Abstract
Subtaxon-to-taxon ratios such as the species-to-genus ratio have been frequently used in ecology and biogeography despite their well-known sample size dependence. For instance, any subtaxon-to-taxon ratio is an increasing function of the area sampled. Hence, its validity as an ecological indicator is problematic at best. This drawback can be avoided by constructing taxon-subtaxon curves. Owing to their scale-free nature, taxon-subtaxon curves standardize the information in subtaxon-to-taxon ratios allowing for meaningful comparison of datasets.
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Marignani, M., Ricotta, C., Rossi, F. et al. A scale-free approach to subtaxon-to-taxon ratios. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 5, 159–162 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1556/ComEc.5.2004.2.2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/ComEc.5.2004.2.2