Unpacking the cross-scale niche: a multi-grain modeling framework to evaluate scale-dependence in species-environment relationships

Katherine Mertes, Yale University, katherine.mertes@yale.edu (Presenter)
Walter Jetz, Yale University, walter.jetz@yale.edu

Multiple lines of ecological theory and research indicate that species responses to environmental conditions vary with spatial scale. Here, we investigate how a species' spatial distribution is shaped by the interaction of two scale-variant factors: the cross-scale spatial structure of environmental conditions, and a species' scale-dependent selection for different environmental variables. We show that the spatial structure of artificial landscapes affects the detection of even strong species responses to environmental conditions, and define a set of structure-based expectations for each environmental variable in our study. We propose that species’ scale-dependent responses to environmental conditions depend not only on hierarchical biological requirements and preferences, but also on environment spatial structure, and test these predictions using Tockus deckeni, a medium-sized omnivorous African bird. T. deckeni exhibits strongly scale-dependent responses to environmental factors congruent with their spatial structure, indicating that cross-scale variation in species’ ecological niches may be prevalent.

Presentation Type:  Plenary Talk

Session:  Poster Speed Talks

Presentation Time:  Tue 4:30 PM  (1 minutes)