Title |
Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: challenges and opportunities
|
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Published in |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, January 2013
|
DOI | 10.1098/rspb.2012.1931 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Maria Dornelas, Anne E. Magurran, Stephen T. Buckland, Anne Chao, Robin L. Chazdon, Robert K. Colwell, Tom Curtis, Kevin J. Gaston, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Matthew A. Kosnik, Brian McGill, Jenny L. McCune, Hélène Morlon, Peter J. Mumby, Lise Øvreås, Angelika Studeny, Mark Vellend |
Abstract |
Growing concern about biodiversity loss underscores the need to quantify and understand temporal change. Here, we review the opportunities presented by biodiversity time series, and address three related issues: (i) recognizing the characteristics of temporal data; (ii) selecting appropriate statistical procedures for analysing temporal data; and (iii) inferring and forecasting biodiversity change. With regard to the first issue, we draw attention to defining characteristics of biodiversity time series--lack of physical boundaries, uni-dimensionality, autocorrelation and directionality--that inform the choice of analytic methods. Second, we explore methods of quantifying change in biodiversity at different timescales, noting that autocorrelation can be viewed as a feature that sheds light on the underlying structure of temporal change. Finally, we address the transition from inferring to forecasting biodiversity change, highlighting potential pitfalls associated with phase-shifts and novel conditions. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 13% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 13% |
Spain | 2 | 13% |
Sweden | 1 | 7% |
Germany | 1 | 7% |
Greece | 1 | 7% |
Canada | 1 | 7% |
Unknown | 5 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 9 | 60% |
Scientists | 6 | 40% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Brazil | 17 | 2% |
United States | 15 | 2% |
United Kingdom | 9 | 1% |
Canada | 4 | <1% |
Mexico | 4 | <1% |
Spain | 3 | <1% |
Switzerland | 3 | <1% |
Germany | 3 | <1% |
Sweden | 2 | <1% |
Other | 26 | 3% |
Unknown | 807 | 90% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 221 | 25% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 209 | 23% |
Student > Master | 119 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 74 | 8% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 43 | 5% |
Other | 140 | 16% |
Unknown | 87 | 10% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 435 | 49% |
Environmental Science | 219 | 25% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 37 | 4% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 30 | 3% |
Social Sciences | 7 | <1% |
Other | 39 | 4% |
Unknown | 126 | 14% |