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Refining latitudinal gradient analyses: do we live in a climatically symmetrical world?
Author(s) -
FRANCE
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
global ecology and biogeography letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.164
H-Index - 152
eISSN - 1466-8238
pISSN - 0960-7447
DOI - 10.1046/j.1466-822x.1998.00292.x
Subject(s) - ecology , refining (metallurgy) , macroecology , environmental science , geography , climatology , physical geography , biogeography , geology , biology , chemistry
Climatic conditions are not symmetrical about the cartographic equator as has been assumed by some biogeographers, but rather are centered about 3.4 degrees north, the true meteorological equator. This means that ‘pear‐shaped’ patterns in biodiversity that have been observed for some taxa (i.e. greater species richness per unit latitude south compared to north of the equator) are even more remarkable in that they operate opposite to the climatic trend in asymmetry. Data compilations and empirical syntheses relating gradients of species richness or productivity to climatic data should be adjusted to compensate for latitudinal differences between the cartographic and meteorological equators.