Indicator Species and Scale of Observation

Arthropods, because of their small size, diversity, and sensitivity to environmental variability, can be good indicators of habitat heterogeneity, ecosystem biodiversity, and environmental stress. Species richness among arthropod taxa can predict the richness of other taxa from an indicator, or target taxon. If different taxa accumulate species at different rates as area increases, then correlations among taxa, or taxon percentages of total species richness, will vary with area size. Because a useful indicator has to be independent of sample size, it is critical to measure the influence of sample size on indicator taxa.