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- Title
Explicit links among physical stress, habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity.
- Authors
Therriault, Thomas W.; Kolasa, Jurek
- Abstract
We tested the links among biodiversity, habitat heterogeneity and physical stress in a system of artificial rock pools on the north coast of Jamaica that mimic natural aquatic invertebrate communities. The experimental design consisted of three tiers of small plastic pools arranged at increasing distances from the shore. As a result of community development over six months (January to June 1997), we observed considerable differentiation of physical conditions among replicate habitats at the benign end of the physical gradient, with a concurrent increase in biodiversity (species richness per habitat unit). The most probable explanation for this observed gradient is self-generated habitat heterogeneity that, in turn, promotes biodiversity, likely through species interactions. Using additional analyses, including randomization techniques, we excluded the effects of sample size and external factors as sources for the observed increase in biodiversity in the third tier (furthest from the sea). We interpret this result as evidence for the complex causal relationship among physical stress, habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity.
- Subjects
JAMAICA; BIODIVERSITY; HABITATS; POPULATION biology; CONSERVATION of natural resources; ECOLOGY
- Publication
Oikos, 2000, Vol 89, Issue 2, p387
- ISSN
0030-1299
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.890220.x