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Multi-scale environmental heterogeneity as a predictor of plant species richness

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Abstract

Ecological theory predicts a positive influence of local-, landscape-, and regional-scale spatial environmental heterogeneity on local species richness. Therefore, knowing how heterogeneity measured at a variety of scales relates to local species richness has important implications for conservation of biological diversity. We took a statistical modeling approach to determine which metrics of heterogeneity measured at which scales were useful predictors of local species richness, and whether the heterogeneity-local richness relationship was always positive. Local plant species richness data came from 400-m2 vegetation plots in North and South Carolina, USA. At each of four scales from within plots to across regions, we used either GIS or field data to calculate measures of heterogeneity from abiotic environmental variables, vegetation productivity data, and land cover classifications. Among all predictors at all scales, we found that no measure of heterogeneity was a better predictor of local richness than mean pH within plots. However, at scales larger than within plots, measures of heterogeneity were correlated most strongly with local richness, and each of the three classes of variables we used had a distinct scale at which it performed better than the others. These results highlight the fact that ecological processes occurring across multiple scales influence local species richness differently. In addition, relationships between heterogeneity and richness were usually, though not always, positive, underscoring the importance of processes that occur at a variety of scales to local biodiversity conservation and management.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Carolina Vegetation Survey personnel, past and present, for data collection and database administration. We also thank Jack Weiss for assistance with statistical analysis. This work was supported by NASA Terrestrial Ecology and Biodiversity grant #NNG06GI70G to A.M. and R.K.P.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curriculum for the Environment and Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3275, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3275, USA

    Jennifer K. Costanza, Aaron Moody & Robert K. Peet

  2. Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, 127B David Clark Labs, Box 7617, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7617, USA

    Jennifer K. Costanza

  3. Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3220, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3220, USA

    Aaron Moody

  4. Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA

    Robert K. Peet

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  1. Jennifer K. Costanza
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Correspondence to Jennifer K. Costanza.

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Costanza, J.K., Moody, A. & Peet, R.K. Multi-scale environmental heterogeneity as a predictor of plant species richness. Landscape Ecol 26, 851–864 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-011-9613-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-011-9613-3

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