Commentary on How Habitat Choice Dictates Aquatic Beetles’ Richness, Abundance and Composition

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However, the above-mentioned weaknesses do not warrant a discretization of the entire experiments. The results obtained are reliable for any subsequent reference. The researchers’ use of previously done work to base their current research on is also commendable as it lays a firm basis for the experiment. Additionally, the use of MANOVA to analyze data collected is commendable and reliable as it uses universally accepted statistical methods to test data. Even more positively, the presentation of data obtained is highly commendable as it breaks down each experimental data clearly. When they laid out a table for codes used in figure 1 (p. 373, para.1) the researchers made it easier to break quickly down the statistical data presented. Moreover, apart from the lack of a clear transition from the first experiment to the second, the overall flow is logical and smooth. Their discussion likewise is detailed and logically arranged with the only notable drawback being a rather too vague conclusion. For the avid reader, the paper organization and clarity of language is good. Perhaps the most critical area of improvement is the conclusion part of the paper. Considering that not all readers have the time to go through the whole experiment, having the conclusion section on its own would be a good idea. That way, readers would not be bogged down in the overcrowded discussion section looking for the main conclusion of the whole paper. Another improvement would be the use of shorter sentence structures in future papers to avoid overloading information into a single sentence. An example is in (p. 370, para. 2) where habitat selection impacts are mentioned alongside several other reasons in a sentence that span six lines. Such information could easily have been split into several shorter sentences that are clear and concise.

Significance

The two experiments were of great significance, especially as relates to biodiversity. Most importantly, the experiments indicate that habitat selection is very much involved in the determination of the patterns of biodiversity that we see. Since ecologists now know that habitat selection is that crucial, they can be in a position to learn more behavioural characteristics of various species especially as pertains to predation. Moreover, it can now be easier to learn behaviours that work to the detriment of a certain species particularly as concerns evolution as well as predisposition to extinction. Also, the role of predation on overall biodiversity, especially among aquatic life, is now better understood. Community, as well as metacommunity assembly in aquatic life, now has a better basis of investigation than previously. Perhaps the biggest significance of the study, however, would be on the understanding of how multispecies habitat selection impacts ecological niches. The use of different species in the experiments suggests that it is possible to predict how multiple species would shape a niche.

New Ideas

The use of predatory fishes in the experiments has raised the stakes of employing other environmental pressures on habitat selection. Therefore, one can retrospectively raise the idea of climatic pressures as a means of determining species abundance. Consequently, one can use the benefit of hindsight in the form of already available species information to predict how climatic conditions such as dryness in deserts or coldness at the poles would influence habitat selection. Furthermore, one can try to link several unrelated factors such as predation and climatic conditions to establish a likely species abundance and richness level in a certain area.

The question under investigation is a behavioural ecology one and Binckley & Resetarits (2005) do a good job of pointing it out. Habitat selection falls purely under behavioural ecology and the mode of investigation followed clearly puts into account the species natural behaviours such as predation. However, the hypothesis was not clearly laid out, and the reader might have to contemplate what hypothesis was being tested. Equally, predictions were not clearly laid out though the logic followed in the entire experiment is coherent without significantly many assumptions.

Overall, the article has a discernible implication towards the entire field of ecology. Ecologists now have to quit overlooking the role of habitat selection on abundance and distribution patterns at both the community and metacommunity scale. Habitat selection clearly plays a bigger role than previously thought and as such, ecology books must adjust to the new finding. Equally, all future researches must take that fact into account. Though the results of this study are not in question, it would be interesting to see what other similar researches adjusted for only minor differences would find. The study findings only do justice to the article which now has what is arguably one of the surprising findings in the field of behavioural ecology. It is to be expected that with such unexpected findings, the article will be in greater demand for some time as ecologists and the public alike try to dig in to learn new things.

Acknowledgement

I thank my fellow students in the BIOL 3107 class for interesting discussions that led to my better overall grasp of several ecological concepts.

Works Cited

Binckley, C. A. & Resetarits Jr, W. J. 2003 Functional equivalence of non-lethal effects: generalized fish avoidance determines distribution of gray treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis, larvae. Oikos 102, 623–629.

Binckley, Christopher A., and William J. Resetarits. "Habitat Selection Determines Abundance, Richness And Species Composition Of Beetles In Aquatic Communities". Biology Letters 1.3 (2005): 370-374. Web.

Wellborn, G. A., Werner, E. E. & Skelly, D. K. 1996 Mechanisms creating community structure across a freshwater habitat gradient. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 27, 337–363.

(Word count, main text only: 1,935)

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