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The application of zeta diversity as a continuous measure of compositional change in ecology

View ORCID ProfileMelodie A. Mcgeoch, View ORCID ProfileGuillaume Latombe, View ORCID ProfileNigel R. Andrew, View ORCID ProfileShinichi Nakagawa, View ORCID ProfileDavid A. Nipperess, View ORCID ProfileMariona Roige, View ORCID ProfileEzequiel M. Marzinelli, Alexandra H. Campbell, View ORCID ProfileAdriana Vergés, View ORCID ProfileTorsten Thomas, Peter D. Steinberg, View ORCID ProfileKatherine E. Selwood, View ORCID ProfileCang Hui
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/216580
Melodie A. Mcgeoch
1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
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  • For correspondence: melodie.mcgeoch@monash.edu
Guillaume Latombe
1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
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Nigel R. Andrew
2Centre of Excellence for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Natural History Museum, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
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Shinichi Nakagawa
3Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia, and Diabetes and Metabolism Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
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David A. Nipperess
4Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
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Mariona Roige
5National Centre for Advanced Bio-Protection Technologies, Lincoln University, Canterbury 7647, New Zealand
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Ezequiel M. Marzinelli
6Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
7Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia
8Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Alexandra H. Campbell
6Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
7Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia
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Adriana Vergés
6Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
7Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia
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Torsten Thomas
6Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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Peter D. Steinberg
6Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
7Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Rd, Mosman NSW 2088, Australia
8Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Katherine E. Selwood
9School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville Vic, 3010, Australia
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Cang Hui
10Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa, and African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
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Abstract

Zeta diversity provides the average number of shared species across n sites (or shared operational taxonomic units (OTUs) across n cases). It quantifies the variation in species composition of multiple assemblages in space and time to capture the contribution of the full suite of narrow, intermediate and wide-ranging species to biotic heterogeneity. Zeta diversity was proposed for measuring compositional turnover in plant and animal assemblages, but is equally relevant for application to any biological system that can be characterised by a row by column incidence matrix. Here we illustrate the application of zeta diversity to explore compositional change in empirical data, and how observed patterns may be interpreted. We use 10 datasets from a broad range of scales and levels of biological organisation – from DNA molecules to microbes, plants and birds – including one of the original data sets used by R.H. Whittaker in the 1960’s to express compositional change and distance decay using beta diversity. The applications show (i) how different sampling schemes used during the calculation of zeta diversity may be appropriate for different data types and ecological questions, (ii) how higher orders of zeta may in some cases better detect shifts, transitions or periodicity, and importantly (iii) the relative roles of rare versus common species in driving patterns of compositional change. By exploring the application of zeta diversity across this broad range of contexts, our goal is to demonstrate its value as a tool for understanding continuous biodiversity turnover and as a metric for filling the empirical gap that exists on spatial or temporal change in compositional diversity.

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Posted November 09, 2017.
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The application of zeta diversity as a continuous measure of compositional change in ecology
Melodie A. Mcgeoch, Guillaume Latombe, Nigel R. Andrew, Shinichi Nakagawa, David A. Nipperess, Mariona Roige, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Alexandra H. Campbell, Adriana Vergés, Torsten Thomas, Peter D. Steinberg, Katherine E. Selwood, Cang Hui
bioRxiv 216580; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/216580
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The application of zeta diversity as a continuous measure of compositional change in ecology
Melodie A. Mcgeoch, Guillaume Latombe, Nigel R. Andrew, Shinichi Nakagawa, David A. Nipperess, Mariona Roige, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Alexandra H. Campbell, Adriana Vergés, Torsten Thomas, Peter D. Steinberg, Katherine E. Selwood, Cang Hui
bioRxiv 216580; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/216580

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