Abstract
Sustainable resource management requires understanding the factors that increase or decrease species richness. Regional species richness patterns may be predicted by analysing patterns of variation in the environment. A number of studies have shown that bird species richness at a regional scale is influenced by climatic variables. We examined environmental correlates of bird species richness at a quarter degree square scale (55 × 55 km). Mean annual potential evapotranspiration accounts for 46% of the observed variation in species richness, while mean annual temperature and range annual potential evapotranspiration are significantly correlated with species richness and together account for a further 5% of the observed variation. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that environmentally available energy limits regional species richness.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 295-302 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | African Journal of Ecology |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- abiotic factors
- birds
- Kenya
- species richness