Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication
Most ecological studies require a cost-effective collection of multi-species samples. A literature review unravelled that (1) large-sized grabs to collect infauna have been used at greater depths, despite no consistent relationship between grab size and replication across studies; and (2) the total...
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MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/11/410 |
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| author | Lidia N. Álvarez Sara García-Sanz Néstor E. Bosch Rodrigo Riera Fernando Tuya |
| author_facet | Lidia N. Álvarez Sara García-Sanz Néstor E. Bosch Rodrigo Riera Fernando Tuya |
| author_sort | Lidia N. Álvarez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most ecological studies require a cost-effective collection of multi-species samples. A literature review unravelled that (1) large-sized grabs to collect infauna have been used at greater depths, despite no consistent relationship between grab size and replication across studies; and (2) the total number of taxa and individuals is largely determined by the replication. Then, infauna from a sedimentary (sandy) seabed at Gran Canaria Island was collected through van Veen grabs of three sizes: 0.018, 0.042 and 0.087 m<sup>2</sup> to optimize, on a simple cost-benefit basis, sample size and replication. Specifically, (1) the degree of representativeness in the composition of assemblages, and (2) accuracy of three univariate metrics (species richness, total infaunal abundances and the Shannon-Wiener index), was compared according to replication. Then, by considering mean times (a surrogate of costs) to process a sample by each grab, (3) their cost-efficiency was estimated. Representativeness increased with grab size. Irrespective of the grab size, accuracy of univariate metrics considerably increased when <i>n</i> > 10 replicates. Costs associated with the 0.087 m<sup>2</sup> grab were consistently lower than costs by the other grabs. In conclusion, because of high representativeness and low cost, a 6.87 L grab appears to be the optimal sample size to assess infauna at our local site. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:18:09Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:18:09Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd4fe4a0e57849029e3d54e67865dfdd2023-11-20T18:46:59ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182020-10-01121141010.3390/d12110410Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and ReplicationLidia N. Álvarez0Sara García-Sanz1Néstor E. Bosch2Rodrigo Riera3Fernando Tuya4elittoral S.L.N.E., Estudios de Ingeniería Costera y Oceanográfica, Edificio Polivalente II e Parque Científico Tecnológico, Oficinas 4 y 19, 35017 Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spainelittoral S.L.N.E., Estudios de Ingeniería Costera y Oceanográfica, Edificio Polivalente II e Parque Científico Tecnológico, Oficinas 4 y 19, 35017 Las Palmas, Canary Islands, SpainSchool of Biological Sciences, UWA Oceans Institute, Crawley (Perth), WA 6009, AustraliaDepartamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción 4090541, ChileGrupo en Biodiversidad y Conservación, IU-ECOAQUA, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas, Canary Islands, SpainMost ecological studies require a cost-effective collection of multi-species samples. A literature review unravelled that (1) large-sized grabs to collect infauna have been used at greater depths, despite no consistent relationship between grab size and replication across studies; and (2) the total number of taxa and individuals is largely determined by the replication. Then, infauna from a sedimentary (sandy) seabed at Gran Canaria Island was collected through van Veen grabs of three sizes: 0.018, 0.042 and 0.087 m<sup>2</sup> to optimize, on a simple cost-benefit basis, sample size and replication. Specifically, (1) the degree of representativeness in the composition of assemblages, and (2) accuracy of three univariate metrics (species richness, total infaunal abundances and the Shannon-Wiener index), was compared according to replication. Then, by considering mean times (a surrogate of costs) to process a sample by each grab, (3) their cost-efficiency was estimated. Representativeness increased with grab size. Irrespective of the grab size, accuracy of univariate metrics considerably increased when <i>n</i> > 10 replicates. Costs associated with the 0.087 m<sup>2</sup> grab were consistently lower than costs by the other grabs. In conclusion, because of high representativeness and low cost, a 6.87 L grab appears to be the optimal sample size to assess infauna at our local site.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/11/410sampling designcost-benefitreplicationbiodiversity surveysinfaunaAtlantic |
| spellingShingle | Lidia N. Álvarez Sara García-Sanz Néstor E. Bosch Rodrigo Riera Fernando Tuya Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication Diversity sampling design cost-benefit replication biodiversity surveys infauna Atlantic |
| title | Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication |
| title_full | Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication |
| title_short | Optimizing Costs to Collect Local Infauna through Grabs: Effect of Sampling Size and Replication |
| title_sort | optimizing costs to collect local infauna through grabs effect of sampling size and replication |
| topic | sampling design cost-benefit replication biodiversity surveys infauna Atlantic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/11/410 |
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