Local Plant Species Richness Research Articles

The relationship between landscape configuration and plant species richness in forests is dependent on habitat preferences of species

To assess the effects of landscape configuration on local plant species richness, we tested whether local species richness of forest understory plants is affected by the total forest area and forest edge length in the adjacent landscape. We also tested whether the landscape effect on species richness is different for forest and edge species. We estimated species richness from 113 forest sites in four regions in Northern Europe. At each site, we studied two plots, one at the edge and one in the core of the forest. Total forested area and forest edge length in circles with a 1-km radius, together with plot-specific variables of environmental conditions and temporal continuity of forests, were recorded at each plot. The amount of forest and the length of the forest edge in the adjacent landscape had a significant positive effect on local species richness of all understory plant species. As expected, edge species were positively affected by increasing length of the forest edge in the landscape, but surprisingly there was no effect of forest area on species richness of forest species. Temporal forest continuity had a negative effect on species richness of edge species but no effect on species richness of forest species. Our results suggest that forest edge length had a stronger landscape effect on understory plant species richness than forest area. Implications of these findings for the management of forest landscapes depend on priorities given to different species groups in biodiversity conservation, i.e. if emphasis is in total species richness or species richness of forest or edge species.

Patterns of plant species richness and composition in deciduous oak forests in relation to environmental drivers

Local plant species richness and composition may vary across habitats and between plant taxonomic groups within temperate deciduous forests. Multi-taxon approach is therefore needed to provide a more detailed insight into determinants affecting vegetation structure. Fifty-four deciduous oak-dominated vegetation plots (20 m × 20 m) were sampled across central Slovakia (Stiavnicke vrchy Mts) in order to study the effect of environmental (soil, light, topographic) factors on species richness and composition patterns of two main assemblages of understorey layer (herb-layer vascular plants and ground-dwelling bryophytes). The number of recorded herb-layer vascular plants and ground-dwelling bryophytes was 12–48 (mean 28) and 0–11 (mean 4) species per plot, respectively. Generalized linear model revealed that species richness of herb-layer vascular plants was driven by canopy openness, altitude, soil pH/base saturation gradient and plant-available phosphorus. Canopy openness and heat load index accompanied by soil pH/base saturation gradient determined changes of the ground-dwelling bryophyte richness. Canonical Correspondence Analysis identified soil pH/base saturation gradient, canopy openness, soil silt and topography related predictors (altitude, slope, radiation) as the main drivers of the herb-layer vascular plant compositional variability. Species composition variation of ground-dwelling bryophytes was controlled by radiation and canopy openness.

Comparing Generalized Linear Models and random forest to model vascular plant species richness using LiDAR data in a natural forest in central Chile

Abstract Biodiversity is considered to be an essential element of the Earth system, driving important ecosystem services. However, the conservation of biodiversity in a quickly changing world is a challenging task which requires cost-efficient and precise monitoring systems. In the present study, the suitability of airborne discrete-return LiDAR data for the mapping of vascular plant species richness within a Sub-Mediterranean second growth native forest ecosystem was examined. The vascular plant richness of four different layers (total, tree, shrub and herb richness) was modeled using twelve LiDAR-derived variables. As species richness values are typically count data, the corresponding asymmetry and heteroscedasticity in the error distribution has to be considered. In this context, we compared the suitability of random forest (RF) and a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with a negative binomial error distribution. Both models were coupled with a feature selection approach to identify the most relevant LiDAR predictors and keep the models parsimonious. The results of RF and GLM agreed that the three most important predictors for all four layers were altitude above sea level, standard deviation of slope and mean canopy height. This was consistent with the preconception of LiDAR's suitability for estimating species richness, which is its capacity to capture three types of information: micro-topographical, macro-topographical and canopy structural. Generalized Linear Models showed higher performances (r2: 0.66, 0.50, 0.52, 0.50; nRMSE: 16.29%, 19.08%, 17.89%, 21.31% for total, tree, shrub and herb richness respectively) than RF (r2: 0.55, 0.33, 0.45, 0.46; nRMSE: 18.30%, 21.90%, 18.95%, 21.00% for total, tree, shrub and herb richness, respectively). Furthermore, the results of the best GLM were more parsimonious (three predictors) and less biased than the best RF models (twelve predictors). We think that this is due to the mentioned non-symmetric error distribution of the species richness values, which RF is unable to properly capture. From an ecological perspective, the predicted patterns agreed well with the known vegetation composition of the area. We found especially high species numbers at low elevations and along riversides. In these areas, overlapping distributions of thermopile sclerophyllos species, water demanding Valdivian evergreen species and species growing in Nothofagus obliqua forests occur. The three main conclusions of the study are: 1) appropriate model selection is crucial when working with biodiversity count data; 2) the application of RF for data with non-symmetric error distributions is questionable; and 3) structural and topographic information derived from LiDAR data is useful for predicting local plant species richness.

Response to Comment on "Worldwide evidence of a unimodal relationship between productivity and plant species richness".

Laanisto and Hutchings claim that the local species pool is a more important predictor of local plant species richness than biomass and that when the species pool is considered, there is no hump-backed relationship between biomass and richness. However, we show that by calculating a more appropriate measure of species pool, community completeness, both regional and local processes shape local richness.

Plant diversity, soil biota and resistance to exotic invasion

AbstractAimHigh species richness at small spatial scales can increase productivity and resist exotic invasion through complementary and selection effects. Recent evidence also suggests that soil biota can drive the increase in productivity caused by high species richness. Here, we take this a step farther and investigate whether soil biota can also affect how high species richness resists invasion.LocationMissoula, Montana, USA.MethodsTen native grassland species were used to create plant assemblages with either one species (monocultures) or 10 species (polycultures) in a common garden. Soils cultured by these assemblages were collected and either sterilized or not to examine the combined effects of species richness and soil biota on the growth and competitive ability of the 10 native species against the invader Bromus tectorum.ResultsLive soil from monocultures inhibited the growth of all native species as a group and native grasses as a functional group more than live soil from polycultures. Sterilization eliminated the negative effects of soil from monocultures but not from polycultures. Native species also competed with B. tectorum more successfully in live soil from polycultures than live soil from monocultures, and sterilization eliminated the competitive advantage of natives in live polyculture soil.Main conclusionsWe found that local plant species richness can affect soil biota in ways that can increase the competitive effects of natives against an aggressive exotic invader; thus, our results suggest a mechanism by which species diversity might provide resistance to exotic invasion.

Landscape structure effects on forest plant diversity at local scale: Exploring the role of spatial extent

Since landscape attributes show different patterns at different spatial extents, it is fundamental to identify how the relation between landscape structure and plant species diversity at local scale varies with scale. Then, it is fundamental to assess the appropriate extent at which landscape factors affect plant species richness at the local scale. To investigate this relation, data on plant species richness of forest communities at plot scale were extracted from a large data set and landscape metrics were calculated around the same plots for a range of extents (250–3000m). Then, multiple regression models and variance partitioning techniques were applied to assess the amount of variance explained by the landscape metrics on plant species richness for a range of extents. In general, we found that increasing extent of the surrounding landscape analyzed, improved the strength of relationship between the landscape metrics and the properties of plant communities at plot scale. The medium-large extent was most informative as it combined a decent total variance explained with high variance explained by the pure fractions of complexity, fragmentation and disturbance and the minimum of collinearity. In conclusion, we found that it is possible and beneficial to identify a specific extent, where the redundancy in the predictor variables is minimized and the explanatory power of the pure fractions (or single groups) maximized, when examining landscape structure effects on local plant species richness.

Insect herbivory in alpine grasslands is constrained by community and host traits

AbstractQuestionThe consumption of plant biomass by herbivores is an important biotic interaction with possible cascading effects from the level of individual plant performance up to ecosystem functions. However, little is known about the degree and patterns of insect herbivory in alpine ecosystems. We searched for altitudinal differences in herbivory and tested for effects of traits of both the host plants and the surrounding plant communities on herbivory incidence to evaluate predictions derived from the resource availability and the resource concentration hypothesis.LocationHigh‐altitude grasslands of the eastern European Alps.MethodsWe recorded insect herbivory on leaves of five plant taxa differing in traits related to nutritional value and anti‐herbivore resistance to provide the first large‐scale assessment of herbivory in high‐altitude environments. Regression analyses were used to test for significant effects of plant community diversity, host species abundance and soil fertility at grasslands in the lower and upper alpine belt.ResultsWe found a positive correlation of the incidence of folivory with local plant species richness, soil fertility and local host species abundance. The effects of community traits were stronger at higher altitudes, although the overall level of herbivory was lower at higher altitudes. Taxa lacking strong chemical defences, but possessing either high nutrient or high silica content, were particularly strongly and weakly affected by herbivory, respectively.ConclusionsThese results are in line with predictions derived from the resource availability hypothesis, but remain ambiguous concerning the resource concentration hypothesis. The degree of herbivory not only depends on traits of hosts but also on features of the surrounding plant community. The generally high incidence of herbivory with low levels of damage suggests that insect folivores are omnipresent in high‐altitude grasslands.

The Hitchhiker’s guide to island endemism: biodiversity and endemic perennial plant species in roadside and surrounding vegetation

Roadsides are habitats with very specific environmental conditions, often substantially differing from their natural surroundings. However, roads can have a positive effect on local vascular plant species richness. Endemic species on oceanic islands are considered to be less disturbance-adapted than native non-endemics and thus should be negatively affected by roads. Islands provide optimal conditions for testing this, as they possess a large share of clearly defined endemic species. This study focuses on a comparison of endemic plant species in roadside and surrounding communities and the interacting effects of elevation, vegetation type and trade wind-induced precipitation differences. We applied 96 circular plots with 50 m radius along two elevational gradients on the eastern (humid) and western (dry) slope of La Palma, Canary Islands, ranging from 100 to 2,400 m. Interestingly, we found roads to have a significant positive effect on endemic richness and the percentage of endemics as well as the same tendency for plant species richness after correcting for elevation and precipitation. Endemic species turnover was relatively high. The opening of cliffs during construction and, not to be overlooked, the protection from disturbances such as fire and omnipresent introduced herbivores (mainly rabbits or goats) probably leads to a positive effect of roads on endemics. In addition, many endemics might profit from species-specific dispersal capabilities well suited for roadside conditions. However, we do not argue for the use or even construction of roads for nature conservation but suggest protecting existing endemic populations because natural areas have a higher conservation value.

Effects of increasing landscape heterogeneity on local plant species richness: how much is enough?

Contemporary landscape ecology continues to explore the causes and consequences of landscape heterogeneity across a range of scales, and demands for the scientific underpinnings of landscape planning and management still remains high. The spatial distribution of resources can be a key element in determining habitat quality, and that in turn is directly related to the level of heterogeneity in the system. In this sense, forest habitat mosaics may be more affected by lack of heterogeneity than by structural fragmentation. Nonetheless, increasing spatial heterogeneity at a given spatial scale can also decrease habitat patch size, with potential negative consequences for specialist species. Such dual effect may lead to hump-backed shape relationships between species diversity and heterogeneity, leading to three related assumptions: (i) at low levels of heterogeneity, an increase in heterogeneity favours local and regional species richness, (ii) there is an optimum heterogeneity level at which a maximum number of species is reached, (iii) further increase in spatial heterogeneity has a negative effect on local and regional species richness, due to increasing adverse effects of habitat fragmentation. In this study, we investigated the existence of a hump-shaped relationship between local plant species richness and increasing forest landscape heterogeneity on a complex mosaic in the French Alps. Forest landscape heterogeneity was quantified with five independent criteria. We found significant quadratic relationships between local forest species richness and two heterogeneity criteria indicators, showing a slight decrease of forest species richness at very high heterogeneity levels. Species richness–landscape heterogeneity relationships varied according to the heterogeneity metrics involved and the type of species richness considered. Our results support the assumption that intermediate levels of heterogeneity may support more species than very high levels of heterogeneity, although we were not able to conclude for a systematic negative effect of very high levels of heterogeneity on local plant species richness.

Diversity of the Western Carpathian flysch grasslands: Do extremely species-rich plant communities coincide with a high diversity of snails?

Upland fringes of the White Carpathians (Czech Republic) are known to support grasslands with the world’s highest local plant species richness. We investigated whether this unusually high plant richness has a parallel in snail communities, whether patterns of species composition of snail and plant communities in grasslands co-vary and how they are affected by local environment and landscape history. We compared plant and snail communities of dry to mesic grasslands in three neigh bouring regions: (1) hilly lowland of the Central Moravian Carpathians, (2) upland fringes and (3) upland of the White Carpathians. Both snail and plant communities exhibited a strong gradient in species composition associated with altitude, annual temperature and precipitation, soil calcium and pH. However, there was no correlation between local species richness of plants and snails in individual plots. The upland fringes of the White Carpathians were richest in snail species, probably due to intermediate environmental conditions, supporting the occurrence of species with contrasting environmental requirements. The highest local numbers of plant species were also recorded there, although differences among regions were not significant. The regional species richness of plants was also highest in the upland fringes, whereas that of snails was highest in the hilly lowland. Similarities in the diversity patterns of plants and snails among regions suggest the importance of regional factors for local richness, although local abiotic factors, which are partly correlated with the three regions, also influence local species composition and richness.

Gains in native species promote biotic homogenization over four decades in a human‐dominated landscape

Summary A long‐term perspective is needed to understand how disturbance is affecting plant communities in human‐dominated landscapes. Increased human disturbance often results in declining local native species richness, gains in exotic species and a decline in beta diversity. However, it is far from certain whether a general decline in plant diversity is occurring across all disturbed landscapes, and knowledge gaps remain concerning how the spread of exotic species influences beta diversity over long time‐scales. We resurveyed 184 vegetation plots in three broad vegetation types on southern Vancouver Island, Canada, originally surveyed in the late 1960s. This landscape has experienced a high degree of human disturbance over the past 40 years due to urbanization. We examined changes in total diversity, local diversity and beta diversity over time. We also compiled information on the traits of each species and tested for correlations between traits and plant species success over four decades. We found striking increases in local and total plant species richness driven by both native and exotic species. The most successful species tended to be exotic, disturbance tolerant, shade tolerant and shrubs. Biotic homogenization occurred, but not as a result of exotic species colonization, instead being significantly correlated with gains in native species. The loss in beta diversity has resulted in a shrinking of the gradient of vegetation types, blurring the distinction between them. Synthesis. Our study shows that human‐mediated disturbance is the dominant driver of plant community changes, but the net result has actually been an increase in richness, for each plot and for all plots pooled, and for both natives and exotics, despite a decline in variability among plant communities on the landscape. Contrary to conventional definitions of biotic homogenization, this decline in beta diversity was not correlated with the spread of exotic species, but with the colonization of common, disturbance‐tolerant natives.

Specialization of Mutualistic Interaction Networks Decreases toward Tropical Latitudes

Species-rich tropical communities are expected to be more specialized than their temperate counterparts. Several studies have reported increasing biotic specialization toward the tropics, whereas others have not found latitudinal trends once accounting for sampling bias or differences in plant diversity. Thus, the direction of the latitudinal specialization gradient remains contentious. With an unprecedented global data set, we investigated how biotic specialization between plants and animal pollinators or seed dispersers is associated with latitude, past and contemporary climate, and plant diversity. We show that in contrast to expectation, biotic specialization of mutualistic networks is significantly lower at tropical than at temperate latitudes. Specialization was more closely related to contemporary climate than to past climate stability, suggesting that current conditions have a stronger effect on biotic specialization than historical community stability. Biotic specialization decreased with increasing local and regional plant diversity. This suggests that high specialization of mutualistic interactions is a response of pollinators and seed dispersers to low plant diversity. This could explain why the latitudinal specialization gradient is reversed relative to the latitudinal diversity gradient. Low mutualistic network specialization in the tropics suggests higher tolerance against extinctions in tropical than in temperate communities.

Plant communities and the reproductive success of native plants after the invasion of an ornamental herb

The effects of plant invasions on plant communities are often assessed at a few sites or in a particular type of habitat, while studies in different habitat types are scarce. We investigated plant communities in the presence and absence of the invasive ornamental herb, Lupinus polyphyllus, in four habitat types: meadow, forest, road verge and wasteland, in two geographic regions by comparing vascular plant species richness, vegetation structure based on species traits, community composition and the reproductive success of native plant species at invaded and non-invaded locations. The invader was associated with declines in the number of vascular plant species in all habitat types but was unassociated with differences in plant community composition in terms of species identity or species relative cover. However, sites with large lupin invasions (≥1,000 m2) contained fewer vascular plant species, a larger proportion of clonal species and more lighter-seeded species than sites with small invasions. The reproductive output of native plants varied across habitats from declines to increases in the presence of L. polyphyllus, and depended on species status (meadow, non-meadow species) rather than species identity, with meadow species generally showing an increase in the reproductive output in the presence of the invader. Overall, our results demonstrate that lupin invasions are associated with declines in local plant species richness across habitats. Although we did not detect systematic differences in species composition between invaded and non-invaded locations, species with particular traits may still be more persistent in invaded plant communities than others.

Organic Farming Benefits Local Plant Diversity in Vineyard Farms Located in Intensive Agricultural Landscapes

The majority of research on organic farming has considered arable and grassland farming systems in Central and Northern Europe, whilst only a few studies have been carried out in Mediterranean agro-systems, such as vineyards, despite their economic importance. The main aim of the study was to test whether organic farming enhances local plant species richness in both crop and non-crop areas of vineyard farms located in intensive conventional landscapes. Nine conventional and nine organic farms were selected in an intensively cultivated region (i.e. no gradient in landscape composition) in northern Italy. In each farm, vascular plants were sampled in one vineyard and in two non-crop linear habitats, grass strips and hedgerows, adjacent to vineyards and therefore potentially influenced by farming. We used linear mixed models to test the effect of farming, and species longevity (annual vs. perennial) separately for the three habitat types. In our intensive agricultural landscapes organic farming promoted local plant species richness in vineyard fields, and grassland strips while we found no effect for linear hedgerows. Differences in species richness were not associated to differences in species composition, indicating that similar plant communities were hosted in vineyard farms independently of the management type. This negative effect of conventional farming was probably due to the use of herbicides, while mechanical operations and mowing regime did not differ between organic and conventional farms. In grassland strips, and only marginally in vineyards, we found that the positive effect of organic farming was more pronounced for perennial than annual species.

Comparing the effects of livestock and native herbivores on plant production and vegetation composition in the Trans-Himalayas

Grazing can have implications for ecosystem management, biodiversity conservation, human livelihoods and global biogeochemical cycles. Grazers can either depress or promote plant production, with weak or strong effects on vegetation composition. Such variability is a major challenge for sustaining production while avoiding undesirable vegetation shifts. It is also uncertain how knowledge obtained from native herbivores can be used to manage domestic livestock and vice versa. In addition, grazer effects on production and vegetation composition tend to vary along prominent environmental gradients and are also negatively related to each other. Here, we evaluate these patterns for both livestock and native grazers under comparable grazing intensity and evaluate competing hypotheses that can account for the negative co-variation between these two types of grazer effects. A dataset from a four-year herbivore exclusion experiment in the Trans-Himalayan ecosystem in northern India shows the following: (a) grazer effects on plant production and on vegetation composition were indeed negatively correlated, but the relationship depends on the choice of data metrics; (b) incidental autocorrelation due to an underlying soil moisture gradient does not fully explain this pattern; instead, (c) their relationship is explained by variation in local plant species richness. Vegetation responses after excluding livestock and native grazers were qualitatively similar. But, despite comparable grazing intensity, livestock had quantitatively stronger effects on plant species composition. Production in species-rich communities was more grazing-tolerant and showed greater compositional stability. So, understanding the determinants of variation in species richness and how it is, in turn, influenced by grazing can offer a framework to interpret and manage highly variable impacts of herbivores on grazing ecosystems.

Ecological aspects of plant selenium hyperaccumulation

Hyperaccumulators are plants that accumulate toxic elements to extraordinary levels. Selenium (Se) hyperaccumulators can contain 0.1-1.5% of their dry weight as Se, levels toxic to most other organisms. In this review we summarise what is known about the ecological functions and implications of Se (hyper)accumulation by plants. Selenium promotes hyperaccumulator growth and also offers a plant several ecological advantages through negative effects on Se-sensitive partners. High tissue Se levels reduce herbivory and pathogen infection, and high-Se litter deposition can inhibit neighbouring plants. There is no evidence for a cost of hyperaccumulation in terms of reproductive functions or pollinator visitation. Hyperaccumulators offer a niche for Se-tolerant herbivores, pollinators, microbes and neighbouring plants. They may even facilitate these partners through Se enrichment: neighbouring plants with elevated Se levels enjoy enhanced growth and reduced herbivory. Through combined negative and positive effects on ecological partners, Se hyperaccumulators likely affect local plant, microbial and animal species composition and richness, favouring Se-tolerant species at different trophic levels. By locally concentrating Se and altering its chemical form, Se hyperaccumulators likely play an important role in Se entry into, and Se cycling through, seleniferous ecosystems. These findings are of significance since they provide insight into the ecological reverberations of Se hyperaccumulation, and shed light on the possible selection pressures that have led to the evolution of this fascinating phenomenon. Better ecological insight will also help in the management of seleniferous areas and the agricultural production of Se-rich crops for phytoremediation or biofortification.

Multi-scale environmental heterogeneity as a predictor of plant species richness

Ecological theory predicts a positive influence of local-, landscape-, and regional-scale spatial environmental heterogeneity on local species richness. Therefore, knowing how heterogeneity measured at a variety of scales relates to local species richness has important implications for conservation of biological diversity. We took a statistical modeling approach to determine which metrics of heterogene- ity measured at which scales were useful predictors of local species richness, and whether the heterogeneity- local richness relationship was always positive. Local plant species richness data came from 400-m 2 vegetation plots in North and South Carolina, USA. At each of four scales from within plots to across regions, we used either GIS or field data to calculate measures of heterogeneity from abiotic environmen- tal variables, vegetation productivity data, and land cover classifications. Among all predictors at all scales, we found that no measure of heterogeneity was a better predictor of local richness than mean pH within plots. However, at scales larger than within plots, measures of heterogeneity were correlated most strongly with local richness, and each of the three classes of variables we used had a distinct scale at which it performed better than the others. These results highlight the fact that ecological processes occurring across multiple scales influence local species richness differently. In addition, relationships between heterogeneity and richness were usually, though not always, positive, underscoring the impor- tance of processes that occur at a variety of scales to local biodiversity conservation and management.

A multi‐scale analysis of fragmentation effects on remnant plant species richness in Phoenix, Arizona

AbstractAim Understanding complex ecological phenomena, such as the determinants of species richness, is best achieved by investigating their properties at different spatial scales. Factors significantly affecting the number of species occurring at one scale may not impact on richness at other scales. While this scale dependence has become increasingly recognized, there still remains a need to elucidate exactly how richness is structured across scales, and which mechanisms are influential for determining this important community property. This study explores how woody plant species richness varies in a fragmented system at multiple scales, and which factors are primarily responsible for these patterns.Location The study area is located in the Sonoran Desert within the bounds of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, which is the locus of the Central Arizona–Phoenix Long‐Term Ecological Research (CAP‐LTER) site.Methods Estimates of local and fragment plant species richness were generated from field data collected from 22 sites. Independent variables describing fragment sites were also calculated, including area, habitat heterogeneity, density of individuals, mean elevation, and extent of isolation. Structural equation modelling, multiple regression, and analysis of covariance were used to assess the contribution of independent variables to richness at the fragment and local scales.Results Fragment species richness was significantly influenced by area, though not isolation, habitat heterogeneity, mean elevation, or density of individuals. Local richness was not significantly related to fragment area, but was positively related to fragment richness, plant density, and elevation.Main conclusions The fragment species–area effect resulted from larger remnants supporting higher numbers of individuals at comparable densities, increasing richness through either passive sampling of progressively less common species and/or lower extinction rates among larger populations. Without using multi‐temporal data it is not possible to disentangle these mechanisms. We found that patterns evident at one scale are not necessarily apparent at other scales, as elevation and density of individuals significantly affected richness at the local scale but not at the fragment scale. These results lend support to the concept that mechanisms influencing the species richness of natural communities may be operable only within certain domains and that relevant scales should be specified.

Pattern of local plant species richness along a gradient of landscape topographical heterogeneity: result of spatial mass effect or environmental shift?

Several processes are hypothesised to mediate the relationship between local (microsite) plant species richness and the topographical heterogeneity of the surrounding landscape. In a topographically heterogeneous landscape with various habitats occurring close to each other, local species richness may be enriched by species from surrounding habitats due to the spatial mass effect (sink‐source dynamics). In contrast, increased habitat fragmentation due to spatial heterogeneity may have a negative effect on local species richness. The spatial mass effect is thought to be more pronounced in communities with a higher ratio of generalists, as generalists are more likely to establish viable populations in sink habitats. To reveal the pattern of local species richness along a gradient of landscape topographical heterogeneity at middle altitudes of the Bohemian Massif, we used 2551 forest vegetation plots stored in the Czech National Phytosociological Database. We developed an analytical approach relating the pattern of local species richness of vegetation types to the gradient of landscape topographical heterogeneity. An increase or decrease in species richness with increasing landscape heterogeneity was related to changes in the generalist/specialist ratio, and also to changes in soil reaction and productivity estimated through Ellenberg indicator values. Local species richness along a gradient of increasing landscape heterogeneity increased in nutrient‐poor vegetation and decreased in nutrient‐rich vegetation. Nutrient‐poor vegetation types, such as thermophilous and acidophilous oak forests, also had a high proportion of habitat generalists, supporting the hypothesis that increased richness in heterogeneous landscapes may result from the spatial mass effect. However, the same pattern may be explained by a shift in environmental conditions along the landscape heterogeneity gradient, such as increasing productivity of nutrient‐rich vegetation types or increasing soil reaction of most vegetation types in more heterogeneous landscapes. We discuss available evidence and conclude that these two explanations need not be mutually exclusive.

What is up? Testing spectral heterogeneity versus NDVI relationship using quantile regression

Environmental diversity and net primary productivity (NPP) are powerful indicators of local plant species richness (α-diversity). Remote sensing proxies of environmental diversity, such as spectral heterogeneity and NPP, are often used in modelling species richness variability, usually through regression analysis. As multicollinearity may affect analysis of species diversity, the interdependence of such proxies should be a major concern in their use. However, few attempts have been made to examine the interdependence between spectral heterogeneity and NPP proxies such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), in most cases using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression or Pearson correlations. We test the possible dependence of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+) local spectral heterogeneity versus NDVI using quantile regression and rejecting the main assumption of OLS regression, i.e. the symmetry of model residuals. A second-order polynomial function was fitted to the data and both OLS and quantile regression led to a humped-back relationship between spectral heterogeneity and biomass. Nonetheless while for most of the quantiles the humped-back curve was significant (with a negative and significant quadratic slope), for quantiles higher than 0.90, the parabola opened up until it reached an almost linear shape, showing that, at very low values of biomass, pixels may show high levels of local heterogeneity. Hence, patterns of spectral heterogeneity versus NDVI are possible when considering maximum potential spectral variability. We show that the investigation of all possible subsets within a scatter plot may lead to identification of patterns that remain hidden in OLS regression.