Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands
Biodiversity follows distinct and observable patterns. Where two systems meet, biodiversity is often increased, due to overlapping occurrence ranges and the presence of specialized species that can tolerate the dynamic conditions of the transition zone. One of the most pronounced transition zones oc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/8/377 |
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| author | Sebastian Steibl Robert Sigl Paul E. Bräumer Victoria Clauß Simon Goddemeier Stephan Hamisch Darleen Lücker Lisa Reiprich Lucas Stegmann Nora Voigt Christian Laforsch |
| author_facet | Sebastian Steibl Robert Sigl Paul E. Bräumer Victoria Clauß Simon Goddemeier Stephan Hamisch Darleen Lücker Lisa Reiprich Lucas Stegmann Nora Voigt Christian Laforsch |
| author_sort | Sebastian Steibl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Biodiversity follows distinct and observable patterns. Where two systems meet, biodiversity is often increased, due to overlapping occurrence ranges and the presence of specialized species that can tolerate the dynamic conditions of the transition zone. One of the most pronounced transition zones occurs at shores, where oceans and terrestrial habitat collide, forming the shore–inland transition zone. The relevance of this transition zone in shaping a system’s community structure is particularly pronounced on small islands due to their high shore-to-inland-area ratio. However, the community structure of insular faunas along this transition zone is unknown. Here, we investigated the diversity patterns along the beach–inland transition zone of small islands and tested the hypothesis that species diversity increases toward the transition zone where beach and interior habitat meet. By measuring environmental parameters, resource availability, and ground-associated macrofauna diversity along transects running across the beach–inland transition zone, we show that a gradual change in species composition from beach to the inland exists, but neither taxa richness, diversity, nor overall abundance changed significantly. These findings offer important insights into insular community structure at the transition zone from sea to land that are relevant to better understand the dynamic and unique characteristics of insular ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:52:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b3b72dee509a4421a51d9b21e1c02185 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T08:52:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-b3b72dee509a4421a51d9b21e1c021852023-11-22T07:22:16ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182021-08-0113837710.3390/d13080377Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical IslandsSebastian Steibl0Robert Sigl1Paul E. Bräumer2Victoria Clauß3Simon Goddemeier4Stephan Hamisch5Darleen Lücker6Lisa Reiprich7Lucas Stegmann8Nora Voigt9Christian Laforsch10Department of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyDepartment of Animal Ecology and BayCEER, University of Bayreuth, Universitaetsstr. 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, GermanyBiodiversity follows distinct and observable patterns. Where two systems meet, biodiversity is often increased, due to overlapping occurrence ranges and the presence of specialized species that can tolerate the dynamic conditions of the transition zone. One of the most pronounced transition zones occurs at shores, where oceans and terrestrial habitat collide, forming the shore–inland transition zone. The relevance of this transition zone in shaping a system’s community structure is particularly pronounced on small islands due to their high shore-to-inland-area ratio. However, the community structure of insular faunas along this transition zone is unknown. Here, we investigated the diversity patterns along the beach–inland transition zone of small islands and tested the hypothesis that species diversity increases toward the transition zone where beach and interior habitat meet. By measuring environmental parameters, resource availability, and ground-associated macrofauna diversity along transects running across the beach–inland transition zone, we show that a gradual change in species composition from beach to the inland exists, but neither taxa richness, diversity, nor overall abundance changed significantly. These findings offer important insights into insular community structure at the transition zone from sea to land that are relevant to better understand the dynamic and unique characteristics of insular ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/8/377atolledge effectinsular ecosystemspecies richnesszonation |
| spellingShingle | Sebastian Steibl Robert Sigl Paul E. Bräumer Victoria Clauß Simon Goddemeier Stephan Hamisch Darleen Lücker Lisa Reiprich Lucas Stegmann Nora Voigt Christian Laforsch Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands Diversity atoll edge effect insular ecosystem species richness zonation |
| title | Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands |
| title_full | Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands |
| title_fullStr | Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands |
| title_short | Diversity Patterns and Community Structure of the Ground-Associated Macrofauna along the Beach-Inland Transition Zone of Small Tropical Islands |
| title_sort | diversity patterns and community structure of the ground associated macrofauna along the beach inland transition zone of small tropical islands |
| topic | atoll edge effect insular ecosystem species richness zonation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/8/377 |
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