Species richness patterns of obligate subterranean beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) in a global biodiversity hotspot - effect of scale and sampling intensity

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Zagmajster ◽  
David C. Culver ◽  
Boris Sket
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Sampling Intensity ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Richness Patterns

Holy or Not, Israel is a Palaearctic Biodiversity Hotspot

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-211
Author(s):  
Yoni Gavish
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Statistical Prediction ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Prediction Limits ◽  
Global Biodiversity

In their rebuttal to my comment, Roll et al. (2011) defend their original conclusion, by questioning the theoretical framework on which I based my analysis. They stress the importance of the statistical prediction limits and the treatment of latitudinal location as a covariate. They also add an additional grid-cell-based analysis. Here, I claim that even if provincial species-area relationships (SPAR) are not parallel, they are still different. While relying on Roll et al.'s (2011) analyses, I show that for each taxon there is at least one other provincial SPAR that lies considerably above the Palaearctic SPAR, making Palaearctic countries less favorable to be identified as a global biodiversity hotspot. I further claim that prediction limits should not be used to answer the question in focus and that adding latitude as a covariate does not alter the results. Finally, I address the grid-cell analyses of Roll et al. (2011), claiming that Israel's diversity lies mainly in the species turnover between cells (i.e., β diversity) and not on the average species richness within cells (α diversity). Therefore I hold on to my former conclusion that at least for three taxa—birds, mammals, and reptiles—Israel is indeed a Palaearctic provincial hotspot.

scholarly journals Palaeo-precipitation is a major determinant of palm species richness patterns across Madagascar: a tropical biodiversity hotspot

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1757) ◽  
pp. 20123048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mijoro Rakotoarinivo ◽  
Anne Blach-Overgaard ◽  
William J. Baker ◽  
John Dransfield ◽  
Justin Moat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Major Determinant ◽  
Tropical Biodiversity ◽  
Palm Species ◽  
Richness Patterns

The roles of environmental factors on reptile richness in Iran

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahboubeh Sadat Hosseinzadeh ◽  
Mansour Aliabadian ◽  
Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani ◽  
Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Spatial Analyses ◽  
Iranian Plateau ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Southwest Of Iran ◽  
Zoogeographical Region ◽  
Reptilian Species

Iran is usually considered as a bridge between Oriental and African zoogeographical region, and also the 20th global biodiversity hotspot. Herpetofauna of the Iranian Plateau has a high diversity compared to other areas in the region and has always been interesting for herpetologists in terms of biogeography, ecology and zoogeography. In this study, distribution maps of 215 terrestrial reptilian species (of which 50 were endemic to Iran) were digitized and the species richness patterns were correlated with 13 environmental factors using spatial analyses methods. Our results showed that the hotspot regions for all reptilian species are concentrated on south and southwest of Iran. This result is consistent with the Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspot. Based on spatial analyses, species richness in the area is affected by seven environmental variables which are associated with temperature and probably interpreted as the most important factor on reptile richness in Iran.

Questioning Israel's Great Biodiversity—Relative to Whom? A Comment on Roll et al., 2009

2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoni Gavish
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspots ◽  
Species Area ◽  
C Value ◽  
Species Area Relationship ◽  
Z Value ◽  
Global Biodiversity

Each evolutionary-independent province has its own mainland species area relationship (SPAR). When using the power law SPAR (S = cAz), separate mainland SPARs are parallel in a log-log space (similar z value), yet they differ in species density per unit area (c value). This implies that there are two main SPAR-based strategies to identify biodiversity hotspots. The first treats all mainland SPARs of all provinces as if they form one global SPAR. This is the strategy employed by Roll et al. (2009) when questioning Israel's high biodiversity. They concluded that Israel is not a global biodiversity hotspot. Their results may arise from the fact that Israel's province, the Palaearctic, is relatively poor. Therefore, countries from richer provinces, whose mainland SPAR lies above the Palaearctic SPAR, are identified as global hotspots. The second strategy is to construct different mainland SPARs for each province and identify the provincial hotspots. In this manuscript I ask whether Israel's biodiversity is high relative to other countries within its province. For six different taxa, I analyzed data for Palaearctic countries. For each taxon, I conducted a linear regression of species richness against the country's area, both log transformed. The studentized residuals were used to explore Israel's rank relative to all other Palaearctic countries. I found that Israel lies above the 95th percentile for reptiles and mammals and above the 90th percentile for birds. Therefore, within the Palaearctic province, Israel is indeed a biodiversity hotspot.

scholarly journals What Determine the Distribution and Richness of Wild Spices in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin, West Africa?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.M. Kafoutchoni ◽  
R. Idohou ◽  
K.V. Salako ◽  
C. Agbangla ◽  
A.E. Assogbadjo
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ◽  
Base De Données ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Zanthoxylum Zanthoxyloides ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Systèmes D’Information ◽  
Biodiversity Information

AbstractIn Benin, most of the spices used for food, medicine and ceremony are gathered from the wild as little attempt has been made so far for their domestication and cultivation. Consequently, many wild spices are prone to overexploitation and threatened by habitat loss. Also, little information is available regarding their occurrence areas and the factor determining their geographical distribution and richness. This study aimed at i) mapping the distribution and the richness of 14 wild spices, and ii) assessing the drivers of their distribution and richness patterns in the Sudano-Guinean zone of Benin. Data were collected during field exploration and from the database of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Species distribution was mapped, and a grid of 10 × 10 km cells and a circular neighborhood option with a radius of 10 km was used to assign points to grid cells, then species richness was mapped. The species were unequally distributed across the study area. High species richness occurs in Bassila and Zou phytodistricts. Three spice-rich areas are needed to capture all the wild spices at once. Interaction of mean temperature of driest quarter, altitude, and precipitation seasonality significantly shaped the distributional range of three wild spices (Aframomum alboviolaceum, Uvaria chamae and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides), while the same factors in addition to clay content between 5-15 cm, contributed significantly to create appropriate conditions for the cooccurrence of several species.RésuméAu Bénin, la plupart des épices utilisées pour l’alimentation, en médecine et pour les cérémonies sont collectées dans la nature car très peu de tentatives ont été faites pour leur domestication et leur culture. Par conséquent, de nombreuses espèces d’épices sauvages sont surexploitées et se retrouvent menacées par la destruction de leur habitat. Aussi, peu d’informations sont disponibles sur leurs zones d’occurrence et les facteurs influençant leur distribution géographique et leur richesse. Cette étude visait à i) cartographier la distribution et la richesse de 14 épices sauvages, et à ii) évaluer les facteurs influençant leurs distribution et richesse dans la zone Soudano-Guinéenne du Bénin. Les données ont été collectées au cours d’explorations sur le terrain et à partir de la base de données du Global Biodiversity Information Facility. La distribution des espèces a été cartographiée et une grille de 10×10 km a servi de base pour la cartographie de la richesse en espèces. Les espèces étaient inégalement distribuées dans la zone d’étude. Des zones de grande richesse en épices sont présentes dans les phytodistricts de Bassila et du Zou. Trois zones de forte diversité en épices sont nécessaires pour capturer toute la diversité du groupe fonctionnel des épices sauvages. L’interaction de la température moyenne du trimestre le plus sèche, l’altitude, et la saisonnalité des précipitations ont significativement influencé la distribution de trois épices sauvages (Aframomum alboviolaceum, Uvaria chamae et Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides). Ces trois facteurs, ajoutés au taux d’argile dans le sol, ont contribué à la création des conditions favorables pour la cooccurrence de plusieurs espèces d’épices sauvages.Mots clésarbre d’inférence conditionnelle, épices sauvages, espèces négligées et sousutilisée, SIG, systèmes d’information géographiques,

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.

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