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The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia

Biodiversity research relies largely on knowledge about species responses to environmental gradients, assessed using some commonly applied sampling method. However, the consistency of detected responses using different sampling methods, and thus the generality of findings, has seldom been assessed i...

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Main Authors: Musthafa, Muneeb M., Abdullah, Fauziah, Koivula, Matti J.
Format: Article
Published: Public Library of Science 2022
Subjects:
GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science (General)
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/42316/
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spelling my.um.eprints.423162023-10-12T03:18:46Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/42316/ The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia Musthafa, Muneeb M. Abdullah, Fauziah Koivula, Matti J. GE Environmental Sciences Q Science (General) Biodiversity research relies largely on knowledge about species responses to environmental gradients, assessed using some commonly applied sampling method. However, the consistency of detected responses using different sampling methods, and thus the generality of findings, has seldom been assessed in tropical ecosystems. Hence, we studied the response consistency and indicator functioning of beetle assemblages in altitudinal gradients from two mountains in Malaysia, using Malaise, light, and pitfall traps. The data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMM), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), multivariate regression trees (MRT), and indicator species analysis (IndVal). We collected 198 morpho-species of beetles representing 32 families, with a total number of 3,052 individual beetles. The richness measures generally declined with increasing altitude. The mountains differed little in terms of light and Malaise trap data but differed remarkably in pitfall-trap data. Only light traps (but not the other trap types) distinguished high from middle or low altitudes in terms of beetle richness and assemblage composition. The lower altitudes hosted about twice as many indicators as middle or high altitudes, and many species were trap-type specific in our data. These results suggest that the three sampling methods reflected the altitudinal gradient in different ways and the detection of community variation in the environment thus depends on the chosen sampling method. However, also the analytical approach appeared important, further underlining the need to use multiple methods in environmental assessments. Public Library of Science 2022-03-31 Article PeerReviewed Musthafa, Muneeb M. and Abdullah, Fauziah and Koivula, Matti J. (2022) The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia. PLoS ONE, 17 (3). ISSN 1932-6203, DOI https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266076 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266076>. 10.1371/journal.pone.0266076
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science (General)
spellingShingle GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science (General)
Musthafa, Muneeb M.
Abdullah, Fauziah
Koivula, Matti J.
The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
description Biodiversity research relies largely on knowledge about species responses to environmental gradients, assessed using some commonly applied sampling method. However, the consistency of detected responses using different sampling methods, and thus the generality of findings, has seldom been assessed in tropical ecosystems. Hence, we studied the response consistency and indicator functioning of beetle assemblages in altitudinal gradients from two mountains in Malaysia, using Malaise, light, and pitfall traps. The data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMM), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), multivariate regression trees (MRT), and indicator species analysis (IndVal). We collected 198 morpho-species of beetles representing 32 families, with a total number of 3,052 individual beetles. The richness measures generally declined with increasing altitude. The mountains differed little in terms of light and Malaise trap data but differed remarkably in pitfall-trap data. Only light traps (but not the other trap types) distinguished high from middle or low altitudes in terms of beetle richness and assemblage composition. The lower altitudes hosted about twice as many indicators as middle or high altitudes, and many species were trap-type specific in our data. These results suggest that the three sampling methods reflected the altitudinal gradient in different ways and the detection of community variation in the environment thus depends on the chosen sampling method. However, also the analytical approach appeared important, further underlining the need to use multiple methods in environmental assessments.
format Article
author Musthafa, Muneeb M.
Abdullah, Fauziah
Koivula, Matti J.
author_facet Musthafa, Muneeb M.
Abdullah, Fauziah
Koivula, Matti J.
author_sort Musthafa, Muneeb M.
title The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
title_short The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
title_full The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
title_fullStr The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed The functioning of different beetle (Coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in Peninsular Malaysia
title_sort functioning of different beetle (coleoptera) sampling methods across altitudinal gradients in peninsular malaysia
publisher Public Library of Science
publishDate 2022
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/42316/
_version_ 1781704626489262080
score 13.211869

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