Grazer Diversity and Ecosystem Function in Seagrass Beds

小行星9521184 人类活动造成的环境变化的最普遍和不可逆转的影响之一是在地方和全球范围内减少物种多样性。 生态系统功能下降的后果在很大程度上仍然无法量化和预测。 在低多样性但高补充的环境中，如河口，物种的损失可能会严重改变生产水平和营养转移。 这项研究将涉及一系列围隔生态系统实验，以测试无脊椎食草动物物种对以下方面的影响：（1）鳗草群落结构，特别是藻类附生植物;（2）鳗草生态系统的功能过程，特别是初级生产和次级生产、维管碎屑处理以及有机质向底层沉积物的输出;（3）植物对营养盐富集的响应。这项工作的结果很可能提供第一个实验证据的浅水植被群落中的中食草动物的作用，包括他们的个人和集体对社区结构和功能的影响。 ***

9521184 Duffy One of most pervasive and irreversible effects of environmental change wrought by human activity is the reduction in species diversity on local and global scales. The consequences of declining for ecosystem function remain largely unquantified and unpredictable. The loss of species in low diversity but high recruitment environments, like estuaries, may severely alter production levels and trophic transfers. This research will involve a series of mesocosm experiments to test the effects of invertebrate grazer species on: 1) the structure of eelgrass communities, particularly the algal epiphytes, 2) functional processes within the eelgrass ecosystem, especially primary and secondary production, vascular detritus processing, and organic matter export to underlying sediment, and 3) the responses of the plants to nutrient enrichment. The results of this work are likely to provide the first experimental evidence about the roles of mesograzers in shallow water vegetation communities, including their individual and collective effects on community structure and function. ***