Reintroducing Environmental Change Drivers in Biodiversity–Ecosystem Functioning Research

Laender, Frederik De; Rohr, Jason R.; Ashauer, Roman; Baird, Donald J.; Berger, Uta; Eisenhauer, Nico; Grimm, Volker; Hommen, Udo; Maltby, Lorraine; Melián, Carlos J.; Pomati, Francesco; Roessink, Ivo; Radchuk, Viktoriia; Brink, Paul J. Van den

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.09.007

Cited by 122 publications

(147 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…; De Laender et al . ), which makes it difficult to detect effects on function in the absence of effects on richness. Alternative approaches that infer function and richness beyond tested levels of environmental change are therefore needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts of community composition and population density substantially affect ecosystem function despite invariant richness

et al. 2017

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There has been considerable focus on the impacts of environmental change on ecosystem function arising from changes in species richness. However, environmental change may affect ecosystem function without affecting richness, most notably by affecting population densities and community composition. Using a theoretical model, we find that, despite invariant richness, (1) small environmental effects may already lead to a collapse of function; (2) competitive strength may be a less important determinant of ecosystem function change than the selectivity of the environmental change driver and (3) effects on ecosystem function increase when effects on composition are larger. We also present a complementary statistical analysis of 13 data sets of phytoplankton and periphyton communities exposed to chemical stressors and show that effects on primary production under invariant richness ranged from À75% to +10%. We conclude that environmental protection goals relying on measures of richness could underestimate ecological impacts of environmental change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifts of community composition and population density substantially affect ecosystem function despite invariant richness

et al. 2017

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“…Compared to changes in species densities and concomitantly in community structure, such direct stressor impacts on organisms’ contribution to functioning have received little attention to date (Relyea & Hoverman ; Rohr, Kerby & Sih ; De Laender et al . ). In the context of multiple human impacts (Lotze et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…; De Laender et al . ). Environmental change can affect ecosystem functioning by causing species loss (Cardinale et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Different response–effect trait relationships underlie contrasting responses to two chemical stressors

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Summary Trait‐based approaches evaluate ecosystem functioning under environmental change by relating traits predicting changes in species densities (response traits) to traits driving ecosystem functioning (effect traits). Stressors can, however, affect ecosystem functioning not only by altering species densities but also by directly changing species effect traits. We first identified the response traits predicting the cell density of 18 marine benthic diatom strains along gradients of two chemical stressors (a pesticide and a metal, atrazine and copper). We then tested if response traits could predict stressor‐induced changes in ecosystem functioning, i.e. changes in the effect traits driving the diatoms’ potential contribution to primary production, sediment stabilization and energy content in intertidal systems. Finally, we examined if changes in density and changes in ecosystem functioning were correlated, to assess whether species capable of growing under stressful conditions could maintain their contribution to ecosystem functioning. The relationship between response traits and stressor‐induced changes in density and ecosystem functioning was different depending on stressor type: a set of intercorrelated morphological traits predicted changes in both density and ecosystem functioning under metal stress, with large cells being more stress resistant. Changes in density and changes in ecosystem functioning were positively related: diatoms whose density was least affected by the metal were also able to sustain functioning under metal exposure. In contrast, the capacity for mixotrophic growth predicted changes in density, but not changes in ecosystem functioning under pesticide stress. Pesticide effects on density and on ecosystem functioning were negatively related for energy content and sediment stabilization, indicating a limited capacity of pesticide‐tolerant diatoms to maintain their contribution to ecosystem functioning. Synthesis. Ecosystem functioning under stress can depend on whether the response traits driving changes in species densities also predict direct stress effects on the species’ contribution to functioning. Based on our results, we expect a disproportionate loss of functioning when traits driving species densities do not allow to maintain ecosystem functioning under stress.

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“…; De Laender et al . ). Understanding how biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are interrelated has therefore become a major objective in ecology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Nonlinear partitioning of biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning

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Summary Assessing the consequences of biodiversity changes for ecosystem functioning requires separating the net effect of biodiversity from potential confounding effects such as the identity of the gained or lost species. Additive partitioning methods allow factoring out these species identify effects by comparing species’ functional contributions against the predictions of a null model under which functional contributions are independent of biodiversity. Classic additive partitioning methods quantify biodiversity effects based on a linear relationship between species deviations from the null model and their functional traits. However, based on ecological theory, nonlinear relationships are also possible. Here, we demonstrate how additive‐partitioning methods can be extended to describe such nonlinear relationships, and explain how nonlinear biodiversity effects can be interpreted. We apply both linear and nonlinear partitioning methods to the Cedar Creek Biodiversity II experiment. Nonlinear relationships were detected in the majority of plots, and increased with diversity. Nonlinear partitioning thereby identified a convex relationship between species functional traits and their deviations from the null model, driven by strong positive effects of both species with low and high functional trait values trait values on ecosystem functioning. The presented nonlinear extension of additive partitioning methods is therefore essential for revealing more complex biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning, that are likely to occur in biodiversity experiments.

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Reintroducing Environmental Change Drivers in Biodiversity–Ecosystem Functioning Research

Cited by 122 publications

References 80 publications

Shifts of community composition and population density substantially affect ecosystem function despite invariant richness

Shifts of community composition and population density substantially affect ecosystem function despite invariant richness

Different response–effect trait relationships underlie contrasting responses to two chemical stressors

Nonlinear partitioning of biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning

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