Beyond counting species: A new way to look at biodiversity

Authors

  • Cristina Llopis-Belenguer Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain).
  • Isabel Blasco-Costa Natural History Museum of Geneva (Switzerland).
  • Juan Antonio Balbuena Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.11186

Keywords:

classical diversity indexes, functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity, functional traits, genetic distances

Abstract

In modern ecology, the traditional diversity indices (usually of richness, abundance, and species evenness) have been highly revealing and useful for monitoring community and ecosystem processes. However, around two decades ago, a pioneering research team noticed that these indices did not completely resolve their open questions. Thus, they suggested changing the way biodiversity was measured. At its base, this new methodology considers the distance between species (in phylogenetic or functional terms) before subsequently applying the appropriate biodiversity indices. Including phylogenetic and functional elements in the evaluation of diversity allows us to approach the concept of biodiversity in a more comprehensive way. 

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Author Biographies

Cristina Llopis-Belenguer, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain).

Researcher at the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain). She is a graduate in Biology with a Master’s Degree in Biodiversity: Conservation and Evolution. She is currently researching for her PhD in functional and phylogenetic diversity in fish parasite communities on a predoctoral contract (ACIF/2016/374) funded by the Valencian Department of Education and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Isabel Blasco-Costa, Natural History Museum of Geneva (Switzerland).

PhD in Biology and researcher at the Natural History Museum of Geneva (Switzerland). She researches the taxonomy, phylogeography, and evolutionary ecology of trematodes and monogeneans and is particularly interested in the life cycle of trematodes, their ecological and evolutionary interactions with their hosts, and how that influences the genetics and evolution of these parasites’ populations.

Juan Antonio Balbuena, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain).

PhD in Biology and researcher at the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Valencia (Spain). Taking an ecology-evolution approach, he studies parasite-host relationships and other symbiotic associations from the point of view of cophylogeny, parasite community ecology, and the phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships of the genus Ligophorus .

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Published

2019-03-06

How to Cite

Llopis-Belenguer, C., Blasco-Costa, I., & Balbuena, J. A. (2019). Beyond counting species: A new way to look at biodiversity. Metode Science Studies Journal, (9), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.9.11186
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Issue

The grounds of science (2019)

Section

In praise of life. The dynamic concept of biodiversity

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