Community relaxation in fragmented landscapes: the relation between species richness, area and age

被引:76
作者
Gonzalez, A
机构
[1] Univ London Imperial Coll Sci Technol & Med, NERC, Ctr Populat Biol, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks, England
[2] Ecole Normale Super, CNRS, URA 258, Lab Ecol Fonct & Evolut Syst Ecol, F-75230 Paris 05, France
关键词
community relaxation; extinction debt; extinction; habitat fragmentation; landscape; moss microcosm; species-area relation;
D O I
10.1046/j.1461-0248.2000.00171.x
中图分类号
Q14 [生态学(生物生态学)];
学科分类号
071012 ; 0713 ;
摘要
Estimates of species loss due to habitat destruction are normally based on calculations employing the species-area relation, S = cA(z). The validity of this approach is based on the assumption that the value of the exponent (z) defining the slope of the species-area relation in nonfragmented communities is at a steady state and that z is thus a constant. However, departure from such an assumption renders this approach unreliable. Here I report the results from a natural field experiment using "model" bryophyte-based microlandscapes designed to follow the species richness dynamics of microarthropod communities postfragmentation. Community isolation due to fragmentation initiated a delayed community relaxation process and resulted in substantial local extinction. Over the period of the experiment z declined in the control communities and yet remained fairly stable in the fragmented communities. I conclude that predictions of species loss due to habitat fragmentation that do not take into account the fact that often z may not be a constant may lead to error-prone predictions of future species loss.
引用
收藏
页码:441 / 448
页数:8
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