Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity
Published on: March 13, 2014
Toward a better understanding of the regional causes of local community richness
Susan Harrison1, Howard Cornell
1Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. spharrison@ucdavis.edu
Abstract:
Despite widespread acknowledgement that local ecological communities are profoundly shaped by regional-scale influences, including evolutionary and biogeographic processes, this perspective has yet to be widely incorporated into ecological research. Drawing on recent research, we propose four steps towards making regional influences a stronger part of research on the richness of local communities: (1) identifying the regional-scale causes of variation in species richness in the systems ecologists study; (2) testing for effects of regional richness on local richness, using improved observational and experimental analyses to overcome earlier problems; (3) simultaneously analysing environmental influences on regional and local species richness as well as the influence of regional richness on local richness and (4) considering the potential reciprocal effects of local processes on regional richness. In conclusion, we suggest some ways that similar approaches could be applied to other aspects of community structure beyond species richness.
Related Concept Videos
Regional Terms
Primarily, the human body has two major regions, the axial and appendicular regions. The axial region comprises regions from the head to the abdomen and makes up the central body axis. In contrast,...
Region of Convergence
Impact of Social Context on Individuals
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Local Attraction
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...