Objective Understanding the similarities and differences in the spatial patterns and hotspot distributions of plant taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity is essential for elucidating how historical and contemporary environmental processes jointly shape plant community distributions, thereby providing a scientific foundation for developing integrated conservation strategies.
Method Taking the Bawangling Nature Reserve as the study area, environmental variables including climate factors, soil, topography, and anthropogenic disturbance were integrated with survey data from 192 plant community plots (20 m × 20 m). Boosted regression tree and geographically weighted regression models were employed to analyze the drivers, spatial patterns, and interrelationships of plant diversity across taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions. Based on these diversity patterns, hotspots for each dimension were identified using the top 30% threshold, and the degree of spatial overlap among dimensions was quantified.
Result (1) Climate and anthropogenic disturbance factors were the dominant drivers shaping biodiversity spatial patterns, whereas soil and topography had comparatively weaker effects. (2) Functional and taxonomic diversity exhibited a consistent “high-west, low-east” spatial gradient and were strongly correlated. In contrast, phylogenetic diversity was elevated primarily in the southern Futouling region, showing only localized spatial correlation with functional diversity and a significant association with species richness confined to Futouling. (3) Hotspot patterns differed markedly among dimensions: areas jointly identified as hotspots by all three dimensions were fragmented and concentrated mainly in the YajiaDaling–Futouling region, accounting for 5.7% of the nature reserve. Hotspots shared by two dimensions were located primarily in the central-western region (22.4%), whereas single-dimension hotspots were concentrated in the eastern region (28.1%).
Conclusion The YajiaDaling–Futuoling region within the Bawangling Nature Reserve should be designated as the highest-priority conservation area. The central and western regions should be identified as second-priority conservation zones, and the eastern region as the third-priority conservation zone. The distinct spatial patterns across the three diversity dimensions highlight that single-dimensional indicators cannot fully capture biodiversity complexity. Future conservation planning should integrate multidimensional information to optimize protection efforts and resource allocation.
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