Scaling the relative dominance of exogenous drivers in structuring desert small mammal assemblages

摘要: Abstract Assemblage patterns could be primarily generated by two types of drivers: exogenous (such as environmental and climatic factors) endogenous (interactions such competition, predation, mutualism or herbivory). The most widely accepted hypothesis states that at smaller scales patch scale), interspecific interactions are the major drivers structuring communities, whereas larger regional scales, factors climate, topography soil act ecological filters determine assemblage composition. general aim this paper is to compare different in terms their relative dominance desert small mammal communities across a range spatial from regional, them with previous results on drivers. Our show scale increases, explanatory power also e.g. 17% (i.e. abundance) 99% diversity). Moreover, vary type strength depending community estimator several scales. On other hand, more important scale, diminishing importance towards scale. Therefore, versus affects structure fill up knowledge gap concerning intermediate for Monte mammals, highlight dealing multi-causal explaining assemblages.