What question did this study set out to answer?

To test the validity of the abundance-centre hypothesis and evaluate whether physiological indicators of nutritional status—blood glucose and body mass—predict avian abundance along an elevational gradient.

July 1, 2026Journal of Avian BiologyOpen Access

The abundance‐centre hypothesis re‐examined: body mass, blood glucose, and elevational distributions in Afrotropical forest birds

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Authors

RPRiccardo PerniceCharles University TATomáš AlbrechtCharles University OTOldřich TomášekCharles University

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Implication

Observational study reveals monotonic elevational distributions unrelated to glucose or body mass in Afrotropical birds, suggesting truncated realized niches rather than abundance-centre dynamics.

Key Points

To test the validity of the abundance-centre hypothesis and evaluate whether physiological indicators of nutritional status—blood glucose and body mass—predict avian abundance along an elevational gradient.
Sampled free-living avian species in primary forest along an elevational gradient on Mt Cameroon, West-Central Africa.
Measured abundance across 51 species, blood glucose concentrations across 15 species, and body mass across 29 species.
Evaluated abundance trends using single-species logistic models and tested physiological associations using Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models.
Species distributions generally followed monotonic patterns: high-elevation birds peaked in abundance near the treeline, whereas lowland birds peaked near the lower forest boundary.
Bayesian phylogenetic multilevel models demonstrated that neither blood glucose concentration nor body mass served as strong predictors of species abundance across the gradient.

Cite This Study

Pernice et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7605f3fd97cd3fd98c5113 https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03612

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Implication

Observational study reveals monotonic elevational distributions unrelated to glucose or body mass in Afrotropical birds, suggesting truncated realized niches rather than abundance-centre dynamics.

The abundance‐centre hypothesis re‐examined: body mass, blood glucose, and elevational distributions in Afrotropical forest birds

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

The abundance‐centre hypothesis re‐examined: body mass, blood glucose, and elevational distributions in Afrotropical forest birds

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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