Testing common habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate diversity in a semi-arid rangeland

Gollan, JR; Ashcroft, MB; Cassis, G; Donnelly, AP; Lassau, SA

Testing common habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate diversity in a semi-arid rangeland

Gollan, JR Ashcroft, MB Cassis, G Donnelly, AP Lassau, SA

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Biodiversity and Conservation, 2009, 18 (5), pp. 1147 - 1159
Issue Date:: 2009-05-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Gollan, JR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ashcroft, MB	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cassis, G	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Donnelly, AP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lassau, SA	en_US
dc.date.issued	2009-05-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Biodiversity and Conservation, 2009, 18 (5), pp. 1147 - 1159	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0960-3115	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28216
dc.description.abstract	Habitat-based surrogates are a low cost alternative to intensive biodiversity surveys, though they have been poorly investigated in semi-arid ecosystem compared to others such as temperate woodlands. In this study we tested potential habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate richness in a semi-arid rangeland in northwest Australia. Potential surrogates were: distance from artificial watering-point; soil hardness; habitat complexity; and individual complexity components. Generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to relate abundance and richness of selected invertebrates with environmental factors and cluster analysis was used to examine similarity in species composition. The most frequently selected factor was soil hardness, but taxa varied as to whether biodiversity was higher in soft or hard soils. Where distance from watering-point was an important predictor, there were generally higher abundances and richness closer to watering-points than further away. Abundance and species richness could be partially explained using individual complexity components, but relationships were weak and there were no consistent trends among taxa. Therefore, although habitat complexity has been correlated with species richness under some circumstances, our results cast doubt on the generality of this relationship. There are also dangers in assuming that all taxa respond in a manner similar to indicator taxa, as we observed that different taxa had higher richness at opposite extremes of some environmental gradients. Grazing may have a negative impact on biodiversity in some environments, but in regions where water is limiting, the net effect may be positive due to the creation of waterholes. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Biodiversity and Conservation	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10531-008-9504-3	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Ecology	en_US
dc.title	Testing common habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate diversity in a semi-arid rangeland	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	5	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	18	en_US
utslib.for	050202 Conservation and Biodiversity	en_US
utslib.for	0501 Ecological Applications	en_US
utslib.for	0502 Environmental Science and Management	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	5	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	18	en_US

Abstract:

Habitat-based surrogates are a low cost alternative to intensive biodiversity surveys, though they have been poorly investigated in semi-arid ecosystem compared to others such as temperate woodlands. In this study we tested potential habitat-based surrogates of invertebrate richness in a semi-arid rangeland in northwest Australia. Potential surrogates were: distance from artificial watering-point; soil hardness; habitat complexity; and individual complexity components. Generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to relate abundance and richness of selected invertebrates with environmental factors and cluster analysis was used to examine similarity in species composition. The most frequently selected factor was soil hardness, but taxa varied as to whether biodiversity was higher in soft or hard soils. Where distance from watering-point was an important predictor, there were generally higher abundances and richness closer to watering-points than further away. Abundance and species richness could be partially explained using individual complexity components, but relationships were weak and there were no consistent trends among taxa. Therefore, although habitat complexity has been correlated with species richness under some circumstances, our results cast doubt on the generality of this relationship. There are also dangers in assuming that all taxa respond in a manner similar to indicator taxa, as we observed that different taxa had higher richness at opposite extremes of some environmental gradients. Grazing may have a negative impact on biodiversity in some environments, but in regions where water is limiting, the net effect may be positive due to the creation of waterholes. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28216