Species richness, hotspots, and the scale dependence of range maps in ecology and conservation.

ABSTRACT: Most studies examining continental-to-global patterns of species richness rely on the overlaying of extent-of-occurrence range maps. Because a species does not occur at all locations within its geographic range, range-map-derived data represent actual distributional patterns only at some relatively coarse and undefined resolution. With the increasing availability of high-resolution climate and land-cover data, broad-scale studies are increasingly likely to estimate richness at high resolutions. Because of the scale dependence of most ecological phenomena, a significant mismatch between the presumed and actual scale of ecological data may arise. This may affect conclusions regarding basic drivers of diversity and may lead to errors in the identification of diversity hotspots. Here, we exami

SUBMITTER: Hurlbert AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1948922 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature