Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Primary Production

Primary Production

The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.

Keystone Species

Keystone Species

Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...

What is an Ecosystem?

What is an Ecosystem?

Bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Microplastic occurrence, distribution, and zonation at Paraná's beaches-South of Brazil.

Environmental science and pollution research international·2025

Same author

Fundamental questions in meiofauna research highlight how small but ubiquitous animals can improve our understanding of Nature.

Communications biology·2025

Same author

Life-history traits of <i>Tubastraea coccinea</i>: Reproduction, development, and larval competence.

Ecology and evolution·2020

Same author

Drivers of benthic metacommunity structure along tropical estuaries.

Scientific reports·2020

Same author

Phylogeny and biogeography of the scaleless scale worm <i>Pisione</i> (Sigalionidae, Annelida).

Ecology and evolution·2017

Same journal

Desert lizards modulate nutritional responses to match seasonal biological needs.

Royal Society open science·2026

Same journal

Multi-generational fidelity, ecological and social determinants of roosting in a cooperatively breeding bird (<i>Argya squamiceps</i>).

Royal Society open science·2025

Same journal

Multifaceted polarization and information reliability in climate change discussions on social media platforms.

Royal Society open science·2025

Same journal

Comparing the kinematics related to inflicted head injury between violent shaking of a 6-week-old and a 1-year-old infant surrogate.

Royal Society open science·2025

Same journal

Partner choice increases observed reciprocity-based cooperation but decreases unobserved stake-based cooperation.

Royal Society open science·2025

Same journal

Importation models for travel-related SARS-CoV-2 cases reported in Newfoundland and Labrador during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Royal Society open science·2025

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2025

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Published on: January 6, 2023

Overcoming challenges to access ecological function: a marine soft-bottom perspective.

A Martins¹, M Di Domenico², Y Costa³

¹Laboratório de Ecologia Bentônica, CIENAM & Instituto de Biologia & INCT Estudos Interdisciplinares e Transdisciplinares em Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Royal Society Open Science

|April 17, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Marine benthic invertebrates are crucial for ecosystem functioning, but functional ecology research faces challenges. This study identifies issues like undefined terms and scale mismatches, proposing solutions to advance ecological understanding.

Keywords:

biodiversity functional approach functionality macrobenthos marine sediments

More Related Videos

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2025

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Coral Reef Arks: An In Situ Mesocosm and Toolkit for Assembling Reef Communities

Published on: January 6, 2023

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Prospecting Microbial Strains for Bioremediation and Probiotics Development for Metaorganism Research and Preservation

Published on: October 31, 2019

Area of Science:

Ecology
Marine Biology
Environmental Science

Background:

Ecosystem functioning research is vital due to species decline.
Benthic invertebrates in marine sediments play key ecological roles.
Challenges in marine functional ecology are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

To systematically identify challenges in marine sediment functional ecology.
To propose solutions for advancing research in this field.

Main Methods:

Review of recent literature on functional ecology in marine sediments.
Identification of recurring problems and inconsistencies in study approaches.

Main Results:

Two primary issues identified: 1) Lack of clear definitions for ecological terms (function, process, trait).
2) Applicability problems including scale mismatches, incomplete trait data, trait selection biases, and inadequate data analysis linking taxonomy to function.

Conclusions:

Standardizing terminology and improving trait databases are essential.
Further research is needed on trait-function relationships, trait variability, and integrated data analysis.
Addressing these challenges will enhance our understanding of marine ecosystem functioning.