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Explaining ecosystem multifunction with evolutionary models.

Marc W Cadotte1,2,3, Stuart W Livingstone4, Simone-Louise E Yasui1,2,5

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto-Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.

Ecology
|October 13, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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Evolutionary history shapes ecosystem function. While some functions strongly link to species diversity and phylogenetic diversity, others do not, revealing complex evolutionary influences on ecological processes.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Community Ecology

Background:

  • Ecosystem function arises from species interactions, traits, and niche overlap, all influenced by evolutionary processes.
  • The impact of the pace and manner of niche evolution on ecosystem function remains incompletely understood.
  • Theoretical models suggest diversity-ecosystem function relationships depend on evolutionary mechanisms like random drift versus divergent selection, or niche convergence and novel trait evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the tempo and mode of niche evolution influence ecosystem function.
  • To test the hypothesis that diversity-ecosystem function relationships vary based on evolutionary pathways.
  • To determine the extent to which species richness and phylogenetic diversity predict various community functions.
Keywords:
biodiversitycommunity ecologyecosystem functionevolutionary modelsmultifunctionalityphylogenetic diversityplant ecology

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Main Methods:

  • Conducted a field experiment with plant communities of varying phylogenetic diversities.
  • Measured ten distinct community functions, including biomass production, herbivore/pathogen damage reduction, litter production, structural complexity, flower production, and arthropod abundance.
  • Utilized species richness and mean pairwise phylogenetic distance (MPD) as measures of diversity.

Main Results:

  • Species richness and MPD strongly predicted ecosystem functions such as biomass production and reduced herbivore/pathogen damage in polyculture.
  • Other functions, like litter production and structural complexity, showed weaker relationships with diversity metrics.
  • Functions such as flower production and arthropod abundance exhibited nonsignificant relationships with MPD and richness.

Conclusions:

  • Diversity-ecosystem function relationships are products of evolution, but the influence is complex and context-dependent.
  • Different models of niche evolution can explain the divergent relationships observed between diversity and various ecosystem functions.
  • The study highlights that evolutionary history is a critical, yet intricate, factor in understanding ecosystem functioning.