Journal article
How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models?
Marine ecosystem models used to investigate how global change affects ocean ecosystems and their functioning typically omit pelagic plankton diversity. Diversity, however, may affect functions such as primary production and their sensitivity to environmental changes. Here we use a global ocean ecosystem model that explicitly resolves phytoplankton diversity by defining subtypes within four phytoplankton functional types (PFTs).
We investigate the model's ability to capture diversity effects on primary production under environmental change. An idealized scenario with a sudden reduction in vertical mixing causes diversity and primary-production changes that turn out to be largely independent of the number of coexisting phytoplankton subtypes.
The way diversity is represented in the model provides a small number of niches with respect to nutrient use in accordance with the PFTs defined in the model. Increasing the number of phytoplankton subtypes increases the resolution within the niches. Diversity effects such as niche complementarity operate between, but not within PFTs, and are constrained by the variety of traits and trade-offs resolved in the model.
The number and nature of the niches formulated in the model, for example via trade-offs or different PFTs, thus determines the diversity effects on ecosystem functioning captured in ocean ecosystem models.
Language: | English |
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Publisher: | Copernicus Publications |
Year: | 2014 |
Pages: | 3397-3407 |
ISSN: | 17264189 and 17264170 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.5194/bg-11-3397-2014 |
ORCIDs: | 0000-0001-5281-4696 and 0000-0002-8295-4013 |
04500, Mathematical biology and statistical methods 07502, Ecology: environmental biology - General and methods 07506, Ecology: environmental biology - Plant 07512, Ecology: environmental biology - Oceanography 10515, Biophysics - Biocybernetics BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity COMMUNITIES Computational Biology ECOLOGY Ecology, Environmental Sciences GEOSCIENCES, IMPACT Marine Ecology Models and Simulations OCEAN Organisms (Organisms) - Organisms [00500] plankton common PRODUCTIVITY Plantae (Algae, Microorganisms, Nonvascular Plants, Plants) - Algae [13000] phytoplankton common SDG 14 - Life Below Water TIME environmental change marine ecosystem model mathematical and computer techniques nutrient use species diversity