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Range structure analysis: unveiling the internal structure of species’ ranges

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Abstract

Assessing risks of local extinction and shifts in species ranges are fundamental tasks in ecology and conservation. Most studies have focused either on the border of species’ range or on complex spatiotemporal dynamics of populations within the spatial distribution of species. The internal properties of species ranges, however, have received less attention due to a general lack of simple tools. We propose a novel approach within a metapopulation framework to study species ranges based on simple mathematical rules. We formulate and test a model of population fluctuations through space to identify key factors that regulate population density. We propose that spatial variability in species abundance reflects the interaction between temporal variability in population dynamics and the spatial variability of population parameters. This approach, that we call range structure analysis, integrates temporal and spatial properties to diagnose how each parameter contributes to species occupancy throughout its geographic range.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Bruce T. Milne and Drew Allen for enlightening discussions. HS acknowledges the support of the US Department of Energy through the LANL/LDRD Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Horacio Samaniego

  2. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile

    Horacio Samaniego

  3. Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity and Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Pablo A. Marquet

  4. Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile

    Pablo A. Marquet

  5. The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA

    Pablo A. Marquet

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  1. Horacio Samaniego
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Correspondence to Horacio Samaniego.

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Samaniego, H., Marquet, P.A. Range structure analysis: unveiling the internal structure of species’ ranges. Theor Ecol 6, 419–426 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-013-0177-5

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