Environmental filtering and spillover explain multi-species edge responses across agricultural boundaries in a biosphere reserve.

ABSTRACT: To ensure integrity of protected areas we need to understand how species respond to anthropogenic borders. We investigate, from a metacommunity perspective, the direct and indirect mechanisms by which transformed areas affect distribution patterns of ground-living arthropod assemblages inhabiting an extensive protected area adjacent to fruit orchards in an important biosphere reserve. Arthropods and environmental variables were sampled along transects perpendicular to natural-orchard edges. Influence of distance from orchard boundary, degree of impermeability of the boundary, orchard habitat quality (local scale land-use intensity), and edge-induced changes in local environmental variables on arthropod species richness and composition in non-crop habitats were assessed. Arthropod groups we

SUBMITTER: van Schalkwyk J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7481220 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature