Scaling below the Surface: The Influence of Observation Scale on Fish Biodiversity on Coral Reefs

WINTEROVÁ, Barbora, Jeffrey Clark NEKOLA and Martin MATOUŠ. Scaling below the Surface: The Influence of Observation Scale on Fish Biodiversity on Coral Reefs. In European Coral Reef Symposium 2024. 2024.

Basic information

• Original name: Scaling below the Surface: The Influence of Observation Scale on Fish Biodiversity on Coral Reefs
• Name in Czech: Škálování pod hladinou: Vliv měřítka pozorování na biodiverzitu ryb na korálových útesech
• Authors: WINTEROVÁ, Barbora, Jeffrey Clark NEKOLA and Martin MATOUŠ.
• Edition: European Coral Reef Symposium 2024, 2024.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL

Abstract

The components of the observation scale, grain and extent, have considerable influence on the observed species richness within a given area. This study delves into the impact of grain and extent on the observed species richness of coral reef fish at various locations in Sri Lanka and Bermuda using a speciffic data collection design allowing manipulation of these scale components in an observational experiment. The analysis was done using a newly developed Python-based data analysis package. Our findings indicate that these factors show a weak yet consistent influence on species richness across diverse locations even for such highly-mobile organisms as fish associated with coral reefs. Their significance is more pronounced over large areas when compared to sessile organisms. This study introduces a fresh perspective on the species richness of coral reef fish across distinct locations, addressing the current challenges in comparisons arising from differring sample size among data collection protocols. Furthermore, it provides a novel tool for advancing research in the realm of coral reef fish ecology.

Abstract (in English)

The components of the observation scale, grain and extent, have considerable influence on the observed species richness within a given area. This study delves into the impact of grain and extent on the observed species richness of coral reef fish at various locations in Sri Lanka and Bermuda using a speciffic data collection design allowing manipulation of these scale components in an observational experiment. The analysis was done using a newly developed Python-based data analysis package. Our findings indicate that these factors show a weak yet consistent influence on species richness across diverse locations even for such highly-mobile organisms as fish associated with coral reefs. Their significance is more pronounced over large areas when compared to sessile organisms. This study introduces a fresh perspective on the species richness of coral reef fish across distinct locations, addressing the current challenges in comparisons arising from differring sample size among data collection protocols. Furthermore, it provides a novel tool for advancing research in the realm of coral reef fish ecology.

Links

• MUNI/A/1348/2022, interní kód MU: Name: Interdisciplinární Výzkum ekologicko-evolučních Principů v Ekosystémovém kontextu

Investor: Masaryk University, Interdisciplinary Research on Ecological-Evolutionary Principles in an Ecosystem Context