title: Disentangling the determinants of species richness of vascular plants and mammals from national to regional scales.
abstract: Understanding the spatial patterns in species richness gets new implication for biodiversity conservation in the context of climate change and intensified human intervention. Here, we created a database of the geographical distribution of 30,519 vascular plant species and 565 mammal species from 2,376 counties across China and disentangled the determinants that explain species richness patterns both at national and regional scales using spatial linear models. We found that the determinants of species richness patterns varied among regions: elevational range was the most powerful predictor for the species richness of plants and mammals across China. However, species richness patterns in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Region (QTR) are quite unique, where net primary productivity was the most important predictor. We also detected that elevational range was positively related to plant species richness when it is less than 1,900 m, whereas the relationship was not significant when elevational range is larger than 1,900 m. It indicated that elevational range often emerges as the predominant controlling factor within the regions where energy is sufficient. The effects of land use on mammal species richness should attract special attention. Our study suggests that region-specific conservation policies should be developed based on the regional features of species richness.
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Haigen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Mingchang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Ecology Conservation, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Beijing 100035, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.|Department of Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
authors.forename: Juncheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Zhifang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Nanjing 210042, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D063147:Animal Distribution / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D002980:Climate; D057231:Climate Change; D016014:Linear Models; D008322:Mammals / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D063148:Plant Dispersal / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D064028:Tracheophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*