Elevational species richness patterns for vascular plants on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo

Abstract Aim We quantify the elevational patterns of species richness for all vascular plants and some functional and taxonomic groups on a regional scale on a tropical mountain and discuss some possible causes for the observed patterns. Location Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo. Methods A data base containing elevational information on more than 28,000 specimens was analysed for vascular plant distribution, taking into account sampling effort. The total species richness pattern was estimated per 300‐m elevational interval by rarefaction analyses. The same methods were also applied to quantify species richness patterns of trees, epiphytes, and ferns. Results Total species richness has a humped relationship with elevation, and a maximum species richness in the interval between 900 and 1200 m. For ferns and epiphytes the maximum species richness is found at slightly higher elevations, whereas tree species did not have a statistically significant peak in richness above the lowest interval analysed. Main conclusions For the first time a rigorous estimate of an elevational pattern in species richness of the whole vascular plant flora of a tropical mountain has been quantified. The pattern observed depends on the group studied. We discuss the differences between the groups and compare the results with previous studies of elevational patterns of species richness from other tropical areas. We also discuss the methods used to quantify the richness pattern and conclude that rarefaction gives an appropriate estimate of the species richness pattern.