Warming and top predator loss drive ecosystem multifunctionality

Author(s)

Antiqueira, Pablo Augusto P. ^[1] ; Petchey, Owen L. ^{[2, 3]} ; Romero, Gustavo Quevedo ^{[4, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Programa Posgrad Ecol, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Zurich, Dept Evolutionary Biol & Environm Studies, Zurich - Switzerland

^[3] Univ Zurich, URPP Global Change & Biodivers, Zurich - Switzerland

^[4] Univ Estadual Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Brazilian Res Network Climate Change Rede Clima, Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ECOLOGY LETTERS; v. 21, n. 1, p. 72-82, JAN 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 12

Abstract

Global change affects ecosystem functioning both directly by modifications in physicochemical processes, and indirectly, via changes in biotic metabolism and interactions. Unclear, however, is how multiple anthropogenic drivers affect different components of community structure and the performance of multiple ecosystem functions (ecosystem multifunctionality). We manipulated small natural freshwater ecosystems to investigate how warming and top predator loss affect seven ecosystem functions representing two major dimensions of ecosystem functioning, productivity and metabolism. We investigated their direct and indirect effects on community diversity and standing stock of multitrophic macro and microorganisms. Warming directly increased multifunctional ecosystem productivity and metabolism. In contrast, top predator loss indirectly affected multifunctional ecosystem productivity via changes in the diversity of detritivorous macroinvertebrates, but did not affect ecosystem metabolism. In addition to demonstrating how multiple anthropogenic drivers have different impacts, via different pathways, on ecosystem multifunctionality components, our work should further spur advances in predicting responses of ecosystems to multiple simultaneous environmental changes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/01209-9 - Effects of climate change on the structure of food webs in latitudinal gradients
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• FAPESP's process: 14/04603-4 - Global warming effects on the trophic structure and ecosystem functioning in tank-bromeliads
• Grantee: Pablo Augusto Poleto Antiqueira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate