Bird assemblage vulnerability depends on the diversity and biogeographic histories of islands.

ABSTRACT: Biodiversity is widely acknowledged to influence the magnitude and stability of a large array of ecosystem properties, with biodiverse systems thought to be more functionally robust. As such, diverse systems may be safer harbors for vulnerable species, resulting in a positive association between biodiversity and the collective vulnerability of species in an assemblage, or "assemblage vulnerability." We find that, for 35 islands across Northern Melanesia, bird assemblage vulnerability and biodiversity are positively associated. This relationship is highly contingent on Pleistocene connectivity, suggesting that biogeographic history-a factor often overlooked in biodiversity and ecosystem-functioning studies-may influence contemporary ecological processes. In the face of biodiversity loss att

SUBMITTER: Weeks BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5018797 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature