How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models?
Marine ecosystem models used to investigate how global change affects ocean ecosystems and their functioning typically omit pelagic plankton diversity. Diversity, however, may affect functions such as primary production and their sensitivity to environmental changes. Here we use a global ocean ecosy...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2014-06-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | http://www.biogeosciences.net/11/3397/2014/bg-11-3397-2014.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818528258155610112 |
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| author | A. E. F. Prowe M. Pahlow S. Dutkiewicz A. Oschlies |
| author_facet | A. E. F. Prowe M. Pahlow S. Dutkiewicz A. Oschlies |
| author_sort | A. E. F. Prowe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Marine ecosystem models used to investigate how global change affects ocean
ecosystems and their functioning typically omit pelagic plankton diversity.
Diversity, however, may affect functions such as primary production and their
sensitivity to environmental changes. Here we use a global ocean ecosystem
model that explicitly resolves phytoplankton diversity by defining subtypes
within four phytoplankton functional types (PFTs). We investigate the model's
ability to capture diversity effects on primary production under
environmental change. An idealized scenario with a sudden reduction in
vertical mixing causes diversity and primary-production changes that turn out
to be largely independent of the number of coexisting phytoplankton subtypes.
The way diversity is represented in the model provides a small number of
niches with respect to nutrient use in accordance with the PFTs defined in
the model. Increasing the number of phytoplankton subtypes increases the
resolution within the niches. Diversity effects such as niche complementarity
operate between, but not within PFTs, and are constrained by the variety of
traits and trade-offs resolved in the model. The number and nature of the
niches formulated in the model, for example via trade-offs or different PFTs,
thus determines the diversity effects on ecosystem functioning captured in
ocean ecosystem models. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:47:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1b0dcd41983456cacc37ea4231dadfd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T06:47:26Z |
| publishDate | 2014-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1b0dcd41983456cacc37ea4231dadfd2022-12-22T01:17:02ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892014-06-0111123397340710.5194/bg-11-3397-2014How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models?A. E. F. Prowe0M. Pahlow1S. Dutkiewicz2A. Oschlies3Centre of Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Jægersborg Allé 1, 2920 Charlottenlund, DenmarkGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USAGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, GermanyMarine ecosystem models used to investigate how global change affects ocean ecosystems and their functioning typically omit pelagic plankton diversity. Diversity, however, may affect functions such as primary production and their sensitivity to environmental changes. Here we use a global ocean ecosystem model that explicitly resolves phytoplankton diversity by defining subtypes within four phytoplankton functional types (PFTs). We investigate the model's ability to capture diversity effects on primary production under environmental change. An idealized scenario with a sudden reduction in vertical mixing causes diversity and primary-production changes that turn out to be largely independent of the number of coexisting phytoplankton subtypes. The way diversity is represented in the model provides a small number of niches with respect to nutrient use in accordance with the PFTs defined in the model. Increasing the number of phytoplankton subtypes increases the resolution within the niches. Diversity effects such as niche complementarity operate between, but not within PFTs, and are constrained by the variety of traits and trade-offs resolved in the model. The number and nature of the niches formulated in the model, for example via trade-offs or different PFTs, thus determines the diversity effects on ecosystem functioning captured in ocean ecosystem models.http://www.biogeosciences.net/11/3397/2014/bg-11-3397-2014.pdf |
| spellingShingle | A. E. F. Prowe M. Pahlow S. Dutkiewicz A. Oschlies How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? Biogeosciences |
| title | How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? |
| title_full | How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? |
| title_fullStr | How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? |
| title_full_unstemmed | How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? |
| title_short | How important is diversity for capturing environmental-change responses in ecosystem models? |
| title_sort | how important is diversity for capturing environmental change responses in ecosystem models |
| url | http://www.biogeosciences.net/11/3397/2014/bg-11-3397-2014.pdf |
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