Temperature dependence, spatial scale, and tree species diversity in eastern Asia and North America

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0905030106
• Publication Date: 2009-07-24T01:36:29Z
• Authors: Zhiheng Wang; James H. Brown; Zhiyao Tang; Jingyun Fang
• Keywords: Macroecology

The increase of biodiversity from poles to equator is one the most pervasive features nature. For 2 centuries since von Humboldt, Wallace, and Darwin, biogeographers ecologists have investigated environmental historical factors that determine latitudinal gradient species diversity, but underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. recently proposed metabolic theory ecology (MTE) aims explain ecological patterns processes, including geographical richness, in terms effects temperature body size on metabolism organisms. Here we use comparable databases tree distributions eastern Asia North America investigate roles spatial scale shaping diversity. We find number increases exponentially with as predicted by MTE, so does rate turnover composition (slope species-area relationship). magnitude dependence richness scale. Moreover, relationship between much steeper than America: cold climates at high latitudes there are more America, reverse true warmer lower latitudes. These provide evidence kinetics evolutionary processes play a major role pattern biodiversity.