The Causes Of Species Richness Patterns Across Space, Time, And Clades And The Role Of “Ecological Limits”

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Wiens
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Richness Patterns

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 Universality in biodiversity patterns: Variation in species-temperature and species-productivity relationships reveals a prominent role of productivity in diversity gradients

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eliška Bohdalková ◽  
Anna Toszogyova ◽  
Irena Šímová ◽  
David Storch
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Statistical Nature ◽  
Biodiversity Patterns ◽  
Diversity Gradients ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Species Productivity

Temperature and productivity appear as universal positive correlates of species richness. However, the strength and the shape of species-temperature (STR) and species-productivity (SPR) relationships vary widely, and the causes of this variation are poorly known. We analysed (1) published species richness data for multiple taxa sampled in various regions and (2) different clades within vertebrate classes globally, to test for the effects of spatial scale and characteristics of examined taxa and regions on the strength and direction of STRs and SPRs. There are striking differences in the variation of the relationships among types of data, between ectotherms and endotherms and also between STRs and SPRs. Some sources of this variation are of statistical nature (e.g. the relationships are stronger if the range of temperature or productivity variation is wider), but non-statistical sources are more important and illuminate the processes responsible for the origin of biodiversity patterns. The SPRs are generally stronger and less variable than STRs, and SPR variation is weakly related to the explored factors - the SPRs are stronger in warmer regions in ectotherms, while clade size is the only factor consistently affecting the strength of the SPR in endotherms. In contrast, STRs are weaker and more variable, and this variation is linked to region characteristics - most importantly, STRs are stronger in the regions where temperature positively correlates with productivity, indicating that productivity plays a role even in the STRs. The effect of temperature on species richness is thus complex and context-dependent, while productivity is a more universal driver of species richness patterns, largely independent of particular characteristics of given region or taxon. Productivity thus appears as the main proximate driver of species richness patterns, probably due to its effect on the limits of the number of viable populations which can coexist in a given environment.

scholarly journals Global and Regional Patterns in Riverine Fish Species Richness: A Review

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Oberdorff ◽  
Pablo A. Tedesco ◽  
Bernard Hugueny ◽  
Fabien Leprieur ◽  
Olivier Beauchard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Freshwater Biodiversity ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Regional Factors ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Riverine Fish

We integrate the respective role of global and regional factors driving riverine fish species richness patterns, to develop a synthetic model of potential mechanisms and processes generating these patterns. This framework allows species richness to be broken down into different components specific to each spatial extent and to establish links between these components and the processes involved. This framework should help to answer the questions that are currently being asked by society, including the effects of species invasions, habitat loss, or fragmentation and climate change on freshwater biodiversity.

Do Writing Directions Influence How People Map Space onto Time?

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-184
Author(s):  
Wenxing Yang ◽  
Ying Sun
Keyword(s):  
Mental Representations ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Horizontal Axis ◽  
Causal Role ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Temporal Cognition ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Psychological Experiments ◽  
Vertical Up

Abstract. The causal role of a unidirectional orthography in shaping speakers’ mental representations of time seems to be well established by many psychological experiments. However, the question of whether bidirectional writing systems in some languages can also produce such an impact on temporal cognition remains unresolved. To address this issue, the present study focused on Japanese and Taiwanese, both of which have a similar mix of texts written horizontally from left to right (HLR) and vertically from top to bottom (VTB). Two experiments were performed which recruited Japanese and Taiwanese speakers as participants. Experiment 1 used an explicit temporal arrangement design, and Experiment 2 measured implicit space-time associations in participants along the horizontal (left/right) and the vertical (up/down) axis. Converging evidence gathered from the two experiments demonstrate that neither Japanese speakers nor Taiwanese speakers aligned their vertical representations of time with the VTB writing orientation. Along the horizontal axis, only Japanese speakers encoded elapsing time into a left-to-right linear layout, which was commensurate with the HLR writing direction. Therefore, two distinct writing orientations of a language could not bring about two coexisting mental time lines. Possible theoretical implications underlying the findings are discussed.

scholarly journals The Effect of Climate and Human Pressures on Functional Diversity and Species Richness Patterns of Amphibians, Reptiles and Mammals in Europe

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Mariana A. Tsianou ◽  
Maria Lazarina ◽  
Danai-Eleni Michailidou ◽  
Aristi Andrikou-Charitidou ◽  
Stefanos P. Sgardelis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Quadratic Entropy ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Rao’S Quadratic Entropy ◽  
Richness Patterns

The ongoing biodiversity crisis reinforces the urgent need to unravel diversity patterns and the underlying processes shaping them. Although taxonomic diversity has been extensively studied and is considered the common currency, simultaneously conserving other facets of diversity (e.g., functional diversity) is critical to ensure ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services. Here, we explored the effect of key climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, temperature seasonality, and precipitation seasonality) and factors reflecting human pressures (agricultural land, urban land, land-cover diversity, and human population density) on the functional diversity (functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy) and species richness of amphibians (68 species), reptiles (107 species), and mammals (176 species) in Europe. We explored the relationship between different predictors and diversity metrics using generalized additive mixed model analysis, to capture non-linear relationships and to account for spatial autocorrelation. We found that at this broad continental spatial scale, climatic variables exerted a significant effect on the functional diversity and species richness of all taxa. On the other hand, variables reflecting human pressures contributed significantly in the models even though their explanatory power was lower compared to climatic variables. In most cases, functional richness and Rao’s quadratic entropy responded similarly to climate and human pressures. In conclusion, climate is the most influential factor in shaping both the functional diversity and species richness patterns of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals in Europe. However, incorporating factors reflecting human pressures complementary to climate could be conducive to us understanding the drivers of functional diversity and richness patterns.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document