| Abstract | Ecological indicators are currently developed to account for the different facets of loss of biological diversity due to direct or indirect effects of human activities. Most ecological indicators include species richness as a metric. Others, such as functional traits and phylogenetic diversity, account for differences in species, even when species richness is the same. Here, we describe and apply a different indicator, called morphoscape dimension, accounting for morphological variability across habitats in a geographical region. We use the case of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in four different habitats in the Po Plain in Northern Italy to exemplify how to quantify the magnitude of the morphological space (i.e. the dimension of the morphoscape) occupied by the species in each habitat using geometric morphometrics. To this aim, we employed a variety of metrics of morphological disparity related to univariate size, and more complex multivariate shape and form. Our 'proof of concept' suggests that metrics
assessing size and form might largely tend to simply mirror the information provided by species richness, whereas shape morphoscape disparity may be able to account for non-trivial differences in species traits amongst habitats. This is indicated by the woodland morphoscape being on average bigger than that of crops, the most species-rich habitat, despite having almost 20% less species. We conclude suggesting that the analysis of morphoscape dimension has the potential to become a new additional and complimentary tool in the hands of conservation biologists and ecologists to explore and quantify habitat complexity and inform decisions on management and conservation based on a wide set of ecological indicators. |
| Text | 374464 2017 10.1007/s00114 017 1475 3 ISI Web of Science WOS MEDLINE 28642973 carabidae disparity shape Estimating the magnitude of morphoscapes how to measure the morphological component of biodiversity in relation to habitats using geometric morphometrics. Fontaneto, D; Panisi, M; Mandrioli, M; Montardi, D; Pavesi, M; Cardini, A Institute of Ecosystem Study, National Research Council of Italy, Largo Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza, Italy 2 Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal 3 University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213, 41100 Modena, Italy 4 Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, C.so Venezia 55, 20121 Milan, Italy 5 Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via Campi, 103, 41125 Modena, Italy 6 School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Ecological indicators are currently developed to account for the different facets of loss of biological diversity due to direct or indirect effects of human activities. Most ecological indicators include species richness as a metric. Others, such as functional traits and phylogenetic diversity, account for differences in species, even when species richness is the same. Here, we describe and apply a different indicator, called morphoscape dimension, accounting for morphological variability across habitats in a geographical region. We use the case of ground beetles Coleoptera Carabidae in four different habitats in the Po Plain in Northern Italy to exemplify how to quantify the magnitude of the morphological space i.e. the dimension of the morphoscape occupied by the species in each habitat using geometric morphometrics. To this aim, we employed a variety of metrics of morphological disparity related to univariate size, and more complex multivariate shape and form. Our proof of concept suggests that metrics assessing size and form might largely tend to simply mirror the information provided by species richness, whereas shape morphoscape disparity may be able to account for non trivial differences in species traits amongst habitats. This is indicated by the woodland morphoscape being on average bigger than that of crops, the most species rich habitat, despite having almost 20% less species. We conclude suggesting that the analysis of morphoscape dimension has the potential to become a new additional and complimentary tool in the hands of conservation biologists and ecologists to explore and quantify habitat complexity and inform decisions on management and conservation based on a wide set of ecological indicators. 104 Published version https //link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114 017 1475 3 cardini 2017_SciNat_Fontaneto et al.pdf Articolo in rivista Springer 1432 1904 Naturwissenschaften Berl., Internet Naturwissenschaften Berl., Internet Naturwissenschaften Berl., Internet Naturwissenschaften. Berl., Internet diego.fontaneto FONTANETO DIEGO |
