Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1111/ddi.70170 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | Determinants of terrestrial and limnic species richness in Germany |
| Author | Ellerbrok, J.S.; Sporbert, M.; Schreiner, V.; Ristok, C.; Farwig, N.; Hähn, G.J.A.; Klenke, R.; Seidler, G.; Marx, J.M.; Schmidt, A.
; Settele, J.; Wirth, C.; Albert, C.; Bässler, C.; Braunisch, V.; Brunken, H.; Conze, K.-J.; Eichenberg, D.; Eisenhauer, N.; Ellwanger, G.; Ferenczy, J.; Gerlach, B.; Haase, D.; Harpke, A.; Herder, F.; Jansen, F.; Kamp, J.; Katzenberger, J.; Keil, P.; Ssymank, A.; Suhling, F.; Vatterrott, H.-R.; Wellmann, T.; Bruelheide, H. |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | CLE; BZF; NSF; iDiv |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Page From | e70170 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 |
| Keywords | biodiversity hotspots; boosted regression trees; climate variables; generalised additive models; human impact; land use; protected areas; species richness; terrestrial and limnic ecosystems |
| Abstract | Aim: Biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human impacts. While abiotic conditions are well known to shape species rich-ness, the role of human activities remains less clear. We examined how abiotic and human factors influence terrestrial and limnicspecies richness in a densely populated region with a long land-use history.Location: Germany.Time Period: 1900–2023 (varies by taxonomic group).Major Taxa Studied: Mammals, breeding birds, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, dragonflies, fungi, vascular plants.Methods: Species richness data were aggregated in 11 × 11 km grid cells and related to abiotic (climate, soil) and human drivers(land use, protection status). We applied a two-step approach: (1) Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs) to select relevant predictorvariables and (2) Generalised Additive Models (GAMs) to test their effects, accounting for spatial autocorrelation.Results: Land-use and climate were similarly important for species richness (26% vs. 21% in BRTs), while protection status andsoil contributed less (8% and 9%). GAMs showed positive effects of temperature across many groups. Among land-use factors,human footprint, urban open spaces and water bodies consistently enhanced richness. Protected areas were positively related torichness, whereas soil variables had mixed effects.Main Conclusions: In Germany, species richness peaks not only in semi-natural, protected areas but also along water bodiesand within settlement open spaces. These results suggest that conservation strategies should integrate both traditional protectedareas and human-modified habitats that sustain high biodiversity. |
| Ellerbrok, J.S., Sporbert, M., Schreiner, V., Ristok, C., Farwig, N., Hähn, G.J.A., Klenke, R., Seidler, G., Marx, J.M., Schmidt, A., Settele, J., Wirth, C., Albert, C., Bässler, C., Braunisch, V., Brunken, H., Conze, K.-J., Eichenberg, D., Eisenhauer, N., Ellwanger, G., Ferenczy, J., Gerlach, B., Haase, D., Harpke, A., Herder, F., Jansen, F., Kamp, J., Katzenberger, J., Keil, P., Ssymank, A., Suhling, F., Vatterrott, H.-R., Wellmann, T., Bruelheide, H. (2026): Determinants of terrestrial and limnic species richness in Germany 32 (3), e70170 10.1111/ddi.70170 |
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