Journal ArticleDOI
Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures
Jörg Tews,Ulrich Brose,Volker Grimm,Katja Tielbörger,Matthias C. Wichmann,Monika Schwager,Florian Jeltsch +6 more
TLDR
It is shown that ecological effects of habitat heterogeneity may vary considerably between species groups depending on whether structural attributes are perceived as heterogeneity or fragmentation, and possible effects may also vary relative to the structural variable measured.Abstract:
Aim In a selected literature survey we reviewed studies on the habitat heterogeneity–animal species diversity relationship and evaluated whether there are uncertainties and biases in its empirical support.
Location World-wide.
Methods We reviewed 85 publications for the period 1960–2003. We screened each publication for terms that were used to define habitat heterogeneity, the animal species group and ecosystem studied, the definition of the structural variable, the measurement of vegetation structure and the temporal and spatial scale of the study.
Main conclusions The majority of studies found a positive correlation between habitat heterogeneity/diversity and animal species diversity. However, empirical support for this relationship is drastically biased towards studies of vertebrates and habitats under anthropogenic influence. In this paper, we show that ecological effects of habitat heterogeneity may vary considerably between species groups depending on whether structural attributes are perceived as heterogeneity or fragmentation. Possible effects may also vary relative to the structural variable measured. Based upon this, we introduce a classification framework that may be used for across-studies comparisons. Moreover, the effect of habitat heterogeneity for one species group may differ in relation to the spatial scale. In several studies, however, different species groups are closely linked to ‘keystone structures’ that determine animal species diversity by their presence. Detecting crucial keystone structures of the vegetation has profound implications for nature conservation and biodiversity management.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation: a synthesis
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on individual species and the processes threatening them, and human-perceived landscape patterns and their correlation with species and assemblages, as well as additional, stochastic threats such as habitat loss, habitat degradation, habitat isolation and habitat isolation.
Book
Individual-based modeling and ecology
Volker Grimm,Steven F. Railsback +1 more
TL;DR: An excellent introduction and overview of this field, written by Volker Grimm and Steven F. Railsback, should be read by everyone interested in individual-based modeling and especially by anyone contemplating developing, or being involved with a group developing, an individualbased model.
Journal ArticleDOI
Environmental heterogeneity as a universal driver of species richness across taxa, biomes and spatial scales
TL;DR: This work provides the first quantitative support for the generality of positive heterogeneity-richness relationships across heterogeneity components, habitat types, taxa and spatial scales from landscape to global extents, and identifies specific needs for future comparative heterogeneity- richness research.
Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe: a review. J Environ Manag
Chris Stoate,András Báldi,Pedro Beja,Nigel Boatman,Irina Herzon,A.M. van Doorn,G.R. de Snoo,László Rákosy,C. Ramwell +8 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of the ecological status of agricultural systems across the European Union in the light of recent policy changes, concluding that despite many adjustments to agricultural policy, intensification of production in some regions and concurrent abandonment in others remain the major threat to the ecology of agro-ecosystems impairing the state of soil, water and air and reducing biological diversity in agricultural landscapes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe - a review.
Chris Stoate,András Báldi,Pedro Beja,Nigel Boatman,Irina Herzon,A.M. van Doorn,G.R. de Snoo,G.R. de Snoo,László Rákosy,C. Ramwell +9 more
TL;DR: This paper provides an overview of the ecological status of agricultural systems across the European Union in the light of recent policy changes, and builds on the previous review of 2001 devoted to the impacts of agricultural intensification in Western Europe.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
The Theory of Island Biogeography
TL;DR: Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols used xiii 1.
Book
The Theory of Island Biogeography
TL;DR: The Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201
Book
Ecological Diversity and its Measurement
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define definitions of diversity and apply them to the problem of measuring species diversity, choosing an index and interpreting diversity measures, and applying them to structural and structural diversity.
Journal ArticleDOI
Measurement of diversity
TL;DR: In this article, the authors define and examine a measure of concentration in terms of population constants, and examine the relationship between the characteristic and the index of diversity when both are applied to a logarithmic distribution.
Book
Species Diversity in Space and Time
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a hierarchical dynamic puzzle to understand the relationship between habitat diversity and species diversity and the evolution of the relationships between habitats diversity and diversity in evolutionary time.