Role of functionally dominant species in varying environmental regimes: evidence for the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity
Role of functionally dominant species in varying environmental regimes: evidence for the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity
Background
Theory suggests that biodiversity can act as a buffer against disturbances and environmental variability via two major mechanisms: Firstly, a stabilising effect by decreasing the temporal variance in ecosystem functioning due to compensatory processes; and secondly, a performance enhancing effect by raising the level of community response through the selection of better performing species. Empirical evidence for the stabilizing effect of biodiversity is readily available, whereas experimental confirmation of the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity is sparse.
Results
Here, we test the effect of different environmental regimes (constant versus fluctuating temperature) on bacterial biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relations. We show that positive effects of species richness on ecosystem functioning are enhanced by stronger temperature fluctuations due to the increased performance of individual species.
Conclusions
Our results provide evidence for the performance enhancing effect and suggest that selection towards functionally dominant species is likely to benefit the maintenance of ecosystem functioning under more variable conditions.
Langenheder, Silke
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Bulling, Mark T.
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Prosser, James I.
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Solan, Martin
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30 July 2012
Langenheder, Silke
eae0797a-552d-42ed-bbb8-96ba2ac66c38
Bulling, Mark T.
0a9186c7-5457-46f4-8c83-1b26a571e402
Prosser, James I.
086622f1-1fe1-41e3-bfe0-89a0bd649ebd
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Langenheder, Silke, Bulling, Mark T., Prosser, James I. and Solan, Martin
(2012)
Role of functionally dominant species in varying environmental regimes: evidence for the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity.
BMC Ecology, 12, [14].
(doi:10.1186/1472-6785-12-14).
Abstract
Background
Theory suggests that biodiversity can act as a buffer against disturbances and environmental variability via two major mechanisms: Firstly, a stabilising effect by decreasing the temporal variance in ecosystem functioning due to compensatory processes; and secondly, a performance enhancing effect by raising the level of community response through the selection of better performing species. Empirical evidence for the stabilizing effect of biodiversity is readily available, whereas experimental confirmation of the performance-enhancing effect of biodiversity is sparse.
Results
Here, we test the effect of different environmental regimes (constant versus fluctuating temperature) on bacterial biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relations. We show that positive effects of species richness on ecosystem functioning are enhanced by stronger temperature fluctuations due to the increased performance of individual species.
Conclusions
Our results provide evidence for the performance enhancing effect and suggest that selection towards functionally dominant species is likely to benefit the maintenance of ecosystem functioning under more variable conditions.
Text
1472-6785-12-14
- Version of Record
More information
Published date: 30 July 2012
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 455661
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/455661
ISSN: 1472-6785
PURE UUID: b6e313cf-7e43-4483-8201-dbc75f28f2d6
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Date deposited: 30 Mar 2022 16:38
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:15
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Contributors
Author:
Silke Langenheder
Author:
Mark T. Bulling
Author:
James I. Prosser
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