Abstract
Estimation of the number of species at spatial scales too large to census directly is a longstanding ecological challenge. A recent comprehensive census of tropical arthropods and trees in Panama provides a unique opportunity to apply an inference procedure for up-scaling species richness and thereby make progress toward that goal. Confidence in the underlying theory is first established by showing that the method accurately predicts the species abundance distribution for trees and arthropods, and in particular accurately captures the rare tail of the observed distributions. The rare tail is emphasized because the shape of the species-area relationship is especially influenced by the numbers of rare species. The inference procedure is then applied to estimate the total number of arthropod and tree species at spatial scales ranging from a 6000 ha forest reserve to all of Panama, with input data only from censuses in 0.04 ha plots. The analysis suggests that at the scale of the reserve there are roughly twice as many arthropod species as previously estimated. For the entirety of Panama, inferred tree species richness agrees with an accepted empirical estimate, while inferred arthropod species richness is significantly below a previous published estimate that has been criticized as too high. An extension of the procedure to estimate species richness at continental scale is proposed.
Highlights
IntroductionThe capacity to predict patterns in the abundance and distribution of species across multiple spatial scales and across a wide diversity of taxonomic categories and habitats is of value both in biological conservation and in advancing our fundamental understanding of biological diversity
The capacity to predict patterns in the abundance and distribution of species across multiple spatial scales and across a wide diversity of taxonomic categories and habitats is of value both in biological conservation and in advancing our fundamental understanding of biological diversity.Among the many issues that such capacity would illuminate are the extent to which rare species are present in an ecosystem and the numbers of species at spatial scales larger than those that can be censused directly
Confidence in the underlying theory is first established by showing that the method accurately predicts the species abundance distribution for trees and arthropods, and in particular accurately captures the rare tail of the observed distributions
Summary
The capacity to predict patterns in the abundance and distribution of species across multiple spatial scales and across a wide diversity of taxonomic categories and habitats is of value both in biological conservation and in advancing our fundamental understanding of biological diversity. Among the many issues that such capacity would illuminate are the extent to which rare species are present in an ecosystem and the numbers of species at spatial scales larger than those that can be censused directly. In small plots in the San Lorenzo Protected Area (SLPA), a forest reserve in Panama, provides a unique opportunity to both test and apply macroecological theory. We test and apply an inference procedure [3] based on the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) concept for up-scaling both arthropod and tree species richness from small plots to regional scale.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
