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Higher taxa can be effective surrogates for species-level data in detecting changes in invertebrate assemblage structure due to disturbance: a case study using a broad range of orders
Citation
Driessen, MM and Kirkpatrick, JB, Higher taxa can be effective surrogates for species-level data in detecting changes in invertebrate assemblage structure due to disturbance: a case study using a broad range of orders, Austral Entomology, 58, (2) pp. 361-369. ISSN 2052-174X (2019) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Australian Entomological Society and State of Tasmania
Abstract
Cost-effective assessment tools are needed to manage the impacts of natural and human disturbances on communities. Higher taxa are widely used as surrogates for species-level identification in invertebrates; however, few studies have compared their effectiveness with species-level data for terrestrial invertebrates or assessed the mechanistic basis for their performance, and none of these studies have used a broad range of orders. Here, a terrestrial invertebrate dataset comprising 21 orders, 197 families and 751 species was used to investigate whether order- and family-level identifications were effective surrogates for species-level identification in representing patterns in assemblage structure and detecting the effects of fire. Factors potentially influencing the performance of surrogates among invertebrate orders were also investigated. Family-level identification of invertebrates in moorland sites with a wide range of fire history was found to be an effective surrogate for species-level identification. Order-level identification was also an effective surrogate, but the level of discrimination among sites was typically lower than for species- or family-level identification. Higher taxonomic surrogates performed well for invertebrate orders comprising a few species that were abundant and with a small mean and variance in the number of species per higher taxon. Use of higher taxa as surrogates for species-level identification can be a cost-effective approach to monitoring impacts of disturbance, but outcomes are influenced by taxonomic diversity and community structure.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | biodiversity assessment, buttongrass moorland, fire, higher taxon approach, taxonomic sufficiency |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Evolutionary biology |
| Research Field: | Animal systematics and taxonomy |
| Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
| Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
| Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences |
| UTAS Author: | Driessen, MM (Mr Michael Driessen) |
| UTAS Author: | Kirkpatrick, JB (Professor James Kirkpatrick) |
| ID Code: | 125946 |
| Year Published: | 2019 (online first 2017) |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 10 |
| Deposited By: | Geography and Spatial Science |
| Deposited On: | 2018-05-16 |
| Last Modified: | 2020-05-19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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