Open AccessBody size determines the strength of the latitudinal diversity gradient
Author(s) -
Hillebrand Helmut,
Azovsky Andrey I.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2001.tb00197.x
Subject(s) - species richness , ecology , latitude , species diversity , biology , biodiversity , biological dispersal , tropics , alpha diversity , gamma diversity , geography , geodesy , sociology , population , demography
In most groups of organisms, the species richness decreases from the tropics to the poles. The mechanisms causing this latitudinal diversity gradient are still controversial. We present data from a comprehensive weighted meta‐analysis on the strength of the latitudinal gradient in relation to body size. We sampled literature data on the correlation between species richness and latitude for a variety of organisms, ranging from trees to protozoa. In addition, own data on the presence of large‐scale diversity patterns for diatoms were included, both for local and regional species richness. The strength of the latitudinal gradient was positively correlated to the size of the organisms. Strongest decreases of species richness to the poles was found for large organisms like trees and vertebrates, whereas meiofauna, protozoa and diatoms showed weak or no correlations between species richness and latitude. These results imply that latitudinal gradients are shaped by non‐equilibrium (regional) processes and are persistent under conditions of dispersal limitation.