Table S3. Summary of studies included in or meta-analysis. N, number of sample units (i.e., communities) included in study; grain, area of sample units; extent, maximum distance between sample units in km; α, alpha species richness (mean number of species recorded per sample unit); γ, gamma species richness (total number of species recorded in all sample units). Ecosystem type Country N Grain Extent α γ Reference 2 (m ) (km) Temperate rain forest Chile 1 20000 12 - A. Fajardo (unpublished) Temperate rain forest Chile 1 20000 19 - A. Fajardo (unpublished) Temperate old field USA 22 10000 1200 21.4 227 Siefert et al. 2014 Temperate forest Canada 51 110 3.5 2.6 5 Auger & Shipley 2012 Temperate old field Canada 1 2500 37 - B. Schamp, L. Aarssen (unpublished) Temperate old field Canada 1 900 33 - B. Schamp (unpublished) Tropical forest French Guiana 9 10000 300 168.7 668 Baraloto et al. 2012 Tropical savanna Brazil 3 2500 2 34.3 51 Dantas et al. 2013 Temperate wet meadow Czech Republic 1 0.25 35 - de Bello et al. 2011 Temperate dry meadow Czech Republic 1 0.25 43 - de Bello et al. 2011 Temperate forest, shrubland, grassland Australia 39 1000 1050 21.2 537 Fonseca et al. 2000 Mediterranean shrubland Spain 12 720 400 7.4 36 Gross et al. 2013 Temperate grassland, shrubland, forest New Zealand 38 400 600 29.1 341 J. Overton, M. Westoby (unpublished) Temperate rainforest New Zealand 17 200 200 3.7 32 Jackson et al. 2013 Temperate flood meadow Luxemburg 8 1250 0.1 29.5 50 Jung et al. 2010 Temperate grassland Canada 17 400 446 19.5 76 Kembel & Cahill 2011 Alpine shrubland, grassland New Zealand 10 100 3.5 18.8 31 Kichenin et al. 2013 Tropical forest Ecuador 1 250000 - 1124 - Kraft et al. 2008; Kraft & Ackerly 2010 Boreal forest Sweden 30 400 25 5.5 6 Lagerström et al. 2013 Temperate grassland Sweden 16 19600 5 26 34 Le Bagousse-Pinguet et al. 2014 Temperate wet meadow Czech Republic 12 4 1 30 76 Lepš et al. 2011 Subtropical seasonal forest Brazil 40 4.5 1.39 10.1 50 Carlucci et al. 2012 Tropical savanna Brazil 10 100 1 16.8 43 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) Tropical savanna Brazil 10 100 1 15.6 47 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) Tropical savanna Brazil 8 100 2 19.8 45 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) Tropical savanna Brazil 9 100 5 15.3 60 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) Table S3 continued Ecosystem type Country Seasonal dry forest Seasonal dry forest Seasonal dry forest Seasonal dry forest Seasonal dry forest Tropical savanna Tropical savanna Seasonal dry forest Subalpine moorland Tropical forest Mediterranean rangeland Subalpine grassland Temperate rainforest Temperate ultramafic heathland Alpine scree slope Temperate old field Subarctic tundra Subalpine meadow Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil Brazil Japan Panama France France New Zealand New Zealand Spain USA Sweden China N 8 8 9 7 9 10 9 9 27 3 12 5 20 10 8 48 24 35 Grain (m2) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 330 6400 25 100 500 100 500 1 79 0.25 Extent (km) 1.5 1.5 1 1 1 1 1 1 9.3 55 1.5 4 1 1 11 1.5 4 0.12 α γ Reference 14 11.3 7.8 15.2 8.3 42.7 29.2 7.9 27.4 71.3 29 18 9 4.3 34.7 40 42 29 52 33 89 66 30 67 119 32 77 112 52 41 59 10 77 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) Zava & Cianciaruso 2014 M. Cianciaruso (unpublished) M. 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