From species distributions to meta-communities
Wilfried Thuiller1,2, Laura J Pollock1,2, Maya Gueguen1,2
1Université Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (LECA), Grenoble, F-38000, France.
Ecology Letters
|October 7, 2015
Summary
Species distribution models (SDMs) can effectively track community assembly processes across spatial scales. Biotic interactions and dispersal limitations become less apparent as spatial resolution decreases.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity Science
- Spatial Ecology
Background:
- Understanding how biotic interactions and dispersal affect species ranges and diversity across scales is crucial.
- Bridging species distribution modelling (SDM) and community ecology is necessary to address this gap.
- SDMs traditionally exclude biotic interactions and dispersal, while community ecology focuses on community structure and diversity patterns.
Discussion:
- This study investigates whether fine-resolution SDMs accurately estimate community structure and diversity at broader scales.
- Empirical and simulated datasets were used to test SDM performance across resolutions from 250 m to 5 km.
- The research examines the influence of spatial resolution on detecting biotic interactions and dispersal limitations.
Key Insights:
- The influence of biotic interactions and dispersal limitation diminishes rapidly as spatial resolution decreases.
- SDMs can provide valuable estimates of community structure and diversity patterns across various spatial scales.
- Fine-resolution SDMs are effective tools for monitoring the impact of community assembly processes.
Outlook:
- Further research can refine SDM approaches to better incorporate biotic interactions and dispersal.
- This work supports the use of SDMs in regional biodiversity assessments and conservation planning.
- Future studies could explore the thresholds at which biotic and dispersal signals become undetectable in SDMs.
Keywords:
Assembly rulesbiotic interactionsdispersaldiversity patternsspatial scalespecies distribution modelsMore Related Videos
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