Dissecting the species-energy relationship.

ABSTRACT: Environmental energy availability can explain much of the spatial variation in species richness. Such species-energy relationships encompass a diverse range of forms, and there is intense debate concerning which of these predominate, and the factors promoting this diversity. Despite this there has been relatively little investigation of whether the form, and relative strength, of species-energy relationships varies with (i) the currency of energy availability that is used, and (ii) the ecological characteristics of the constituent species. Such investigations can, however, shed light on the causal mechanisms underlying species-energy relationships. We illustrate this using the British breeding avifauna. The strength of the species-energy relationship is dependent on the energy metric used,

SUBMITTER: Evans KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1559954 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature