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The function-dominance correlation drives the direction and strength of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
Michael S Crawford1,2,3, Kathryn E Barry1,4,5, Adam T Clark1,6,7
1German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Ecology Letters
|June 22, 2021
Summary
Species identity, not just richness, significantly impacts ecosystem functioning. Changes in the local species pool can alter ecosystem processes more than shifts in the number of species present.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Biodiversity Research
- Ecosystem Science
Background:
- Community composition critically influences the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF).
- Understanding how species' traits and dominance affect ecosystem processes is key to predicting biodiversity change impacts.
Discussion:
- A positive correlation between a species' monoculture performance and its dominance in mixtures (function-dominance correlation) drives complex BEF relationships.
- This correlation leads to a positive BEF relationship across species richness levels but a negative one within richness levels due to decreased realized diversity.
Key Insights:
- Species identity effects can outweigh species richness effects on ecosystem functioning.
- The function-dominance correlation is a crucial factor mediating BEF relationships.
- External factors like seed inflow can modulate the influence of community composition on ecosystem functioning.
Outlook:
- Future research should focus on species traits and interactions to better predict ecosystem responses to biodiversity change.
- Conservation strategies may need to prioritize maintaining specific species compositions over simply increasing species numbers.
- Further investigation into the role of environmental factors in shaping community composition and its functional consequences is warranted.
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