A new method for detecting and interpreting biodiversity and ecological community thresholds: Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN)
Open accessAbstract
1. Existing methods for identifying ecological community thresholds are designed for univariate indicators or multivariate dimension-reduction of community structure. Most are insensitive to responses of individual taxa with low occurrence frequencies or highly variable abundances, properties of the vast majority of taxa in community data sets. We introduce Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN) to detect changes in taxa distributions along an environmental gradient over space or time, and assess synchrony among taxa change points as evidence for community thresholds. 2. TITAN uses indicator species scores to integrate occurrence, abundance and directionality of taxa responses. It identifies the optimum value of a continuous variable, x, that partitions sample units while maximizing taxon-specific scores. Indicator z scores standardize original scores relative to the mean and SD of permuted samples along x, thereby emphasizing the relative magnitude of change and increasing the contributions of taxa with low occurrence frequencies but high sensitivity to the gradient. TITAN distinguishes negative (z−) and positive (z+) taxa responses and tracks cumulative responses of declining [sum(z−)] and increasing [sum(z+)] taxa in the community. Bootstrapping is used to estimate indicator reliability and purity as well as uncertainty around the location of individual taxa and community change points. 3. Using two simulated data sets, TITAN correctly identified taxon and community thr…
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Species-specific thresholds to environmental gradients are influenced by organismal traits and the magnitude of changes.
“Species‐specific thresholds to environmental gradients are influenced by organismal traits and the magnitude of changes (Baker & King, 2010; Colwell & Rangel, 2009; Swift & Hannon, 2010; Turner, 1989).”
From Threshold responses of floating meadow fish communities to floodplain forest cover in the lower Amazon River (2025) · cites this paper as Baker & King, 2010
Analysis of species-level or functional-group responses allows for estimation of thresholds for major community shifts in response to environmental change.
“Analysis of species‐level or functional‐group responses allows for estimation of thresholds for major community shifts in response to environmental change (Baker & King, 2010; Brejão et al., 2017; Chen & Olden, 2020).”
From Threshold responses of floating meadow fish communities to floodplain forest cover in the lower Amazon River (2025) · cites this paper as Baker & King, 2010
These shifts often result from changes in an environmental gradient toward less favorable conditions until population threshold responses (tipping points) occur and are indicated by a rapid decline in occurrence and abundance.
“These shifts often result from changes in an environmental gradient toward less favorable conditions until population threshold responses (tipping points) occur and are indicated by a rapid decline in occurrence and abundance (Baker & King, 2010; Röpke et al., 2017; Sasaki et al., 2008).”
From Threshold responses of floating meadow fish communities to floodplain forest cover in the lower Amazon River (2025) · cites this paper as Baker & King, 2010
Analyses of fish assemblage structures along floodplain environmental gradients show complex patterns, including potential threshold responses.
“Analyses of fish assemblage structures along floodplain environmental gradients show complex patterns, including potential threshold responses (Baker & King, 2010; Röpke et al., 2017; Sasaki et al., 2008).”
From Threshold responses of floating meadow fish communities to floodplain forest cover in the lower Amazon River (2025) · cites this paper as Baker & King, 2010
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Breiman, L. (2001) · Machine Learning · doi:10.1023/a:1010933404324 · Cited by 133,538 · see citing works
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Dala‐Corte, R. B., Melo, A. S., Siqueira, T., Bini, L. M., Martins, R. T., Cunico, A. M., Pes, A. M., Magalhães, A. L. B., Godoy, B. S., Leal, C. G., et al. (2020) · Journal of Applied Ecology · doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13657 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Grinstead, S., Arantes, C. C., Winemiller, K. O., Kelso‐Winemiller, L. C., de Oliveira, J. A., Petrere, M., & Freitas, C. E. C. (2025) · Conservation Biology · doi:10.1111/cobi.70110
- Authors
- Baker, M. E., & King, R. S.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US)
- Baylor University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Baker, Matthew E.
- Venue
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-02-01
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 25-37
- ISSN
- 2041-210X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1575831425
- Cited by
- 658
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 79 · 2025: 81 · 2024: 56 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 39 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 10.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution (publishedVersion)
- Maryland Shared Open Access Repository (USMAI Consortium) (submittedVersion)
- DSpace Repository (Smithsonian) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (University of Maryland College Park)
- Funders
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Keywords
- Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis, indicator species analysis, change point detection, environmental gradients, indicator reliability, macroinvertebrate communities, phosphorus gradient, urban-rural gradient, rare taxa, conservation
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