Empirical Evaluation of the Elevational Rapoport’s Rule: The Species
Richness Patterns for Vascular Plants on Seorak Mountain, Korea
Abstract
Research on species abundance patterns and the advanced elevational
Rapoport rule (ERR) has been widespread in recent years; however, for
the temperate mountainous regions in northeast Asia, such research is
lacking. Here, we collected plant species from the Seorak Mountain in
northeast Asia through field surveys. The species were divided into 11
groups according to the life-form types and phytogeography affinities of
each species. The ERR was tested using Steven’s method and by examining
the species abundance patterns of each group. The species abundance
patterns revealed a positive multimodal pattern along the elevation
gradient, but phytogeography affinities (increasing trend) and life-form
(unimodal) exhibited different patterns. The elevation gradients (1350 m
for the mean elevation-range relationships), which are affected by the
boundary effect and different life-forms, did not consistently support
the ERR. However, herbs as well as rare, endemic, and red list species
showed consistent support for the ERR, which can be influenced by
phytogeography affinities. Thus, the results from Seorak Mountain showed
that the ERR was not consistent for different plant life-forms in the
same area. The result of our field survey revealed that life-forms in
the plant species did not support ERR, whereas phytogeography affinities
could support and explain ERR.