Terrestrial mammal communities are key indicators of the health and sustainability of tropical ecosystems. However, few studies have investigated the role of shared species responses in shaping community assembly, especially for identifying conservation hotspots. 

In a study published in Global Ecology and Biogeography, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed that shared evolutionary history and functional traits are key drivers of community assembly in tropical ecosystems, and they developed a framework to support conservation planning in the face of habitat loss and climate change.

Researchers conducted an over six years (2015–2021) study in Upper Myanmar and Xishuangbanna, China, using an extensive network of 936 camera traps. They analyzed the data across spatial and temporal scales through a robust, nested sampling design and community hierarchical models.

The results showed that climate and habitat factors were the primary drivers of species richness in an area, but the specific composition of these communities was jointly shaped by their functional traits and how closely related they are on the evolutionary tree.

Stable temperature and precipitation patterns were key factors influencing mammal communities. Anthropogenic disturbances and forest cover loss altered community structure, significantly reducing the prevalence of carnivorous traits. Large-bodied omnivores showed a preference for stable temperature niches, while sympatric carnivores were more strongly associated with intact forest cover and minimal human disturbance.

Moreover, researchers mapped diversity hotspots, and identified forests of northwestern Myanmar and the transboundary region between Myanmar and China as critical areas for conservation. They found that the diversity at each site varied seasonally, showing that environmental filtering structures mammal communities across both space and time.

The framework combining functional traits, phylogeny, and abundance is essential for reducing extinction risks among tropical mammals. It offers a more robust basis for spatial conservation prioritization in data-deficient yet ecologically critical regions by examining community-level responses to environmental change rather than focusing on single indicator species.