The Impact of Modern Species Coexistence Patterns on the Stability of Alpine Meadow Ecosystems across Varying Aspects and Slopes

Context. Modern species coexistence patterns are known to affect the stability of plant communities; however, the ways in which these patterns influence community stability across different slope aspects and slopes remain unclear. Objectives. We assess the average fitness difference (AFD) and niche difference (ND) within the of modern species coexistence framework, focusing on how these patterns influence community primary productivity stability (PS) and species stability (SS). Methods. We conduct community surveys at different slopes in Maqin County, Qinghai Province, China, in different slope directions. The AFD and ND are measured by community characteristics and lineage diversity, and the stability of communities is evaluated by spatial differences. Results. There was no significant variation in AFD across different slope aspects; however, ND significantly differed, with the northern and western slopes having the highest and lowest values, respectively. PS did not significantly differ across slope aspects; nevertheless, SS significantly differed, with the western and northern slopes having the highest values and the eastern slopes having the lowest. No significant differences were found in species coexistence patterns or community stability across slope gradients. Variance partitioning analysis indicated that only western slope ND contributed to the regulation of community stability (PS and SS). Conclusions. Overall, the slope aspect of alpine meadows influenced the ND in species coexistence patterns, and ND exhibited aspect-dependent regulation of community stability. These findings provide scientific evidence informing the conservation of species diversity and sustainability in alpine meadow ecosystems across various terrains.