Global biodiversity gradients are generally expected to reflect greater species replacement closer to the equator. However, empirical validation of global biodiversity gradients largely relies on vertebrates, plants, and other less diverse taxa. Here we assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of global arthropod biodiversity dynamics using a beta-diversity framework. Sampling includes 129 sampling sites whereby malaise traps are deployed to monitor temporal changes in arthropod communities. Overall, we encountered more than 150,000 unique barcode index numbers (BINs) (i.e. species proxies). We assess between site differences in community diversity using beta-diversity and the partitioned components of species replacement and richness difference. Global total beta-diversity (dissimilarity) increases with decreasing latitude, greater spatial distance and greater temporal distance. Species replacement and richness difference patterns vary across biogeographic regions. Our findings support long-standing, general expectations of global biodiversity patterns. However, we also show that the underlying processes driving patterns may be regionally linked.

Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux Departement de la Recherche Scientifique Libreville Gabon

AIM Advanced Identification Methods GmbH Leipzig Germany

ARC Centre for Forest Values University of Tasmania Hobart TAS Australia

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Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Canadian High Arctic Research Station Polar Knowledge Canada Cambridge Bay NU Canada

Canadian National Collection of Insects Arachnids and Nematodes Agriculture and Agri Food Canada Ottawa ON Canada

CEFE Univ Montpellier CNRS EPHE IRD Montpellier France

Centre for Biodiversity Genomics University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada

Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia

Departamento de Biología University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez Mayagüez 00680 Puerto Rico

Department of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry University of Helsinki PO Box 27 Helsinki Finland

Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Biocenter University of Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany

Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä P O Box 35 FI 40014 Jyväskylä Finland

Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim N 7491 Norway

Department of Biology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA 19104 USA

Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Ulls väg 18B Uppsala 75651 Sweden

Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada

Department of Natural History NTNU University Museum Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim NO 7491 Norway

Department of Science Natural History Museum South Kensington London United Kingdom

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Entomological Museum College of Plant Protection Northwest A and F University Yangling 712100 Shaanxi China

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Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Insectarium Montréal Space for Life Montréal QC Canada

Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2 Gagarin Street 1113 Sofia Bulgaria

Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management Ministry of Education Northwest A and F University Yangling 712100 Shaanxi China

Laboratório de Ecologia de Invertebrados Coordenação de Zoologia Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi Avenida Perimetral 1901 Terra Firma CEP 66077 530 Belém Pará Brazil

Laboratory of Hydrobiology Scientific and Practical Center for Bioresources National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Minsk Belarus

Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Museum Koenig Bonn Adenauerallee 160 53113 Bonn Germany

Lepsoc Africa Magaliesburg South Africa

Mpala Research Centre and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA

National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington WA USA

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Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki P O Box 65 Helsinki 00014 Finland

Plant Production Department College of Food and Agriculture Sciences King Saud University Riyadh 11451 Saudi Arabia

Private collector Perth Australia

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San Diego Barcode of Life San Diego CA 92130 USA

School of Biological Sciences The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Road Hong Kong SAR China

School of Science University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand

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Worldwide Fund for Nature International Nairobi Kenya

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