Regional occupancy increases for widespread species but decreases for narrowly distributed species in metacommunity time series

Wu-Bing Xu (), Shane A. Blowes, Viviana Brambilla, Cher F. Y. Chow, Ada Fontrodona-Eslava, Inês S. Martins, Daniel McGlinn, Faye Moyes, Alban Sagouis, Hideyasu Shimadzu, Roel Klink, Anne E. Magurran, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Brian J. McGill, Maria Dornelas and Jonathan M. Chase ()
Additional contact information
Wu-Bing Xu: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Shane A. Blowes: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Viviana Brambilla: University of St Andrews
Cher F. Y. Chow: University of St Andrews
Ada Fontrodona-Eslava: University of St Andrews
Inês S. Martins: University of St Andrews
Daniel McGlinn: College of Charleston
Faye Moyes: University of St Andrews
Alban Sagouis: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Hideyasu Shimadzu: Loughborough University
Roel Klink: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Anne E. Magurran: University of St Andrews
Nicholas J. Gotelli: University of Vermont
Brian J. McGill: University of Maine
Maria Dornelas: University of St Andrews
Jonathan M. Chase: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract While human activities are known to elicit rapid turnover in species composition through time, the properties of the species that increase or decrease their spatial occupancy underlying this turnover are less clear. Here, we used an extensive dataset of 238 metacommunity time series of multiple taxa spread across the globe to evaluate whether species that are more widespread (large-ranged species) differed in how they changed their site occupancy over the 10–90 years the metacommunities were monitored relative to species that are more narrowly distributed (small-ranged species). We found that on average, large-ranged species tended to increase in occupancy through time, whereas small-ranged species tended to decrease. These relationships were stronger in marine than in terrestrial and freshwater realms. However, in terrestrial regions, the directional changes in occupancy were less extreme in protected areas. Our findings provide evidence for systematic decreases in occupancy of small-ranged species, and that habitat protection could mitigate these losses in the face of environmental change.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37127-2

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