Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments
Abstract Trait‐based approaches are increasingly used as a proxy for understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Macrobenthic fauna are considered one of the major providers of ecosystem functions in marine soft sediments; however, several gaps persist in the knowl...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7040 |
| _version_ | 1818448552436695040 |
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| author | Orlando Lam‐Gordillo Ryan Baring Sabine Dittmann |
| author_facet | Orlando Lam‐Gordillo Ryan Baring Sabine Dittmann |
| author_sort | Orlando Lam‐Gordillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Trait‐based approaches are increasingly used as a proxy for understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Macrobenthic fauna are considered one of the major providers of ecosystem functions in marine soft sediments; however, several gaps persist in the knowledge of their trait classification, limiting the potential use of functional assessments. While trait databases are available for the well‐studied North Atlantic benthic fauna, no such trait classification system exists for Australia. Here, we present the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database, the first comprehensive assessment of macrobenthic fauna traits in temperate Australian waters. The SAMT database includes 13 traits and 54 trait‐modalities (e.g., life history, morphology, physiology, and behavior), and is based on records of macrobenthic fauna from South Australia. We provide trait information for more than 250 macrobenthic taxa, including outcomes from a fuzzy coding procedure, as well as an R package for using and analyzing the SAMT database. The establishment of the SAMT constitutes the foundation for a comprehensive macrobenthic trait database for the wider southern Australian region that could facilitate future research on functional perspectives, such as assessments of functional diversity and changes to ecosystem functioning. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:21:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e28b0f092874ae78d0db4b6f7bef953 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T20:21:20Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e28b0f092874ae78d0db4b6f7bef9532022-12-21T22:48:44ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582020-12-011024143721438710.1002/ece3.7040Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessmentsOrlando Lam‐Gordillo0Ryan Baring1Sabine Dittmann2College of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide SA AustraliaCollege of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide SA AustraliaCollege of Science and Engineering Flinders University Adelaide SA AustraliaAbstract Trait‐based approaches are increasingly used as a proxy for understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Macrobenthic fauna are considered one of the major providers of ecosystem functions in marine soft sediments; however, several gaps persist in the knowledge of their trait classification, limiting the potential use of functional assessments. While trait databases are available for the well‐studied North Atlantic benthic fauna, no such trait classification system exists for Australia. Here, we present the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database, the first comprehensive assessment of macrobenthic fauna traits in temperate Australian waters. The SAMT database includes 13 traits and 54 trait‐modalities (e.g., life history, morphology, physiology, and behavior), and is based on records of macrobenthic fauna from South Australia. We provide trait information for more than 250 macrobenthic taxa, including outcomes from a fuzzy coding procedure, as well as an R package for using and analyzing the SAMT database. The establishment of the SAMT constitutes the foundation for a comprehensive macrobenthic trait database for the wider southern Australian region that could facilitate future research on functional perspectives, such as assessments of functional diversity and changes to ecosystem functioning.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7040AustraliabenthosBiological traitsecosystem functioningfunctional groupmacrofauna |
| spellingShingle | Orlando Lam‐Gordillo Ryan Baring Sabine Dittmann Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments Ecology and Evolution Australia benthos Biological traits ecosystem functioning functional group macrofauna |
| title | Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments |
| title_full | Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments |
| title_fullStr | Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments |
| title_short | Establishing the South Australian Macrobenthic Traits (SAMT) database: A trait classification for functional assessments |
| title_sort | establishing the south australian macrobenthic traits samt database a trait classification for functional assessments |
| topic | Australia benthos Biological traits ecosystem functioning functional group macrofauna |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7040 |
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