Analyzing Insect Community Structure through the Application of Taxonomic Distinctness Measures

Laura Baños-Picón；Josep D. Asís；Severiano F. Gayubo；José Tormos

Taxonomic distinctness ； Wasp community ； Malaise traps ； Sampling methods ； Spheciform wasps

Zoological Studies

48卷3期（2009 / 05 / 01）

298 - 314

英文

Taxonomic distinctness measures were initially developed as a way to assess aspects related to taxonomic and functional differences among species forming communities which are not usually taken into account in biodiversity analyses. In the present work, a comparative analysis aimed at evaluating the behavior and properties of these indices was performed, using communities of Spheciform wasps from different zones of the Iberian Peninsula. Samples were obtained using 2 different sampling techniques: malaise traps and hand nets. By analyzing the behavior of different classic indices of diversity and the taxonomic distinctness measures (average taxonomic distinctness (△+) and variation in taxonomic distinctness (∧+)), it was found that the 2 methods of capture did not seem to provide the same type of information regarding the community structure, i.e., the use of hand nets revealed greater phylogenetic variability, while specimens captured with malaise traps were more uniform. Communities belonging to different biotopes, which had not experienced perturbation, were compared. Indices proved to be robust in terms of changes. Likewise, when assessing their independence with respect to sample size, both indices reached similar mean values, even though their sampling sizes showed noteworthy differences. Mean values of Δ+ and ∧+ of the communities analyzed in the study did not significantly differ with those obtained by a simulation, regardless of the type of habitat or sample size; this is consistent with the good state of the communities analyzed. Only the sampling method employed seems to influence Δ+. However, the classic estimators of diversity (richness and heterogeneity indices) were affected by the sample size and, to a lesser degree, by the type of sampling method used. Although their ecological interpretation remains unclear, taxonomic distinctness measures can offer a useful tool for studying and comparing insect communities.