Predicting biodiversity change and averting collapse in agricultural landscapes

Mendenhall, CD; Karp, DS; Meyer, CFJ; Hadly, EA; Daily, GC

Abstract

The equilibrium theory of island biogeography1 is the basis for estimating
extinction rates2 and a pillar of conservation science3,4. The
default strategy for conserving biodiversity is the designation of
nature reserves, treated as islands in an inhospitable sea of human
activity5. Despite the profound influence of islands on conservation
theory and practice3,4, theirmainland analogues, forest fragments in
human-dominated landscapes, consistently defy expected biodiversity
patterns based on island biogeography theory6–13. Countryside
biogeography is an alternative framework, which recognizes that
the fate of the world’s wildlife will be decided largely by the hospitality
of agricultural or countryside ecosystems12,14–17.Herewedirectly
test these biogeographic theories by comparing a Neotropical countryside
ecosystem with a nearby island ecosystem, and show that
each supports similar bat biodiversity in fundamentally different
ways. The island ecosystem conforms to island biogeographic predictions
of bat species loss, in which the water matrix is not habitat.
In contrast, the countryside ecosystem has high species richness and
evenness across forest reserves and smaller forest fragments. Relative
to forest reserves and fragments, deforested countryside habitat
supports a less species-rich, yet equally even, bat assemblage. Moreover,
the bat assemblage associated with deforested habitat is compositionally
novel because of predictable changes in abundances by
many species using human-made habitat. Finally,we perform a global
meta-analysis of bat biogeographic studies, spanning more than 700
species. It generalizes our findings, showing that separate biogeographic
theories for countryside and islandecosystems are necessary.
A theory of countryside biogeography is essential to conservation
strategy in the agricultural ecosystems that comprise roughly half of
the global land surface and are likely to increase even further14.

Citation

Mendenhall, C., Karp, D., Meyer, C., Hadly, E., & Daily, G. (2014). Predicting biodiversity change and averting collapse in agricultural landscapes. Nature, 509, 213-217. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13139

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Apr 16, 2014
• Publication Date: May 8, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 25, 2016
• Journal: Nature
• Print ISSN: 0028-0836
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Volume: 509
• Pages: 213-217
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13139
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13139
• Related Public URLs: http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
• Additional Information: Funders : Winslow Foundation, the Moore Family Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Science Foundation, Peter and Helen Bing, Ralph and Louise Haberfeld, and a Restoration Workshop Research Grant through the Las Cruces Biological Station