Surrogates and indicators of biodiversity are used to infer the state and dynamics of species populations and ecosystems, as well as to inform conservation and management actions. Despite their widespread use, few studies have examined how ecological theory can guide the selection or surrogates and indicators, and thus reduce the likelihood of failure or cost of validation. We argue that ecological niche theory and knowledge of the extent to which particular limiting factors (e.g. physiological tolerances, limits to growth rates, or competitive exclusion) affect species distributions, abundance and coexistence could inform the choice of potential surrogates. Focusing on the environmental characteristics that define species niches makes it possible to identify situations where surrogates are likely to be ineffective, such as when there is no mechanistic basis for a candidate surrogate to be related to a biodiversity target. We describe two case studies where different candidate surrogate variables are shown to have contrasting potential as indicators of sustainable farming. Variables not mechanistically linked to the driver of change or responsive over appropriate timeframes or spatial scales are suggested a priori to be uninformative. The niche concept provides a framework for exploring ecological relationships that can inform the selection or exclusion of potential biodiversity surrogates. We think that this new approach to integrating ecological theory and application could lead to improved effectiveness of biodiversity monitoring and conservation.

生物多样性的替代指标和指标可用来推断物种种群和生态系统的状态和动态，以及为保护和管理行动提供信息。尽管被广泛使用，但很少有研究研究生态理论如何指导选择或替代和指标，从而减少失败的可能性或验证成本。我们认为，生态位理论和对特定限制因素（例如，生理耐受性，生长速度的限制或竞争排斥）在多大程度上影响物种分布，丰富度和共存性的知识可以为可能的替代物的选择提供依据。专注于定义物种生态位的环境特征，可以识别代孕可能无效的情况，例如，当没有替代物与生物多样性目标相关的机械依据时。我们描述了两个案例研究，其中显示出不同的替代替代变量具有可持续农业指标的潜力。先验地认为，没有机械地与变化的驱动因素联系在一起的变量，或者在适当的时间范围或空间尺度上没有作出响应的变量，是毫无根据的。生态位概念为探索生态关系提供了一个框架，该框架可以为潜在生物多样性替代物的选择或排除提供信息。我们认为，这种将生态学理论与应用相结合的新方法可以提高生物多样性监测和保护的有效性。