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Determinants of abundances in terrestrial vertebrates
Kundelová, Tereza ; Storch, David (advisor) ; Sedláček, Ondřej (referee)
The abundance of animals differs between species, however, they also vary in area and time. These differences relate to biotic and abiotic factors as well as to ecological characteristics of particular species. Studies focusing on these factors are aiming to answer the question; how and what influences the abundance of these species. Besides clarifying the dependence of abundance on particular factors, studies also try to ascertain which key factors are necessary for the determination of abundance. The most frequently studied factor is body size, but trophic level, specialization, net primary productivity, and competition also play a significant role in determination. However, all these factors explain only a small proportion of interspecific variability in abundances. This thesis focuses on terrestrial vertebrates; however, mainly on birds and mammals; since, these two taxa are the most studied. Key words: abundance, population density, terrestrial vertebrates, body size, competition, energy flux
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