Emergent Relationships Between the Functional Diversity of Marine Planktonic Copepods and Ecosystem Functioning in the Global Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Copepods are a major group of the mesozooplankton and thus a key part of marine ecosystems worldwide. Their fitness and life strategies are determined by their functional traits which allow different species to exploit various ecological niches. The range of functional traits expressed in a community defines its functional diversity (FD), which can be used to investigate how communities utilize resources and shape ecosystem processes. However, the spatial patterns of copepod FD and their relation to ecosystem functioning remain poorly understood on a global scale. Here, we use estimates of copepod community composition derived from species distribution models in combination with functional traits and indicators of ecosystem functioning to investigate the distribution of multiple facets of

SUBMITTER: Benedetti F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11897942 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature