Drivers of bacterial beta-diversity depend on spatial scale.

ABSTRACT: The factors driving β-diversity (variation in community composition) yield insights into the maintenance of biodiversity on the planet. Here we tested whether the mechanisms that underlie bacterial β-diversity vary over centimeters to continental spatial scales by comparing the composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria communities in salt marsh sediments. As observed in studies of macroorganisms, the drivers of salt marsh bacterial β-diversity depend on spatial scale. In contrast to macroorganism studies, however, we found no evidence of evolutionary diversification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria taxa at the continental scale, despite an overall relationship between geographic distance and community similarity. Our data are consistent with the idea that dispersal limitation at local scales

SUBMITTER: Martiny JB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3093525 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature