Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

ANTHROPOGENICALLY INDUCED CHANGES OF PREDICTABILITY IN TROPICAL ANURAN ASSEMBLAGES

ANTHROPOGENICALLY INDUCED CHANGES OF PREDICTABILITY IN TROPICAL ANURAN ASSEMBLAGES Anthropogenic habitat alteration has long been neglected as a factor in the analysis of predictability patterns in biological communities. We tested this factor by investigating anuran leaf litter assemblages in primary and secondary forests of Taïï National Park, Ivory Coast, during two years. We measured predictability of assemblage composition by analyzing correlations between the off-diagonal elements of distance matrices based on (1) species distribution, (2) environmental characteristics, and (3) geographic distance. Pairwise correlations between matrices were significant in all cases when considering data pooled across time and habitats. A different pattern emerged when data were split according to season and disturbance level (i.e., primary vs. secondary habitats). Assemblage composition in primary habitats was correlated with geographic proximity of sites exclusively, indicating otherwise stochastic recruitment from a regional species pool at the local community level. In contrast, assemblage composition in secondary habitats was predictable based on environmental parameters, not geographical proximity. This can be inferred to be the result of a strong local site filter effect (i.e., physiologically more-restrictive conditions within secondary forest habitats, especially due to an altered microclimate). Results were consistent throughout seasons. The observed transition in predictability patterns indicates that anthropogenic disturbance not only affects system descriptors, such as species richness, abundance, and diversity, but may also alter the system's dynamics. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecology Ecological Society of America

ANTHROPOGENICALLY INDUCED CHANGES OF PREDICTABILITY IN TROPICAL ANURAN ASSEMBLAGES

Ecology , Volume 86 (11) – Nov 1, 2005

Loading next page...
 
/lp/ecological-society-of-america/anthropogenically-induced-changes-of-predictability-in-tropical-anuran-I346dI7Tvx

References (40)

Publisher
Ecological Society of America
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the Ecological Society of America
Subject
Notes
ISSN
0012-9658
DOI
10.1890/04-0800
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Anthropogenic habitat alteration has long been neglected as a factor in the analysis of predictability patterns in biological communities. We tested this factor by investigating anuran leaf litter assemblages in primary and secondary forests of Taïï National Park, Ivory Coast, during two years. We measured predictability of assemblage composition by analyzing correlations between the off-diagonal elements of distance matrices based on (1) species distribution, (2) environmental characteristics, and (3) geographic distance. Pairwise correlations between matrices were significant in all cases when considering data pooled across time and habitats. A different pattern emerged when data were split according to season and disturbance level (i.e., primary vs. secondary habitats). Assemblage composition in primary habitats was correlated with geographic proximity of sites exclusively, indicating otherwise stochastic recruitment from a regional species pool at the local community level. In contrast, assemblage composition in secondary habitats was predictable based on environmental parameters, not geographical proximity. This can be inferred to be the result of a strong local site filter effect (i.e., physiologically more-restrictive conditions within secondary forest habitats, especially due to an altered microclimate). Results were consistent throughout seasons. The observed transition in predictability patterns indicates that anthropogenic disturbance not only affects system descriptors, such as species richness, abundance, and diversity, but may also alter the system's dynamics.

Journal

EcologyEcological Society of America

Published: Nov 1, 2005

Keywords: anthropogenic disturbance ; habitat alteration ; leaf litter anurans ; predictability patterns ; primary and secondary forests ; rain forest ; species assemblages ; West Africa

There are no references for this article.