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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Biodiversity Science
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • The biodiversity crisis is often characterized by biotic homogenization, a decline in spatial variation of species composition.
  • Understanding biotic homogenization and differentiation requires examining local and regional diversity changes across scales.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize patterns of biotic homogenization and differentiation across diverse ecological datasets.
  • To investigate the scale-dependent drivers of changes in species composition.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 461 metacommunities (10-91 years) and 64 species checklists (13-500+ years).
  • Application of a typology linking homogenization and differentiation to local and regional diversity dynamics.
  • Examination of species occupancy and distribution patterns.

Main Results:

  • No significant change in species composition was the most frequent outcome across datasets.
  • Biotic homogenization and differentiation were observed in numerous instances.
  • A weak average homogenizing trend (0.3% increase in shared species/year) was driven by widespread species, particularly in long-term, large-scale studies.
  • At smaller spatial and temporal scales, changes in rare and common species distributions influenced homogenization and differentiation.

Conclusions:

  • Biotic homogenization and differentiation are complex, scale-dependent phenomena.
  • Longer durations and larger spatial scales favor homogenization, driven by widespread species.
  • Understanding multiscale dynamics is crucial for identifying drivers of biotic changes and informing conservation strategies.