Welcome to the Gradients of β-diversity WG

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Abstract

β-diversity, the change in species composition across localities, describes how communities respond to spatial and environmental heterogeneity. As the scalar between local (α) and regional (γ) diversity, β-diversity is fundamental to understanding patterns of biodiversity. However its measurement, analyses, patterns, and mechanisms are much more poorly understood than its local and regional counterparts. Here, we propose a working group that will bring together ecologists with varied expertise in biodiversity and its statistical analysis. We will develop a synthesis of β-diversity metrics and analyses, and then use these to synthesize the patterns of β-diversity along key ecological gradients to understand how and why β-diversity varies spatially, and how it influences the relationship between α- and γ-diversity. Finally, we will develop analyses that will help to discern the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes that underlie the patterns of β-diversity in the assembly of communities.