Species extinction and the relationship between distribution and abundance

被引:166
作者
Johnson, CN [1 ]
机构
[1] James Cook Univ N Queensland, Dept Zool & Trop Ecol, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia
关键词
D O I
10.1038/28385
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Within taxonomic groups, there is almost always a positive relationship between the size of geographic range and the local abundance of species(1-4). This pattern has attracted much interest, and several ecological mechanisms have been proposed as causes of it(5). However, these hypotheses do not consider the effect of the extinction of rare species on range-abundance relationships. If both range size and local abundance influence the risk of extinction, species with small ranges might avoid extinction if they have high local abundance, whereas species with low local abundance might avoid extinction if they are widespread; species with both small range and low local abundance should be at high risk. This interaction between range, abundance and extinction should produce negative correlations between range and abundance in groups that have experienced many extinctions. Here I test this idea using Australian marsupials, and I show that although the relationship between range size and local abundance is positive for recently evolved species, it is negative for ancient species. This indicates that positive relationships between range size and abundance may be generated during adaptive radiation, but are then gradually reversed as a result of differential extinction.
引用
收藏
页码:272 / 274
页数:3
相关论文
共 29 条
[1]  
ARCHER M, 1981, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, V168, P61
[2]  
Archer M., 1982, P397
[3]   EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS OF AUSTRALIAN MARSUPIALS AS ASSESSED BY ALBUMIN IMMUNOLOGY [J].
BAVERSTOCK, PR ;
KRIEG, M ;
BIRRELL, J .
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, 1990, 37 (2-4) :273-287
[4]  
BAVERSTOCK PR, 1982, CARNIVOROUS MARSUPIA, P641
[5]   Variation in extinction risk among birds: Chance or evolutionary predisposition? [J].
Bennett, PM ;
Owens, IPF .
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1997, 264 (1380) :401-408
[6]   A METHOD OF ESTIMATING THE SLOPE OF UPPER-BOUNDS OF PLOTS OF BODY SIZE AND ABUNDANCE IN NATURAL ANIMAL ASSEMBLAGES [J].
BLACKBURN, TM ;
LAWTON, JH ;
PERRY, JN .
OIKOS, 1992, 65 (01) :107-112
[7]   ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES [J].
BROWN, JH .
AMERICAN NATURALIST, 1984, 124 (02) :255-279
[8]   DIRECTIONS IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY [J].
CAUGHLEY, G .
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, 1994, 63 (02) :215-244
[9]  
Close R.L., 1990, P19
[10]   BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMATIC STUDIES IN THE GENUS PETAURUS (MARSUPIALIA, PETAURIDAE) [J].
COLGAN, DJ ;
FLANNERY, TF .
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, 1992, 40 (03) :245-256