A barrier island perspective on species-area relationships.

ABSTRACT: Predictions of species richness by island area are a classical cornerstone in ecology, while the specific features of barrier islands have been little appreciated. Many shorelines are occupied by barrier islands, which are shaped by offshore sedimentation processes and annual storm tide events. Hence, the appearance of these islands may vary between years if they are not protected by dykes. Here, we analyzed more than 2,990 species across 36 taxonomic groups (including vertebrates, invertebrates, and land plants) on German barrier islands, the East Frisian Islands. We tested for relationships between species richness or species incidence and island area (SAR), island habitat diversity and further island parameters using a range of generalized linear and mixed-effects models. Overall specie

SUBMITTER: Scherber C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6308881 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature