Relative influence of habitat heterogeneity, climate, human disturbance, and spatial structure on vertebrate species richness in Spain

Abstract

Many factors affect the distribution of species richness. This study examines the relative influence of habitat heterogeneity, climate, human disturbance, and spatial structure on the species-richness distribution of terrestrial vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in mainland Spain. The results indicate that spatial structure and environment exert similar influences on species richness. For all four taxa, species richness increases southward and northward, being lower in the center of the country, when controlled for other variables. This may be the result of a peninsular effect, as found in other studies, and reflect the importance of historical events on species richness in the Iberian Peninsula. Climate is more important than habitat heterogeneity in determining species richness. Temperature is positively correlated with amphibian, reptile, and bird species richness, while mammalian species richness is highest at intermediate temperatures. This effect is stronger in ectotherms than among endotherms, perhaps reflecting physiological differences. Precipitation positively correlates with bird and mammalian species richness, but has no effect on ectotherm species richness. Amphibian species richness increases with altitudinal range, and bird species richness with habitat diversity. Human population density is positively correlated with bird and mammalian species richness, but does not affect ectotherm species richness, while amphibian and bird species richness is highest at moderate levels of human land alteration (farmland). However, unexplained variance remains, and we discuss that the effects of environmental variables on species richness may vary geographically, causing different effects to be obscured on a national scale, diminishing the explanatory power of environmental variables.

Bird Communities and Vegetation Composition in the Urban Forest Ecosystem: Correlations and Comparisons of Diversity Indices

“…The dependence of the diversity of bird communities on the heterogeneity of the stand and the mosaic of habitats was repeatedly emphasised in other studies (Tews et al, 2004;Giltena et al, 2007;Moreno-Rueda, Pizzaro, 2009;Stefanova, Salek, 2014;Domokos E., Domokos J., 2016). The authors suggested that the transformed environment could reduce species abundance because of a decrease in the populations of some species.…”

Land use is more important than climate for species richness and composition of bat assemblages on a regional scale

“…Finally, we have to consider that seasonal movements of bats complicate the patterns of biodiversity (Meschede and Rudolph 2004; see also above). However, even other studies using R 2 to quantify the explained variance of species richness or composition of assemblages on regional scales have reported comparatively low values between 15 and 35% for vertebrates (Moreno-Rueda and Pizarro 2009;Pfeifer et al 2009). In contrast, in regional studies the values for invertebrates varied between 20 and 70% (Hawkins and Porter 2003;Lassau et al 2005a,b;Müller and Brandl 2009).…”

Positive regional species–people correlations: a sampling artefact or a key issue for sustainable development?

“…Fjelds˚a, 2007;Pidgeon et al, 2007;Fjelds˚a & Burgess, 2008;Lepczyk et al, 2008;Moreno-Rueda & Pizarro, 2009). At the level of European countries, a positive species-people correlation was found for ants, aphids, grasshoppers and stream macro-invertebrates (Pautasso & Fontaneto, 2008;Schlick-Steiner et al, 2008;Steck & Pautasso, 2008;Pautasso & Powell, 2009), but the data did not allow the inclusion of sampling effort in those studies.…”