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The mathematical influence on global patterns of biodiversity
Gregory Beaugrand1, Richard Kirby2, Eric Goberville3
1LOG Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences CNRS UMR 8187 Wimereux France.
Ecology and Evolution
|July 30, 2020
Summary
Spatial biodiversity patterns are mathematically constrained by niche-environment interactions. This explains global variations in species richness, including latitudinal biodiversity gradients and differences between land and sea ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity Science
- Theoretical Ecology
Background:
- Current understanding of species evolution does not fully explain the spatial distribution of global biodiversity.
- The processes filling an empty world to create current biodiversity patterns remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms driving spatial variations in biodiversity across the planet.
- To determine the mathematical constraints shaping biodiversity patterns.
Main Methods:
- A numerical experiment was conducted to simulate and analyze biodiversity patterns.
- The study focused on the interaction between species' ecological niches and environmental variability.
Main Results:
- Spatial biodiversity patterns are mathematically constrained by the interplay of ecological niches and environmental variability.
- The model explains key observations: latitudinal biodiversity gradients (LBGs) with oceanic vs. terrestrial differences, higher terrestrial biodiversity, greater seabed richness, and higher neritic than oceanic biodiversity.
Conclusions:
- A fundamental ecological interaction, the niche-environment interaction, imposes mathematical constraints on regional species establishment.
- These constraints dictate the number of species that can colonize or speciate within a given region, shaping global biodiversity patterns.
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