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Robert K. Colwell


Museum Curator Adjoint in Entomology


robertkcolwell [at] gmail.com


Museum of Natural History


University of Colorado


Boulder, CO 80309, USA




robertkcolwell [at] gmail.com


Museum of Natural History


University of Colorado


Boulder, CO 80309, USA



Ecological and biogeographic null hypotheses for comparing rarefaction curves


Journal article


L. Cayuela, N. Gotelli, R. K. Colwell
2015

Semantic Scholar DOI
Cite

Cite

APA
Cayuela, L., Gotelli, N., & Colwell, R. K. (2015). Ecological and biogeographic null hypotheses for comparing rarefaction curves.

Chicago/Turabian
Cayuela, L., N. Gotelli, and R. K. Colwell. “Ecological and Biogeographic Null Hypotheses for Comparing Rarefaction Curves” (2015).

MLA
Cayuela, L., et al. Ecological and Biogeographic Null Hypotheses for Comparing Rarefaction Curves. 2015.


Abstract

The statistical framework of rarefaction curves and asymptotic estimators allows for an effective standardization of biodiversity measures. However, most statistical analyses still consist of point comparisons of diversity estimators for a particular sampling level. We introduce new randomization methods that incorporate sampling variability encompassing the entire length of the rarefaction curve and allow for statistical comparison of i ≥2 individual-based, sample-based, or coverage-based rarefaction curves. These methods distinguish between two distinct null hypotheses: the ecological null hypothesis (H0eco) and the biogeographical null hypothesis (H0biog). H0eco states that the i samples were drawn from a single assemblage, and any differences among them in species richness, composition, or relative abundance reflect only sampling effects. H0biog states that the i samples were drawn from assemblages that differ in their species composition but share similar species richness and species abundance distri...


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