Ecological biogeography of Malagasy non‐volant mammals: community structure is correlated with habitat

摘要: Aim  To examine the relationship between ecoregions, as a proxy for regional climate and habitat type, mammalian community structure, defined by species composition richness (e.g. taxonomic structure) ecological diversity of non-volant species. Location  Madagascar. Methods  Faunal lists mammal occurring in 35 communities from five World Wildlife Fund ecoregions were collected published unpublished sources. Species assigned to groups trophic status, locomotor habits, activity cycle body mass. We used Mantel tests, cluster analysis principal coordinates evaluate geographic patterning richness. stepwise multiple discriminant characterize patterns each ecoregion. Communities transitional habitats representing more than one ecoregion) test predictive power analyses. Results  Non-volant divided into clusters that correspond ecoregions. There was strong distance effect structure across island within both humid dry forest communities, but this weak communities. Mammalian significantly lower The also correlated with Changes relative percentages omnivory, arboreal quadrupedalism, terrestrial/arboreal quadrupedalism two mass classes accounted 98.1% variation structure. Transitional projected intermediate positions model. Main conclusions  Our demonstrates broad-scale variables captured ecoregion model have shaped assembly Madagascar over evolutionary time. spatial pattern is consistent sorting ranges along environmental gradients. Historical processes, such recent extinction migration, may affected although these factors played secondary role.