Why some species dominate the planet

What is it about?

Species that occupy larger geographic ranges tend to have broader climatic niches and are more likely to achieve high local abundances. These findings provide key insights into species’ vulnerability to environmental change and the processes that structure biodiversity at global scales.

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Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash

Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash

Why is it important?

A longstanding question in ecology asks whether or not species that achieve large geographic ranges also have large climatic niche breadths. Moroever, understanding the laws that determine species distributions is essential for predicting how plant species will respond to climate change. Our findings indicate that latitudinal and elevational gradients in range size arise from selective pressures and species sorting based on climatic tolerance. Additionally, we show that species with larger range sizes tend to be ecologically dominant, supporting a long-suspected connection between range size, niche breadth, and local and regional abundance. Our results suggest a spectrum of dominance, where species with extensive geographic ranges and broader climatic tolerances tend to be more abundant. We posit that the relationship between range size, niche breadth, and ecological dominance is an emergent macroecological pattern that can be used for understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change on species distributions.

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