PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 31: Reserve Design and Planning.
Presiding: J Franklin
Tuesday, August 5. 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, SITCC Meeting Room 105.

A multi-scale model for monitoring biodiversity.

Alaback, Paul¹, ¹ University of Montana, Missoula, Montana

ABSTRACT- Biodiversity is an inherently complex multi-scale phenomenon. The characterization of biodiversity therefore requires a clear conceptual model in which disparate sources of data can be carefully integrated together. Many plot-based approaches to monitoring species and ecosystems have been successful in characterizing common elements and their dynamics, but often miss the rarer species. We propose an application of hierarchy theory to the biodiversity problem whereby data sets of different scales are brought in to characterize key processes in maintaining biodiversity. Recent studies have emphasized the role of species pools in constraining biodiversity patterns at regional scales. We explore the use of large-scale and regional species lists as a means to estimate gamma diversity, and more traditional plot data to estimate alpha diversity for key habitats. Remote sensing and landscape modeling approaches are used to define general patterns of species richness to identify biodiversity hot spots. These models can then be used to guide more detailed field sub-sampling to estimate medium to rare species elements with mega-transects. In many instances regional data are available for the reconstruction of a historical or baseline reference condition 20 years or more ago. Re-sampling of rare species distributions and consideration of contemporary changes in landscape structure can then be used to establish models of potential changes from environmental stressors over this time period. The multi-scale approach provides a rich tool set from which it may be possible to more clearly disentangle the effects of region-wide patterns from localized phenomena and identify likely processes to effect these changes. By emphasizing relatively rare species, using broad-scale inventories that emphasize distribution rather than abundance it may be possible to develop monitoring programs that are more sensitive to detecting subtle environmental change than more traditional plot-based sampling approaches

Key words: monitoring, biodiversity, conservation, Pacific Coast