities of English floodplain meadows

Abstract The hydrological niche is one of the few below ground spatial environmental niches, which has been shown to structure English floodplain meadows and other European African herbaceous ecosystems. However, both relative contribution heterogeneity across scales forms individual species’ responses remain largely unknown. Here, we use a survey database 2440 evaluation units sampled in 15 dissect architecture this metacommunity describe relationship between abundance species heterogeneity. Of tested species, 65% responded heterogeneity, with monotonic hump-shaped responses. We found that between-site beta-diversity much stronger than within-site beta-diversity, scale variation explaining twice as community scale. This leads conclusion conservation strategy rare plant communities should include not only preservation diversity local regimes, but also, specially, inclusion system many environmentally varied possible.