This book describes the development, application and
evaluation of a method to explain
species-environmental relationships. The need for
such a method is evident. From an applied point of
view, knowledge on the impact of degradation is
needed to derive sound possibilities to address the
biodiversity crisis. From a fundamental point of
view, knowledge on the causal mechanisms is needed to
provide a predictive framework which explains how
abiotic and biotic factors set limits to species
occurrences, ultimately shaping ecosystems. By
investigating interrelations between traits and
interpreting their function, it was possible to
define sets of co-adapted species traits designed by
natural selection to solve particular ecological
problems , which are termed life-history strategies.
These strategies were successfully applied to a
fundamental (abundance-occupancy relationships) and
an applied problem (rewetting measures). Life-history
strategies aggregate information over many different
species without sacrificing information on the
underlying causal mechanisms. This makes life-history
strategies ideally suited to derive the key factors
structuring species assemblages.
evaluation of a method to explain
species-environmental relationships. The need for
such a method is evident. From an applied point of
view, knowledge on the impact of degradation is
needed to derive sound possibilities to address the
biodiversity crisis. From a fundamental point of
view, knowledge on the causal mechanisms is needed to
provide a predictive framework which explains how
abiotic and biotic factors set limits to species
occurrences, ultimately shaping ecosystems. By
investigating interrelations between traits and
interpreting their function, it was possible to
define sets of co-adapted species traits designed by
natural selection to solve particular ecological
problems , which are termed life-history strategies.
These strategies were successfully applied to a
fundamental (abundance-occupancy relationships) and
an applied problem (rewetting measures). Life-history
strategies aggregate information over many different
species without sacrificing information on the
underlying causal mechanisms. This makes life-history
strategies ideally suited to derive the key factors
structuring species assemblages.