Scaling of biological rates with body size as a backbone in the assembly of metacommunity biodiversity

Abstract

The dispersal–body mass association has been highlighted as a main determinant of biodiversity patterns in metacommunities. However, less attention has been devoted to other well-recognized determinants of metacommunity diversity: the scaling in density and regional richness with body size. Among active dispersers, the increase in movement with body size may enhance local richness and decrease β-diversity. Nevertheless, the reduction of population size and regional richness with body mass may determine a negative diversity–body size association. Consequently, metacommunity assembly probably emerges from a balance between the effect of these scalings. We formalize this hypothesis by relating the exponents of size-scaling rules with simulated trends in α-, β- and γ-diversity with body size. Our results highlight that the diversity–body size relationship in metacommunities may be driven by the combined effect of different scaling rules. Given their ubiquity in most terrestrial and aquatic biotas, these scaling rules may represent the basic determinants—backbone—of biodiversity, over which other mechanisms operate determining metacommunity assembly. Further studies are needed, aimed at explaining biodiversity patterns from functional relationships between biological rates and body size, as well as their association with environmental conditions and species interactions.