Seasonal variations alter the impact of functional traits on plankton dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Gaining understanding of food-web processes often requires a simplified representation of natural diversity. One such simplification can be based on functional traits, as functionally similar species may provide a similar contribution to ecosystem level-processes. However, understanding how similarity in functional traits actually translates into similar contributions to ecosystem-level properties remains a challenge due to the complex ways in which traits can influence species' dynamics. Moreover, in many communities, seasonality alters the abiotic and biotic forcing regime, causing ongoing changes to patterns of species' dominance; groups of species do not stay intact but are rather continuously subjected to changes throughout the year. Using long-term high frequency measurements of phyt

SUBMITTER: Rocha MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3523777 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature