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JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
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Functional structure of biological communities predicts ecosystem multifunctionality.

David Mouillot1, Sébastien Villéger, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen

  • 1Laboratoire Ecologie des Systèmes Marins Côtiers UMR 5119, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France. david.mouillot@univ-montp2.fr

Plos One
|March 23, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Ecosystem functioning depends on species traits, not just diversity. Specialist species with unique traits drive multiple ecosystem processes, highlighting the importance of functional structure for maintaining ecosystem multifunctionality.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Science
  • Biodiversity Research

Background:

  • Biodiversity patterns are changing rapidly due to human pressures and global warming.
  • Understanding the link between community structure and ecosystem functioning (BEF) is crucial.
  • Current BEF research has limited predictive power and often overlooks ecosystem multifunctionality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the drivers of ecosystem multifunctionality.
  • To assess the role of functional community structure in ecosystem functioning.
  • To improve the predictive power of BEF research.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a multiple-processes framework from grassland biodiversity experiments.
  • Analyzed the influence of functional identity and functional divergence of species.
  • Compared the effects of functional structure versus species diversity per se.

Main Results:

  • Functional identity and divergence, not species richness, significantly predict ecosystem multifunctionality (80% predictive power).
  • Primary productivity and decomposition are sustained by specialist species with unique trait combinations.
  • Found a linear, non-saturating effect of functional community structure on ecosystem multifunctionality.

Conclusions:

  • Ecosystem multifunctionality is driven by the functional traits and specialization of species.
  • Focusing on trait dominance and community specialization is key to sustaining multiple ecosystem processes.
  • This approach is effective even in species-rich ecosystems.