Latitudinal gradient and spatial covariance in species richness of tropical Lepidoptera in the Andes

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz W. Pyrcz ◽  
Keith Willmott ◽  
Rafał Garlacz ◽  
Pierre Boyer ◽  
Yuvinka Gareca
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Spatial Covariance ◽  
The Andes

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Bird Diversity in the New World

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1180-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonin Machac
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
New World ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspots ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
The Andes ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Three prominent explanations have been proposed to explain the dramatic differences in species richness across regions and elevations, (i) time for speciation, (ii) diversification rates, and (iii) ecological limits. But the relative importance of these explanations and, especially, their interplay and possible synthesis remain largely elusive. Integrating diversification analyses, null models, and geographic information systems, I study avian richness across regions and elevations of the New World. My results reveal that even though the three explanations are differentially important (with ecological limits playing the dominant role), each contributes uniquely to the formation of richness gradients. Further, my results reveal the likely interplay between the explanations. They indicate that ecological limits hinder the diversification process, such that the accumulation of species within a region gradually slows down over time. Yet, it does not seem to converge toward a hard ceiling on regional richness. Instead, species-rich regions show suppressed, but continued, diversification, coupled with signatures of possible competition (esp. Neotropical lowlands). Conversely, species-poor, newly-colonized regions show fast diversification and weak to no signs of competition (esp. Nearctic highlands). These results held across five families of birds, across grid cells, biomes, and elevations. Together, my findings begin to illuminate the rich, yet highly consistent, interplay of the mechanisms that together shape richness gradients in the New World, including the most species-rich biodiversity hotspots on the planet, the Andes and the Amazon. [Biogeography; community; competition; macroevolution; phylogenetics; richness gradient.]

Metabolic asymmetry and the global diversity of marine predators

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6425) ◽  
pp. eaat4220 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Grady ◽  
Brian S. Maitner ◽  
Ara S. Winter ◽  
Kristin Kaschner ◽  
Derek P. Tittensor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Patterns ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Marine Predators ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
The Tropics

Species richness of marine mammals and birds is highest in cold, temperate seas—a conspicuous exception to the general latitudinal gradient of decreasing diversity from the tropics to the poles. We compiled a comprehensive dataset for 998 species of sharks, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds to identify and quantify inverse latitudinal gradients in diversity, and derived a theory to explain these patterns. We found that richness, phylogenetic diversity, and abundance of marine predators diverge systematically with thermoregulatory strategy and water temperature, reflecting metabolic differences between endotherms and ectotherms that drive trophic and competitive interactions. Spatial patterns of foraging support theoretical predictions, with total prey consumption by mammals increasing by a factor of 80 from the equator to the poles after controlling for productivity.

scholarly journals Latitudinal gradient in species richness

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (15) ◽  
pp. R574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Gaston
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient
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