Disturbance Sensitivity Shapes Patterns of Tree Species Distribution in Afrotropical Lowland Rainforests More Than Climate or Soil

Abstract

Understanding how tropical forests respond to changes in the abiotic environment and human disturbance is critical for preserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and maintaining ecosystem services in the coming century. To evaluate the relative roles of the abiotic environment and disturbance on Afrotropical forest community composition we employ tree inventory data, remotely sensed historic climatic data, and soil nutrient data collected from 30 1-ha plots distributed across a large-scale observational experiment in previously logged, hunted, and pristine forests in northern Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). We show that Afrotropical plant communities are more sensitive to human disturbance than to climate, with particular sensitivities to hunting and distance to village (a proxy for other human activities, including tree-cutting, gathering, etc.). This study serves as an important counterpoint to work done in the Neotropics by providing contrasting predictions for Afrotropical forests with substantially different ecological, evolutionary, and anthropogenic histories.