Food plant diversity as broad-scale determinant of avian frugivore richness

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Vol. 274; no. 1611; pp. 799 - 808
• Main Authors: Kissling, W. Daniel, Rahbek, Carsten, Böhning-Gaese, Katrin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London The Royal Society 22.03.2007
• Subjects: Africa; Animals; Biodiversity; Biological Evolution; Birds; Birds - classification; Birds - physiology; Coevolution; Community Assembly; Feeding Behavior; Ficus; Ficus - anatomy & histology; Ficus - classification; Ficus - physiology; Food plants; Fruit - anatomy & histology; Fruit - classification; Fruit - physiology; Fruits; Geography; Macroecology; Modeling; Models, Biological; Plant-Frugivore Interactions; Plants; Regression Analysis; Spatial Autoregressive Model; Spatial models; Species; Species diversity

The causes of variation in animal species richness at large spatial scales are intensively debated. Here, we examine whether the diversity of food plants, contemporary climate and energy, or habitat heterogeneity determine species richness patterns of avian frugivores across sub-Saharan Africa. Path...