Remotely sensed habitat diversity predicts butterfly species richness and community similarity in Canada

Abstract

Although there is no shortage of potential explanations for the large-scale patterns of biological diversity, the hypothesis that energy-related factors are the primary determinants is perhaps most extensively supported, especially in cold-temperate regions. By using unusually high-resolution biodiversity and environmental data that have not previously been available, we demonstrate that habitat heterogeneity, as measured by remotely sensed land cover variation, explains Canadian butterfly richness better than any energy-related variable we measured across spatial scales. Although species-richness predictability declines with progressively smaller quadrat sizes, as expected, we demonstrate that most variability (>90%) in butterfly richness may be explained by habitat heterogeneity with secondary contributions from climatic energy. We also find that patterns of community similarity across Canada are strongly related to patterns of habitat composition but not to differences in energy-related factors. Energy should still be considered significant but its main role may be through its effects on within-habitat diversity and perhaps, indirectly, on the sorts of habitats that may be found in a region. Effects of sampling intensity and spatial autocorrelation do not alter our findings.

Ecological impact of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) activity on macroinvertebrate communities in Lithuanian trout streams

“…Ecological theory argues that taxonomic richness increases with habitat heterogeneity. This assertion can be supported by studies that examined multiple taxa, scales, and ecosystems [34][35][36]. Crooks [37] extended this concept to ecosystem engineers, positing that the influence of ecosystem engineering on species richness should be related to whether or not the engineer increases or decreases habitat diversity, which in turn is dependent on the context in relation to the surrounding landscape.…”

An overview of recent remote sensing and GIS based research in ecological informatics

“…However, many studies have sought to infer biodiversity information indirectly from remote sensing, often through information on the land cover mosaic represented in a land cover map derived from the imagery (e.g. Gould, 2000;Griffiths et al, 2000;Oindo and Skidmore, 2002;Kerr et al, 2001;Rocchini et al, 2006). Indeed many studies have used land cover data, often as a surrogate for data on habitat type, and frequently exploited the temporal dimension of remote sensing to monitor land cover dynamics (Kral and Pavlis, 2006;Duveiller et al, 2008;Munoz-Villers and Lopez-Blanco, 2008;Kerr et al, 2001;Luoto et al, 2002Luoto et al, , 2004Cohen and Goward, 2004;Bergen et al, 2007;Fuller et al, 2007;Lassau and Hochuli, 2007).…”

The effects of shifting vegetation mosaics on habitat suitability for coastal dune fauna—a case study on sand lizards (Lacerta agilis)

“…Landscape heterogeneity is recognised to be an important driver for plant and animal diversity (Geerling et al 2006;Huston 1979;Kerr et al 2001;Verberk et al 2006;Wiens 1989). Loss of heterogeneity threatens animal species that are characteristic for dunes by limiting their possibilities for thermoregulation, foraging and breeding (Bonte et al 2004;Maes and Bonte 2006).…”