Trade-offs between sampling effort and data quality in habitat monitoring

摘要: The transect method has been widely used to monitor habitat conservation status and recently recommended as the best tool steep ecological gradients, such those in coastal systems. Despite that, effectiveness of approach can be limited when considering sampling effort terms time needed for sampling. Our work aimed at evaluating efficacy a Mediterranean system. Specifically we versus completeness datasets obtained by performing belt transects different ways specifically designed progressively reduce effort: (i) plots adjacently (“adjacent-plot transect”); (ii) alternately (“alternate-plot (iii) one plot each plant community along vegetation zonation (“zonation-plot transect”). We evaluated efficiency number type habitats identified, spatial extent, species richness composition, through multivariate analyses, null models rarefaction curves. was measured zonation-plot had lowest effort, but provided only an approximation state dunal communities. alternate-plot showed trade-off between information obtained, may considered efficient option very wide research provides guidelines that other systems choose most cost-effective monitoring thereby maximising use resources.