Scale dependence of the local-regional diversity relationship: empirical evidence from a woody plant community ATHANASIOS S. KALLIMANIS*, JOHN M. HALLEY and STEFANOS P. SGARDELIS Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece Abstract The local-regional diversity relationship of woody plant species along an altitudinal gradient of Mt. Holomontas, Greece was studied. It was found that this relationship depends on scale, and more precisely on the difference in scale between what is considered local and what is considered regional scale of observation. When the local scale covers a large part of the region, then local diversity depends on regional diversity. When the difference in scale is large, then local diversity is independent of regional diversity. These findings highlight the limitations of the local-regional diversity relationship for inferring community saturation due to species interaction   < back .