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Testing the Species pool hypothesis for mire vegetation: exploring the influence of pH specialists and habitat history.

Authors :
Hájek, Michal
Tichý, Lubomír
S. Schamp, Brandon
Zelený, David
Roleček, Jan
Hájková, Petra
Apostolova, Iva
Dítě, Daniel
Source :
Oikos. Aug2007, Vol. 116 Issue 8, p1311-1322. 12p. 1 Chart, 3 Graphs.
Publication Year :
2007

Abstract

The Evolutionary species pool hypothesis (ESPH) predicts that historically more common habitats will be richer in species because they have had greater opportunity for the evolution of suitably adapted species. We explored the relationship between mire species richness and pH, an important environmental variable in mires, in two regions that differ in habitat pH distribution: the West Carpathians and Bulgaria. Mire habitats in both the West Carpathians and Bulgaria demonstrate support for the ESPH prediction that habitats with more common pH values host more species. We also explored the influence of habitat history by examining the distribution of generalists and specialists along gradients of habitat pH, using extensive community-level vegetation data from European mires in these two regions. We found a striking pattern with the distribution of pH-specialists having three distinct peaks in both regions, whereas the total species pool peaked in near neutral pH habitats in both regions. Because the peaks in specialist richness do not correspond to regional pH distribution patterns, we hypothesize that historical explanations may be important, and that habitats currently rich in pH-specialists may have historically acted as pleniglacial refugia for many mire species. Our findings support the general predictions of the ESPH, but further suggest that historical processes such as patterns of glacial refugia, may significantly influence contemporary species distributions and the diversity of plant species in mire habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00301299
Volume :
116
Issue :
8
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Oikos
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
25802481
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2007.15637.x