Comparison of the use of species abundance and presence-absence data for diversity assessment

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of empirical data on the distribution of ground beetles in three model sites located in Lublin (Poland). Using Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) and hierarchical cluster analysis, we compared the results of the studies based on the data of species × abundance and binary data (species × presence / absence). It was shown that the hierarchical clustering method and PCoA based on binary data demonstrate the individuality of the studied territories, although they have some common species. While the results of the analysis, based on abundances, did not show a clear separation of the stations within the three studied locations, the similarity between the studied territories is more objectively reflected from a biological point of view.