HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY & CURRENT PRODUCTIVITY EXPLAIN LEMUR COMMUNITY STRUCTURE

James P. HerreraGerstner Scholar Postdoctoral Fellow

Department of Mammalogy & Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Richard Gilder Graduate Schooljherrera@amnh.org, herrerajamesp.weebly.com

Methods

Summary

1) Lemur species richness, phylogenetic diversity & endemism increased with increasing habitat productivity & heterogeneity

2) Functional diversity highest in low productivity, hot, arid habitats

3) ~3,000 km2 of deforestation within 100 protected areas years 2000 – 2014; up to 31% / park; highest deforestation in protected areas with high species richness

Mantel correlation coefficients between measures of beta diversity & environmental dissimilarity

r = 0.46, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.20

r = 0.46, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.22

r = -0.10, p = 0.41, R2 = 0.009

r = 0.48, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.23

Correlations between habitat productivity & four measures of diversity in 100 protected areas

Data on lemur species composition in 100 protected areas (PAs) + environmental layers: climate, productivity, heterogeneity, river barriers, forest cover, & deforestation. Functional traits (body size, activity pattern, diet) gleaned from literature sources. Beta diversity: Sorenson’s index: taxonomy, phylogeny, & functional traits; partial Mantel tests of relationship b/w lemur beta diversity & environmental dissimilarity. Alpha diversity: species richness, phylogenetic & functional mean nearest taxon distance, phylogenetic endemism; linear mixed-effects models testing relationship between diversity metrics & environment

Acknowledgements: Funding: the Gerstner Scholarship, RGGS (AMNH), National Science Foundation (GRFP), Turner Fellowship & AGEP-T-FRAME Scholarship (SBU); Helpful discussions: P Wright, E Seiffert, L Dávalos, W Jungers, C Nunn, N Simmons, J Flynn, C Raxworthy, CBC BioLunchDiscussion group, AMNH ECEM, S Desbureaux

Introduction

Distribution of diversity metrics in 100 protected areas