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Consistent patterns and the idiosyncratic effects of biodiversity in marine ecosystems

Nature volume 411, pages 73–77 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Revealing the consequences of species extinctions for ecosystem function has been a chief research goal1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and has been accompanied by enthusiastic debate8,9,10,11. Studies carried out predominantly in terrestrial grassland and soil ecosystems have demonstrated that as the number of species in assembled communities increases, so too do certain ecosystem processes, such as productivity, whereas others such as decomposition can remain unaffected12. Diversity can influence aspects of ecosystem function, but questions remain as to how generic the patterns observed are, and whether they are the product of diversity, as such, or of the functional roles and traits that characterize species in ecological systems. Here we demonstrate variable diversity effects for species representative of marine coastal systems at both global and regional scales. We provide evidence for an increase in complementary resource use as diversity increases and show strong evidence for diversity effects in naturally assembled communities at a regional scale. The variability among individual species responses is consistent with a positive but idiosyncratic pattern of ecosystem function with increased diversity.

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Figure 1: Biomass effects on infauna production for different species richness combinations.
Figure 2: Patterns of variance.
Figure 3: Diversity effects on over yielding.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Pihl and associated research staff at KMRS, Sweden and S. Hall and Flinders University for support in Australia. We also thank C. Biles and S. Way for help with fieldwork. Our work was supported by NERC and ESF grants to D.R. and D.P., and Carnegie trust to M.E.

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Author notes

  1. Dave Raffaelli

    Present address: Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Culterty Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, AB41 6AA, Ellon, Scotland

    Mark C. Emmerson, Martin Solan, Chas Emes & Dave Raffaelli

  2. Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, Fife, Scotland

    David M. Paterson

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  1. Mark C. Emmerson
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  2. Martin Solan
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Correspondence to Mark C. Emmerson.

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Emmerson, M., Solan, M., Emes, C. et al. Consistent patterns and the idiosyncratic effects of biodiversity in marine ecosystems. Nature 411, 73–77 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35075055

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