Scale‐dependent effects of niche specialisation: The disconnect between individual and species ranges

One of the most general expectations of species range dynamics is that widespread species tend to have broader niches. However, it remains unclear how this relationship is expressed at different levels of biological organisation, which involve potentially distinctive processes operating at different...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2021-07, Vol.24 (7), p.1408-1419
Main Authors: Huang, Shan, Tucker, Marlee A., Hertel, Anne G., Eyres, Alison, Albrecht, Jörg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body mass
Diet
diet breadth
Ecological niches
Environmental conditions
geographical range size
habitat breadth
Home range
movement
Niche breadth
resource availability
scale‐dependent processes
Species
Terrestrial environments
terrestrial mammals
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Summary:One of the most general expectations of species range dynamics is that widespread species tend to have broader niches. However, it remains unclear how this relationship is expressed at different levels of biological organisation, which involve potentially distinctive processes operating at different spatial and temporal scales. Here, we show that range sizes of terrestrial non‐volant mammals at the individual and species level show contrasting relationships with two ecological niche dimensions: diet and habitat breadth. While average individual home range size appears to be mainly shaped by the interplay of diet niche breadth and body mass, species geographical range size is primarily related to habitat niche breadth but not to diet niche breadth. Our findings suggest that individual home range size is shaped by the trade‐off between energetic requirements, movement capacity and trophic specialisation, whereas species geographical range size is related to the ability to persist under various environmental conditions. Our study shows that range sizes of terrestrial mammals at the individual and species level show contrasting relationships with two ecological niche dimensions: diet and habitat breadth. The average individual home range size appears to be mainly shaped by the interplay of diet niche breadth and body mass, suggesting complex interactions between energetic requirements, movement capacity and trophic specialisation. In comparison, species geographic range size is primarily related to habitat niche breadth, reflecting species ability to persist under various environmental conditions. ​
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/ele.13759