03191nas a2200349   4500008004100000245018200041210006900223260000800292300001200300490000700312520212700319653000902446653001702455653002502472653001702497653001402514653001702528653002902545653001102574653002802585653002102613653001302634653001002647653002102657653003402678653002602712653001302738100001702751700002002768700001902788856003402807       2002                        eng d00aModelling the species richness distribution of French dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) and delimiting the predictive capacity of different groups of explanatory variables0 aModelling the species richness distribution of French dung beetl  cJul  a265-2770 v113 aAim To predict French Scarabaeidae dung beetle species richness distribution, and to determine the possible underlying causal factors. Location The entire French territory has been studied by dividing it into 301 grid cells of 0.72 x 0.36 degrees. Method Species richness distribution was predicted using generalized linear models to relate the number of species with spatial, topographic and climate variables in grid squares previously identified as well sampled (n = 66). The predictive function includes the curvilinear relationship between variables, interaction terms and the significant third-degree polynomial terms of latitude and longitude. The final model was validated by a jack-knife procedure. The underlying causal factors were investigated by partial regression analysis, decomposing the variation in species richness among spatial, topographic and climate type variables. Results The final model accounts for 86.2% of total deviance, with a mean jack-knife predictive error of 17.7%. The species richness map obtained highlights the Mediterranean as the region richest in species, and the less well-explored south-western region as also being species-rich. The largest fraction of variability (38%) in the number of species is accounted for by the combined effect of the three groups of explanatory variables. The spatially structured climate component explains 21% of variation, while the pure climate and pure spatial components explain 14% and 11%, respectively. The effect of topography was negligible. Conclusions Delimiting the adequately inventoried areas and elaborating forecasting models using simple environmental variables can rapidly produce an estimate of the species richness distribution. Scarabaeidae species richness distribution seems to be mainly influenced by temperature. Minimum mean temperature is the most influential variable on a local scale, while maximum and mean temperature are the most important spatially structured variables. We suggest that species richness variation is mainly conditioned by the failure of many species to go beyond determined temperature range limits.10aauto10abiodiversity10aconservation biology10adeterminants10adiversity10aDung beetles10aenvironmental components10aFrance10amodelling distributions10anorthern finland10apatterns10ascale10aspecies richness10aspecies richness distribution10avariance partitioning10awildlife1 aLobo, J., M.1 aLumaret, J., P.1 aJay-Robert, P.  u<Go to ISI>://00017664810000101851nas a2200253   4500008004100000245007700041210006900118260000800187300001400195490000700209520117100216653001601387653002401403653001501427653001401442653001101456653001301467653001301480653002101493653001501514653001801529100001601547856003401563       2002                        eng d00aBiogeographic crossroads as priority areas for biodiversity conservation0 aBiogeographic crossroads as priority areas for biodiversity cons  cDec  a1480-14870 v163 aThreats to biodiversity outpace the resources of the conservation community and necessitate careful prioritization of conservation actions. I suggest that targeting the regions where biogeographic assemblages intersect - " biogeographic crossroads" - is a strategy that may achieve significant conservation economy by focusing on areas that satisfy many conservation criteria. I used a combination of data on Scarabaeine beetles in Bolivia and on other taxa and locations from the literature to consider the short- and long-term benefits of conserving these biogeographic crossroads. Biogeographic crossroads are areas of high species richness and beta diversity, often across many taxonomic groups. They are also regions where representativeness can be achieved with relative efficiency. Recent evidence that ecotones may be loci of evolution suggests that evolutionary processes such as speciation and coevolution may be conserved at biogeographic crossroads. Biogeographic crossroads appear to be areas of high conservation priority and opportunity in both the short and long term and require increased attention in the process of setting conservation priorities.10aassemblages10acomplementary areas10acongruence10adiversity10aforest10ahotspots10apatterns10aspecies richness10astrategies10atiger beetles1 aSpector, S.  u<Go to ISI>://000179420100009