IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v355y2017icp64-69.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A supplementary tool to existing approaches for assessing ecosystem community structure

Author

Listed:
  • Hopton, Matthew E.
  • Karunanithi, Arunprakash T.
  • Garmestani, Ahjond S.
  • White, Denis
  • Choate, Jerry R.
  • Cabezas, Heriberto

Abstract

Measures of biological or species diversity are central to ecology and conservation biology. Although there are several commonly used indices, each has shortcomings and all vary in the relative emphasis they place on the number of species and their relative abundance. We propose utilizing Fisher Information, not as a replacement for existing indices, but as a supplement to other indices because it is sensitive to community structure. We demonstrate how Shannon’s and Simpson’s diversity indices quantify the diversity of two different systems and how Fisher Information can enhance the analyses by comparing, as example, body size, and phylogenetic diversity of the different communities. Fisher Information is sensitive to the order in which species are entered into the analysis, and therefore, it can detect differences in community structure. Thus, the Fisher Information index can be useful in helping understand and analyze biodiversity of ecosystems and in comparing ecological communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Hopton, Matthew E. & Karunanithi, Arunprakash T. & Garmestani, Ahjond S. & White, Denis & Choate, Jerry R. & Cabezas, Heriberto, 2017. "A supplementary tool to existing approaches for assessing ecosystem community structure," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 355(C), pages 64-69.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:355:y:2017:i:c:p:64-69
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.04.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380017300844
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.04.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nehring, Klaus & Puppe, Clemens, 2004. "Modelling phylogenetic diversity," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 205-235, June.
    2. Andy Purvis & Andy Hector, 2000. "Getting the measure of biodiversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 405(6783), pages 212-219, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Menezes, J. & Moura, B., 2022. "Pattern formation and coarsening dynamics in apparent competition models," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Pachepsky, Elizaveta & Bown, James L. & Eberst, Alistair & Bausenwein, Ursula & Millard, Peter & Squire, Geoff R. & Crawford, John W., 2007. "Consequences of intraspecific variation for the structure and function of ecological communities Part 2: Linking diversity and function," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 207(2), pages 277-285.
    3. Winands, Sarah & Holm-Müller, Karin & Weikard, Hans-Peter, 2013. "The biodiversity conservation game with heterogeneous countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 14-23.
    4. Jian Zhang & Michael S. Vogeley & Chaomei Chen, 2011. "Scientometrics of big science: a case study of research in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 86(1), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Menezes, J. & Barbalho, R., 2023. "How multiple weak species jeopardise biodiversity in spatial rock–paper–scissors models," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    6. Meinard, Yves & Grill, Philippe, 2011. "The economic valuation of biodiversity as an abstract good," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(10), pages 1707-1714, August.
    7. Dehuan Li & Wei Sun & Fan Xia & Yixuan Yang & Yujing Xie, 2021. "Can Habitat Quality Index Measured Using the InVEST Model Explain Variations in Bird Diversity in an Urban Area?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-27, May.
    8. Gerber, Nicolas, 2009. "Measuring Biodiversity – an axiomatic evaluation of measures based on genetic data," Discussion Papers 51305, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    9. Nehring, Klaus & Puppe, Clemens, 2003. "Diversity and dissimilarity in lines and hierarchies," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 167-183, April.
    10. Vanessa Gabel & Robert Home & Sibylle Stöckli & Matthias Meier & Matthias Stolze & Ulrich Köpke, 2018. "Evaluating On-Farm Biodiversity: A Comparison of Assessment Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-14, December.
    11. Ismael Rafols & Martin Meyer, 2010. "Diversity and network coherence as indicators of interdisciplinarity: case studies in bionanoscience," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 82(2), pages 263-287, February.
    12. Christine Bertram & Martin F. Quaas, 2017. "Biodiversity and Optimal Multi-species Ecosystem Management," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 67(2), pages 321-350, June.
    13. World Bank, 2013. "India : Diagnostic Assessment of Select Environmental Challenges, Volume 3. Valuation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in India," World Bank Publications - Reports 16029, The World Bank Group.
    14. Bertram, Christine, 2010. "Integrating biodiversity indices into a multi-species optimal control model," Kiel Working Papers 1662, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    15. Campbell, Elliott T. & Tilley, David R., 2016. "Relationships between renewable emergy storage or flow and biodiversity: A modeling investigation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 340(C), pages 134-148.
    16. Jeong, Dae-hyun & Cho, Keuntae & Park, Sangyong & Hong, Soon-ki, 2016. "Effects of knowledge diffusion on international joint research and science convergence: Multiple case studies in the fields of lithium-ion battery, fuel cell and wind power," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 15-27.
    17. Nicolas D. Brunet & Danielle Dagenais & Sandra Breux & I. Tanya Handa, 2020. "A characterization of media representation of biodiversity and implications for public perceptions and environmental policy: the case of Québec, Canada," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1655-1669, February.
    18. Conseil d'Analyse Économique & Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwi (ed.), 2010. "Evaluer la performance économique, le bien-être et la soutenabilité. Rapport du Conseil d'analyse économique et du Conseil allemand des experts en économie," Occasional Reports / Expertisen, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, number 75369, October.
    19. Domenico Pisani & Pasquale Pazienza & Enrico Vito Perrino & Diana Caporale & Caterina De Lucia, 2021. "The Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services of Biodiversity Components in Protected Areas: A Review for a Framework of Analysis for the Gargano National Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, October.
    20. Pavoine, Sandrine & Bonsall, Michael B., 2009. "Biological diversity: Distinct distributions can lead to the maximization of Rao’s quadratic entropy," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 153-163.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:355:y:2017:i:c:p:64-69. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.