Do threatened species occur in species-rich vegetation?

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985939%3A_____%2F23%3A00574552" target="_blank" >RIV/67985939:_____/23:00574552 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/23:43906671 RIV/00216224:14310/23:00134273

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2023.297" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2023.297</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2023.297" target="_blank" >10.23855/preslia.2023.297</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Do threatened species occur in species-rich vegetation?

Original language description

Conservation strategies often assume that the total number of species at a specific location can be used as a proxy for other biodiversity dimensions, such as, the presence of rare and threatened species. However, the validity of this assumption remains unclear, particularly at the plot scale. Here, we used similar to 17,000 vegetation plots sampled across the Czech Republic to examine the relationship between the occurrence of threatened plant species and species richness in temperate forest and grassland communities. For each individual species, the median, range, and skewness of species richness in the plots in which it occurred were used to define its distribution along the community species richness gradient. These parameters were then compared for threatened and non-threatened species. We also compared the observed values with those obtained under a null expectation to test whether threatened species occurred at random with respect to species richness. On average, threatened species occurred in species-richer plots than non-threatened species. In addition, threatened species assembled non-randomly with respect to species richness, as they occurred more often in species-richer forests but species-poorer grasslands than expected by chance. The occurrence pattern of threatened species in relation to species richness was driven by the species-pool sizes of individual habitats. Threatened species associated with low species richness were thus found in extreme habitats, such as bogs, salt marshes, peat forests, and alpine grasslands characterized by small species pools. In contrast, threatened species associated with high species richness were often found in subcontinental semi-dry grasslands and dry thermophilous forests with large species pools. Threatened species also occurred over shorter species richness gradients and were more symmetrically distributed along these gradients than non-threatened species. These patterns may reflect a high habitat specialization of threatened species or strict requirements for habitat quality. We therefore suggest that species richness is a poor indicator of conservation value when comparing habitats and geographic regions. Targeting specific habitats and using the presence or percentage of threatened or specialized species as indicators may provide better assessment of conservation value.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Preslia

ISSN

0032-7786

e-ISSN

0032-7786

Volume of the periodical

95

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

297-310

UT code for WoS article

001016139800004

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85164692173