Figure 6: To visualize a third axis on Whittaker’s theory of ecosystem organization we generated a predictive three-dimensional surface model based on temperature, precipitation, and maximum canopy height using data from forested NEON sites across North America (A). The data from the three-dimensional surface was used to predict B) species richness, C) functional redundancy, and D) functional richness for each of Whittaker’s overlapping forest biomes along precipitation and temperature gradients. For the model predictions we held all other covariates at their mean, allowing only temperature, precipitation, and maximum canopy height to vary.
Supporting Information
Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information Section at the end of the article.