Determinants and Congruence of Species Richness Patterns across Multiple Taxonomic Groups on a Regional Scale

Abstract

Applying multiple generalized regression models, we studied spatial patterns in species richness for different taxonomic groups (amphibians, reptiles, grasshoppers, plants, mosses) within the German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate (RP). We aimed (1) to detect their centres of richness, (2) to rate the influence of climatic and land-use parameters on spatial patterns, and (3) to test whether patterns are congruent between taxonomic groups in RP. Centres of species richness differed between taxonomic groups and overall richness was the highest in the valleys of large rivers and in different areas of southern RP. Climatic parameters strongly correlated with richness in all taxa whereas land use was less significant. Spatial richness patterns of all groups were to a certain extent congruent but differed between group pairs. The number of grasshoppers strongly correlated with the number of plants and with overall species richness. An external validation corroborated the generality of our species richness models.