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Quantifying the influence of environmental texture on the rate of species turnover: evidence from two habitats

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Abstract

The environmental texture hypothesis (ETH) proposes that the spatial geometry or texture of the environment influences the rate at which species are accumulated in space or time. Specifically, the ETH suggests that regions, and spatial scales, that exhibit a larger rate of environmental distance decay (DD) should exhibit more rapid rates of species turnover. The ETH should apply over any range of scales where the environment is driving species distributions. To examine the relevance of the ETH at local spatial scales, we tested for a positive relationship between the rate of change in soil chemical properties and vascular plant species composition in grassland and woodland habitats. We recorded presence–absence data along a 1.883 km transect in each habitat and estimated the rate of turnover and environmental DD for spatial lags of 1–41 m. We found that the soil environment explained spatial patterns of species composition more accurately in the grassland habitat compared to the woodland habitat. Consequently the rate of change in soil properties as a function of spatial distance was significantly positively correlated with the rate of species turnover in the grassland but not the woodland. Our study suggests that one of the central premises of the ETH is relevant for local patterns of species turnover if the environment appears to influence species composition.

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Acknowledgments

DJM received postdoctoral funding from A. Hurlbert and doctoral funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Graduate Program. The U.S. EPA has not officially endorsed this publication, and the views expressed herein may not reflect the views of the Agency. MWP acknowledges support from National Science Foundation grants numbered EPS-0447262 and EPS-0919466. In addition, we thank The Nature Conservancy for logistical support and W. Lowry, O. Blinkova, V. Thapa, M. Allen, P. Earls, and C. Huang for assistance in the field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botany Department, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

    D. J. McGlinn & M. W. Palmer

  2. Biology Department, University of North Carolina, 328 Wilson Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    D. J. McGlinn

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  1. D. J. McGlinn
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  2. M. W. Palmer
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Correspondence to D. J. McGlinn.

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McGlinn, D.J., Palmer, M.W. Quantifying the influence of environmental texture on the rate of species turnover: evidence from two habitats. Plant Ecol 212, 495–506 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9840-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9840-8

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