A Theory of Global Biodiversity (MPB-60) / / Derek P. Tittensor, Boris Worm.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2018 English
• VerfasserIn: Worm, Boris,; Tittensor, Derek P.,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2018]; ©2018
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Series: Monographs in Population Biology ; 60
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (232 p.) :; 51 b/w illus., 9 tables

The number of species found at a given point on the planet varies by orders of magnitude, yet large-scale gradients in biodiversity appear to follow some very general patterns. Little mechanistic theory has been formulated to explain the emergence of observed gradients of biodiversity both on land and in the oceans. Based on a comprehensive empirical synthesis of global patterns of species diversity and their drivers, A Theory of Global Biodiversity develops and applies a new theory that can predict such patterns from few underlying processes. The authors show that global patterns of biodiversity fall into four consistent categories, according to where species live: on land or in coastal, pelagic, and deep ocean habitats. The fact that most species groups, from bacteria to whales, appear to follow similar biogeographic patterns of richness within these habitats points toward some underlying structuring principles. Based on empirical analyses of environmental correlates across these habitats, the authors combine aspects of neutral, metabolic, and niche theory into one unifying framework. Applying it to model terrestrial and marine realms, the authors demonstrate that a relatively simple theory that incorporates temperature and community size as driving variables is able to explain divergent patterns of species richness at a global scale. Integrating ecological and evolutionary perspectives, A Theory of Global Biodiversity yields surprising insights into the fundamental mechanisms that shape the distribution of life on our planet.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter One. Introduction -- Chapter Two. Observed Patterns of Global Biodiversity -- Chapter Three. Drivers and Predictors of Global Biodiversity -- Chapter Four. Developing a Theory of Global Biodiversity -- Chapter Five. Predicting Global Biodiversity Patterns from Theory -- Chapter Six. Conservation Applications -- Chapter Seven. Conclusions -- References -- Index