Human pressure drives biodiversity–multifunctionality relationships in neotropical wetlands

Abstract

Many studies have shown that biodiversity regulates a multitude of ecological functions that are needed to maintain the productivity and efficiency of a variety of types of ecosystems. What is not known is how human activities may change the ‘multifunctionality’ of ecosystems as they have both direct impacts on ecosystems and indirect effects on the biodiversity that serves to control ecological functions. Using a database on hundreds of lakes spanning four large neotropical wetlands, we demonstrate that species richness and the functional diversity of fish, macrophytes, microcrustaceans, rotifers, protists, and phytoplankton are positively associated with ecosystem multifunctionality, including nutrient concentrations, standing biomass, and ecosystem metabolism. However, we also found that the relationship between biodiversity and multifunctionality is weakened by human pressures and that part of this impact occurs through changes in biodiversity. Our results suggest that human activities may break down the biological controls needed to maintain the suite of ecosystem functions that sustain wetlands.

Biosphere functional integrity for people and Planet

“…The minimum threshold is applicable to most human-dominated landscapes 14,30,31 , though more habitat areas may be needed in specific contexts and conditions, such as erosion sensitive lands as is indicated by our results. Further increasing landscape complexity through embedded habitat can further secure actual and future provision of NCP to humanity 32 .…”

Three major steps toward the conservation of freshwater and riparian biodiversity

“…Land-use change, fragmentation, pollution, and biological invasions are among the main threats to freshwater, riparian, and wetland biodiversity (Reid et al, 2019;Tolkkinen et al, 2020). Because biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are closely linked (Cardinale et al, 2006;Yachi & Loreau, 1999), these pressures also can lead to declines in ecological functioning and potentially to the collapse of important ecosystem services (Moi et al, 2022). These problems are particularly urgent because freshwater and riparian systems, despite their close ecological linkage, are rarely considered together in research, management, and policy (Maasri et al, 2022;Rodríguez-González et al, 2022).…”