6533b7cefe1ef96bd125707c

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Functional diversity of decomposer organisms in relation to primary production

subject

description

Abstract The term `biodiversity' is claimed to lack connections to a serious scientific background. In this work, we approached the concept of biodiversity from a functional point of view by asking: “At what level of the ecological organization (species, trophic species/feeding guilds, trophic levels etc.) should reduction in biodiversity matter to bring about visible changes in ecosystem performance?” We investigate the concepts of `functional diversity' and `ecosystem performance' in relation to feeding habits (such as fungivory, detritivory etc.) of soil fauna and plant growth. After analysing the results of a number of microcosm studies, we came into the following conclusions: (i) trophic level diversity has clear impacts on primary production – more so when the number of trophic levels is low; (ii) manipulation of large predators at the top of the food chain had no influence on plant growth, whereas smaller mesostigmatid predators generally showed a negative impact on plant growth and nutrient uptake; (iii) declining species diversity alters carbon mineralization in heterotrophic systems due to changing interactions between trophic levels; (iv) species composition within a functional group can affect biomass production of plants; (v) inclusion of ectomycorrhizal fungi in model ecosystems may be of fundamental importance to understanding the most significant interactions between primary producers and organisms in detrital food webs.