Riparian zones increase regional species richness by harboring different, not more, species

Riparian zones are habitats of critical conservation concern worldwide, as they are known to filter agricultural contaminants, buffer landscapes against erosion, and provide habitat for high numbers of species. Here we test the generality of the notion that riparian habitats harbor more species than...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) 2005, Vol.86 (1), p.56-62
Main Authors: Sabo, John L., Sponseller, Ryan, Dixon, Mark, Gade, Kris, Harms, Tamara, Heffernan, Jim, Jani, Andrea, Katz, Gabrielle, Soykan, Candan, Watts, James, Welter, Jill
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Biodiversity
Biological and medical sciences
Biological taxonomies
Conservation
conservation planning
Fresh water ecosystems
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Habitat conservation
Habitats
Highlands
literature reviews
Plants
regional diversity
Riparian areas
Riparian ecology
riparian zone
river
Riverine habitats
Rivers
similarity
species diversity
species richness
Synecology
turnover
upland
watershed reserves
Wildlife habitats
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Summary:Riparian zones are habitats of critical conservation concern worldwide, as they are known to filter agricultural contaminants, buffer landscapes against erosion, and provide habitat for high numbers of species. Here we test the generality of the notion that riparian habitats harbor more species than adjacent upland habitats. Using previously published data collected from seven continents and including taxa ranging from Antarctic soil invertebrates to tropical rain forest lianas and primates, we show that riparian habitats do not harbor higher numbers of species, but rather support significantly different species pools altogether. In this way, riparian habitats increase regional (γ-) richness across the globe by >50%, on average. Thus conservation planners can easily increase the number of species protected in a regional portfolio by simply including a river within terrestrial biodiversity reserves. Our analysis also suggests numerous possible improvements for future studies of species richness gradients across riparian and upland habitats. First,
ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
DOI:10.1890/04-0668