Evaluation of three methods for biomass estimation in small invertebrates, using three large disparate parasite species as model organisms
Evaluation of three methods for biomass estimation in small invertebrates, using three large disparate parasite species as model organisms
复制标题
使用三种大型不同寄生虫物种作为模式生物对小型无脊椎动物生物量估计的三种方法进行评估
作者：
Cristina Llopis;I. Blasco;J. Balbuena
无脊椎动物生物量被认为是生态系统中驱动过程的主要因素之一。它可以直接测量，主要是通过衡量个人，但更经常使用间接估计。我们开发了两种间接和非破坏性的方法来估计生物量的小型无脊椎动物在一个简单的方式。第一个是基于粘土建模，第二个是基于开源软件实现的图像分析。此外，我们测试了广泛使用的几何近似方法（第三种方法）的精度。我们将这三种不同的方法应用于三种形态上不同的模式物种，棘头虫，甲壳类动物和扁形虫。为了验证我们的间接估计并测试其准确性，我们对这三个物种的标本进行了称重并计算了它们的组织密度。此外，我们提出了一个简单的技术来估计厚度的个人在显微镜下，所需的测量的三个间接的方法进行测试。本文提出的间接方法提供了直接测量的最佳近似。尽管几何近似法被广泛使用，但其精度最低。这里开发的方法是及时的，因为最近越来越多的研究需要可靠的生物量估计的小型无脊椎动物，以解释生态系统中的关键过程。
Invertebrate biomass is considered one of the main factors driving processes in ecosystems. It can be measured directly, primarily by weighing individuals, but more often indirect estimators are used. We developed two indirect and non-destructive approaches to estimate biomass of small invertebrates in a simple manner. The first one was based on clay modelling and the second one was based on image analysis implemented with open-source software. Furthermore, we tested the accuracy of the widely used geometric approximation method (third method). We applied these three different methods to three morphologically disparate model species, an acanthocephalan worm, a crustacean and a flatworm. To validate our indirect estimations and to test their accuracy, we weighed specimens of the three species and calculated their tissue densities. Additionally, we propose an uncomplicated technique to estimate thickness of individuals under a microscope, a required measurement for two of the three indirect methods tested. The indirect methods proposed in this paper provided the best approximation to direct measurements. Despite its wide use, the geometric approximation method showed the lowest accuracy. The approaches developed herein are timely because the recently increasing number of studies requiring reliable biomass estimates for small invertebrates to explain crucial processes in ecosystems.