scholarly journals Low predictive power of mid-domain effect to explain geographic species richness patterns in Palearctic songbirds

2007 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aliabadian ◽  
C. S. Roselaar ◽  
R. Sluys ◽  
V. Nijman
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Geometric Constraints ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Richness Patterns

In the study of diversity patterns, the Mid-domain effect (MDE), which explains gradients in diversity solely on the basis of geometric constraints, has emerged as a null-model against which other hypotheses can be tested. The effectiveness, measured by its predictive power, of these MDE models appears to depend on the size of the study area and the range-sizes of the taxa considered. Here we test the predictive power of MDE on the species richness patterns of birds and assess its effectiveness for a variety of species range sizes. We digitised distribution maps of 889 species of songbird endemic to the Palearctic, and analysed the emergent biogeographic patterns with WORLDMAP software. MDE had a predictive power of 20% when all songbirds were included. Major hotspots were located south of the area where MDE predicted the highest species-richness, and some of the observed coldspots were in the centre of the Palearctic, contradicting the predictions of the MDE. MDE had little explanatory power (3-19%) for all but the largest range sizes, whereas MDE performed equal or better for the large-ranged species (20-34%) compared to the overall model. Overall MDE did not accurate explain species-richness patterns in Palearctic songbirds. Subsets of larger-range species did not always have a larger predictive power than smaller-range species or the overall model. Despite their low predictive power, MDE models can have a role to play in explaining biogeographic patterns but other variables need to be included in the model as well.

scholarly journals Species diversity and endemism: testing the mid-domain effect on species richness patterns of songbirds in the Palearctic Region

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansour Aliabadian ◽  
Ronald Sluys ◽  
Cees S. Roselaar ◽  
Vincent Nijman
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Palearctic Region ◽  
Richness Pattern ◽  
Constraint Model

Explanation of the spatial distribution patterns in species richness, and especially those of small-ranged species (endemics), bears relevance for studies on evolution and speciation, as well as for conservation management. We test a geometric constraint model, the mid-domain effect (MDE), as a possible explanation for spatial patterns of species richness in Palearctic songbirds (Passeriformes), with an emphasis on the patterns of small-ranged species. We calculated species richness based on digitised distribution maps of phylogenetic species of songbirds endemic to the Palearctic region. Data were plotted and analyzed over a one degree equal area map of the Palearctic Region, with a grid cell area of 4062 km². The emergent biogeographic patterns were analysed with WORLDMAP software. Comparison of the observed richness pattern among 2401 phylogenetic taxa of songbirds in the Palearctic Region with the predictions of a fully stochastic bi-dimensional MDE model revealed that this model has limited empirical support for overall species richness of Palearctic songbirds. Major hotspots were located south of the area where MDE predicted the highest species- richness, while some of the observed coldspots were in the centre of the Palearctic Region. Although small-ranged species are often found in areas with the highest species richness, MDE models have a very restricted explanatory power for the observed species-richness pattern in small-ranged species. Regions with a high number of small-ranged species (endemism hotspots) may contain a unique set of environmental conditions, unrelated to the shape or size of the domain, allowing a multitude of species to co-exist.

scholarly journals Patterns, determinants and models of woody plant diversity in China

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1715) ◽  
pp. 2122-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiheng Wang ◽  
Jingyun Fang ◽  
Zhiyao Tang ◽  
Xin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Woody Plants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
The Mean

What determines large-scale patterns of species richness remains one of the most controversial issues in ecology. Using the distribution maps of 11 405 woody species in China, we compared the effects of habitat heterogeneity, human activities and different aspects of climate, particularly environmental energy, water–energy dynamics and winter frost, and explored how biogeographic affinities (tropical versus temperate) influence richness–climate relationships. We found that the species richness of trees, shrubs, lianas and all woody plants strongly correlated with each other, and more strongly correlated with the species richness of tropical affinity than with that of temperate affinity. The mean temperature of the coldest quarter was the strongest predictor of species richness, and its explanatory power for species richness was significantly higher for tropical affinity than for temperate affinity. These results suggest that the patterns of woody species richness mainly result from the increasing intensity of frost filtering for tropical species from the equator/lowlands towards the poles/highlands, and hence support the freezing-tolerance hypothesis. A model based on these results was developed, which explained 76–85% of species richness variation in China, and reasonably predicted the species richness of woody plants in North America and the Northern Hemisphere.

Climate, human disturbance and geometric constraints drive the elevational richness pattern of birds in a biodiversity hotspot in south-western China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyuan Pan ◽  
Dan Liang ◽  
Wei Zeng ◽  
Yiming Hu ◽  
Jianchao Liang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Geometric Constraints ◽  
Western China ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Endemic Birds ◽  
Richness Pattern ◽  
Richness Patterns

We explored the elevational richness patterns of birds in a biodiversity hotspot in south-western China, the Gaoligong Mountains and assessed the role of different spatial factors, climatic factors and landscape composition in shaping the richness patterns. The east slope of the southern part of Gaoligong Mountains (24.79°N-26.49°N, 98.65°E-98.93°E) is the western-most part of the Hengduan Mountains, China. We conducted field surveys of birds at each 300-m band from 700 to 3400 m a.s.l., and for the two bands from 3400 to 4000 m a.s.l., we obtained data from historical records. We obtained climatic recording data from local meteorological stations that were located in our study area and calculated the mean annual temperature and precipitation. We also calculated the area, MDE (the mid-domain effect), NDVI (the normalized difference vegetation index), habitat heterogeneity and human disturbance for each 300-m band. We then used multiple regression analysis to test the explanatory power of different factors for the elevational richness patterns of overall, endemic, non-endemic, large-ranged, and small-ranged birds. A total of 277 breeding bird species were recorded. We found consistent hump-shaped patterns of species richness with elevation with varied peaks for different groups. The richness of endemic birds peaked at higher elevation than non-endemic birds. Temperature and human disturbance played important roles in shaping the richness patterns of most bird groups whereas MDE contributed to the richness pattern of large-ranged species. Although none of the seven factors (area, MDE, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, NDVI, habitat heterogeneity and human disturbance) showed consistent explanatory power among different species groups, temperature and human disturbance correlated well with most bird groups, indicating that more studies are needed in this biodiversity hotspot to clarify the detailed influence of anthropogenic activities and climate change on elevational distributions of birds.

On the expected distribution of species' ranges

Paleobiology ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl F. Koch ◽  
John P. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Species Range ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Species Ranges ◽  
Richness Patterns ◽  
Fossil Data

A method is provided to calculate the expected distribution of species' ranges for use as a basis of comparison for paleontological interpretation of species' range charts. If the method is used for such studies, the possibility of suggesting an environmental or biological cause for observed patterns, when in fact no such cause exists, will be diminished. The method is applied to a large, well-studied fossil data set to illustrate some possible species' range patterns which result only from sample size inequities. As examples, stepwise extinction and species richness patterns are predicted for situations where, in reality, none exist.

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.

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.

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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