Diversity may dampen the spread of insects or pathogens that could threaten some
species, hence disrupt community structure. For example, the diversity of pines and hardwoods in the southern U.S. reduces spread of southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus
frontalis, populations (Schowalter and Turchin 1993). Ostfeld and Keesing (2000) found
that the number of human cases of lyme disease, caused by the tick-vectored spirochaete,
Borrelia burgdorferi, declined with species richness of small mammals and lizards, but
increased with species richness of ground-dwelling birds (Fig. 10.12). These data indicated
that disease epidemiology may depend on the diversity of reservoir hosts, but disease incidence
generally should decline with increasing dilution of reservoir hosts by non-hosts.
Alternatively, insects could be viewed as accelerating compensatory dynamics or
providing the negative feedback that prevents unsustainable production by any particular
plant species (see Chapter 15). By preferentially targeting stressed, especially dense,
hosts, herbivorous insects would accelerate the replacement of intolerant species by more
tolerant species, and thereby increase overall diversity.
To some extent, the lack of a clear correlation between diversity and stability of community
variables may be an artifact of the duration of succession or the number of intermediate
stages that can generate alternative pathways. More frequently disturbed
communities may appear to be more stable than infrequently disturbed communities because
a consistent group of species are selected by disturbance (e.g., J. Chase 2007), or
because the ecological attributes of ruderal species favor rapid recovery, whereas longer
time periods and more intervening factors affect recovery of tree species composition.
Furthermore, if maximum species diversity occurs at intermediate levels of disturbance
(the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis), then the lower species diversity of earlier
and later successional communities is associated with both high and low stability, in terms
of frequency and amplitude of departure from particular community structure.
A major source of diversity is the variety of community types and the regional species
pool maintained in a shifting landscape mosaic of patch types. Although the community
of any particular site may appear unstable because of multiple factors interacting to affect
its response to perturbation, the landscape pattern of local communities minimizes
the distance between population sources and sinks and ensures proximity of colonists for
species packing and assortment during site recovery. Even if the community in one patch
does not recover to the same endpoint, that predisturbance endpoint is likely to appear
in other patches.
Diversity may dampen the spread of insects or pathogens that could threaten some
species, hence disrupt community structure. For example, the diversity of pines and hardwoods in the southern U.S. reduces spread of southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus
frontalis, populations (Schowalter and Turchin 1993). Ostfeld and Keesing (2000) found
that the number of human cases of lyme disease, caused by the tick-vectored spirochaete,
Borrelia burgdorferi, declined with species richness of small mammals and lizards, but
increased with species richness of ground-dwelling birds (Fig. 10.12). These data indicated
that disease epidemiology may depend on the diversity of reservoir hosts, but disease incidence
generally should decline with increasing dilution of reservoir hosts by non-hosts.
Alternatively, insects could be viewed as accelerating compensatory dynamics or
providing the negative feedback that prevents unsustainable production by any particular
plant species (see Chapter 15). By preferentially targeting stressed, especially dense,
hosts, herbivorous insects would accelerate the replacement of intolerant species by more
tolerant species, and thereby increase overall diversity.
To some extent, the lack of a clear correlation between diversity and stability of community
variables may be an artifact of the duration of succession or the number of intermediate
stages that can generate alternative pathways. More frequently disturbed
communities may appear to be more stable than infrequently disturbed communities because
a consistent group of species are selected by disturbance (e.g., J. Chase 2007), or
because the ecological attributes of ruderal species favor rapid recovery, whereas longer
time periods and more intervening factors affect recovery of tree species composition.
Furthermore, if maximum species diversity occurs at intermediate levels of disturbance
(the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis), then the lower species diversity of earlier
and later successional communities is associated with both high and low stability, in terms
of frequency and amplitude of departure from particular community structure.
A major source of diversity is the variety of community types and the regional species
pool maintained in a shifting landscape mosaic of patch types. Although the community
of any particular site may appear unstable because of multiple factors interacting to affect
its response to perturbation, the landscape pattern of local communities minimizes
the distance between population sources and sinks and ensures proximity of colonists for
species packing and assortment during site recovery. Even if the community in one patch
does not recover to the same endpoint, that predisturbance endpoint is likely to appear
in other patches.
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