Midpoint attractors and species richness: Modelling the interaction between environmental drivers and geometric constraints

• Published in: Ecology letters Vol. 19; no. 9; pp. 1009 - 1022
• Main Authors: Colwell, Robert K., Gotelli, Nicholas J., Ashton, Louise A., Beck, Jan, Brehm, Gunnar, Fayle, Tom M., Fiedler, Konrad, Forister, Matthew L., Kessler, Michael, Kitching, Roger L., Klimes, Petr, Kluge, Jürgen, Longino, John T., Maunsell, Sarah C., McCain, Christy M., Moses, Jimmy, Noben, Sarah, Sam, Katerina, Sam, Legi, Shapiro, Arthur M., Wang, Xiangping, Novotny, Vojtech
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian model; Biodiversity; Biogeography; data collection; Ecosystem; elevational gradients; environmental factors; geometric constraints; geometry; Insecta - physiology; insects; mid-domain effect; midpoint predictor model; Models, Biological; mountains; Plant Physiological Phenomena; sea level; simulation models; species diversity; Species richness; stochastic model; truncated niche; vertebrates; Vertebrates - physiology; geometric constraints; Bayesian model; Biogeography; elevational gradients; mid-domain effect; stochastic model; truncated niche; midpoint predictor model

We introduce a novel framework for conceptualising, quantifying and unifying discordant patterns of species richness along geographical gradients. While not itself explicitly mechanistic, this approach offers a path towards understanding mechanisms. In this study, we focused on the diverse patterns...