Stressor Data Sets for Studying Species Diversity at Large Spatial Scales

摘要

There is increasing scientific and societal concern over the impact ofanthropogenic activities (e.g., habitat destruction, pollution) on biodiversity. The impact of anthropogenic activities on biodiversity is generally recognized as a global phenomenon. At large spatial scales, several studies have shown geographic patterns in species diversity, and these patterns have been most strongly linked to aspects of climate and topography, not anthropogenic activities. What is known about the impact of anthropogenic activities on species diversity (and loss) is mostly from studies at much smaller spatial scales. This gap in knowledge poses a challenge to the study of the influence of stressors on species diversity patterns at large spatial scales. Based on the literature, stress is defined as the response of a system to a disturbance, and stressor is the disturbance. The purpose of this report is to review what is currently known about factors that influence distributional patterns of species richness, and to identify the appropriate stressor data sets to evaluate the influence of stressors on patterns of species richness at large spatial scales.