What determines the importance of a species for ecosystem processes? Insights from tropical ant assemblages

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F17%3A00477723" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/17:00477723 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-017-3900-x" target="_blank" >https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00442-017-3900-x</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3900-x" target="_blank" >10.1007/s00442-017-3900-x</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

What determines the importance of a species for ecosystem processes? Insights from tropical ant assemblages

Original language description

Biodiversity is known to increase ecosystem functioning. However, species vary in their contributions to ecosystem processes. Here, we investigated seven ecosystem functions based on the consumption of different resources in tropical ant communities. We analysed how different species influence site-level resource consumption, and determined how each species influenced performance and stability of these functions. Based on simulated extinctions, we identified ‘key species’ with significant functional contributions. We then investigated which traits, such as biomass, abundance, and specialisation, characterized them, and compared trait distributions across four sites to analyse differences in functional redundancy. Only few species significantly influenced ecosystem functions. Common generalist species tended to be the most important drivers of many ecosystem functions, though several specialist species also proved to be important in this study. Moreover, species-specific ecological impacts varied across sites. In addition, we found that functional redundancy varied across sites, and was highest in sites where the most common species did not simultaneously have the greatest functional impacts. Furthermore, redundancy was enhanced in sites where species were less specialised and had more even incidence distributions. Our study demonstrates that the ecological importance of a species depends on its functional traits, but also on the community context. It cannot be assessed without investigating its species-specific performance across multiple functions. Hence, to assess functional redundancy in a habitat and the potential for compensation of species loss, researchers need to study species-specific traits that concern functional performance as well as population dynamics and tolerance to environmental conditions.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2017

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Oecologia

ISSN

0029-8549

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

184

Issue of the periodical within the volume

4

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

885-899

UT code for WoS article

000408003400014

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85025822681