Ecological similarity explains species abundance distribution of small mammal communities
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2020
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For several decades, ecologists have been trying to explain how species abundance distributions (SAD) emerge
within communities. Niche models predict that species habitat requirements and life-history traits determine
SADs. Here, based on predictions from a well-known niche-based SAD (Sugihara's model), we tested whether
abundant species are ecologically less similar among each other than less abundant ones, and whether the
strength of this relationship is reduced in high productivity areas. Using species abundance and trait data from
88 small mammal communities around the world we found that the most abundant species are similar to other
abundant species, but less similar to rare species. However, this relationship is weakened in high-productivity
areas, such as the tropics. These results suggest that niche differences moderate species abundances, and that
low-productivity habitats have a reduced ecological space, especially for specialist species. A next step to uncover biological processes underlying the formation of SADs is to understand how they are influenced by the
order of species arrivals during the assembly of communities.
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Functional traits, Niche space, SAD, Species abundance
Citação
HIDASI-NETO, José et al. Ecological similarity explains species abundance distribution of small mammal communities. Acta Oecologica, Amsterdam, v. 102, e103502, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2019.103502. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1146609X19303170. Acesso em: 5 jul. 2023.