Factors affecting plant species richness and endemism on land-bridge islands – An example from the East Aegean archipelago

Panitsa, Maria; Trigas, Panayiotis; Iatroú, Gregoris; Sfenthourakis, Spyros

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2010.04.004

Cited by 46 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…1). As expected, the slope of the regression fell within the range previously documented for plants on Aegean islands (Panitsa et al. , 2006, 2008, 2010), given that the islands studied herein have been included, albeit in different combinations, in these studies.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

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From plots to islands: species diversity at different scales

Sfenthourakis

Panitsa

2011

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim To investigate how plant diversity of whole islands (‘gamma’) is related to alpha and beta diversity patterns among sampling plots within each island, thus exploring aspects of diversity patterns across scales. Location Nineteen islands of the Aegean Sea, Greece. Methods Plant species were recorded at both the whole‐island scale and in small 100 m2 plots on each island. Mean plot species richness was considered as a measure of alpha diversity, and six indices of the ‘variation’‐type beta diversity were also applied. In addition, we partitioned beta diversity into a ‘nestedness’ and a ‘replacement’ component, using the total species richness recorded in all plots of each island as a measure of ‘gamma’ diversity. We also applied 10 species–area models to predict the total observed richness of each island from accumulated plot species richness. Results Mean alpha diversity was not significantly correlated with the overall island species richness or island area. The range of plot species richness for each island was significantly correlated with both overall species richness and area. Alpha diversity was not correlated with most indices of beta diversity. The majority of beta diversity indices were correlated with whole‐island species richness, and this was also true for the ‘replacement’ component of beta diversity. The rational function model provided the best prediction of observed island species richness, with Monod’s and the exponential models following closely. Inaccuracy of predictions was positively correlated with the number of plots and with most indices of beta diversity. Main conclusions Diversity at the broader scale (whole islands) is shaped mainly by variation among small local samples (beta diversity), while local alpha diversity is not a good predictor of species diversity at broader scales. In this system, all results support the crucial role of habitat diversity in determining the species–area relationship.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…We used the total flora of 19 Aegean islands (Table 1), ranging from 0.02 to 53 km 2 in surface area, as reported in Panitsa & Tzanoudakis (1998, 2001, 2010), Panitsa et al. (1994, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) and Tzanoudakis et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From plots to islands: species diversity at different scales

Sfenthourakis

Panitsa

2011

Journal of Biogeography

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“…Especially for islands with a long period of human habitation there will always be uncertainties whether the occurring species have been introduced by man, and whether the activities of humans have led to the extinction of native species [75], [76]. Plant species already introduced in prehistoric or early historic times may be perfectly integrated into the native plant communities and it may be extremely difficult, or even impossible, to distinguish them from the truly native ones [59].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevational Gradient of Vascular Plant Species Richness and Endemism in Crete – The Effect of Post-Isolation Mountain Uplift on a Continental Island System

2013

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Understanding diversity patterns along environmental gradients and their underlying mechanisms is a major topic in current biodiversity research. In this study, we investigate for the first time elevational patterns of vascular plant species richness and endemism on a long-isolated continental island (Crete) that has experienced extensive post-isolation mountain uplift. We used all available data on distribution and elevational ranges of the Cretan plants to interpolate their presence between minimum and maximum elevations in 100-m elevational intervals, along the entire elevational gradient of Crete (0–2400 m). We evaluate the influence of elevation, area, mid-domain effect, elevational Rapoport effect and the post-isolation mountain uplift on plant species richness and endemism elevational patterns. Furthermore, we test the influence of the island condition and the post-isolation mountain uplift to the elevational range sizes of the Cretan plants, using the Peloponnese as a continental control area. Total species richness monotonically decreases with increasing elevation, while endemic species richness has a unimodal response to elevation showing a peak at mid-elevation intervals. Area alone explains a significant amount of variation in species richness along the elevational gradient. Mid-domain effect is not the underlying mechanism of the elevational gradient of plant species richness in Crete, and Rapoport's rule only partly explains the observed patterns. Our results are largely congruent with the post-isolation uplift of the Cretan mountains and their colonization mainly by the available lowland vascular plant species, as high-elevation specialists are almost lacking from the Cretan flora. The increase in the proportion of Cretan endemics with increasing elevation can only be regarded as a result of diversification processes towards Cretan mountains (especially mid-elevation areas), supported by elevation-driven ecological isolation. Cretan plants have experienced elevational range expansion compared to the continental control area, as a result of ecological release triggered by increased species impoverishment with increasing elevation.

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“…Dia -satellite of Crete (Vardinoyannis 1994 (Table 2). On the contrary, remote islands, but larger than Gyaros, host almost the same number of species, for example Antikythira, and Saria (Vardinoyannis 1994) (Table 2) Thus the high number of species can be explained by 1) its palaeogeographical evolution, since the reduction of its area from the "Cyclades mega plateau" to the present day island has not yet led to significant loss of species (triantis et al 2008, and references therein), 2) its heterogeneity, as in the case of plants on small Aegean islands (Panitsa et al 2010), and 3) the long presence of man, who probably added species on the island directly or indirectly (Mylonas 1984). However, one should have in mind that stochastic events could also have played a role on the composition of the malacofauna of this small Aegean island.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Gyaros Island (Cyclades, Greece)

Vardinoyannis¹,

Tzatzi²,

Mylonas³

2015

Folia Malac.

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Although most of the Cyclades and other Aegean islands and islets have been surveyed for land snails since the beginning of the 19th century, the island of Gyaros was not one of them. Five species were recorded by two geologists who studied the geology of the island in 1952. In our survey in March 2014 we found 20 species on the island. All species, with the exception of Chilostoma arcadica and Monacha rothii, are widespread in the Aegean and the Mediterranean.

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Factors affecting plant species richness and endemism on land-bridge islands – An example from the East Aegean archipelago

Cited by 46 publications

References 43 publications

From plots to islands: species diversity at different scales

From plots to islands: species diversity at different scales

Elevational Gradient of Vascular Plant Species Richness and Endemism in Crete – The Effect of Post-Isolation Mountain Uplift on a Continental Island System

Terrestrial snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of the Gyaros Island (Cyclades, Greece)

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