Temporal and spatial dimensions of avian diversity: Patterns and drivers from the United Kingdom and beyond

Wayman, Joseph Paul ORCID: 0000-0002-3122-8070 (2024). Temporal and spatial dimensions of avian diversity: Patterns and drivers from the United Kingdom and beyond. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Quantifying change in diversity over time and space and identifying the drivers of that change is becoming critical due to increasing anthropogenic pressures such as climate and land use change. While much work has been done in this area, uncertainty remains around how and why diversity is changing due to the mixed directions and magnitudes of change found across scales, locations, measures, and taxa. Here, using datasets on avian presence from both the United Kingdom and biodiversity hotspots in the tropics, we explore how diversity has changed both spatially and temporally in response to human-induced changes and other abiotic factors. The thesis finds key roles for environmental gradients in driving dissimilarity across space within Britain while also finding that more speciose assemblages may be buffered from environmental change to a greater degree than less species-rich areas through time. We found evidence of widespread biotic homogenisation across Britain, largely driven by increases in generalist species. However, species benefitting from recent conservation action contributed to the patterns observed, highlighting that species identities are important to consider when assessing change in spatial beta-diversity through time. Alpha diversity across three dimensions (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic) remained relatively stable through time across three sites located within biodiversity hotspot regions in the tropics, while no evidence of homogenisation was found. However, the overall stability masked changes in the underlying assemblage structure, calling attention to the dynamic properties of these areas and the need to consider multiple diversity metrics within assessments. Overall, this work provides a novel contribution, using new methodologies, to the study of biodiversity change across time and space. Recommendations are made concerning future avenues of research, such as methodological recommendations to improve the analysis of homogenisation.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):

Supervisor(s)	Email	ORCID
Matthews, Thomas	UNSPECIFIED	orcid.org/0000-0002-7624-244X
Sadler, Jon	UNSPECIFIED	orcid.org/0000-0003-0443-4458
Pugh, Thomas	UNSPECIFIED	orcid.org/0000-0002-6242-7371