Community Ecology

Bio 147/247

Species Richness 3: Diversity& Abundance

Deeper Meanings of Biodiversity Speci es and Functional Groups
The main Qs for today are:
1. How many species are there in a community?
2. What is diversity?
3. How are the abundances of species distributed within communities?
4. Are Functional Groups: another way to think about community organization?
Q1. How many species are there in a community?
The lectures and readings for the last few days assumed that S was appropriately measured and
standardized. But S is usually not known exactly and in most studies is only an estimate!
Rarefaction Curve = Species Accumulation Curve

Cumulative S

Benefit

This graph is a cost:benefit

analysis that shows catch per unit
effort.
S2

Problem 1: How much effort

should we exert to get S?

S1

Is it worth the cost (effort) to get to

S2? Or is S1 good enough, with ~
half the effort?

Effort (Cost)
Problem 2: How can we compare studies or sites with different rarefaction curves?

Q2: What is diversity (in the strict, ecological sense)?

Spp
1
2

Comm A Comm B
50
90
50
10

Q: which community has higher diversity?

Diversity Species diversity S and relative abundance.

Different measures, but all treat a species as information.
pi = proportion of species I in a sample.
Both in Morin:

Shannon-Weaver
(= Shannon Weiner)

Simpsons index

Diversity Index

H = - pi loge pi

D=1 _
pi2

HA = .69

DA = 2

HB = .33

DB = 1.22

Evenness =
Equitability

J = H
Hmax

= - pi loge pi
logeS

Hmax = H if species were

equally common

D
Dmax
Dmax = D if species were equally
common

JA =
JB =

Types of Diversity (a scale issue):

D and H = Local Diversity:

diversity
Point diversity
Within habitat diversity
Community diversity

Between-habitat Diversity:

diversity (across different communities)

Regional diversity (Combines and ): diversity

Q3. How are the abundances of species distributed within communities?

1. Distributions of abundance :
Dominance-diversity curves = Rank-abundance curves

Log

Log-normal

Veil line effect sample more of the rarer

species with increased sampling effort.
(see b) below.
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2. Examples of dominance-diversity (= rank-abundance) curves in nature:

a) Communities may have very different rank abundances
1. Tropical wet forest (Amazon)
2. Tropical dry deciduous forest
(Costa Rica)
3. Marine copedods N. Pacific.
4. Breeding birds UK
5. Tropical bats (Panama)

b). Some communities seem to get more lognormal as sample size increases (veil line
effect).

c) BUT: there is little theoretical reason to

expect a long-normal distribution in nature.
Many studies show that the distribution is
skewed, with more rare species than predicted
by the log-normal.

c) Rank abundance (dominance/diversity) patterns may also change predictably with:

i) S
ii) Succession
Year in sequence of forest succession

iii) Resources

Very rare spp

Similar sequence for: Communities becoming polluted (e.g., higher nutrient levels
[=eutrophication]) :
log normal (low nutrients) geometric (high nutrients)

The best references for biogeography and biodiversity:

Rosenzweig, ML. 1995. Species Diversity in Space and Time.
Hubbell. SP. 2001. The Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography
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2. Functional Groups (=Guilds) Subsets of species w/in communities

= another way to group species and to study communities.
How to identify functional groups?
a. Exclusive categories
Resources
Life-styles
Physiology
Morphology
Phenology (timing)
Shared predators
Terrestrial Plants
Mutually exclusive:
N-fixers (use atm N2)
C3 grasses
C4 grasses
Woody plants (non-fixing)
herbs
OR: Timing
Winter annuals
Summer annuals
Perennials

Different guilds can be based on

any or all of these characteristics
of species.

Marine Algae
Micro-algae (tiny)
Foliose algae (leafy)
Macro algae (kelp)
Crustose algae (encrusting)

Feeding
Feeding methods
Species used

Predators: similar food

all in same group

Hyperparasitoids
(parasitize other parasites)

Parasitoids (= insect
parasitizing other insects) :
by species attacked
Herbivores: by feeding
method

NOTE: A given species might be grouped differently using different criteria.

Is this a problem?
Why?

b) Statistical definitions (e.g. using classification methods).

Guild (= fn group) structure of grasshopper assemblies in relation to patterns of
habitat use. Guild structure is ascribed from cluster analysis of species in relation to
expressed overlap in resource (= different species of plants) use (from Joern and
Lawler, 1981).
How these 21 grasshoppers.use resources.

b. Is guild membership constant? Comparing the same resource base in different regions:
insects feeding on different plant parts.
(i) Bracken fern- has a natural, world-wide distribution.
Niche matrices defining the
feeding sites and feeding methods
of herbivorous arthropods on
bracken in different parts of the
world ().
Feeding sites of species with >1
part of the frond are joined by
lines.
(Lawton)

(ii) Red oak: Differences in native (England) and introduced (Canada) regions.

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