Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in fish communities: biomass is related to evenness and the environment, not to species richness.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) is a topic of considerable interest to scientists and managers because a better understanding of its underlying mechanisms may help us mitigate the consequences of biodiversity loss on ecosystems. Our current knowledge of BEF relies heavily on theoretical and experimental studies, typically conducted on a narrow range of spatio-temporal scales, environmental conditions, and trophic levels. Hence, whether a relationship holds in the natural environment is poorly understood, especially in exploited marine ecosystems. Using large-scale observations of marine fish communities, we applied a structural equation modelling framework to investigate the existence and significance of BEF relationships across northwestern European s

SUBMITTER: Maureaud A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6650717 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature