INter- and intra-specific SIze Diversity of phytoplankton and its impacts on Ecosystem functions (INSIDE)

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Biodiversity has various impacts on production and re-circulation of energy and matter in an ecosystem. It is typically measured in terms of the number of species, albeit alternative metrics, such as functional trait diversity, can provide an effective quantitative basis to investigate relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Trait-based approaches have become very common in biodiversity research. Most studies, however, focus on inter-specific trait variations (driven by species composition), thus overlooking how intra-specific elements of trait variability (genotypic and phenotypic) affect the community structure and the resulting ecosystem functions. Here we propose a project that combines mathematical modelling with laboratory experiments to quantify the relative impacts of intra- and inter-specific trait diversity on the community structure and functioning of marine planktonic communities. We tackle this by performing experiments of natural community assemblages and mixtures of selected clones at different nutrient and grazing regimes, and in small (flasks) and large-scale (mesocosms) experimental settings. In parallel, an individual-explicit trait-based model will be developed to account for inter- and intra-specific variations of size diversity and to quantify the functional substitutability between the two levels of diversity. This synergistic approach will thus shed new light on the relevant mechanisms (shifts in species composition and genotypic and phenotypic variations) shaping biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships.