Patterns in Habitat Type, Species Richness and Community Composition at Avdat Lter, Israel

The EBONE (European Biodiversity Observation Network project) asked the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to test methodology correlating patterns of species distribution with habitat in arid regions. A test of this methodology was conducted at the Avdat LTER site in the Negev Desert. Four square kilometers were mapped using the EBONE system of structural habitat mapping. Samples of vegetation, reptile and arthropod communities were taken using stratified random sampling of the mapped habitat polygons. Habitat type correlated poorly with species richness, but correlated well with community composition across all the taxonomic groups. We also found that the correlation of species composition to habitat type coincided with a gradient of substrate texture, from fine silt, sand, gravel and stones to large boulders and bedrock outcrops.