Seasonality of primary production explains the richness of pioneering benthic communities.

ABSTRACT: A pattern of increasing species richness from the poles to the equator is frequently observed in many animal taxa. Ecological limits, determined by the abiotic conditions and biotic interactions within an environment, are one of the major factors influencing the geographical distribution of species diversity. Energy availability is often considered a crucial limiting factor, with temperature and productivity serving as empirical measures. However, these measures may not fully explain the observed species richness, particularly in marine ecosystems. Here, through a global comparative approach and standardised methodologies, such as Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) and DNA metabarcoding, we show that the seasonality of primary production explains sessile animal richness comparati

SUBMITTER: Cecchetto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11436788 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature