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Published on: November 1, 2017
Stream insect occupancy-frequency patterns and metapopulation structure
T Heatherly1, M R Whiles, D J Gibson
1Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6501, USA. heatherly75@yahoo.com
Oecologia
|November 9, 2006
Summary
Stream insect communities are dominated by satellite species, with their proportion increasing with spatial scale and sampling intensity. Niche-based models better explain these occupancy-frequency patterns than core-satellite hypotheses.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity patterns
- Biogeography
Background:
- Understanding organism distribution is key in ecology.
- Occupancy-frequency patterns visualize species distributions.
- Core-satellite species hypothesis is a common model.
Purpose of the Study:
- Analyze stream insect occupancy-frequency patterns.
- Assess effects of spatial scale, sampling intensity, and taxonomic resolution.
- Compare niche-based models with metapopulation models.
Main Methods:
- Utilized North American stream insect distribution data.
- Analyzed occupancy-frequency patterns across varying scales.
- Examined taxonomic resolution effects using New York data.
Main Results:
- Distributions were dominated by satellite taxa (<10% sites).
- Satellite taxa proportions increased with spatial scale and sampling intensity (r2=0.74-0.96).
- Generic-level taxonomy underestimated satellite species and altered distribution modality.
Conclusions:
- Stream insect communities consistently feature satellite species.
- Satellite species proportion is influenced by spatial scale and sampling intensity.
- Niche-based models provide a more accurate characterization than core-satellite models.
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