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Solan, M., B.J. Cardinale, A.L. Downing, K.A.M. Engelhardt, J.L. Ruesink, and D.S. Srivastava. 2004. Extinction and ecosystem function in the marine benthos. Science 306:1177-1180. In a Nutshell: Problem - Rapid changes in biodiversity are occurring globally, yet the ecological impacts of diversity loss are poorly understood. Specifically, coastal ecosystems are extremely important at the global scale to climate, nutrient budgets, and primary productivity. Human-induced stresses in the coastal environment can negatively impact benthic (bottom-living) invertebrates which can then influence bioturbation, or the biogenic mixing of sediment, which affects sediment oxygen concentrations. What - Predictive models from data collected in a study of Inner Galway Bay, Ireland were parameterized to analyze how species extinction is likely to affect the biogenic mixing depth (BMD), which is a measurable indicator of bioturbation. Findings - Modeling predicted that loss of species diversity leads to a decline in mean BMD but the extent of this reduction depends on extinction scenario, or how the functional traits of individual species covary with their risk of extinction. Therefore, species extinction is generally expected to reduce the depth of bioturbated sediments. These reductions could alter energy and matter fluxes that are critical to the global persistence of marine communities. Potential Applications - Due to the importance of coastal environments, as well as the rapid changes in biodiversity being observed globally, understanding and predicting the ecological impacts of extinction are extremely crucial. The ability to predict these impacts can help protect coastal environments from human activities that disrupt the ecological functions species perform. |
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