Unexpected high vulnerability of functions in wilderness areas: evidence from coral reef fishes.

ABSTRACT: High species richness is thought to support the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions and services under changing environments. Yet, some species might perform unique functional roles while others are redundant. Thus, the benefits of high species richness in maintaining ecosystem functioning are uncertain if functions have little redundancy, potentially leading to high vulnerability of functions. We studied the natural propensity of assemblages to be functionally buffered against loss prior to fishing activities, using functional trait combinations, in coral reef fish assemblages across unfished wilderness areas of the Indo-Pacific: Chagos Archipelago, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Fish functional diversity in these wilderness areas is highly vulnerable to fishing, explained by sp

SUBMITTER: D'agata S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5204136 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature