A general framework for the distance-decay of similarity in ecological communities.

ABSTRACT: Species spatial turnover, or beta-diversity, induces a decay of community similarity with geographic distance known as the distance-decay relationship. Although this relationship is central to biodiversity and biogeography, its theoretical underpinnings remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a general framework to describe how the distance-decay relationship is influenced by population aggregation and the landscape-scale species-abundance distribution. We utilize this general framework and data from three tropical forests to show that rare species have a weak influence on distance-decay curves, and that overall similarity and rates of decay are primarily influenced by species abundances and population aggregation respectively. We illustrate the utility of the framework by deriving an e

SUBMITTER: Morlon H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2613237 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature