Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: Challenges and opportunities

M Dornelas; A E Magurran; S T Buckland; A Chao; Robin L Chazdon; R K Colwell; T Curtis; K J Gaston; N J Gotelli; M A Kosnik; B McGill; J L McCune; H Morlon; P J Mumby; L Øvreås; A Studeny; M Vellend

doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.1931

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Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: Challenges and opportunities

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: Challenges and opportunities

M Dornelas, A E Magurran, S T Buckland, A Chao, Robin L Chazdon, R K Colwell, T Curtis, K J Gaston, N J Gotelli, M A Kosnik, …

Proceedings. Biological sciences, Vol.280(20121931)

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1931

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Abstract

biological diversity

time

legacy data

traits

global change

conservation

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, unidimensionality, 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. © 2012 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

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Title: Quantifying temporal change in biodiversity: Challenges and opportunities
Authors: M Dornelas (Author) - University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
A E Magurran (Author) - University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
S T Buckland (Author) - University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
A Chao (Author) - National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Robin L Chazdon (Author) - University of Connecticut, United States
R K Colwell (Author) - University of Connecticut, United States
T Curtis (Author) - Newcastle University, United Kingdom
K J Gaston (Author) - University of Exeter, United Kingdom
N J Gotelli (Author) - University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
M A Kosnik (Author) - University of Vermont, United States
B McGill (Author) - University of Maine, United States
J L McCune (Author) - University of British Columbia, Canada
H Morlon (Author) - Ecole Polytechnique, France
P J Mumby (Author) - University of Queensland
L Øvreås (Author) - University of Bergen, Norway
A Studeny (Author) - University of St Andrews, United Kingdom
M Vellend (Author) - Universite de Sherbrooke, Canada
Publication details: Proceedings. Biological sciences, Vol.280(20121931); 10
Publisher: Royal Society Publishing
Date published: 2013
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1931
ISSN: 0962-8452
Copyright note: Copyright © 2012 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451136902621
Output Type: Journal article

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