Coefficient shifts in geographical ecology: an empirical evaluation of spatial and non-spatial regression
12 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablas.
Food plant diversity as broad-scale determinant of avian frugivore richness.
The causes of variation in animal species richness at large spatial scales are intensively debated. Here, we examine whether the diversity of food plants, contemporary climate and energy, or habitat heterogeneity determine species richness patterns of avian frugivores across sub-Saharan Africa. Path models indicate that species richness of Ficus (their fruits being one of the major food resources for frugivores in the tropics) has the strongest direct effect on richness of avian frugivores, whereas the influences of variables related to water–energy and habitat heterogeneity are mainly indirect. The importance of Ficus richness for richness of avian frugivores diminishes with decreasing sp…
Towards a more mechanistic understanding of traits and range sizes
Aim An important, unresolved question in macroecology is to understand the immense inter-specific variation in geographic range sizes. While species traits such as fecundity or body size are thought to affect range sizes, a general understanding on how multiple traits jointly influence them is missing. Here, we test the influence of a multitude of species traits on global range sizes of European passerine birds in order to better understand possible mechanisms behind macroecological relationships. Location Global. Methods We evaluated the effect of life-history traits (fecundity, dispersal ability), ecological traits (habitat niche, diet niche, migratory behaviour, migratory flexibility) an…
Citizens may boost primary biodiversity knowledge - insights from the Danish fungal Atlas
The Danish Fungal Atlas ran from 2009-13 and contributed with almost 250.000 records of fruit-body forming Basidiomycota (macrofungi) mainly submitted by volunteer citizen scientists. The data has been utilized in several research and conservation projects, but here we explore how the project contributed to the primary understanding of fungal biodiversity in Denmark. During the project, 197 species were recorded as new to Denmark, extending the national species list considerably. At least 15 of these appeared to be new to science. An even higher number of species previously recorded in Denmark, were however not reported in the project period, indicating a potential significant species turno…