Habitat area and climate stability determine geographical variation in plant species range sizes
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Despite being a fundamental aspect of biodiversity, little is known about what controls species range sizes. This is especially the case for hyperdiverse organisms such as plants. We use the largest botanical data set assembled to date to quantify geographical variation in range size for ~ 85 000 plant species across the New World. We assess prominent hypothesised range-size controls, finding that plant range sizes are codetermined by habitat area and long- and short-term climate stability. Strong short- and long-term climate instability in large parts of North America, including past glaciations, are associated with broad-ranged species. In contrast, small habitat areas and a stable climate characterise areas with high concentrations of small-ranged species in the Andes, Central America and the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest region. The joint roles of area and climate stability strengthen concerns over the potential effects of future climate change and habitat loss on biodiversity.
Source: Ecology Letters
DOI: 10.1111/ele.12184
Authors: Naia Morueta‐Holme, Brian J. Enquist, Brian J. McGill, Brad Boyle, Peter M. Jørgensen, Jeffrey E. Ott, Robert K. Peet, Irena Šímová, Lindsey L. Sloat, Barbara Thiers, Cyrille Violle, Susan K. Wiser, Steven Dolins, John C. Donoghue, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Jim Regetz, Mark Schildhauer, Nick Spencer, Jens‐Christian Svenning
Institutions: Aarhus University, Santa Fe Institute, University of Arizona, University of Maine, Missouri Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University, New York Botanical Garden, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Bradley University, University of Maryland, College Park, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,300
Awards: Macroecological studies of long-term historical constraints on functional diversity and ecosystem functioning across continents, NCEAS: National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, G5923046763, PSCIC Full Proposal: The iPlant Collaborative: A Cyberinfrastructure-Centered Community for a New Plant Biology, Macroecology beyond species richness: reconciling ecological and evolutionary processes driving spatial variation of biodiversity, Functional diversity in plant communities: the role of environmental filters
OpenAlex ID: W2136798370