Book contents
- The Species–Area Relationship
- Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation
- The Species–Area Relationship
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I Introduction and History
- Part II Diversity–Area Relationships: The Different Types and Underlying Factors
- Part III Theoretical Advances in Species–Area Relationship Research
- 7 Mathematical Expressions for the Species–Area Relationship and the Assumptions behind the Models
- 8 Biodiversity Scaling on a Continuous Plane: Geometric Underpinnings of the Nested Species–Area Relationship
- 9 Species Accumulation Curves and Extreme Value Theory
- 10 The Species–Area Relationship: Idiosyncratic or Produced by ‘Laws Acting around Us’?
- 11 The Species–Area Relationships of Ecological Neutral Theory
- 12 On the Interface of Food Webs and Spatial Ecology: The Trophic Dimension of Species–Area Relationships
- Part IV The Species–Area Relationship in Applied Ecology
- Part V Future Directions in Species–Area Relationship Research
- Index
- References
9 - Species Accumulation Curves and Extreme Value Theory
from Part III - Theoretical Advances in Species–Area Relationship Research
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 March 2021
- The Species–Area Relationship
- Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation
- The Species–Area Relationship
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I Introduction and History
- Part II Diversity–Area Relationships: The Different Types and Underlying Factors
- Part III Theoretical Advances in Species–Area Relationship Research
- 7 Mathematical Expressions for the Species–Area Relationship and the Assumptions behind the Models
- 8 Biodiversity Scaling on a Continuous Plane: Geometric Underpinnings of the Nested Species–Area Relationship
- 9 Species Accumulation Curves and Extreme Value Theory
- 10 The Species–Area Relationship: Idiosyncratic or Produced by ‘Laws Acting around Us’?
- 11 The Species–Area Relationships of Ecological Neutral Theory
- 12 On the Interface of Food Webs and Spatial Ecology: The Trophic Dimension of Species–Area Relationships
- Part IV The Species–Area Relationship in Applied Ecology
- Part V Future Directions in Species–Area Relationship Research
- Index
- References
Summary
The species–area relationship (SAR) has been described as one of the few general patterns in ecology. Although there are many types of SAR, here we are concerned solely with the so-called species accumulation curve (SAC). The theoretical basis of this relationship is not well established. Here, we suggest that extreme value theory, also known as the statistics of extremes, provides a theoretical foundation for, as well as functions to fit, empirical species accumulation curves. Among the several procedures in extreme value theory, the appropriate way to deal with the species accumulation curve is the so-called block minima procedure. We first provide a brief description of this approach and the relevant formulas. We then illustrate the application of the block minima approach using data on tree species from a 50 ha plot in Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We conclude by discussing the extent to which the assumptions under which the extreme types theorem occurs are confirmed by the data. Although we recognize limitations to the present application of extreme value theory, we predict that it will provide fertile ground for future work on the theory of SARs and its application in the fields of ecology, biogeography and conservation.
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- The Species–Area RelationshipTheory and Application, pp. 211 - 226Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021