Ecography
The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of species geographical and environmental ranges on the predictive performances of species distribution models (SDMs). We explored the usefulness of ensemble modelling approaches and tested whether species attributes influenced the outcomes of such approaches. Eight SDMs were used to model the current distribution of 35 fish species at 1110 stream sections...
Prediction error is considered an important problem in species distribution models. To address this issue, we here examined the accuracy of overlays of presence‐only‐based models for many individual species in representing patterns of assemblage diversity. For this purpose, we used a database of 977 160 records of seed plant occurrences on an intensively surveyed, species‐rich island (Tenerife, Canary...
We investigated the aquatic and riparian herpetofauna in a 789 km2 river catchment in northwest California to examine competing theories of biotic community structuring in catchment stream networks. Research in fluvial geomorphology has resulted in multi‐scale models of dynamic processes that cyclically create, maintain, and destroy environments in stream networks of mountain catchments. These models...
Statistical models of species' distributions rely on data on species' occupancy, or use, of sites across space and/or time. For rare or cryptic species, indirect signs, such as dung, may be the only realistic means of determining their occupancy status across broad spatial extents. However, the consequences of sign decay for errors in estimates of occupancy have not previously been considered. If...
Researchers in ecology commonly use multivariate analyses (e.g. redundancy analysis, canonical correspondence analysis, Mantel correlation, multivariate analysis of variance) to interpret patterns in biological data and relate these patterns to environmental predictors. There has been, however, little recognition of the errors associated with biological data and the influence that these may have on...
We present a model predicting how the species richness and diversity within benthic functional groups should vary across the full environmental stress gradient across which a regional biota from marine rocky shores can occur. Built upon previous models, our model makes predictions for sessile species (macroalgae and filter feeders), herbivores, and carnivores. We tested some of its predictions by...
Species' responses to tropical forest fragmentation are variable and not well understood. Species' functional traits might help to reveal patterns of fragmentation sensitivity and provide valuable guidance to conservation practice. On the basis of 30 reviewed studies published between 1997 and 2008, we present a quantitative analysis of 730 responses of Neotropical vertebrates to forest fragmentation...
We applied the leaf‐height‐seed (LHS) ecology strategy scheme (a combination of three ecologically important traits: specific leaf area (SLA), seed mass and plant height) intraspecifically to two widespread European forest herbs along a latitudinal gradient. The aims of this study were to quantify LHS trait variation, disentangle the environmental factors affecting these traits and compare the within‐species...
The non‐independence of traits among closely related species is a well‐documented phenomenon underpinning modern methods for comparative analyses or prediction of trait values in new species. Surprisingly such studies have mainly focused on life‐history or morphological traits of free‐living organisms, ignoring ecological attributes of parasite species in spite of the fact that they are critical for...
In order to effectively manage and conserve indigenous herbivores, a good understanding is needed of how resources drive their distribution patterns. This study employed a unique dataset to test a range of ecological theories and hypotheses on free‐ranging grazers. Using aerial census data collected over 14 yr across the 2 million ha Kruger National Park (South Africa), this study employs spatial...
Dispersal may influence the spatial distribution of species richness through mass or source‐sink effects, but the extent of sink populations at the community level remains largely unknown due to difficulties of identifying such populations. We compared the richness patterns of ferns in 333 plots along six tropical elevational gradients in America, the Mascarenes, and southeast Asia, using sterile...
Understanding the factors determining geographic ranges and range shifts of species is a central issue in ecology and evolutionary biology. Research addressing distributional borders from a demographic perspective frequently focused on reproductive traits, finding reproduction reductions or failure at the range margin. However, some of the observed changes in marginal locations could be the result...
We analyzed demographic data of a long‐lived high mountain Mediterranean plant, Silene ciliata Poirret, over a 4‐yr period. Selected populations were located at contrasting altitudes at the southernmost margin of the species (Sierra de Guadarrama, central Spain), representing a local altitudinal range at the rear edge of its overall distribution. Previous studies have suggested that differences in...
Contrasting theories have been proposed to explain the structure of ecological communities. Here, we studied the impact of environmental factors and spatial patterns on ground‐foraging ant communities in four different forest types of Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia. Forest types differed in their environmental parameters and were inhabited by distinct ant communities, with...
Habitat quality and habitat geometry are two crucial factors driving metapopulation dynamics. However, their intricacy has prevented so far a reliable test of their relative impact on local population dynamics and persistence. Here we report on a long‐term study in which we manipulated habitat quality within a butterfly metapopulation, whereas habitat geometry was kept constant. The treatment consisted...
Conservation actions that have maintained populations in the past may not necessarily do so in the future. Population viability analysis provides one tool for exploring the impact of management actions on large temporal scales. However, there are relatively few long‐term data sets that provide the demographic and environmental data demanded by such models. Using a 37‐yr data set, we used RAMAS Metapop...
Species numbers tend to increase with both the area surveyed (species–area relationship, SAR) and the number of samples taken (species–sampling effort relationship, SSER). These two relationships differ in their nature and underlying mechanisms but are not clearly distinguished in field studies. To discriminate the effects of area (spatial extent) and sampling effort (SE) on species richness, several...
It is important to understand the relative effects of landscape habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and matrix quality on biodiversity, so that potential management options can be appropriately ranked. However, their effects and relative importance may change with the size of the landscape considered because the multiple (and potentially conflicting) ecological processes that are influenced by landscape...
Fruit colour influences fruit choice by seed dispersers. The mistletoe Tristerix corymbosus (Loranthaceae) produces mature fruits of two different colours in two different biomes: yellow in the Chilean matorral and green in the temperate forest of southern South America. We conducted field surveys to establish the association between fruit colour and disperser identity throughout the entire geographical...
The exceptional diversity of large mammals in African savannas provides an ideal opportunity to explore the relative importance of top‐down and bottom‐up controls of large terrestrial herbivore communities. Recent work has emphasized the role of herbivore and carnivore body size in shaping these trophic relationships. However, the lack of across‐ecosystem comparisons using a common methodology prohibits...