Using biological traits and environmental variables to characterize two Arctic epibenthic invertebrate communities in and adjacent to Barrow Canyon

Rand, Kimberly M.; Logerwell, Elizabeth; Bluhm, Bodil A.; Chenelot, Heloise; Danielson, Seth L.; Iken, Katrin; Sousa, Leandra

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.07.015

Cited by 32 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) in bold. Rao's Q: Rao's quadratic entropy (a measure of functional dissimilarity); FEve: functional evenness; FRic: functional richness; FDiv: functional divergence; FRed: functional redundancy; other indices are defined in Table 3 partitioning within each shelf as well as different community responses to changes and disturbances (Rand et al 2018). The overlap in functional composition, but strong separation of taxonomic composition between the Beaufort and Chukchi shelves, suggests that different taxa fulfill similar functions in the 2 systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Epibenthic taxa with the largest percent contribution to differences in taxonomic composition between the Beaufort (Beau) and Chukchi (Chuk) Sea shelves, ordered from highest to lowest contribution. The cumulative percent of total biomass for influential taxa is shown plement to taxonomic diversity, especially on Arctic shelves (Rand et al 2018), considering ecosystem function is likely to change with expected changes in taxonomic composition from climatic pressures (Renaud et al 2015).…”

Section: Comparison Of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These differences in key environmental influences are suspected to play a role in driv-ing patterns in taxonomic composition (e.g. Rand et al 2018) and may also lead to differences in functional composition through differences in biological traits between the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea shelf benthic communities. This could result in dif ferent ecosystem functioning be tween the 2 shelves, despite their proximity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Support for this underlying assumption, for example, has been found for the macrobenthos in the Bering Sea (Liu et al 2019). Despite a long-standing and ongoing debate in the marine ecology scientific community of this concept (Naeem et al 1994), few studies have analyzed the relationship between taxonomic diversity and ecosystem function in Arctic benthic marine systems (but see Kokarev et al 2017, Rand et al 2018, Liu et al 2019, systems that are prone to perturbations. We contend here that, if the BEF assumption is correct, functional diversity on the 2 Arctic shelf communities should follow the same patterns as taxonomic diversity, as functional diversity is based in biological traits that are defined by a species' identity.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities

Sutton

Iken

Bluhm

et al. 2020

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Alaskan Arctic shelf communities are currently experiencing dramatic changes that will likely affect ecosystem functioning of Arctic marine benthic communities. Here, functional diversity based on biological traits was used to assess differences and similarities in ecosystem functioning between 2 shelf systems that are geographically close but vary in many environmental influences: the Arctic Beaufort and Chukchi Sea epibenthic communities. We hypothesized that (1) patterns of functional composition and diversity metrics reflect patterns in taxonomic composition and diversity metrics in these 2 shelf communities; and (2) patterns in functional diversity metrics are distinct between the 2 shelves. We evaluated 9 biological traits (body form, body size, feeding habit, fragility, larval development, living habit, movement, reproductive strategy, sociability) for 327 taxa in 2014 and 2015. For each trait, multiple modalities (specific expressions within a trait) were considered. Patterns in functional diversity metrics on both shelves reflected those in taxonomic diversity metrics. However, shelf communities were more similar in functional- than in taxonomic composition. Beaufort Sea communities had higher functional dissimilarity and functional evenness driven by differences in the modalities within body form, body size, larval development, and reproductive strategy. These traits primarily affect nutrient cycling, energy turnover, and recovery from disturbances, suggesting a stronger potential for future maintenance of ecosystem function, and indicating a more even use of resources in the Beaufort Sea. The combination of functional and taxonomic diversity metrics enabled a comprehensive understanding of how ecological niche space is used and how epibenthic communities function in Alaskan Arctic shelf systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison Of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities

Sutton

Iken

Bluhm

et al. 2020

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…habitats as these habitats had a high abundance of both deposit feeders and suspension feeders, caused by the high presence of bivalves. These are favored due to the highwater flow, which provides a constant supply of food due to the high concentration of suspended substances in the water (Rand et al, 2018). It has also been reported that in areas covered with algal mats and pneumatophores, surface deposit-feeding is often the dominant feeding habit, whereas carnivores are more abundant in mudflat habitats (Leung, 2015).…”

Section: Trait Composition In Different Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Composition and Functional Traits of Macrofauna in Different Mangrove Habitats in the Persian Gulf

et al. 2020

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Macrofauna play a key role in the functioning of mangrove ecosystems. Nevertheless, our understanding of the diversity and functional structure of macrofaunal communities across different habitats in the mangrove forests of the Persian Gulf is limited. In this study, we investigated species diversity and biological trait patterns of macrofauna in different mangrove-associated habitats, i.e., encompassing actual mangrove forests, and adjacent Beaches and Creeks, which exhibit different levels of habitat heterogeneity. Samples were collected from the different habitats in five different locations, over four seasons. A total of 122 macrofauna taxa were identified. The diversity of species was higher in summer than in winter. In the Beach habitats, species diversity showed an increasing trend from land toward the mangrove, whereas in Creek habitats diversity decreased from the Creek toward the mangrove. Multivariate community analysis showed differences in the distribution of abundant species and biological traits across all habitats. Deposit-feeding, crawlers, medium-size, and free-living were the dominant trait modalities in all habitats. The similarities within habitats over the four seasons had the same specific pattern of species and biological trait abundance in the Beach and the Creek, increasing from the non-covered habitat into the mangrove trees. Although many species shared similar traits, the abundance-driven differences in trait expression between habitats showed the importance of habitat filtering. The results of this study will be useful in the conservation of mangrove forests and they give a deeper understanding of the ecological patterns and functions of benthic macrofaunal communities in the Persian Gulf.

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What has Changed in 20 Years? Structure and Function of Soft-sediment Macrofauna in a Subarctic Embayment, Newfoundland (Canada)

Komendić,

de Moura Neves,

Ramey-Balci

2024

Estuaries and Coasts

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Understanding how natural and anthropogenic disturbances affect the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems is central to predicting future dynamics. Placentia Bay is an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) in the North Atlantic exposed to multiple stressors (e.g., rising sea surface temperatures, tanker traffic, and aquaculture). To investigate changes in the community and functional structure of soft-sediment macrofauna as well as environmental drivers of observed variation, we compared contemporary (2019–2020) and historical (1998) samples at eight stations (n = 77) collected 21 years apart. Although community and functional structure differed between these time points, functional traits were maintained (i.e., no loss of 36 trait modalities). Overall, 37% of species/taxa were only observed in either the historical or contemporary community, and the contemporary community exhibited lower macrofaunal density but had similar richness, resulting in higher evenness and diversity. Highly tolerant subsurface deposit feeders having small body sizes (< 10 mm) and direct development dominated the historical community. The contemporary community had nearly equal proportions of surface and subsurface deposit feeders with small to medium body sizes (< 10–50 mm) with pelagic larvae, and the proportion of highly tolerant species/taxa was reduced. These changes likely reflect the reduction in polychaetes (91 vs. 58%) and increased bivalves (4 vs. 25%) relative to the historical time point. Community variation was driven by changes in the sedimentary habitat. Contemporary versus historical sediments were ~ 4.5x coarser (possibly due to storms) with higher levels of sedimentary organic matter. This work contributes to advancing the understanding of relationships between benthic macrofauna, functional traits, and the sedimentary habitat in coastal environments.

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Using biological traits and environmental variables to characterize two Arctic epibenthic invertebrate communities in and adjacent to Barrow Canyon

Cited by 32 publications

References 73 publications

Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities

Comparison of functional diversity of two Alaskan Arctic shelf epibenthic communities

Species Composition and Functional Traits of Macrofauna in Different Mangrove Habitats in the Persian Gulf

What has Changed in 20 Years? Structure and Function of Soft-sediment Macrofauna in a Subarctic Embayment, Newfoundland (Canada)

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