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VI. METHODS OF A ZOOCOENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
From the previous arguments, we can see that a zoocoenosis can undergo
constant changes, both of quality and quantity. The same association, according
to the change of the seasons, will bring different populations to the surface.
Consequently, a full inventory of a zoocoenosis is only imaginable if our
surveys are continuous, or at least are frequently repeated throughout the
growing season. The more frequent our surveys are, the more complete
picture we gain of the composition of the zoocoenosis while, if we have longer
gaps, we run the risk of detecting only certain aspects, and miss dynamic
events that may be crucial for the understanding of the zoocoenosis.
When studying zoocoenoses, two additional circumstances need to be
considered. One is that some populations lead a secretive life (even if above
ground), and their surveys must employ special methods. The other is that
all populations are members of the zoocoenosis, be that eurichron or
stenochron. We accept that, from the perspective of production biology, only
constant and dominant populations are of interest but, from a zoocoenological
point, all are equal subjects of study because they are members of the
zoocoenosis. The aim of zoocoenology is to study this, and not nutrient
cycling - a census should not lead to a one-sided, probably false impression
about the real composition of the zooconosis by counting only the constant
and dominant populations.
§ THE AIM OF THE ANALYSIS
That said, we can pose the question: what are the aims of coenological studies?
There are three answers to this question: 1) to establish the qualitative
composition of zoocoenoses: the species spectrum; 2) to establish the
quantitative composition of zoocoenoses: the quantitative spectrum, and; 3)
to unearth the between-species relationships of the constituting populations:
the synphysiological spectrum.
The two first are static, seeking the unchanging elements in the zoocoenoses,
trying to grasp the constancy, while the third is dynamic, trying to show the
changes, and uncover the shifting elements.