Characterizations of how species mediate ecosystem properties require more comprehensive functional effect descriptors.
Characterizations of how species mediate ecosystem properties require more comprehensive functional effect descriptors.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep06463
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发表时间：
2014-09-24
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Solan M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hale R;Mavrogordato MN;Tolhurst TJ;Solan M
个体物种在调节生态系统过程和功能中的重要性已被普遍接受，但总结特定物种对生态系统贡献的分类描述符往往引用有限数量的生物特征，并低估了生物体与其环境相互作用的重要性。在这里，我们展示了三种功能对比鲜明的沉积物海洋无脊椎动物如何影响流体和颗粒运输（介导营养循环的重要过程），并使用洞穴几何形状的高分辨率重建来确定生物修饰的程度和性质。我们发现，个体功能效应描述符无法充分描述物种如何调节重要生态系统特性的存量和流量，并且与通常的实践和理解相反，它们不能相互替代，因为它们强调物种活动和行为的不同方面。然而，当从这些指标得出的信息与物种如何行为和改变其环境的知识相结合时，就会出现详细的机制信息，从而增加了适当总结物种功能地位的可能性。我们的研究提供的证据表明，如果要对那些负责预测生物多样性改变将如何影响未来生态系统的人有价值，就需要更全面的功能效应描述符。
The importance of individual species in mediating ecosystem process and functioning is generally accepted, but categorical descriptors that summarize species-specific contributions to ecosystems tend to reference a limited number of biological traits and underestimate the importance of how organisms interact with their environment. Here, we show how three functionally contrasting sediment-dwelling marine invertebrates affect fluid and particle transport - important processes in mediating nutrient cycling - and use high-resolution reconstructions of burrow geometry to determine the extent and nature of biogenic modification. We find that individual functional effect descriptors fall short of being able to adequately characterize how species mediate the stocks and flows of important ecosystem properties and that, in contrary to common practice and understanding, they are not substitutable with one another because they emphasize different aspects of species activity and behavior. When information derived from these metrics is combined with knowledge of how species behave and modify their environment, however, detailed mechanistic information emerges that increases the likelihood that a species functional standing will be appropriately summarized. Our study provides evidence that more comprehensive functional effect descriptors are required if they are to be of value to those tasked with projecting how altered biodiversity will influence future ecosystems.