Disturbance reverses classic biodiversity predictions in river-like landscapes.

ABSTRACT: Global analyses of biodiversity consistently reveal recurrent patterns of species distributions worldwide. However, unveiling the specific mechanisms behind those patterns remains logistically challenging, yet necessary for reliable biodiversity forecasts. Here, we combine theory and experiments to investigate the processes underlying spatial biodiversity patterns in dendritic, river-like landscapes, iconic examples of highly threatened ecosystems. We used geometric scaling properties, common to all rivers, to show that the distribution of biodiversity in these landscapes fundamentally depends on how ecological selection is modulated across space: while uniform ecological selection across the network leads to higher diversity in downstream confluences, this pattern can be inverted by distu

SUBMITTER: Harvey E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6304061 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature