Fine-scale species-area relationships of the vascular flora of the Southeast (USA)

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Fine-scale species-area relationships of the
vascular flora of the Southeast (USA)

• Jason Fridley, Robert Peet, Peter White, Joel
  Gramling, Todd Jobe, Jessica Kaplan, Meghan
  McKnight, Amanda Senft, and David Vandermast
• Plant Ecology Laboratory
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Species-area relationships (SPARs)

• Critically important for studying patterns and
  processes of biodiversity
• Conservation, reserve design, extinction rates
• Spatial dependence of species richness
• Relation of scale to process

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Fine-scale SPARs0.1 ha and below

• Typical form?
• Variation?
• Representative of vegetation structure?
• Scale dependence of local species richness
• Patterns indicate processes?
• Relationship to larger species-area curve?

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Carolina Vegetation Survey

• 0.1 ha vegetation plots across the Carolinas (
  GA, TN, FL)
• Presence of rooted vascular plant species in
  nested subplots at equally spaced areas on a
  log10 axis
• 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100, 1000 m2

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This study 1454 plots
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Methodology functional formGleason (exponential)
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Methodology functional formArrhenius (power)
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Methodology functional form
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Patterns Vegetation Types

• Why important?
• Show the signature of different processes at
  different scales
• small scales plant size and density, competition
• large scales environment, species pools
• Scale dependence of species richness

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Fine-scale SPAR functional types
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Type A plots that keep on giving

• Unusual supply-side driven, influenced little
  by competition
• Little spatial structure disturbance important

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Type A plots that keep on giving

• Unusual supply-side driven, influenced little
  by competition
• Little spatial structure disturbance important

(? species pool)
(? competitive exclusion)
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Type B high accumulation rate

• Fertile site means larger plants low individual
  density
• Large regional species pool sweet site

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Type B high accumulation rate

• Fertile site means larger plants low individual
  density
• Large regional species pool sweet site

(? species pool)
(large plants megaforbs)
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Type C low accumulation rate

• High fine richness small plants, high density
• Low regional species pool, stressful site

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Type C low accumulation rate

• High fine richness small plants, high density
• Low regional species pool, stressful site

(? species pool)
(small plants)
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Type D poor sites

• Low individual density stressful conditions or
  large plants
• Low regional species pool, stressful site

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Type D poor sites

• Low individual density stressful conditions or
  large plants
• Low regional species pool, stressful site

(? species pool)
(very low individual density)
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Rich vs. poor communities
Pine woodlands and savannas
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Fine scales to the globe

• Incorporate richness estimates of larger areas
• Full scale SPARCs are rare the few that exist
  are triphasic
• Where is location of inflection point?

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Fine scales to the globe
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Acknowledgements

• 600 participants in CVS
• T. Wentworth, M. Schafale, A. Weakley, R. Brown
• Financial support from USFS, NSF
• National Parks Foundation for meeting support