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Spatial nonstationarity and scale-dependency in the relationship between species richness and environmental determinants for the sub-Saharan endemic avifauna

Spatial nonstationarity and scale-dependency in the relationship between species richness and environmental determinants for the sub-Saharan endemic avifauna
Spatial nonstationarity and scale-dependency in the relationship between species richness and environmental determinants for the sub-Saharan endemic avifauna
This article aims to test for and explore spatial nonstationarity in the relationship between avian species richness and a set of explanatory variables to further the understanding of species diversity variation.
Geographically weighted regression was used to study the relationship between species richness of the endemic avifauna of sub-Saharan Africa and a set of perceived environmental determinants, comprising the variables of temperature, precipitation and normalized difference vegetation index.
The relationships between species richness and the explanatory variables were found to be significantly spatially variable and scale-dependent. At local scales > 90% of the variation was explained, but this declined at coarser scales, with the greatest sensitivity to scale variation evident for narrow ranging species. The complex spatial pattern in regression model parameter estimates also gave rise to a spatial variation in scale effects.
Relationships between environmental variables are generally assumed to be spatially stationary and conventional, global, regression techniques are therefore used in their modelling. This assumption was not satisfied in this study, with the relationships varying significantly in space. In such circumstances the average impression provided by a global model may not accurately represent conditions locally. Spatial nonstationarity in the relationship has important implications, especially for studies of species diversity patterns and their scaling.
africa, biodiversity, birds, macroecology, regression, spatial scale, spatial stationarity, species richness patterns
1466-822X
315-320
Foody, G.M.
06e50027-603d-4a5b-88f5-af2bb6235a37
Foody, G.M.
06e50027-603d-4a5b-88f5-af2bb6235a37

Foody, G.M. (2004) Spatial nonstationarity and scale-dependency in the relationship between species richness and environmental determinants for the sub-Saharan endemic avifauna. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 13 (4), 315-320. (doi:10.1111/j.1466-822X.2004.00097.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article aims to test for and explore spatial nonstationarity in the relationship between avian species richness and a set of explanatory variables to further the understanding of species diversity variation.
Geographically weighted regression was used to study the relationship between species richness of the endemic avifauna of sub-Saharan Africa and a set of perceived environmental determinants, comprising the variables of temperature, precipitation and normalized difference vegetation index.
The relationships between species richness and the explanatory variables were found to be significantly spatially variable and scale-dependent. At local scales > 90% of the variation was explained, but this declined at coarser scales, with the greatest sensitivity to scale variation evident for narrow ranging species. The complex spatial pattern in regression model parameter estimates also gave rise to a spatial variation in scale effects.
Relationships between environmental variables are generally assumed to be spatially stationary and conventional, global, regression techniques are therefore used in their modelling. This assumption was not satisfied in this study, with the relationships varying significantly in space. In such circumstances the average impression provided by a global model may not accurately represent conditions locally. Spatial nonstationarity in the relationship has important implications, especially for studies of species diversity patterns and their scaling.

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More information

Published date: July 2004
Keywords: africa, biodiversity, birds, macroecology, regression, spatial scale, spatial stationarity, species richness patterns

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 15434
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/15434
ISSN: 1466-822X
PURE UUID: 820efccc-ac44-4faf-873f-b555f5618691

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Date deposited: 14 Apr 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:39

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Author: G.M. Foody

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