Macroecology beyond species richness: reconciling ecological and evolutionary processes driving spatial variation of biodiversity

Czech Science Foundation P505/11/2387

Macroecological diversity patterns have been thoroughly studied during last decades, many clear generalities have been described, yet no concensus has been reached concerning their causes and relative importance of ecological and evolutionary processes affecting diversity. This can be attributable to the fact that major theories concerning spatial diversity patterns operate with processes that are only loosely or indirectly related to species richness. We will overcome this limitation by focusing on patterns which are more directly related to respective ecological and evolutionary proccesses, namely the role of physiological limits/tolerances of variously defined taxa, taxonomic and phylogenetic structure of diversity patterns, and diversity of functional traits. For this purpose we will utilize several large species distribution data as well as trait databases which we have been recently assembling, and data collected by field work during the project.

Principal investigator: David Storch
Researchers: Magda Drvotová, Antonín Macháč, Irena Šímová, Arnošt L. Šizling, Anna Tószögyová