Marine biodiversity and ecosystem services: an elusive link

Area of Science:

• Marine Ecology
• Biodiversity Research
• Ecosystem Services

Background:

• Growing efforts to link biodiversity and ecosystem functions to predict impacts of biodiversity loss.
• Marine ecosystems, particularly seagrass communities, have been understudied in this regard.
• Seagrasses offer a model system due to their relatively simple species composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between species richness and ecosystem functions in marine environments.
• To provide evidence for the conservation of marine biodiversity based on its functional importance.
• To forecast the consequences of biodiversity erosion on ecosystem functions.

Main Methods:

• Examination of seagrass communities worldwide and in specific locations.
• Analysis of species-specific functional properties and community membership.
• Correlation of functional variability with species traits like size.

Main Results:

• Strong evidence found for a positive link between species richness and ecosystem functions in seagrasses.
• Ecosystem functions depend on community membership, but higher richness generally increases functional repertoire.
• Functional variability is linked to species size, with potential for functional redundancy in similar-sized species.

Conclusions:

• Mixed-species seagrass communities exhibit enhanced functional performance due to positive interactions and functional redundancy.
• Biodiversity is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of ecosystem functions under environmental change.
• A strong, albeit experimentally challenging, positive relationship exists between marine species diversity and ecosystem functions/services.