Abstract
In experimental systems, it has been shown that biodiversity indices based on traits or phylogeny can outperform species richness as predictors of plant ecosystem function. However, it is unclear whether this pattern extends to the function of food webs in natural ecosystems. Here we tested whether zooplankton functional and phylogenetic diversity explains the functioning of 23 natural pond communities. We used two measures of ecosystem function: (1) zooplankton community biomass and (2) phytoplankton abundance (Chl a). We tested for diversity-ecosystem function relationships within and across trophic levels. We found a strong correlation between zooplankton diversity and ecosystem function, whereas local environmental conditions were less important. Further, the positive diversity-ecosystem function relationships were more pronounced for measures of functional and phylogenetic diversity than for species richness. Zooplankton and phytoplankton biomass were best predicted by different indices, suggesting that the two functions are dependent upon different aspects of diversity. Zooplankton community biomass was best predicted by zooplankton trait-based functional richness, while phytoplankton abundance was best predicted by zooplankton phylogenetic diversity. Our results suggest that the positive relationship between diversity and ecosystem function can extend across trophic levels in natural environments, and that greater insight into variation in ecosystem function can be gained by combining functional and phylogenetic diversity measures.
Highlights
After two decades of biodiversity-ecosystem function research, there is consensus that the functioning of a biological community is mediated by the diversity of its component species [1,2]
We found that positive diversity ecosystem function relationships emerged most clearly when measures of functional and phylogenetic diversity were used, and that these measures explained variation in ecosystem function beyond that explained by taxonomic diversity measures, such as species richness
Our study provides evidence that the functional and phylogenetic diversity of natural zooplankton communities determines their ability to produce biomass, as well as suppress phytoplankton through top-down grazing
Summary
After two decades of biodiversity-ecosystem function research, there is consensus that the functioning of a biological community is mediated by the diversity of its component species [1,2]. Most experiments reveal that ecosystem function has a positive but saturating relationship with species richness [2]. In experimental data, species richness typically accounts for between 30 to 73 percent of the variance of a given ecosystem function [3]. This wide range has prompted ecologists to look for measures of diversity that more reliably explain variation in ecosystem function, including estimates of functional and phylogenetic diversity [4,5,6].
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