Deriving biomass conversion factors for southern temperate benthic fauna; analytical methods matter

Josh Nitschke, Ryan Baring, Fonti Kar, Sabine Dittmann

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Abstract

Biomass is a fundamental ecological measure used to quantify ecosystem structure and function. It is costly to measure but can be estimated using conversion factors based on established relationships between different biomass measures, however such conversion factors may not be applicable across broad geographic regions. For temperate benthic fauna, currently available mass-to-mass conversion factors were largely established in Northern Hemisphere ecosystems. Here, we present conversion factors for temperate Australian benthic fauna typically found in microtidal coastal bays and estuaries (14 taxa encompassing five classes: Polychaeta; Bivalvia; Gastropoda; Crustacea; Insecta). We derived 126 conversion factors using two statistical techniques between several mass measures (e.g. wet mass, dry mass, ash-free dry mass, shell-free masses) with specimens from three preservation methods (ethanol, formalin, frozen). Our conversion factors were generally not congruent with those obtained from the literature. We also found that the choice of prediction method used to derive conversion factors can be a substantial source of error in biomass estimation that has largely been overlooked in mass-to-mass conversion. Log-linear ordinary least squares regression models provided substantially more accurate predictions than simple mean ratios. We outline an analytical approach for future use to derive more globally comparable conversion factors for estuarine benthic fauna.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108794
Number of pages13
JournalEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
Volume303
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2024

Keywords

  • Biomass
  • Conversion factors
  • Estuaries
  • Southern hemisphere
  • Temperate zones
  • Zoobenthos

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