Rapid, recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies...

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Biodiversity Science
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Traditional bioblitzes offer quick biodiversity data but often suffer from biased sampling, lack of replication, and limited metadata.
• This results in datasets that are taxonomically, geographically, or temporally skewed, hindering further ecological analysis.
• Existing methods struggle to account for imperfect detection, a common issue in biodiversity surveys.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) against a traditional bioblitz for biodiversity data generation.
• To introduce and apply a novel integrated multispecies abundance model for analyzing RRSS data, accounting for imperfect detection.
• To assess the potential of the RRSS protocol for standardized, inexpensive biodiversity inventory and ecological parameter estimation.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.
• Employed a structured sampling design with temporal and spatial replication for the RRSS.
• Developed and applied an integrated multispecies abundance model to RRSS data, incorporating data augmentation and covariates.

Main Results:

• The RRSS yielded a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness (e.g., 73 bird species vs. 45, 104 insect families vs. 63).
• RRSS data facilitated the fitting of models accounting for imperfect detection, enabling estimation of abundances, occupancy, and habitat associations.
• Analysis of RRSS data revealed seasonal avian community patterns and habitat-occupancy relationships for insect taxa.

Conclusions:

• The RRSS protocol is a superior method for biodiversity inventory compared to traditional bioblitzes, offering richer, less biased data.
• The developed integrated multispecies abundance model effectively analyzes RRSS data for robust ecological parameter estimation.
• The RRSS protocol demonstrates broad transferability and potential as a standardized, cost-effective tool for biodiversity monitoring and outreach.