Habitat fragmentation determines diversity of annual plant communities at landscape and fine spatial scales |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845 WA, Australia;2. Climate Change Research Centre, School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia;3. School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, 6845 WA, Australia;4. Mineral Resources Limited, 1 Sleat Rd, Applecross, 6153 WA, Australia;5. Tetris Environmental Pty Ltd, PO Box 3103, Myaree, WA 6154, Australia;1. Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Strasse 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany;2. Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, 100101 Beijing, PR China;3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, 100049 Beijing, PR China;4. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany;5. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Jena – Halle – Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;6. Plant Ecology, Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland;1. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK;2. ETH Zurich, Natural Capital Singapore, Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore;3. Department of Geography, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK;1. Forest & Nature Lab, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode, Belgium;2. Wageningen Environmental Research (Alterra), P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Gaverstraat 4, B-9500 Geraardsbergen, Belgium;1. Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, BE-9000 Gent, Belgium;2. Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, BE-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium;3. Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergse Steenweg 267, BE-9090 Gontrode, Belgium |
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| Abstract: | The aim of this study was to disentangle the effects of landscape configuration (i.e., fragment area, connectivity, and proximity to a busy highway) on the assembly of annual plant communities at different spatial scales. Our main hypothesis was that larger and more connected fragments would have higher species densities per plot and this may result in differences in turnover and nestedness patterns at the fine spatial scales where plants interact. Specifically, since Mediterranean annuals are known to form strong competitive hierarchies, we expected to find a nested pattern of beta diversity due to sequential species loss. The study area was a fragmented gypsum habitat in central Spain with a semiarid climate where two fragmentation drivers coexist: agricultural practices and a roadway. Larger fragments had higher species densities per plot (20 × 20 m). Nevertheless, we detected no effect on the species assembly at fine spatial scales (30 × 30 cm). However, when the fragment connectivity was high the species that appeared in poor quadrats (30 × 30 cm) comprised a subset of the species in rich quadrats. These results agree well with the establishment of strong competitive hierarchies among annual species. The distance to the highway influenced the identity of the species established in the community (i.e., species composition) at fine spatial scales, but we detected no effect on species turnover, nestedness, or species densities. The main conclusion of our study is that the effects of habitat fragmentation extend beyond the landscape scale and they determine the spatial assembly at fine spatial scales. |
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| Keywords: | Beta diversity Connectivity Gypsum soils Highway Multifunctionality Nestedness Semiarid Spatial scale Sunshine index Turnover |
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