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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
© 2026 The Author(s). Global Ecology and Biogeography published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: We investigated how local-scale environmental heterogeneity influences biodiversity patterns across broad biogeographic gradients, using intertidal microhabitats as a model system within one of the most environmentally stressful ecosystems on Earth. Location: Intertidal habitats at 26 locations (two rocky shore sites per location) across six continents, spanning 98° of latitude (38°S to 60°N). Time Period: 2019–2022. Major Taxa Studied: Algae, sessile and mobile invertebrates. Methods: We compared biodiversity and thermal environments across contrasting microhabitats (rock pools and adjacent emergent rock) along a latitudinal gradient, sampling during environmentally ‘milder’ and ‘harsher’ periods. Biodiversity was quantified using multiple richness metrics (mean, total, unique taxa) and functional diversity. Results: Microhabitat differences strongly influenced biodiversity patterns across latitude. Rock pools consistently supported higher taxonomic and functional diversity than emergent rock, irrespective of sampling period, reflecting their ability to buffer thermal extremes, particularly under harsher conditions. Mean species richness exhibited a non-linear, s-shaped latitudinal pattern, with lowest values near the equator and higher richness at mid-latitudes, diverging from classical Latitudinal Diversity Gradient expectations. Biodiversity differences between microhabitats were greatest in temperate regions and diminished at low latitudes, where extreme conditions constrained diversity across habitats. Main Conclusions: Local environmental heterogeneity can substantially modify, and in some cases obscure large-scale biodiversity patterns. By mediating exposure to environmental stress, intertidal microhabitats provide insight into how fine-scale variability interacts with latitudinal stress gradients to shape biodiversity distributions. Incorporating microhabitat variability into biogeographic frameworks is important for understanding global biodiversity patterns and predicting ecological responses to climate change.
Author(s): Firth LB, Desiderato A, Knights AM, Aguirre JD, Astudillo JC, Azofeifa-Solano JC, Bilton DT, Chee SY, Christie HC, Christofoletti RA, Curd A, Dafforn KA, Dethier MN, Dong Y-W, Droual G, Dubois SF, Espinosa F, Evans AJ, Foggo A, Hawkins SJ, Hanley ME, Harvey BP, Heery E, Hong S, Hsiung AR, Hui TTY, Humet M, Iken K, Jethva SB, Kim JH, Kon K, Konar B, Kundu RS, Lau JWT, Leung KMY, Li X-X, Sun Y-X, Lima FP, Lis E, Liversage K, Loke LHL, Martinez AS, Mayer-Pinto M, Mendonca V, McQuaid CD, Moore PJ, Morris RL, Msangameno D, Nieto-Vilela R, Ondiviela B, Orostica MH, Ostale-Valriberas E, Palomo MG, Rinde E, Seabra R, Sibaja-Cordero JA, Silva A, Strain EMA, Todd P, Turner MS, Vinagre C, Wangkulangkul K, Want A, Sempere-Valverde J
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Global Ecology and Biogeography
Year: 2026
Volume: 35
Issue: 2
Online publication date: 17/02/2026
Acceptance date: 03/02/2026
Date deposited: 03/03/2026
ISSN (print): 1466-822X
ISSN (electronic): 1466-8238
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70208
DOI: 10.1111/geb.70208
Data Access Statement: The permanent dryad link is https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83zx. The reviewer link is: http://datadryad.org/share/LINK_NOT_FOR_PUBLICATION/6CqUganJJdIoXoJXIINd0mPXU8LKrKlyiGTS20CUSmI.
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