Diversity effects of trait-based zooplankton feeding interactions in a global ecosystem model

在整个生态系统中观察到的生物多样性的持续丧失提出了一个问题，即多样性如何影响远洋的生态和生物地球化学过程。全球生物地球化学模型正被用来研究生物多样性和生物地球化学循环之间的相互作用，但重点或多或少地详细描述和模拟浮游植物的分布。然而，在这样的模型中，浮游动物的摄食相互作用可以极大地影响浮游生物多样性和群落结构，从而影响海洋生态系统的功能，如初级生产和向深海输出有机物。在这些模型中，摄食相互作用的特点是过于简单化、静态的相互作用以及浮游动物和浮游植物功能群之间规定的营养联系。这种僵化的饲料配方可能会阻碍模型捕捉浮游生物群落对生物和非生物变化的反应的能力。相比之下，允许更多可塑性的替代建模技术，如基于最优化的或自适应的动力学模型，更适合于解决多样性效应，并可能增加模型对环境变化的反应潜力，例如，在未来的气候中预期的那样。然而，这种建模技术尚未在全球范围内应用。在这个项目中，我们希望通过将灵活的摄食相互作用纳入最先进的全球生物地球化学-生态-循环模型，来研究浮游生物特征和生态，特别是多样性和群落结构在全球生物地球化学循环中的作用。我们将外推从文献中获得的过程模型，并在稍后的阶段中，从DyNatrait为个别环境、实验或地点开发的全球范围内获得。这将使我们能够评估在施加时间和地理限制的不同环境条件下，性状可塑性和变异对大规模多样性格局的影响。这种方法的具体研究问题是：1.与传统的刚性配方相比，柔性营养相互作用如何影响浮游生物多样性和群落结构的模拟区域和全球格局？2.浮游动物多样性(以前在全球模型中没有考虑)如何影响模拟的浮游生物群落动力学、多样性和生态系统功能？3.模拟未来的环境变化如何影响群落动态以及多样性与大尺度生态系统功能之间的关系？

A continuing loss of diversity observed across ecosystems raises the question of how diversity influences ecological and biogeochemical processes in the pelagic ocean. Global biogeochemical models are being used to examine interactions between diversity and biogeochemical cycles, but focus on more or less detailed descriptions and simulated distributions of phytoplankton. However, in such models feeding interactions by zooplankton can substantially affect plankton diversity and community structure, and thereby ocean ecosystem functions like primary production and the export of organic matter to the deep ocean. Feeding interactions in these models are typically characterized by oversimplified, static interactions and prescribed trophic links between zooplankton and phytoplankton functional groups. Such rigid feeding formulations may hinder the models' ability to capture reactions of the plankton community to biotic and abiotic changes. In contrast, alternative modelling techniques allowing more plasticity, such as optimality-based or adaptive dynamics models, are better suited to resolve diversity effects and may increase the models' potential to respond to environmental changes as, for example, expected in a future climate. However, such modelling techniques have yet to be employed on the global scale. In this project we want to examine the role of plankton traits and ecology, in particular diversity and community structure, in global biogeochemical cycles by incorporating flexible feeding interactions into a state-of-the-art global biogeochemistry-ecology-circulation model. We will extrapolate process models obtained from the literature and, in a later stage, available from Dynatrait developed for individual settings, experiments, or locations to the global scale. This upscaling will allow us to evaluate effects of trait plasticity and variation on large-scale diversity patterns under different environmental conditions imposing both temporal and geographical constraints. Specific research questions within this approach are:1. How do flexible trophic interactions affect simulated regional and global patterns of plankton diversity and community structure compared to traditional rigid formulations?2. How does zooplankton diversity (not previously considered in global models) affect the simulated plankton community dynamics, diversity and ecosystem functioning?3. How do simulated future environmental changes influence the community dynamics and the relationship between diversity and large-scale ecosystem functions?