An introduction to the correlation between human population and biodiversity, vascular plants, stream macro-invertebrates, ants, grasshoppers, maps of the world, Synthesis of the North American Flora, Ohio and Virginia not included. Scale-dependence of the correlation between human population and the species richness of stream macro-invertebrates

1. An introduction to
the species-people correlation
Marco Pautasso,
Division of Biology,
Imperial College London,
Silwood Campus, UK
8 July 2008

2. Random sample of 100 papers per year
on ‘species richness’ in WOS (1991-2004)
from: Lonsdale et al. (2008) European Journal of Forest Research

3. Global biodiversity patterns: vascular plants
from Barthlott et al. (2007) Erdkunde

4. Global human population density patterns
from Small & Cohen (2004) Current Anthropology

5. Map of the world by Abraham Ortelius, ~1570
From: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:1572_Typus_Orbis_Terrarum_Ortelius.jpg

6. Orbis terrarum, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, ~27 a.C.
from http://www.arqweb.com/vitrum/orbis22.asp

7. Species-people correlation in Europe
plants birds
from Araujo (2003) spp
Global Ecology &
Biogeography people

8. A positive species-people correlation
for vascular plants in US counties
4
log10 vascular plant spp richness (n)
2
n = 2877, r = 0.18, y = 1.75+ 0.22x, p < 0.0001
3
2
1
2 3 4 5 6 7
log10 human population size (n)
Data from the Synthesis of the North American Flora, Ohio and Virginia not included

9. 1. Sampling bias?
from: Pautasso & McKinney (2007) Conservation Biology

10. US counties with (•) or without (o)
Universities and/or Botanical Gardens
• N = 692, r2 = 0.13, y = 2.15 (SE = 0.08) + 0.15 (SE = 0.01) x, p < 0.0001
o N = 2187, r2 = 0.10, y = 2.18 (SE = 0.05) + 0.15 (SE = 0.01) x, p < 0.0001
from: Pautasso & McKinney (2007) Conservation Biology

11. number of passengers per day
from: Hufnagel, Brockmann & Geisel (2004) PNAS

12. 2. Active conservation?
Cupressus Quercus robur, Udine
sempervirens, Forli
Celtis australis, San Gimignano
Castanea sativa,
St. Alfio, Sicily
people / km2
Quercus cerris,
Amatrice, Latium Photos of veteran trees courtesy of G. Bortolotti;
Map of human population density from Swiss Federal Statistical Office no information

13. (b)
Monumental trees in Italy’s regions and provinces
(a) 3 (c) 2
(c)
log10 veteran tree individuals
log10 veteran tree species
2
1
1
2
2
y = -1.99 + 0.58x, r = 0.56, p < 0.0001 y = -1.70 + 0.47x, r = 0.69, p < 0.0001
0 0
4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8
log10 region human population size log10 region human population size
(b)
(b) (d) 2
2
2
(c)
y = -2.98 + 0.68x, r = 0.13, p < 0.0001 2
y = -2.03 + 0.49x, r = 0.15, p < 0.0001
log10 veteran tree individuals
log10 veteran tree species
1 1
0 0
4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7
log 10 province human population size
log10 province human population size
a & b: abundance, c & d: spp richness,
a & c: regions; b & d: provinces; from: Pautasso & Chiarucci (2008) Annals of Botany

14. 3. Species introductions?
Trace forward/back zipcode
Positive (Phytophthora ramorum) site
Hold released
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, 2004
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine

15. Multi-scale correlation of human presence and
Phytophthora ramorum disease incidence
from: Cushman & Meentemeyer (2008) Journal of Ecology

16. Sudden Oak Death in California
from Desprez-Loustau et al. (2007) Trends in Ecology & Evolution

17. Living collections of the world’s botanical gardens
(c)
(a) (c)
log10 spp richness (n)
(d) (yr)
(b) Size of countries reflects n of botanic gardens
(d)
b from: http://www.worldmapper.org/
a, c & d: from: Pautasso & Parmentier (2007) Botanica Helvetica

18. 4. Both species and people correlate with productivity?
(a) vascular plant species richness (b) terrestrial net primary productivity
NPP
(g C yr-1 m-2)
human-appropriated net primary productivity
(c)
From (all et al.): (a) Kreft (2008) Ecology Letters,
(b) Cramer (1999) Global Change Biology, (c) Imhoff (2004) Nature

19. Both species and people correlate with productivity
Altitude Plant species richness
in Trentino, Italy
from: Marini, Prosser, Klimek & Marrs (in press) J Biogeography

20. Excursus: human population density across the Alps
Source: European Academy, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy (EURAC)

21. Excursus (2): human pop. dens. change across the Alps
Source: European Academy, Bozen/Bolzano, Italy (EURAC)

22. [1015 mol/cm2; Jan 2003- Jun 2004]
Air pollution due to urbanization: NO2
source: http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/EarthObservation/pollution_europe_hires.jpg

23. Some recent studies of the spp-people correlation
Araujo
(2003)
McKinney GEB
(2003)
Moreno-
Biol Cons
Rueda & Ding et al.
Pizarro (2008)
(2006) J
Ecol Res
Vazquez Hunter Biogeog
& Gaston (2006) & Jonzon
Biodiv & Cons (1993) CB
Balmford
et al. (2001)
Science
Real et al. Chown et al. Luck (2007)
(2003) J Diniz-Filho et al. (2003) Ecol Appl J Biogeog
Biogeog (2006) Acta Oecol.
World wilderness map from: UNEP-WCMC World Atlas of Biodiversity, GIS analysis
by R. Lesslie (ANU), method developed for the Australian Heritage Commission

24. What about invertebrates? (1) Ants
(a) 3.0
2
y = -0.19 + 0.29x, s.s.e. = 0.03, r = 0.42, p < 0.0001
(c) 3.0
y = -1.00 + 0.87x, s.s.e. = 0.13, r2 = 0.56, p < 0.0001
log10 ant species richness (n)
log10 ant species richness (n)
2.0 2.0
1.0 1.0
4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
log10 human population size (n) log10 plant species richness (n)
(b) 3.0 (d) 3.0
2
y = 0.67 + 0.22x, s.s.e = 0.02, r = 0.30, p < 0.0001 y = 0.65 - 0.27x, s.s.e. = 0.64, r2 = 0.02, p = 0.67
log10 ant species richness (n)
log10 ant species richness (n)
2.0 2.0
1.0 1.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 -4.6 -4.5 -4.4 -4.3 -4.2
log10 country area (km2) Boltzmann transformed temperature (1/kT)
from Schlick-Steiner et al. (in press) Journal of Biogeography

25. What about invertebrates? (2) Grasshoppers
from Steck & Pautasso (in press) Acta Oecologica

26. What about invertebrates? (3) May-, stone- & caddis-flies
Pictures from http://biokeys.berkeley.edu
from Pautasso & Fontaneto (in press) Ecological Applications

27. Random sample of 100 papers per year
on ‘species richness’ in WOS (1991-2004)
from: Lonsdale et al. (2008) European Journal of Forest Research

28. Conclusions
1) the scale-dependence of the species-people
correlation has implications for conservation,
2) a positive spp-people correlation could be
due to i) sampling bias, (ii) active
conservation, and (iii) species introductions,
3) but its most plausible/frequent explanation
is a correlation of both people and spp
richness with environmental productivity

29. Acknowledgements
Mike McKinney,
Univ. of Kevin Ingrid
Tennessee, US Diego
Gaston, Parmentier,
Fontaneto,
Univ. of Univ. of
Silwood
Sheffield Bruxelles,
Mike Jeger, Belgium
Wye & Silwood
Birgit & Florian
Claude Steck, Alessandro
Schlick-Steiner, Lorenzo Marini,
WSL, CH Chiarucci,
Univ. of Univ. of
Queensland, Univ. of
Padua, Italy Siena, Italy
Australia

30. References
Barbosa AM, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) Positive regional species–people correlations: a sampling
artefact or a key issue for sustainable development? Animal Conservation 13: 446-447
Barbosa AM, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) Is the human population a large-scale indicator of the species
richness of ground beetles? Animal Conservation 13: 432-441
Cantarello E, Steck CE, Fontana P, Fontaneto D, Marini L & Pautasso M (2010) A multi-scale study of Orthoptera
species richness and human population size controlling for sampling effort. Naturwissenschaften 97: 265-271
Chiari C, Dinetti M, Licciardello C, Licitra G & Pautasso M (2010) Urbanization and the more-individuals hypothesis.
Journal of Animal Ecology 79: 366-371
Golding J, Güsewell S, Kreft H, Kuzevanov VY, Lehvävirta S, Parmentier I & Pautasso M (2010) Species-richness
patterns of the living collections of the world's botanic gardens: a matter of socio-economics? Annals of Botany 105:
689-696
Pautasso M (2009) Geographical genetics and the conservation of forest trees. Perspectives in Plant Ecology,
Systematics and Evolution 11: 157-189
Pautasso M & Dinetti M (2009) Avian species richness, human population and protected areas across Italy’s regions.
Environmental Conservation 36: 22-31
Pautasso M & Powell G (2009) Aphid biodiversity is correlated with human population in European countries. Oecologia
160: 839-846
Pautasso M & Zotti M (2009) Macrofungal taxa and human population in Italy's regions. Biodiversity & Conservation 18:
473-485
Pautasso M & Parmentier I (2007) Are the living collections of the world’s botanical gardens following species-richness
patterns observed in natural ecosystems? Botanica Helvetica 117: 15-28
Pecher C, Fritz S, Marini L, Fontaneto D & Pautasso M (2010) Scale-dependence of the correlation between human
population and the species richness of stream macroinvertebrates. Basic Applied Ecology 11: 272-280