Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150380

	Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China
	Yan, Shaokui 1,3; Cui, Yang 1,2; Wang, Silong 1,3
刊名	PLOS ONE
	2016-03-01
卷号	11 期号:3
ISSN号	1932-6203
DOI	10.1371/journal.pone.0150380
英文摘要	Phi coefficient directly depends on the frequencies of occurrence of organisms and has been widely used in vegetation ecology to analyse the associations of organisms with site groups, providing a characterization of ecological preference, but its application in soil ecology remains rare. Based on a single field experiment, this study assessed the applicability of phi coefficient in indicating the habitat preferences of soil fauna, through comparing phi coefficient-induced results with those of ordination methods in charactering soil fauna-habitat(factors) relationships. Eight different habitats of soil fauna were implemented by reciprocal transfer of defaunated soil cores between two types of subtropical forests. Canonical correlation analysis (CCorA) showed that ecological patterns of fauna-habitat relationships and inter-fauna taxa relationships expressed, respectively, by phi coefficients and predicted abundances calculated from partial redundancy analysis (RDA), were extremely similar, and a highly significant relationship between the two datasets was observed (Pillai's trace statistic = 1.998, P = 0.007). In addition, highly positive correlations between phi coefficients and predicted abundances for Acari, Collembola, Nematode and Hemiptera were observed using linear regression analysis. Quantitative relationships between habitat preferences and soil chemical variables were also obtained by linear regression, which were analogous to the results displayed in a partial RDA biplot. Our results suggest that phi coefficient could be applicable on a local scale in evaluating habitat preferences of soil fauna at coarse taxonomic levels, and that the phi coefficient-induced information, such as ecological preferences and the associated quantitative relationships with habitat factors, will be largely complementary to the results of ordination methods. The application of phi coefficient in soil ecology may extend our knowledge about habitat preferences and distribution-abundance relationships, which will benefit the understanding of biodistributions and variations in community compositions in the soil. Similar studies in other places and scales apart from our local site will be need for further evaluation of phi coefficient.
WOS研究方向	Science & Technology - Other Topics
语种	英语
出版者	PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
WOS记录号	WOS:000371434500138
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://210.72.129.5/handle/321005/122509]
专题	中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所
通讯作者	Wang, Silong
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Appl Ecol, Shenyang 110016, Peoples R China 2.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China 3.Huitong Natl Res Stn Forest Ecosyst, Huitong, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Yan, Shaokui,Cui, Yang,Wang, Silong. Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China[J]. PLOS ONE,2016,11(3).
APA	Yan, Shaokui,Cui, Yang,&Wang, Silong.(2016).Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China.PLOS ONE,11(3).
MLA	Yan, Shaokui,et al."Evaluating the Applicability of Phi Coefficient in Indicating Habitat Preferences of Forest Soil Fauna Based on a Single Field Study in Subtropical China".PLOS ONE 11.3(2016).