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Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Thomsen, MS; Altieri, AH; Angelini, C; Bishop, MJ; Bulleri, F; Farhan, R; Frühling, VMM; Gribben, PE; Harrison, SB; He, Q; Klinghardt, M ...
Published in: Nature communications
January 2022

Habitat heterogeneity is considered a primary causal driver underpinning patterns of diversity, yet the universal role of heterogeneity in structuring biodiversity is unclear due to a lack of coordinated experiments testing its effects across geographic scales and habitat types. Furthermore, key species interactions that can enhance heterogeneity, such as facilitation cascades of foundation species, have been largely overlooked in general biodiversity models. Here, we performed 22 geographically distributed experiments in different ecosystems and biogeographical regions to assess the extent to which variation in biodiversity is explained by three axes of habitat heterogeneity: the amount of habitat, its morphological complexity, and capacity to provide ecological resources (e.g. food) within and between co-occurring foundation species. We show that positive and additive effects across the three axes of heterogeneity are common, providing a compelling mechanistic insight into the universal importance of habitat heterogeneity in promoting biodiversity via cascades of facilitative interactions. Because many aspects of habitat heterogeneity can be controlled through restoration and management interventions, our findings are directly relevant to biodiversity conservation.

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Published In

Nature communications

DOI

EISSN

2041-1723

ISSN

2041-1723

Publication Date

January 2022

Volume

13

Issue

1

Start / End Page

581

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Geography
  • Biodiversity
  • Animals
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Thomsen, M. S., Altieri, A. H., Angelini, C., Bishop, M. J., Bulleri, F., Farhan, R., … Zotz, G. (2022). Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity. Nature Communications, 13(1), 581. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28194-y
Thomsen, Mads S., Andrew H. Altieri, Christine Angelini, Melanie J. Bishop, Fabio Bulleri, Roxanne Farhan, Viktoria M. M. Frühling, et al. “Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity.Nature Communications 13, no. 1 (January 2022): 581. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28194-y.
Thomsen MS, Altieri AH, Angelini C, Bishop MJ, Bulleri F, Farhan R, et al. Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity. Nature communications. 2022 Jan;13(1):581.
Thomsen, Mads S., et al. “Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity.Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, Jan. 2022, p. 581. Epmc, doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28194-y.
Thomsen MS, Altieri AH, Angelini C, Bishop MJ, Bulleri F, Farhan R, Frühling VMM, Gribben PE, Harrison SB, He Q, Klinghardt M, Langeneck J, Lanham BS, Mondardini L, Mulders Y, Oleksyn S, Ramus AP, Schiel DR, Schneider T, Siciliano A, Silliman BR, Smale DA, South PM, Wernberg T, Zhang S, Zotz G. Heterogeneity within and among co-occurring foundation species increases biodiversity. Nature communications. 2022 Jan;13(1):581.

Published In

Nature communications

DOI

EISSN

2041-1723

ISSN

2041-1723

Publication Date

January 2022

Volume

13

Issue

1

Start / End Page

581

Related Subject Headings

  • Species Specificity
  • Geography
  • Biodiversity
  • Animals