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Species richness in tropical fresh waters of Australia

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Abstract

General ecological expectations about the relationship between latitude and species richness are that at low latitudes (the tropics) species richness is greater than at higher latitudes (temperate and polar regions). Recent work suggests that this may not be the case for several habitat types and biological groups in Australia. Results are conflicting: on present evidence (admittedly sparse) it appears that in Australian tropical fresh waters species richness is generally depressed in zooplankton and littoral microfaunal communities, but not in macroinvertebrate communities in typical streams and in fish communities (and perhaps also in amphibian and reptile communities). The situation is indeterminate for tropical phytoplankton and macrophyte communities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre, 2640, Albury, N. S. W., Australia

    R. J. Shiel

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Adelaide, G. P. O. Box 498, 5001, Adelaide, S. A., Australia

    W. D. Williams

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  1. R. J. Shiel
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  2. W. D. Williams
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Shiel, R.J., Williams, W.D. Species richness in tropical fresh waters of Australia. Hydrobiologia 202, 175–183 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006844

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