Intraspecific diversity loss in a predator species alters prey community structure and ecosystem functions

Loss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity-ecosystem function (iBEF) relationships have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS biology 2021-03, Vol.19 (3), p.e3001145-e3001145
Main Authors: Raffard, Allan, Cucherousset, Julien, Montoya, José M, Richard, Murielle, Acoca-Pidolle, Samson, Poésy, Camille, Garreau, Alexandre, Santoul, Frédéric, Blanchet, Simon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Analysis
Animals
Biodiversity
Biological diversity
Biology and Life Sciences
Biomass
Community structure
Cyprinidae - genetics
Cyprinidae - metabolism
Decomposition
Ecological effects
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ecosystem
Ecosystems
Environmental changes
Fish
Fishes - genetics
Fishes - metabolism
Food and Nutrition
Food Chain
Food chains
Food webs
Genetic engineering
Genotype
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Population
Predatory Behavior - physiology
Prey
Research and Analysis Methods
Zooplankton
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Summary:Loss in intraspecific diversity can alter ecosystem functions, but the underlying mechanisms are still elusive, and intraspecific biodiversity-ecosystem function (iBEF) relationships have been restrained to primary producers. Here, we manipulated genetic and functional richness of a fish consumer (Phoxinus phoxinus) to test whether iBEF relationships exist in consumer species and whether they are more likely sustained by genetic or functional richness. We found that both genotypic and functional richness affected ecosystem functioning, either independently or interactively. Loss in genotypic richness reduced benthic invertebrate diversity consistently across functional richness treatments, whereas it reduced zooplankton diversity only when functional richness was high. Finally, losses in genotypic and functional richness altered functions (decomposition) through trophic cascades. We concluded that iBEF relationships lead to substantial top-down effects on entire food chains. The loss of genotypic richness impacted ecological properties as much as the loss of functional richness, probably because it sustains "cryptic" functional diversity.
ISSN:1545-7885
1544-9173
1545-7885
DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.3001145