Carsten Rahbek, PhDPatterns of Diversity

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Ryan BurnerCommunity Ecology

23 April 2013

scholar.google.com

Education

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Biology, B.Sc., 1988

University of Wisconsin, USA, visiting graduate student, 1990 - 1991

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Zoology, M.Sc., 1992

Smithsonian Institution, NMNH, Research Fellow 1993 - 1995

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Biogeography, PhD, 1995

AppointmentsCurrently: Professor and Director, Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at University of Copenhagen andPresident-Elect, International Biogeography Society

2005-present. Full Professor, Department of Biology, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark;

2001-2005. Professor MSO, Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark;

1995-2005. Head of the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre & Curator of Birds;

1998-2001. Associate Professor, Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark;

1995-1998. Assistant Professor, Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark.

http://blog.ujjvalpanchal.com/

Research Interests

• Patterns of species distribution, species range sizes, species assemblages, species richness

and• Mechanisms that determine these patterns– “contemporary and historical factors or perhaps

also just a bit of chance”

“Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate”Shahid Naeem; http://macroecology.ku.dk/

Early Work

• A survey of the montane forest avifauna of the Loja province, southern Ecuador; 1991. H. Bloch, M. K. Poulsen, C. Rahbek, J. F. Rasmussen

• Lista de aves del Parque Nacional Podocarpus 1992. J. F. Rasmussen, M. K. Poulsen, C. Rahbek, H. Bloch

• Avian body weights from southern Equador 1993. C. Rahbek, H. Bloch, M. K. Poulsen, J. F. Rasmussen

Orange-headed Tanagerwikipedia.com

• The elevational gradient of species richness: a uniform pattern? 1995. C. Rahbek– 493 citations, beginning of a major theme in his work

• The relationship among area, elevation, and regional species richness in neotropical birds 1997. C. Rahbek

biogeography.org

Species Richness, Gradients, Patterns, and Mechanisms

• The functional biogeography of species: biogeographical species roles of birds in Wallacea and the West Indies 2013. D. W. Carstensen, B. Dalsgaard, J. C. Svenning, C. Rahbek, J. Fjeldså, W. J. Sutherland, J. M. Olesen

• The role of mountain ranges in the diversification of birds 2012. J. Fjeldså, R. C. K. Bowie, C. Rahbek

• Dispersion fields, diversity fields and null models: uniting range sizes and species richness 2010. M. K. Borregaard, C. Rahbek

• Predicting continental-scale patterns of bird species richness with spatially explicit models 2007. C. Rahbek, N. J. Gotelli, R. K. Colwell, G. L. Entsminger, T. Rangel, G. R. Graves

• s

Species Richness, Gradients, Patterns, and Mechanisms

J. Fjeldså N. Sanders w/ CR G. Graves R. Colwell N. Gotelli

Conservation and Biogeography

• Species richness and endemism in South American birds: implications for the design of networks of nature reserves 1997. J. Fjeldså, C. Rahbek

• Continent-wide conservation priorities and diversification processes 1998. J. Fjeldså, C. Rahbek

• Priorities for conservation in Bolivia, illustrated by a continent-wide analysis of bird distributions 1998. J. Fjeldså, C. Rahbek

• Conserving biodiversity in a world of conflicts 2007. M. B. Araújo, C Rahbek

x

Holt et al. 2012

Holt et al. (2012)

Redrawing Wallace’s Eco-regions

by Taxa,using Phylogenetic

Relationships

Recent Focus

• On “the effect of climate change, the role of scale and conceptual formulation, and practical design of null- and predictive models that allow direct testing of hypotheses related to patterns of diversity”

• Views his theoretical work as informing conservation priority setting and hypothesis testing

Effects of Climate Change on Species Diversity

• Habitat stability affects dispersal and the ability to track climate change 2012. C. Hof, M. Brändle, D. M. Dehling, M. Munguía, R. Brandl, M. B. Araújo, C. Rahbek

• Using species co occurrence networks to assess the impacts of climate ‐change 2011. M. B. Araújo, A. Rozenfeld, C. Rahbek, P. A. Marquet

• Additive threats from pathogens, climate and land-use change for global amphibian diversity 2011. C. Hof, M. B. Araújo, W. Jetz, C. Rahbek

Habitat Stability, Dispersal,

and the ability to trackClimate Change

Hof et al. 2012

Elevational Gradients in Species Diversity

• A major recurring theme in Carsten Rahbek’s research, and my focus for the rest of this presentation

Gradients in Species Diversity• The patterns and causes of elevational diversity gradients 2012. N. J. Sanders, C. Rahbek

• Contrasting patterns of phylogenetic assemblage structure along the elevational gradient for major hummingbird clades 2011. J. L. Parra, C. Rahbek, J. A. McGuire, C. H. Graham

• Elevational zonation of afrotropical forest bird communities along a homogeneous forest gradient 2009. T. S. Romdal, C. Rahbek

• Scale effects and human impact on the elevational species richness gradients 2008. D. Nogués-Bravo, M. B. Araújo, T. Romdal, C. Rahbek

• The Mid Domain Effect: There’s a Baby in the Bathwater‐ 2005. R. K. Colwell, C Rahbek, NJ Gotelli

• The Mid Domain Effect and Species Richness Patterns: What Have We Learned So Far? ‐ 2004 R. K. Colwell, C. Rahbek, N. J. Gotelli

Marine Fish Species by Latitude

From Rohde (1978) and Rohde (1993), combined in Rohde (2011)

Latitudinal Gradients in Species Diversity

• One of the ‘most universal biogeographic patterns’

PacificAtlantic

Latitudinal and Elevational Gradients

Similarities

-Generally declining diversity-Generally declining temperatures-Generally declining vegetation cover and primary productivity

Differences

-Seasonality-Location of humidity peak-Scale-Replication

What Pattern? A First Question

From Rahbek (1995)From Rahbek (1995)

The Richness/Elevation RelationshipLocally

From Rahbek (1995), citing Terborgh (1977)

Raw Data Standardized

The Richness/Elevation RelationshipContinent Wide

Raw Data Standardized

From Rahbek (1995)

Simple Models of

Observed Distributions

Rahbek (1997)

Models predicting a monotonic declineMonotonic Richness/

Productivity

Rahbek (1997)

Rapoport’s ‘Rule’

Models predicting a hump-shaped distribution

Rahbek (1997)

Hump-shaped Species/ Productivity relationship

Rahbek (1997)

Models predicting a hump-shaped distribution

Bounded Random Geographical Ranges

Simple Models of

Observed Distributions

Rahbek (1997)

Sampling Effects: multiple draws from the same data set

Rang

e of

Ele

vatio

nal

Grad

ient

(m)

Spatial Grain Size (km^2)Rahbek (2008)

Sampling Effects: multiple draws fro the same data set

Rang

e of

Ele

vatio

nal

Grad

ient

(m)

Spatial Grain Size (km^2)Rahbek (2008)

Sampling Effects: multiple draws from the same data set

Spatial Grain Size (km^2)

1 25 81

Rang

e of

Ele

vatio

nal

Grad

ient

(m)

Rahbek (2008)

Worldwide Average Human Impact by Elevation

Percent Original Vegetation Human Impact Index

Rahbek (2008)

Proposed Mechanisms

• Some of the most frequently tested:– climate and productivity – source-sink dynamics– mass and area effects– disturbance– geometric factors– evolutionary history– competition

N. J. Sanders and C. Rahbek (2012)

Thanks

science.ku.dk

For Future ReferenceColwell, R. K., et al. (2004). "The Mid Domain Effect and Species Richness Patterns: What Have We Learned So Far?" ‐ The American Naturalist 163(3): E1-E23.

Colwell, R. K., et al. (2005). "The Mid Domain Effect: There’s a Baby in the Bathwater." ‐ The American Naturalist 166(5): E149-E154.

Hof, C., et al. (2012). "Habitat stability affects dispersal and the ability to track climate change." Biology letters 8(4): 639-643.

Holt, B. G., et al. (2013). "An Update of Wallace’s Zoogeographic Regions of the World." Science 339(6115): 74-78.

Nogués-Bravo, D., et al. (2008). "Scale effects and human impact on the elevational species richness gradients." Nature 453(7192): 216-219.

Rahbek, C. (1995). "The elevational gradient of species richness: a uniform pattern?" Ecography 18(2): 200-205.

Rahbek, C. (1997). "The relationship among area, elevation, and regional species richness in neotropical birds." The American Naturalist 149(5): 875-902.

Rohde, Klaus (2011). Latitudinal Gradients in Species Diversity: Why are there so many species in the tropics? [Internet]. Version 1. Clinical Sciences. Available from: http://clinicalsciences.wordpress.com/article/latitudinal-gradients-in-species-xk923bc3gp4-56/.

Sanders, N. J. and C. Rahbek (2012). "The patterns and causes of elevational diversity gradients." Ecography 35(1): 1-3.