Unveiling the role of taxonomic sufficiency for enhanced ecosystem monitoring
In: Marine Environmental Research. Applied Science Publishers: Barking. ISSN 0141-1136; e-ISSN 1879-0291, more
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Epifaunal assemblages; Artificial substrates; Artificial Seaweed Monitoring System; Taxonomic sufficiency; Ecosystem monitoring |
| Authors | | Top |
- Carreira-Flores, D., more
- Rubal, M.
- Cabecinha, E.
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- Díaz-Agras, G.
- Gomes, P.T.
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| Abstract |
The use of Artificial substrates (AS) as sampling devices addresses challenges in macrofaunal quantitative sampling. While effectively capturing biodiversity patterns, the time-intensitive identification process at the species level remains a substantial challenge. The Taxonomic Sufficiency approach (TS), where only taxa above species level are identified, arises as a potential solution to be tested across different environmental monitoring scenarios. In this paper, we analyzed three AS macrobenthic datasets to evaluate the odds of TS in improving the cost-effective ratio in AS monitoring studies and establish the highest resolution level to detect assemblage changes under different environmental factors. Results indicated that the family level emerged as a pragmatic compromise, balancing precision and taxonomic effort. Cost/benefit analysis supported TS efficiency, maintaining correlation stability until the family level. Results also showed that reducing resolution to family does not entail a significant Loss of Information. This study contributes to the discourse on TS applicability, highlighting its practicality in monitoring scenarios, including spatial-temporal studies, and rapid biodiversity assessments. Additionally, it highlights the “second best approach” of family-level practicality depending on the specific monitoring scenario and recognizes the importance of the species-level “best approach” before applying TS in monitoring studies. |
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