Relationships between biodiversity and the stability of marine ecosystems: comparisons at a European scale using meta-analysis.

The relationship between biodiversity and stability of marine benthic assemblages was investigated using existing data sets (n = 28) covering various spatial (m-km) and temporal (1973-2006) scales in different benthic habitats (emergent rock, rock pools and sedimentary habitats) through meta-analyses. Assemblage stability was estimated by measuring temporal variances of species richness, total abundance (density or % cover) and community species composition and abundance structure (using multivariate analyses). Positive relationships between temporal variability in species number and richness were generally observed at both quadrat (<1 m2) and site (100 m2) scales, while no relationships were observed by multivariate analyses. Positive relationships were also observed at the scale of site between temporal variability in species number and variability in community structure with evenness estimates. This implies that the relationship between species richness or evenness and species richness variability is slightly positive and depends on the scale of observation, suggesting that biodiversity per se is important for the stability of ecosystems. Changes within community assemblages in terms of structure are, however, generally independent of biodiversity, suggesting no effect of diversity, but the potential impact of individual species, and/or environmental factors. Except for sedimentary and rock pool habitats, no relationship was observed between temporal variation of the aggregated variable of total abundances and diversity at either scale. Overall our results emphasise that relationships depend on scale of measurements, type of habitats and the marine systems (North Atlantic and Mediterranean) considered

Impact of multiple disturbances and stress on the temporal trajectories and resilience of benthic intertidal communities

Coastal ecosystems face severe environmental change and anthropogenic pressures that affect both the structure and functioning of communities. Understanding the response and resilience of communities that face multiple simultaneous disturbances and stresses becomes essential. We observed the recovery of a rocky intertidal subarctic macrobenthic community dominated by a macroalgal canopy (Fucus spp.), a habitat-forming species, over a period of 14 months. Using 0.25-m(2) plots, we ran an in situ one-pulse experiment (removal of all materials to bare rock and then burning of the surface) followed by a full orthogonal factorial design of three press-type disturbances or stresses: grazer reduction, canopy removal, and nutrient enrichment. We evaluated the single and interactive effects of the three disturbances and stresses on species diversity and abundance structure. Of all the main effects, canopy removal has the most severe impact, resulting in decreased biomass, richness, and diversity, as well as an altered community structure. Canopy-removed plots had fewer invertebrates and more ephemeral algae; beyond this, however, there was minimal effect from grazer reduction and nutrient enrichment acting individually. We categorized the interaction types of all significant interaction effects: Canopy removal had a dominant effect over grazer reduction on richness, and it also dominated over nutrient enrichment on diversity and evenness. Nutrient enrichment and canopy removal had a negative synergistic interaction effect on richness at the end of the experiment. Without stressors, 11 months were required to achieve full recovery. The three stressors affected recovery time differently, depending on the identity and the number of stressors. Three stressors generally increased the time of recovery or even prevented recovery from being fully attained. Moreover, community structure and composition of plots subjected to the triple-stressor treatment had not fully recovered by the end of the study. Our results suggest that multiple stressors may interact on community indices and structure and that their interaction cannot be predicted from the outcome of single stressor studies. The inclusion of multiple disturbances and stresses in field experiments provides a better understanding of the mechanisms that shape community structure and their functioning following various forms of disturbance

Effects of physical disturbance, isolation and key macrozoobenthic species on community development, recolonisation and sedimentation processes

The relative effect of physical disturbance, isolation and key macrozoobenthic species on community development and sedimentation processes were studied in an in situ factorial field mesocosm experiment in the northern Baltic Sea. Differences in abundance and biomass structure of recolonising invertebrates were due to exposure and isolation. The initial invertebrate communities had a negligible effect on the final communities. However, the organic matter content of the sediment in isolated cages increased with the initial number of invertebrate species. The main conclusion of the study: physically driven fluxes override the effects of biological interactions in shallow water systems of the northern Baltic Sea

Density dependent growth of the red algae Furcellaria lumbricalis and Coccotylus trancatus in the West Estonian Archipelago Sea, Northern Baltic Sea

In an in situ experiment we evaluated the growth of the red algae Furcellaria lumbricalis and Coccotylus truncatus in the Archipelago Sea. The results showed that the growth rates of both species were similar but that growth decreased with increasing algal coverage. The effects were more pronounced for C. truncatus than for F. lumbricalis. Economic analyses aiming to establish sustainable harvesting limits for F. lumbricalis in the study area should take account of the density dependent growth of these red algae