scholarly journals Determinants and Congruence of Species Richness Patterns across Multiple Taxonomic Groups on a Regional Scale

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörn Buse ◽  
Eva Maria Griebeler
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
External Validation ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
German Federal State

Applying multiple generalized regression models, we studied spatial patterns in species richness for different taxonomic groups (amphibians, reptiles, grasshoppers, plants, mosses) within the German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate (RP). We aimed (1) to detect their centres of richness, (2) to rate the influence of climatic and land-use parameters on spatial patterns, and (3) to test whether patterns are congruent between taxonomic groups in RP. Centres of species richness differed between taxonomic groups and overall richness was the highest in the valleys of large rivers and in different areas of southern RP. Climatic parameters strongly correlated with richness in all taxa whereas land use was less significant. Spatial richness patterns of all groups were to a certain extent congruent but differed between group pairs. The number of grasshoppers strongly correlated with the number of plants and with overall species richness. An external validation corroborated the generality of our species richness models.

scholarly journals Arthropod community structure in pastures of an island archipelago (Azores): looking for local–regional species richness patterns at fine-scales

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A.V. Borges ◽  
V.K. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Richness Patterns

AbstractThe arthropod species richness of pastures in three Azorean islands was used to examine the relationship between local and regional species richness over two years. Two groups of arthropods, spiders and sucking insects, representing two functionally different but common groups of pasture invertebrates were investigated. The local–regional species richness relationship was assessed over relatively fine scales: quadrats (= local scale) and within pastures (= regional scale). Mean plot species richness was used as a measure of local species richness (= α diversity) and regional species richness was estimated at the pasture level (= γ diversity) with the ‘first-order-Jackknife’ estimator. Three related issues were addressed: (i) the role of estimated regional species richness and variables operating at the local scale (vegetation structure and diversity) in determining local species richness; (ii) quantification of the relative contributions of α and β diversity to regional diversity using additive partitioning; and (iii) the occurrence of consistent patterns in different years by analysing independently between-year data. Species assemblages of spiders were saturated at the local scale (similar local species richness and increasing β-diversity in richer regions) and were more dependent on vegetational structure than regional species richness. Sucking insect herbivores, by contrast, exhibited a linear relationship between local and regional species richness, consistent with the proportional sampling model. The patterns were consistent between years. These results imply that for spiders local processes are important, with assemblages in a particular patch being constrained by habitat structure. In contrast, for sucking insects, local processes may be insignificant in structuring communities.

scholarly journals The pitfalls of biodiversity proxies: Differences in richness patterns of birds, trees and understudied diversity across Amazonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila D. Ritter ◽  
Søren Faurby ◽  
Dominic J. Bennett ◽  
Luciano N. Naka ◽  
Hans ter Steege ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Taxonomic Group ◽  
Diversity Gradients ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Micro Organisms

AbstractMost knowledge on biodiversity derives from the study of charismatic macro-organisms, such as birds and trees. However, the diversity of micro-organisms constitutes the majority of all life forms on Earth. Here, we ask if the patterns of richness inferred for macro-organisms are similar for micro-organisms. For this, we barcoded samples of soil, litter and insects from four localities on a west-to-east transect across Amazonia. We quantified richness as Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) in those samples using three molecular markers. We then compared OTU richness with species richness of two relatively well-studied organism groups in Amazonia: trees and birds. We find that OTU richness shows a declining west-to-east diversity gradient that is in agreement with the species richness patterns documented here and previously for birds and trees. These results suggest that most taxonomic groups respond to the same overall diversity gradients at large spatial scales. However, our results show a different pattern of richness in relation to habitat types, suggesting that the idiosyncrasies of each taxonomic group and peculiarities of the local environment frequently override large-scale diversity gradients. Our findings caution against using the diversity distribution of one taxonomic group as an indication of patterns of richness across all groups.

scholarly journals Determinants of species richness patterns in the Netherlands across multiple taxonomic groups

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Schouten ◽  
P. A. Verweij ◽  
A. Barendregt ◽  
R. M. J. C. Kleukers ◽  
V. J. Kalkman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

scholarly journals Does climate limit species richness by limiting individual species’ ranges?

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1776) ◽  
pp. 20132695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Boucher-Lalonde ◽  
Jeremy T. Kerr ◽  
David J. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Species Ranges ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Richness Patterns

Broad-scale geographical variation in species richness is strongly correlated with climate, yet the mechanisms underlying this correlation are still unclear. We test two broad classes of hypotheses to explain this pattern. Bottom-up hypotheses propose that the environment determines individual species’ ranges. Ranges then sum up to yield species richness patterns. Top-down hypotheses propose that the environment limits the number of species that occur in a region, but not which ones. We test these two classes of hypotheses using a natural experiment: seasonal changes in environmental variables and seasonal range shifts of 625 migratory birds in the Americas. We show that richness seasonally tracks the environment. By contrast, individual species’ geographical distributions do not. Rather, species occupy different sets of environmental conditions in two seasons. Our results are inconsistent with extant bottom-up hypotheses. Instead, a top-down mechanism appears to constrain the number of species that can occur in a given region.

scholarly journals Spatial Pattern of Species Richness among Terrestrial Mammals in China

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Yao Chi ◽  
Jiechen Wang ◽  
Changbai Xi ◽  
Tianlu Qian ◽  
Caiying Sheng
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Western China ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Forested Ecosystems

We describe large-scale patterns of terrestrial mammal distribution in China by using geographical information system (GIS) spatial analysis. Mammal taxa, examined by species, family, and order, were binned into 10 km × 10 km grids to explore the relationship between their spatial distribution and geographical factors potentially affecting the same. The spatial pattern of species richness revealed four agglomerations: high richness in the south, low in north, and two low richness areas in eastern and western China. Species richness patterns in Carnivora was the most similar to overall terrestrial mammals’ richness; however, species richness in different orders exhibited distributions distinct from the overall pattern. We found a negative relationship between richness and latitude gradient. Species richness was most strongly correlated with forested ecosystems, and was found to be higher at an elevation of 2000~2200 m, with greater altitudinal variation indicative of higher species richness.

scholarly journals Using climate, energy, and spatial-based hypotheses to interpret macroecological patterns of North America chelonians

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (7) ◽  
pp. 453-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua R. Ennen ◽  
Mickey Agha ◽  
Wilfredo A. Matamoros ◽  
Sarah C. Hazzard ◽  
Jeffrey E. Lovich
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
North America ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Spatial Regression ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Freshwater Turtles ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Broad Scale

Our study investigates how factors, such as latitude, productivity, and several environmental variables, influence contemporary patterns of the species richness in North American turtles. In particular, we test several hypotheses explaining broad-scale species richness patterns on several species richness data sets: (i) total turtles, (ii) freshwater turtles only, (iii) aquatic turtles, (iv) terrestrial turtles only, (v) Emydidae, and (vi) Kinosternidae. In addition to spatial data, we used a combination of 25 abiotic variables in spatial regression models to predict species richness patterns. Our results provide support for multiple hypotheses related to broad-scale patterns of species richness, and in particular, hypotheses related to climate, productivity, water availability, topography, and latitude. In general, species richness patterns were positively associated with temperature, precipitation, diversity of streams, coefficient of variation of elevation, and net primary productivity. We also found that North America turtles follow the general latitudinal diversity gradient pattern (i.e., increasing species richness towards equator) by exhibiting a negative association with latitude. Because of the incongruent results among our six data sets, our study highlights the importance of considering phylogenetic constraints and guilds when interpreting species richness patterns, especially for taxonomic groups that occupy a myriad of habitats.

scholarly journals Can net diversification rates account for spatial patterns of species richness?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilo Sanín ◽  
Iván Jiménez ◽  
Jon Fjeldså ◽  
Carsten Rahbek ◽  
Carlos Daniel Cadena
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Large Family ◽  
Diversification Rate ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
Grain Sizes ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Richness Patterns

ABSTRACTThe diversification rate hypothesis (DRH) proposes that spatial patterns of species richness result from spatial variation in net diversification rates. We developed an approach using a time-calibrated phylogeny and distributional data to estimate the maximum explanatory power of the DRH, over a given time period, to current species richness in an area. We used this approach to study species richness patterns of a large family of suboscine birds across South America. The maximum explanatory power of the DRH increased with the duration of the time period considered and grain size; it ranged from 13 – 37 fold local increases in species richness for T = 33 Ma to less than 2-fold increases for T ≤ 10 Ma. For large grain sizes (≤ 8° × 8°) diversification rate over the last 10 Ma could account for all the spatial variance in species richness, but for smaller grain sizes commonly used in biogeographical studies (1° × 1°), it could only explain < 16% of this variance. Thus, diversification since the Late Miocene, often thought to be a major determinant of Neotropical diversity, had a limited imprint on spatial richness patterns at small grain sizes. Further application of our approach will help determine the role of the DRH in explaining current spatial patterns of species richness.Note to readersThis manuscript has been seen by a few researchers, some of whom suggested that before publishing our work in a peer-reviewed journal we should conduct simulations to demonstrate that our methods properly estimate the contribution of variance in diversification rates to spatial variation in species richness. Although we believe that our approach derives logically from theory and statistics and is therefore valid, we understand that it is rather unique and see why some readers would think that an independent validation is necessary. Unable to complete such validation in the near future, however, we decided to make this manuscript available as a preprint to share our ideas and hopefully stimulate discussion on what we believe is a most interesting topic. We also hope to receive feedback that may enable us to improve our work for publication in a journal at a later date.

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