A comparative analysis reveals weak relationships between ecological factors and beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities at two spatial levels

Author(s):Show less -

Heino, Jani ^[1] ; Melo, Adriano S. ^[2] ; Bini, Luis Mauricio ^[2] ; Altermatt, Florian ^{[3, 4]} ; Al-Shami, Salman A. ^{[5, 6]} ; Angeler, David G. ^[7] ; Bonada, Nuria ^[8] ; Brand, Cecilia ^[9] ; Callisto, Marcos ^[10] ; Cottenie, Karl ^[11] ; Dangles, Olivier ^{[12, 13]} ; Dudgeon, David ^[14] ; Encalada, Andrea ^[15] ; Goethe, Emma ^[16] ; Groenroos, Mira ^[1] ; Hamada, Neusa ^[17] ; Jacobsen, Dean ^[18] ; Landeiro, Victor L. ^[19] ; Ligeiro, Raphael ^[10] ; Martins, Renato T. ^[17] ; Miserendino, Maria Laura ^[9] ; Md Rawi, Che Salmah ^[5] ; Rodrigues, Marciel E. ^[20] ; Roque, Fabio de Oliveira ^[20] ; Sandin, Leonard ^[7] ; Schmera, Denes ^{[21, 22]} ; Sgarbi, Luciano F. ^[2] ; Simaika, John P. ^[23] ; Siqueira, Tadeu ^[24] ; Thompson, Ross M. ^[25] ; Townsend, Colin R. ^[26]

Affiliation:Show less -

^[1] Finnish Environm Inst, Nat Environm Ctr, Biodivers, Oulu - Finland

^[2] Univ Fed Goias, Dept Ecologia, Goiania, Go - Brazil

^[3] Eawag Swiss Fed Inst Aquat Sci & Technol, Dept Aquat Ecol, Dubendorf - Switzerland

^[4] Univ Zurich, Inst Evolutionary Biol & Environm Studies, Zurich - Switzerland

^[5] Sch Biol Sci, Universiti Sains Malaysi, Penang - Malaysia

^[6] Univ Tabuk, Dept Biol, Fac Sci, Tabuk - Saudi Arabia

^[7] Swedish Univ Agr Sci, Dept Aquat Sci & Assessment, Uppsala - Sweden

^[8] Univ Barcelona, Dept dEcologia, Grup Recerca Freshwater Ecol & Management FEM, Barcelona - Spain

^[9] LIESA CONICET Univ Nacl Patagonia SJB, Chubut, Chubut - Argentina

^[10] Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Biol Geral, Dept Biol Geral, Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil

^[11] Univ Guelph, Dept Integrat Biol, Guelph, ON - Canada

^[12] Pontif Cathol Univ Ecuador, Sch Biol Sci, Entomol Lab, Quito - Ecuador

^[13] Inst Rech Developpement, Laboratoire Evolut, IRD, Genomes & Speciat, Gif Sur Yvette - France

^[14] Univ Hong Kong, Sch Biol Sci, Hong Kong - Peoples R China

^[15] Laboratorio Ecologia Acuat Colegio Ciencias Biolo, Quito - Ecuador

^[16] Aarhus Univ, Dept Bioscience, Silkeborg, Aarhus - Denmark

^[17] Inst Nacl de Pesquisas da Amazonia, Amazonia, CoordenacAo Biodiversidade, Manaus, Amazonas - Brazil

^[18] Univ Copenhagen, Dept Biol, Copenhagen - Denmark

^[19] Univ Fed Mato Grosso, Dept Botan Ecologia, Cuiaba - Brazil

^[20] Univ Fed Mato Grosso, Dept Ciencias Biolog, Saude, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso - Brazil

^[21] Univ Basel, Sectionof Conservat Biol, Dept Environm Sci, Basel - Switzerland

^[22] Hungarian Acad Sci, Balaton Limnol Inst, Ctr Ecol Res, Tihany - Hungary

^[23] Univ Stellenbosch, Dept Conservat Ecol & Entomol, Stellenbosch - South Africa

^[24] UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Rio Claro, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[25] Univ Canberra, Inst Appl Ecol, Canberra, ACT - Australia

^[26] Univ Otago, Dept Zool, Dunedin - New Zealand

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION; v. 5, n. 6, p. 1235-1248, MAR 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 74

Abstract

The hypotheses that beta diversity should increase with decreasing latitude and increase with spatial extent of a region have rarely been tested based on a comparative analysis of multiple datasets, and no such study has focused on stream insects. We first assessed how well variability in beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities is predicted by insect group, latitude, spatial extent, altitudinal range, and dataset properties across multiple drainage basins throughout the world. Second, we assessed the relative roles of environmental and spatial factors in driving variation in assemblage composition within each drainage basin. Our analyses were based on a dataset of 95 stream insect metacommunities from 31 drainage basins distributed around the world. We used dissimilarity-based indices to quantify beta diversity for each metacommunity and, subsequently, regressed beta diversity on insect group, latitude, spatial extent, altitudinal range, and dataset properties (e.g., number of sites and percentage of presences). Within each metacommunity, we used a combination of spatial eigenfunction analyses and partial redundancy analysis to partition variation in assemblage structure into environmental, shared, spatial, and unexplained fractions. We found that dataset properties were more important predictors of beta diversity than ecological and geographical factors across multiple drainage basins. In the within-basin analyses, environmental and spatial variables were generally poor predictors of variation in assemblage composition. Our results revealed deviation from general biodiversity patterns because beta diversity did not show the expected decreasing trend with latitude. Our results also call for reconsideration of just how predictable stream assemblages are along ecological gradients, with implications for environmental assessment and conservation decisions. Our findings may also be applicable to other dynamic systems where predictability is low. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50424-1 - Scaling biodiversity in tropical and boreal streams: implications for diversity mapping and environmental assessment (ScaleBio)
• Grantee: Tadeu de Siqueira Barros
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants