# Plant Diversity and Seasonal Variation Drive Animal Diversity and Community Structure in Eastern China

## TL;DR

This study shows that plant diversity and seasonal changes significantly influence bird and mammal diversity and community structure in eastern China's montane forests.

## Contribution

The study reveals that plant diversity and seasonal variation affect animal diversity across taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions in subtropical montane regions.

## Key findings

- Plant diversity is positively correlated with bird and mammal diversity at multiple ecological and phylogenetic levels.
- Seasonal variation significantly affects the diversity and altitudinal migration of birds and mammals.
- Mammals show greater sensitivity to plant diversity than birds, with distinct community structure responses across seasons.

## Abstract

Elucidating the patterns and processes of montane wildlife diversity is vital for biodiversity conservation, yet in recent decades, widespread plantations of economic forests and tourism development have increasingly threatened their habitats with degradation and destruction. Human activities such as deforestation and illegal hunting further accelerate the loss of wildlife diversity in these regions. Using long-term monitoring data obtained by infrared-triggered cameras, this study examined the relationships between the diversity and community structure of plants, terrestrial birds, and mammals in the subtropical region of eastern China. It also investigated differences in animal diversity and altitudinal migration under different seasonal variations. Our findings showed that habitat plant diversity was correlated with bird and mammal diversity at both taxonomic and phylogenetic levels. Seasonal variation significantly influenced the diversity of birds and mammals across taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic dimensions. Mammals showed greater sensitivity to plant diversity than birds. These results underscore the importance of adopting multidimensional approaches to understand the complex relationships among habitat vegetation, animal community diversity, and seasonal dynamics, providing new perspectives for future wildlife conservation in the montane region.

Montane forests, characterized by complex terrain and diverse climates, serve as critical global biodiversity hotspots, particularly for birds and mammals. However, the patterns and underlying processes of bird and mammal diversity remain insufficiently studied in the montane forests of eastern China. This study employed infrared-triggered camera trapping to conduct a four-year field monitoring of birds and mammals, analyzing the effects of plant diversity and seasonal variations on the diversity of habitat-associated animals. Our results revealed that species-level habitat visit frequency in ground-dwelling birds exhibited a significant phylogenetic signal, particularly in spring and summer. Plant diversity metrics demonstrated significant positive correlations with corresponding bird metrics of species richness (SR), phylogenetic diversity (PD), and the standardized effect size of PD (Phylo SES PD). In contrast, for mammals, plant diversity metrics were significantly positively correlated with corresponding SR, mean pairwise phylogenetic distance (Phylo MPD), and mean nearest phylogenetic taxon distance (Phylo MNTD), as well as community structure metrics, including the net relatedness index (Phylo NRI) and nearest taxon index (Phylo NTI). Furthermore, the plant Shannon–Wiener index showed significant positive correlations with both bird and mammal metrics of SR, PD, and Phylo SES PD but significant negative correlations with Phylo MNTD. Seasonal variations triggered the mean altitudinal migration in ground-dwelling birds and mammals. There were significant differences in the diversity and community structure metrics of birds (Shannon–Wiener, Funct FNND, and PD) and mammals (Shannon–Wiener, Funct MPD, Funct FNND, PD, Phylo MPD, Phylo MNTD, and Phylo SES PD), which varied across different seasons. These findings emphasize that plant diversity and seasonal changes are closely related to the diversity and community structure of birds and mammals. They provide theoretical support for the role of habitat vegetation and seasonal dynamics in maintaining the stability and functioning of montane animal ecosystems, offering important insights for addressing habitat fragmentation and species migratory behavior.