TY - JOUR
T1 - A neutral metapopulation model of biodiversity in river networks
AU - Muneepeerakul, Rachata
AU - Weitz, Joshua S.
AU - Levin, Simon Asher
AU - Rinaldo, Andrea
AU - Rodriguez-Iturbe, Ignacio
N1 - Funding Information:
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation through grants for the National Center of Earth-surface Dynamics (EAR-0120914) and Biocomplexity (DEB-0083566). We would also like to thank William F. Fagan and an anonymous reviewer for their useful comments.
PY - 2007/3/21
Y1 - 2007/3/21
N2 - In this paper, we develop a stochastic, discrete, structured metapopulation model to explore the dynamics and patterns of biodiversity of riparian vegetation. In the model, individual plants spread along a branched network via directional dispersal and undergo neutral ecological drift. Simulation results suggest that in comparison to 2-D landscapes with non-directional dispersal, river networks with directional dispersal have lower local (α) and overall (γ) diversities, but higher between-community (β) diversity, implying that riparian species are distributed in a more localized pattern and more vulnerable to local extinction. The relative abundance patterns also change, such that higher percentages of species are in low-abundance, or rare, classes, accompanied by concave rank-abundance curves. In contrast to existing theories, the results suggest that in river networks, increased directional dispersal reduces α diversity. These altered patterns and trends result from the combined effects of directionality of dispersal and river network structure, whose relative importance is in need of continuing study. In addition, riparian communities obeying neutral dynamics seem to exhibit abrupt changes where large tributaries confluence; this pattern may provide a signature to identify types of interspecific dynamics in river networks.
AB - In this paper, we develop a stochastic, discrete, structured metapopulation model to explore the dynamics and patterns of biodiversity of riparian vegetation. In the model, individual plants spread along a branched network via directional dispersal and undergo neutral ecological drift. Simulation results suggest that in comparison to 2-D landscapes with non-directional dispersal, river networks with directional dispersal have lower local (α) and overall (γ) diversities, but higher between-community (β) diversity, implying that riparian species are distributed in a more localized pattern and more vulnerable to local extinction. The relative abundance patterns also change, such that higher percentages of species are in low-abundance, or rare, classes, accompanied by concave rank-abundance curves. In contrast to existing theories, the results suggest that in river networks, increased directional dispersal reduces α diversity. These altered patterns and trends result from the combined effects of directionality of dispersal and river network structure, whose relative importance is in need of continuing study. In addition, riparian communities obeying neutral dynamics seem to exhibit abrupt changes where large tributaries confluence; this pattern may provide a signature to identify types of interspecific dynamics in river networks.
KW - Biodiversity
KW - Directional dispersal
KW - Metapopulation
KW - Neutral
KW - River network
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.10.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.10.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 17109896
AN - SCOPUS:33847050892
SN - 0022-5193
VL - 245
SP - 351
EP - 363
JO - Journal of Theoretical Biology
JF - Journal of Theoretical Biology
IS - 2
ER -