scholarly journals Intraspecific diversity loss in a predator species alters prey community structure and ecosystem functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Raffard ◽  
Julien Cucherousset ◽  
José M. Montoya ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Samson Acoca-Pidolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Intraspecific Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Invertebrate Diversity ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Genotypic Richness

AbstractLoss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships (iBEF) have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (Phoxinus phoxinus), to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species, and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness. We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or in interaction. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high. Finally, both losses in genotypic and functional richness altered essential functions (e.g. decomposition) through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. The loss of genotypic richness impacted ecological properties as much as the loss of functional richness, probably because it sustains “cryptic” functional diversity.

scholarly journals Intraspecific diversity loss in a predator species alters prey community structure and ecosystem functions

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. e3001145
Author(s):  
Allan Raffard ◽  
Julien Cucherousset ◽  
José M. Montoya ◽  
Murielle Richard ◽  
Samson Acoca-Pidolle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Intraspecific Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Invertebrate Diversity ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Genotypic Richness

Loss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity–ecosystem function (iBEF) relationships have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (Phoxinus phoxinus) to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness. We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or interactively. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high. Finally, losses in genotypic and functional richness altered functions (decomposition) through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. The loss of genotypic richness impacted ecological properties as much as the loss of functional richness, probably because it sustains “cryptic” functional diversity.

scholarly journals Taking a closer look: disentangling effects of functional diversity on ecosystem functions with a trait-based model across hierarchy and time

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 140541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Holzwarth ◽  
Nadja Rüger ◽  
Christian Wirth
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Annual Biomass ◽  
Component Processes ◽  
Hierarchical Nature ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Biodiversity Effects

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has progressed from the detection of relationships to elucidating their drivers and underlying mechanisms. In this context, replacing taxonomic predictors by trait-based measures of functional composition (FC)—bridging functions of species and of ecosystems—is a widely used approach. The inherent challenge of trait-based approaches is the multi-faceted, dynamic and hierarchical nature of trait influence: (i) traits may act via different facets of their distribution in a community, (ii) their influence may change over time and (iii) traits may influence processes at different levels of the natural hierarchy of organization. Here, we made use of the forest ecosystem model ‘LPJ-GUESS’ parametrized with empirical trait data, which creates output of individual performance, community assembly, stand-level states and processes. To address the three challenges, we resolved the dynamics of the top-level ecosystem function ‘annual biomass change’ hierarchically into its various component processes (growth, leaf and root turnover, recruitment and mortality) and states (stand structures, water stress) and traced the influence of different facets of FC along this hierarchy in a path analysis. We found an independent influence of functional richness, dissimilarity and identity on ecosystem states and processes and hence biomass change. Biodiversity effects were only positive during early succession and later turned negative. Unexpectedly, resource acquisition (growth, recruitment) and conservation (mortality, turnover) played an equally important role throughout the succession. These results add to a mechanistic understanding of biodiversity effects and place a caveat on simplistic approaches omitting hierarchical levels when analysing BEF relationships. They support the view that BEF relationships experience dramatic shifts over successional time that should be acknowledged in mechanistic theories.

scholarly journals Functional diversity of marine megafauna in the Anthropocene

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. eaay7650 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pimiento ◽  
F. Leprieur ◽  
D. Silvestro ◽  
J. S. Lefcheck ◽  
C. Albouy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
If Current ◽  
Marine Megafauna

Marine megafauna, the largest animals in the oceans, serve key roles in ecosystem functioning. Yet, one-third of these animals are at risk of extinction. To better understand the potential consequences of megafaunal loss, here we quantify their current functional diversity, predict future changes under different extinction scenarios, and introduce a new metric [functionally unique, specialized and endangered (FUSE)] that identifies threatened species of particular importance for functional diversity. Simulated extinction scenarios forecast marked declines in functional richness if current trajectories are maintained during the next century (11% globally; up to 24% regionally), with more marked reductions (48% globally; up to 70% at the poles) beyond random expectations if all threatened species eventually go extinct. Among the megafaunal groups, sharks will incur a disproportionate loss of functional richness. We identify top FUSE species and suggest a renewed focus on these species to preserve the ecosystem functions provided by marine megafauna.

scholarly journals Biogeography of acoustic biodiversity of NW Mediterranean coralligenous reefs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Di Iorio ◽  
Manon Audax ◽  
Julie Deter ◽  
Florian Holon ◽  
Julie Lossent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Nw Mediterranean

AbstractMonitoring the biodiversity of key habitats and understanding the drivers across spatial scales is essential for preserving ecosystem functions and associated services. Coralligenous reefs are threatened marine biodiversity hotspots that are challenging to monitor. As fish sounds reflect biodiversity in other habitats, we unveiled the biogeography of coralligenous reef sounds across the north-western Mediterranean using data from 27 sites covering 2000 km and 3 regions over a 3-year period. We assessed how acoustic biodiversity is related to habitat parameters and environmental status. We identified 28 putative fish sound types, which is up to four times as many as recorded in other Mediterranean habitats. 40% of these sounds are not found in other coastal habitats, thus strongly related to coralligenous reefs. Acoustic diversity differed between geographical regions. Ubiquitous sound types were identified, including sounds from top-predator species and others that were more specifically related to the presence of ecosystem engineers (red coral, gorgonians), which are key players in maintaining habitat function. The main determinants of acoustic community composition were depth and percentage coverage of coralligenous outcrops, suggesting that fish-related acoustic communities exhibit bathymetric stratification and are related to benthic reef assemblages. Multivariate analysis also revealed that acoustic communities can reflect different environmental states. This study presents the first large-scale map of acoustic fish biodiversity providing insights into the ichthyofauna that is otherwise difficult to assess because of reduced diving times. It also highlights the potential of passive acoustics in providing new aspects of the correlates of biogeographical patterns of this emblematic habitat relevant for monitoring and conservation.

Complex hydromorphology of meanders can support benthic invertebrate diversity in rivers

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 685 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.-F. Garcia ◽  
I. Schnauder ◽  
M. T. Pusch
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Invertebrate Diversity

scholarly journals Plant traits are poor predictors of long-term ecosystem functioning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fons van der Plas ◽  
Thomas Schröder-Georgi ◽  
Alexandra Weigelt ◽  
Kathryn Barry ◽  
Sebastian Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Average Percentage ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Small Set

ABSTRACTEarth is home to over 350,000 vascular plant species1 that differ in their traits in innumerable ways. Yet, a handful of functional traits can help explaining major differences among species in photosynthetic rate, growth rate, reproductive output and other aspects of plant performance2–6. A key challenge, coined “the Holy Grail” in ecology, is to upscale this understanding in order to predict how natural or anthropogenically driven changes in the identity and diversity of co-occurring plant species drive the functioning of ecosystems7, 8. Here, we analyze the extent to which 42 different ecosystem functions can be predicted by 41 plant traits in 78 experimentally manipulated grassland plots over 10 years. Despite the unprecedented number of traits analyzed, the average percentage of variation in ecosystem functioning that they jointly explained was only moderate (32.6%) within individual years, and even much lower (12.7%) across years. Most other studies linking ecosystem functioning to plant traits analyzed no more than six traits, and when including either only six random or the six most frequently studied traits in our analysis, the average percentage of explained variation in across-year ecosystem functioning dropped to 4.8%. Furthermore, different ecosystem functions were driven by different traits, with on average only 12.2% overlap in significant predictors. Thus, we did not find evidence for the existence of a small set of key traits able to explain variation in multiple ecosystem functions across years. Our results therefore suggest that there are strong limits in the extent to which we can predict the long-term functional consequences of the ongoing, rapid changes in the composition and diversity of plant communities that humanity is currently facing.

scholarly journals Impact of urbanization on functional diversity in macromycete communities along an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12191
Author(s):  
Marko Gómez-Hernández ◽  
Emily Avendaño-Villegas ◽  
María Toledo-Garibaldi ◽  
Etelvina Gándara
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Niche Space ◽  
Urbanization Gradient ◽  
Urbanization Level ◽  
Functional Value ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Available Resources

Macromycetes are a group of fungi characterized by the production of fruit bodies and are highly relevant in most terrestrial ecosystems as pathogens, mutualists, and organic matter decomposers. Habitat transformation can drastically alter macromycete communities and diminish the contribution of these organisms to ecosystem functioning; however, knowledge on the effect of urbanization on macrofungal communities is scarce. Diversity metrics based on functional traits of macromycete species have shown to be valuable tools to predict how species contribute to ecosystem functionality since traits determine the performance of species in ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of species richness, functional diversity, and composition of macrofungi in an urban ecosystem in Southwest Mexico, and to identify microclimatic, environmental, and urban factors related to these patterns in order to infer the effect of urbanization on macromycete communities. We selected four oak forests along an urbanization gradient and established a permanent sampling area of 0.1 ha at each site. Macromycete sampling was carried out every week from June to October 2017. The indices used to measure functional diversity were functional richness (FRic), functional divergence (FDig), and functional evenness (FEve). The metric used to assess variation of macrofungal ecological function along the study area was the functional value. We recorded a total of 134 macromycete species and 223 individuals. Our results indicated a decline of species richness with increased urbanization level related mainly to microclimatic variables, and a high turnover of species composition among study sites, which appears to be related to microclimatic and urbanization variables. FRic decreased with urbanization level, indicating that some of the available resources in the niche space within the most urbanized sites are not being utilized. FDig increased with urbanization, which suggests a high degree of niche differentiation among macromycete species within communities in urbanized areas. FEve did not show notable differences along the urbanization gradient, indicating few variations in the distribution of abundances within the occupied sections of the niche space. Similarly, the functional value was markedly higher in the less urbanized site, suggesting greater performance of functional guilds in that area. Our findings suggest that urbanization has led to a loss of macromycete species and a decrease in functional diversity, causing some sections of the niche space to be hardly occupied and available resources to be under-utilized, which could, to a certain extent, affect ecosystem functioning and stability.

scholarly journals Impairment of microbial and meiofaunal ecosystem functions linked to algal forest loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Bianchelli ◽  
Roberto Danovaro
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
Vulnerable Habitats ◽  
Nematode Biodiversity ◽  
Barren Grounds

AbstractHabitat loss is jeopardizing marine biodiversity. In the Mediterranean Sea, the algal forests of Cystoseira spp. form one of the most complex, productive and vulnerable shallow-water habitats. These forests are rapidly regressing with negative impact on the associated biodiversity, and potential consequences in terms of ecosystem functioning. Here, by comparing healthy Cystoseira forests and barren grounds (i.e., habitats where the macroalgal forests disappeared), we assessed the effects of habitat loss on meiofaunal and nematode biodiversity, and on some ecosystem functions (here measured in terms of prokaryotic and meiofaunal biomass). Overall, our results suggest that the loss of Cystoseira forests and the consequent barren formation is associated with the loss of meiofaunal higher taxa and a decrease of nematode biodiversity, leading to the collapse of the microbial and meiofaunal variables of ecosystem functions. We conclude that, given the very limited resilience of these ecosystems, active restoration of these vulnerable habitats is needed, in order to recover their biodiversity, ecosystem functions and associated services.

scholarly journals Linking community size structure and ecosystem functioning using metabolic theory

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1605) ◽  
pp. 2998-3007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Yvon-Durocher ◽  
Andrew P. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Central Research ◽  
Metabolic Theory ◽  
Community Size

Understanding how biogeochemical cycles relate to the structure of ecological communities is a central research question in ecology. Here we approach this problem by focusing on body size, which is an easily measured species trait that has a pervasive influence on multiple aspects of community structure and ecosystem functioning. We test the predictions of a model derived from metabolic theory using data on ecosystem metabolism and community size structure. These data were collected as part of an aquatic mesocosm experiment that was designed to simulate future environmental warming. Our analyses demonstrate significant linkages between community size structure and ecosystem functioning, and the effects of warming on these links. Specifically, we show that carbon fluxes were significantly influenced by seasonal variation in temperature, and yielded activation energies remarkably similar to those predicted based on the temperature dependencies of individual-level photosynthesis and respiration. We also show that community size structure significantly influenced fluxes of ecosystem respiration and gross primary production, particularly at the annual time-scale. Assessing size structure and the factors that control it, both empirically and theoretically, therefore promises to aid in understanding links between individual organisms and biogeochemical cycles, and in predicting the responses of key ecosystem functions to future environmental change.

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