Species Turnover

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News- A study in Nature Communications reported that short-term species turnover has slowed in many ecosystems over the past century.

About Species Turnover

  • Species turnover is the rate at which species exit and are replaced by others within ecological communities.
  • It occurs because of species interactions such as competition, predation, and mutualisms.

Key Aspects of Species Turnover:

  • Spatial Turnover (β-Diversity): Researchers analysed biodiversity surveys across land, freshwater, and marine habitats, showing variation in species composition across different ecosystems.
  • Temporal Turnover: Short-term turnover over 1–5 years has slowed in many communities over the last century, often declining by about one-third.
  • Drivers: Changes in species composition are often shaped by internal ecosystem dynamics, environmental degradation, shrinking regional species pools, and anthropogenic impacts like habitat destruction, pollution, and fragmentation.
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