Title: | Beta diversity and similarity among cactus assemblages in the Chihuahuan Desert |
Author: | Goettsch, B; Hernández, H. M. |
Abstract: | We sampled the cactus species in 23 localities along a longitudinal transect in the southeastern segment of the Chihuahuan Desert. Using Wilson and Shmida’s formula we calculated beta diversity values among contiguous and non-contiguous sites. As a complement, Jaccard’s index of similarity was also calculated among all sites. A total of 61 species were found along the transect, although most tended to be infrequent, and only 27 surpassed the mean value of the frequencies (mean f ¼ 28:3%). In most cases, relatively high to moderate b diversity values were obtained. The average value for all the site combinations was b ¼ 0:52 (S.D. ¼ 70.17, range ¼ 0.12–0.93). The highest similarity value was ISJ ¼ 0:79, corresponding to two non-contiguous localities. The high diversity of cactus species in the study area may be explained, in part, by a relatively high to moderate level of turnover among the different species assemblages. However, b diversity is mainly a product of the intermittent pattern of spatial distribution of the cactus species in this region, rather than a real species turnover. |
URI: | http://bva.colech.edu.mx/xmlui/handle/123456789/HASHfffdf0e531da0583517a6c |
Date: | 2012-03-09 |
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Observatorio Ambiental de El Colegio de Chihuahua (COLECH)
Biblioteca Virtual Ambiental del Estado de Chihuahua (BVA)
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