Habitat patch size alters the importance of dispersal for species diversity in an experimental freshwater community.

ABSTRACT: Increased dispersal of individuals among discrete habitat patches should increase the average number of species present in each local habitat patch. However, experimental studies have found variable effects of dispersal on local species richness. Priority effects, predators, and habitat heterogeneity have been proposed as mechanisms that limit the effect of dispersal on species richness. However, the size of a habitat patch could affect how dispersal regulates the number of species able to persist. We investigated whether habitat size interacted with dispersal rate to affect the number of species present in local habitats. We hypothesized that increased dispersal rates would positively affect local species richness more in small habitats than in large habitats, because rare species would b

SUBMITTER: Schuler MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5551274 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature