1. A spatially-extensive data set of stream macroinvertebrate communities from 49 northern New Zealand sites sampled over a 10-year period was analysed to assess relationships between the environment (catchment land-cover, landscape position and regional-scale weather patterns), and (i) community persistence and stability based on the constancy of species occurrence (presence-absence) and abundance (per cent composition), respectively and (ii) the temporal variability of various community condition metrics. 2.

Woody plants have been increasing in many woodland and savanna ecosystems owing to land use changes in recent decades. We examined the effects of encroachment by the indigenous shrub Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtaceae) on herb-rich Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodlands in southern Australia. Species richness and compositional patterns were examined under the canopy of L. scoparium and in surrounding open areas to determine the species most susceptible to structural changes. Richness was significantly lower in areas of moderate to high L.

Global biodiversity is changing rapidly driven by human alteration of habitat, and nowhere this is more dramatic than in insular habitats. Yet land-cover change is a complex phenomenon that not only involves habitat destruction but also forest recovery over different time scales. Therefore, we might expect species to respond in diverse ways with likely consequences for the reorganization of regional assemblages. These changes, however, may be different in tropical islands because of their low species richness, generalist habits and high proportion of endemics.