title: A comparative analysis reveals weak relationships between ecological factors and beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities at two spatial levels.
abstract: The hypotheses that beta diversity should increase with decreasing latitude and increase with spatial extent of a region have rarely been tested based on a comparative analysis of multiple datasets, and no such study has focused on stream insects. We first assessed how well variability in beta diversity of stream insect metacommunities is predicted by insect group, latitude, spatial extent, altitudinal range, and dataset properties across multiple drainage basins throughout the world. Second, we assessed the relative roles of environmental and spatial factors in driving variation in assemblage composition within each drainage basin. Our analyses were based on a dataset of 95 stream insect metacommunities from 31 drainage basins distributed around the world. We used dissimilarity-based indices to quantify beta diversity for each metacommunity and, subsequently, regressed beta diversity on insect group, latitude, spatial extent, altitudinal range, and dataset properties (e.g., number of sites and percentage of presences). Within each metacommunity, we used a combination of spatial eigenfunction analyses and partial redundancy analysis to partition variation in assemblage structure into environmental, shared, spatial, and unexplained fractions. We found that dataset properties were more important predictors of beta diversity than ecological and geographical factors across multiple drainage basins. In the within-basin analyses, environmental and spatial variables were generally poor predictors of variation in assemblage composition. Our results revealed deviation from general biodiversity patterns because beta diversity did not show the expected decreasing trend with latitude. Our results also call for reconsideration of just how predictable stream assemblages are along ecological gradients, with implications for environmental assessment and conservation decisions. Our findings may also be applicable to other dynamic systems where predictability is low.
authors: Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Environment Centre, Biodiversity Oulu, Finland.
authors: Jani
authors: J
authors: Heino
authors: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors: Adriano S
authors: AS
authors: Melo
authors: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors: Luis Mauricio
authors: LM
authors: Bini
authors: Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Dübendorf, Switzerland ; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich Zürich, Switzerland.
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Altermatt
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia ; Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Salman A
authors: SA
authors: Al-Shami
authors: Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: David G
authors: DG
authors: Angeler
authors: Departament d'Ecologia, Grup de Recerca Freshwater Ecology and Management (FEM), Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors: Núria
authors: N
authors: Bonada
authors: LIESA-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia SJB Chubut, Argentina.
authors: Cecilia
authors: C
authors: Brand
authors: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors: Marcos
authors: M
authors: Callisto
authors: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph Guelph, ON, Canada.
authors: Karl
authors: K
authors: Cottenie
authors: Laboratory of Entomology, School of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador Quito, Ecuador ; IRD, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes et Spéciation Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Dangles
authors: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Dudgeon
authors: Laboratorio de Ecología Acuática Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales Universidad San Francisco de Quito Quito, Ecuador.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Encalada
authors: Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University Silkeborg, Denmark.
authors: Emma
authors: E
authors: Göthe
authors: Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Environment Centre, Biodiversity Oulu, Finland.
authors: Mira
authors: M
authors: Grönroos
authors: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade Manaus, AM, Brazil.
authors: Neusa
authors: N
authors: Hamada
authors: Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Dean
authors: D
authors: Jacobsen
authors: Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso Cuiabá, Brazil.
authors: Victor L
authors: VL
authors: Landeiro
authors: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors: Raphael
authors: R
authors: Ligeiro
authors: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade Manaus, AM, Brazil.
authors: Renato T
authors: RT
authors: Martins
authors: LIESA-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia SJB Chubut, Argentina.
authors: María Laura
authors: ML
authors: Miserendino
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Che Salmah
authors: CS
authors: Md Rawi
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors: Marciel E
authors: ME
authors: Rodrigues
authors: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors: Fabio de Oliveira
authors: Fde O
authors: Roque
authors: Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Leonard
authors: L
authors: Sandin
authors: Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel Basel, Switzerland ; Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Tihany, Hungary.
authors: Denes
authors: D
authors: Schmera
authors: Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors: Luciano F
authors: LF
authors: Sgarbi
authors: Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors: John P
authors: JP
authors: Simaika
authors: Instituto de Biociências, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Tadeu
authors: T
authors: Siqueira
authors: Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors: Ross M
authors: RM
authors: Thompson
authors: Department of Zoology, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors: Colin R
authors: CR
authors: Townsend
keywords: Altitude range; comparative analysis; environmental filtering; insects; latitude; spatial extent; variance partitioning