Title: Finescale speciesarea relationships of the vascular flora of the Southeast USA
1Fine-scale species-area relationships of the
vascular flora of the Southeast (USA)
- Jason Fridley, Robert Peet, Peter White, Joel
Gramling, Todd Jobe, Jessica Kaplan, Meghan
McKnight, Amanda Senft, and David Vandermast - Plant Ecology Laboratory
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2Species-area relationships (SPARs)
- Critically important for studying patterns and
processes of biodiversity - Conservation, reserve design, extinction rates
- Spatial dependence of species richness
- Relation of scale to process
3Fine-scale SPARs0.1 ha and below
- Typical form?
- Variation?
- Representative of vegetation structure?
- Scale dependence of local species richness
- Patterns indicate processes?
- Relationship to larger species-area curve?
4Carolina Vegetation Survey
- 0.1 ha vegetation plots across the Carolinas (
GA, TN, FL) - Presence of rooted vascular plant species in
nested subplots at equally spaced areas on a
log10 axis - 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100, 1000 m2
5This study 1454 plots
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8Methodology functional formGleason (exponential)
9Methodology functional formArrhenius (power)
10Methodology functional form
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12Patterns Vegetation Types
- Why important?
- Show the signature of different processes at
different scales - small scales plant size and density, competition
- large scales environment, species pools
- Scale dependence of species richness
13Fine-scale SPAR functional types
14Type A plots that keep on giving
- Unusual supply-side driven, influenced little
by competition - Little spatial structure disturbance important
15Type A plots that keep on giving
- Unusual supply-side driven, influenced little
by competition - Little spatial structure disturbance important
(? species pool)
(? competitive exclusion)
16Type B high accumulation rate
- Fertile site means larger plants low individual
density - Large regional species pool sweet site
17Type B high accumulation rate
- Fertile site means larger plants low individual
density - Large regional species pool sweet site
(? species pool)
(large plants megaforbs)
18Type C low accumulation rate
- High fine richness small plants, high density
- Low regional species pool, stressful site
19Type C low accumulation rate
- High fine richness small plants, high density
- Low regional species pool, stressful site
(? species pool)
(small plants)
20Type D poor sites
- Low individual density stressful conditions or
large plants - Low regional species pool, stressful site
21Type D poor sites
- Low individual density stressful conditions or
large plants - Low regional species pool, stressful site
(? species pool)
(very low individual density)
22Rich vs. poor communities
Pine woodlands and savannas
23Fine scales to the globe
- Incorporate richness estimates of larger areas
- Full scale SPARCs are rare the few that exist
are triphasic - Where is location of inflection point?
24Fine scales to the globe
25Acknowledgements
- 600 participants in CVS
- T. Wentworth, M. Schafale, A. Weakley, R. Brown
- Financial support from USFS, NSF
- National Parks Foundation for meeting support