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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Disentangling the effects of sampling scale and size on the shape of species abundance distributions

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Author(s):
Ferreira de Lima, Renato A. [1, 2] ; Conde, Paula Alves [2] ; Banks-Leite, Cristina [3] ; Campos, Renata C. [4] ; Medina Hernandez, I, Malva ; Rodrigues, Ricardo R. [5] ; Prado, I, Paulo
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Nat Biodivers Ctr, Leiden - Netherlands
[2] I, Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, Lab Ecol Teor LET, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[3] Imperial Coll London, Dept Life Sci, Ascot, Berks - England
[4] I, Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Ctr Ciencias Biol, Dept Ecol & Zool, Florianopolis, SC - Brazil
[5] Escola Super Agr Luis Dequeiroz, Dept Ciencias Biol, Piracicaba - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: PLoS One; v. 15, n. 9 SEP 11 2020.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

Many authors have tried to explain the shape of the species abundance distribution (SAD). Some of them have suggested that sampling spatial scale is an important factor shaping SADs. These suggestions, however, did not consider the indirect and well-known effect of sample size, which increases as samples are combined to generate SADs at larger spatial scales. Here, we separate the effects of sample size and sampling scale on the shape of the SAD for three groups of organisms (trees, beetles and birds) sampled in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We compared the observed SADs at different sampling scales with simulated SADs having the same richness, relative abundances but comparable sample sizes, to show that the main effect shaping SADs is sample size and not sampling spatial scale. The effect of scale was minor and deviations between observed and simulated SADs were present only for beetles. For trees, the match between observed and simulated SADs was improved at all spatial scales when we accounted for conspecific aggregation, which was even more important than the sampling scale effect. We build on these results to propose a conceptual framework where observed SADs are shaped by three main factors, in decreasing order of importance: sample size, conspecific aggregation and beta diversity. Therefore, studies comparing SADs across sites or scales should use sampling and/or statistical approaches capable of disentangling these three effects on the shape of SADs. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 99/09635-0 - Diversity, dynamics and conservation in São Paulo State Forests: 40ha of permanent parcels
Grantee:Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/08722-5 - The role of functional diversity in structuring tropical tree communities: a model-based approach
Grantee:Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
FAPESP's process: 13/50718-5 - Ecological restoration of riparian forests, native forest of economic production and of degraded forest fragments (in APP and RL) based on restoration ecology of reference ecosystems in order to scientifically test the precepts of the New Brazilian Forest Code
Grantee:Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants