Paving the Way for Standardized and Comparable Subterranean Biodiversity Studies
A series of potential pitfalls (fallacies) in estimating subterranean biodiversity are outlined: (1) provincialism—treating different regions differently, especially with respect to new discoveries and undescribed species; (2) equality of described and undescribed species—ignorin...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pensoft Publishers
2013-02-01
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| Series: | Subterranean Biology |
| Online Access: | http://subtbiol.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_pdf&item_id=1300 |
| Summary: | A series of potential pitfalls (fallacies) in estimating subterranean biodiversity are outlined: (1) provincialism—treating different regions differently, especially with respect to new discoveries and undescribed species; (2) equality of described and undescribed species—ignoring the possibility that undescribed species are not really new species; (3) isotropy—assuming all cave regions of similar size have equally rich faunas; (4) scale invariance—ignoring the affect of area on species richness; and (5) misuse of expert opinion—the over-reliance on experts estimates often without comparable estimates for all areas. Some standard procedures are suggested for subterranean biodiversity studies, and the value of such studies is emphasized. |
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| ISSN: | 1768-1448 1314-2615 |