Journal ArticleDOI
Environmental heterogeneity as a universal driver of species richness across taxa, biomes and spatial scales
TLDR
This work provides the first quantitative support for the generality of positive heterogeneity-richness relationships across heterogeneity components, habitat types, taxa and spatial scales from landscape to global extents, and identifies specific needs for future comparative heterogeneity- richness research.Abstract:
Environmental heterogeneity is regarded as one of the most important factors governing species richness gradients. An increase in available niche space, provision of refuges and opportunities for isolation and divergent adaptation are thought to enhance species coexistence, persistence and diversification. However, the extent and generality of positive heterogeneity–richness relationships are still debated. Apart from widespread evidence supporting positive relationships, negative and hump-shaped relationships have also been reported. In a meta-analysis of 1148 data points from 192 studies worldwide, we examine the strength and direction of the relationship between spatial environmental heterogeneity and species richness of terrestrial plants and animals. We find that separate effects of heterogeneity in land cover, vegetation, climate, soil and topography are significantly positive, with vegetation and topographic heterogeneity showing particularly strong associations with species richness. The use of equal-area study units, spatial grain and spatial extent emerge as key factors influencing the strength of heterogeneity–richness relationships, highlighting the pervasive influence of spatial scale in heterogeneity–richness studies. We provide the first quantitative support for the generality of positive heterogeneity–richness relationships across heterogeneity components, habitat types, taxa and spatial scales from landscape to global extents, and identify specific needs for future comparative heterogeneity–richness research.read more
Citations
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The Theory of Island Biogeography
TL;DR: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols used xiii 1.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biodiversity and resilience of ecosystem functions
Tom H. Oliver,Matthew S. Heard,Nick J. B. Isaac,David B. Roy,Deborah A. Procter,Felix Eigenbrod,Robert P. Freckleton,Andy Hector,C. David L. Orme,Owen L. Petchey,Vânia Proença,David Raffaelli,K. Blake Suttle,Georgina M. Mace,Berta Martín-López,Berta Martín-López,Ben A. Woodcock,James M. Bullock +17 more
TL;DR: A range of mechanisms underpinning the resilience of ecosystem functions across three ecological scales are identified and biodiversity, encompassing variation from within species to across landscapes, may be crucial for the longer-term resilience ofcosystem functions and the services that they underpin.
Journal ArticleDOI
Biodiversity in cities needs space: a meta-analysis of factors determining intra-urban biodiversity variation
TL;DR: The results show that patch area and corridors have the strongest positive effects on biodiversity, complemented by vegetation structure, and local, biotic and management habitat variables were significantly more important than landscape, abiotic or design variables.
There So Many Species of Herbivorous Insects in Tropical Rainforests
Henry S. Bienen,David A. Norton,Raphael K. Didham,Vojtech Novotny,Pavel Drozd,Scott E. Miller,Miroslav Kulfan,Milan Janda,Yves Basset,George D. Weiblen +9 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared folivorous insects from temperate and tropical trees to test the hypothesis that herbivore species coexistence in more diverse communities could reflect narrow host specificity relative to less diverse communities.
Journal ArticleDOI
Geological and climatic influences on mountain biodiversity
Alexandre Antonelli,W.D. Kissling,S.G.A. Flantua,S.G.A. Flantua,Bermúdez,Andreas Mulch,Alexandra N. Muellner-Riehl,Holger Kreft,H.P. Linder,Catherine Badgley,Jon Fjeldså,Susanne A. Fritz,Carsten Rahbek,Carsten Rahbek,Frédéric Herman,Henry Hooghiemstra,Carina Hoorn +16 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors integrate multiple datasets to assess the relationships between species richness in mountains, geology and climate at global and regional scales, and find that centres of species richness correlate with areas of high temperatures, annual rainfall and topographic relief, supporting previous studies.
References
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Book
The Theory of Island Biogeography
TL;DR: The Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201
Journal ArticleDOI
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