Life on Earth Follows a Universal Rule, Species Exist in 'Hotspot' Areas and Spread Outwards to Survive
Every habitat seems to have unique attributes that make it stand apart. However, a new study has found that the habitats do follow a certain pattern when it comes to settlement, stated Brighter Side of News. As per their examination, living beings are more concentrated in certain regions, regardless of the habitat's conditions. Findings regarding this discovery have been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Researchers concluded that in every habitat, there is a central 'core' where most species are concentrated. Living beings then spread out, but as they move away from the 'core,' only a subset of species manage to thrive. In this pattern, most species comprehensively survived only in the 'core' and then started to diminish as they stepped away. The living spaces outside the 'core' are labelled transition zones. These transition zones are areas where only species attuned to the changing conditions can survive. The study claims that this life distribution pattern remains the same whether it is animals, plants, or even insects. For the study, the team took into consideration 30,000 species in total.
The 'core' is called a hotspot where maximum species congregate, according to Eureka Alert. "It seems these cores provide optimal conditions for species survival and diversification, acting as a source from which biodiversity radiates outward,” Rubén Bernardo-Madrid, lead author and researcher at Umeå University (Sweden), said. According to experts, the pattern indicates that conservation efforts should be directed towards hotspots rather than the transition areas.
The results surprised researchers. This study took into consideration a variety of life forms, like marine rays, mammals, birds, trees, amphibians, dragonflies, and reptiles. Considering how distinct the life strategies of each of these species are, along with the diversity of habitats like rainforest, savanna, and coral reef, researchers expected that lifeforms would be distributed differently in different places. To their surprise, though, in every habitat they investigated, the pattern was the same- more density in hotspots, which dwindled down as they moved into the transition zones.
Experts believe that the pattern backs the theory of environmental filtering, according to Brighter Side of News. This principle had been proposed a long time ago, but had never been proven before the study. The concept emphasizes that only species aligned with local conditions can survive in that specific place. In this pattern, one filter operates in hotspots, while the other functions in transition zones. The hotspot had conditions or 'filters' suitable for most species, while transition zones had 'filters' suitable only for a limited number of species.
The study claims that filters in both kinds of regions work together to determine which species survive at the core, the ones that exist at the edges, and the ones that never cross to other areas. Joaquín Calatayud from Rey Juan Carlos University considers this 'predicatability' to be good as it can aid researchers in accurately figuring out how biodiversity will react to climate change.
The pattern can help experts forecast how ecosystems can possibly alter themselves in response to factors like habitat loss and pollution. Researchers believe these changes can shift the relationship between hotspots and transitional zones. Some species could become unsuitable for core refuge while others could disappear from the transition zone. If experts know where these areas are, they could be better prepared for these changes or could also prevent them.