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Spatial and temporal dimensions to the taxonomic diversity of arthropods in an arid grassland savannah

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 06:30 authored by Dalerum, F, Low de Vries, J, Pirk, CWW, Elissa Cameron
Quantifying the drivers of biodiversity variation is a key topic in contemporary ecology. While the geographic distribution of biodiversity is broadly determined by water and energy, local environmental conditions may be important. We evaluated the relative effects of spatial and temporal variation on taxonomic diversity of ground living arthropod communities in central South Africa. Seasonal climate variation was a major driver of arthropod abundance, but seasonal effects differed between habitats. We did not find any evidence for modular community structures, even across different habitats, or any evidence for a nested pattern across seasons. Instead, we observed a spatial nestedness which was only partly related to specific habitats. Our results suggest that neutral processes had influenced arthropod community structure, but also that very local processes may have been pivotal in determining local and regional arthropod diversity. Such processes may not necessarily have been neutral, but could have been caused by niche deterministic processes acting at scales smaller the distinct habitat classes we used for our study. We further suggest that alterations in climate likely will have substantial effects on the spatial and temporal distribution of arthropod diversity in this arid region.

History

Publication title

Journal of Arid Environments

Volume

144

Pagination

21-30

ISSN

0140-1963

Department/School

School of Natural Sciences

Publisher

Academic Press Ltd Elsevier Science Ltd

Place of publication

24-28 Oval Rd, London, England, Nw1 7Dx

Rights statement

Copyright 2017 Elsevier Ltd.

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Terrestrial biodiversity

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