Dispersal and diversity–unifying scale-dependent relationships within the neutral theory

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Felix May
  • Itamar Giladi
  • Yaron Ziv
  • Florian Jeltsch
The response of species diversity to dispersal capability is inherently scale-dependent: increasing dispersal capability is expected to increase diversity at the local scale, while decreasing diversity at the metacommunity scale. However, these expectations are based on model formulations that neglect dispersal limitation and species segregation at the local scale. We developed a unifying framework of dispersal-diversity relationships and tested the generality of these expectations. For this purpose we used a spatially-explicit neutral model with various combinations of survey area (local scale) and landscape size (metacommunity scale). Simulations were conducted using landscapes of finite and of conceptually infinite size. We analyzed the scale-dependence of dispersal-diversity relationships for exponentially-bounded versus fat-tailed dispersal kernels, several levels of speciation rate and contrasting assumptions on recruitment at short dispersal distances. We found that the ratio of survey area to landscape size is a major determinant of dispersal-diversity relationships. With increasing survey-to-landscape area ratio the dispersal-diversity relationship switches from monotonically increasing through a U-shaped pattern (with a local minimum) to a monotonically decreasing pattern. Therefore, we provide a continuous set of dispersal-diversity relationships, which contains the response shapes reported previously as extreme cases. We suggest the mean dispersal distance with the minimum of species diversity (minimizing dispersal distance) for a certain scenario as a key characteristic of dispersal-diversity relationships. We show that not only increasing mean dispersal distances, but also increasing variances of dispersal can enhance diversity at the local scale, given a diverse species pool at the metacommunity scale. In conclusion, the response of diversity to variations of dispersal capability at spatial scales of interest, e.g. conservation areas, can differ more widely than expected previously. Therefore, land use and conservation activities, which manipulate dispersal capability, need to consider the landscape context and potential species pools carefully. © 2011 The Authors. Oikos © 2011 Nordic Society Oikos.
Original languageEnglish
JournalOikos
Volume121
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)942-951
Number of pages10
ISSN0030-1299
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 06.2012
Externally publishedYes

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. A Method to Enhance the Accuracy of Time of Flight Measurement Systems
  2. Deliberative mapping of ecosystem services within and around Doñana National Park (SW Spain) in relation to land use change
  3. The relationship between acculturation strategies and depressive and anxiety disorders in Turkish migrants in the Netherlands
  4. As solidified microstructure investigation of Mg15Y and MgxYyGd (x+y=15 wt.%) ternary alloys
  5. Co-production of nature's contributions to people
  6. The productivity effect of temporary agency work
  7. Relative wage positions and quit behavior
  8. Restricted nonlinear approximation
  9. The Contribution of Large Banking Institutions to Systemic Risk
  10. ‘The Useful, the Bad and the Ugly’.
  11. Credit constraints and margins of import
  12. Computer als Medium (Hyperkult V)
  13. How transformational leadership transforms followers’ affect and work engagement
  14. The well- and unwell-being of a child
  15. Ästhetikkolumne
  16. Passion, Performance and Soberness
  17. Visualizing stakeholders’ willingness for collective action in participatory scenario planning
  18. Development of pre-service teachers´teaching performance in physical education during a long-term internship
  19. Reciprocal Relationships Between Dispositional Optimism and Work Experiences
  20. Prolog und relationale Datenbanken als Grundlagen zur Implementierung einer NF2-Datenbank
  21. New Labor, Old Questions: Practices of Collaboration with Robots
  22. Too precise to pursue
  23. Unplanned, Unanticipated and Unsupported?
  24. Belief in Free Will Is Related to Internal Attribution in Self-Perception
  25. Case Study