Abstract
Current research revealed distinct changes in ecosystem functions, and thus in ecosystem stability and resilience, caused by changes in community structure and diversity loss. Benthic species play an important role in benthic-pelagic coupling, such as through the remineralization of deposited organic material, and changes to benthic community structure and diversity have associated with changes in ecosystem functioning, ecosystem stability and resilience. However, the long-term variability of traits and functions in benthic communities is largely unknown. By using abundance and bioturbation potential of macrofauna samples, taken along a transect from the German Bight towards the Dogger Bank in May 1990 and annually from 1995 to 2017, we analysed the taxonomic and trait-based macrofauna long-term community variability and diversity. Taxonomic and trait-based diversity remained stable over time, while three different regimes were found, characterised by changes in taxonomic and trait-based community structure. Min/max autocorrelation factor analysis revealed the climatic variables sea surface temperature (SST) and North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI), nitrite, and epibenthic abundance as most important environmental drivers for taxonomic and trait-based community changes.
Highlights
Diversity and ecosystem function researchWhile studying ecosystems and their inherent communities, former studies frequently focused on taxonomic descriptions [1,2,3]
Taxonomic structures give only restricted information on ecosystem functioning, which are processes accounting for fluctuations of organic matter, nutrients, and energy flows of environments, including primary production, nutrient cycling, and decomposition and on ecosystem services, which summarise the benefits people obtain from ecosystems [7, 8]
Understanding which role species or communities play in an ecosystem and how long-term changes in diversity, and in functional traits, can affect ecosystem functioning or at least ecosystem services, seem to be one of the most challenging research items, in benthic research [8, 9]
Summary
Diversity and ecosystem function researchWhile studying ecosystems and their inherent communities, former studies frequently focused on taxonomic descriptions [1,2,3]. Not all species are important for ecosystem processes and stability [4,5,6]. Taxonomic structures give only restricted information on ecosystem functioning, which are processes accounting for fluctuations of organic matter, nutrients, and energy flows of environments, including primary production, nutrient cycling, and decomposition and on ecosystem services, which summarise the benefits people obtain from ecosystems [7, 8]. Understanding which role species or communities play in an ecosystem and how long-term changes in diversity, and in functional traits, can affect ecosystem functioning or at least ecosystem services, seem to be one of the most challenging research items, in benthic research [8, 9].
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