Coastal Plant Ecology Laboratory, Institute of Oceanography, Federal University of Rio Grande, Av. Italia, km 08, Campus Carreiros, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP: 96201-900, Brazil.
Phycology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Biological Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Mar Environ Res. 2022 Jan;173:105519. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105519. Epub 2021 Nov 4.
Functional redundancy can stabilize ecological functions as asynchronous fluctuations among functionally similar species may buffer environmental changes. We investigated the temporal dynamics of a subtidal macroalgal community in the warm temperate Southwestern Atlantic coast (SWA) to evaluate whether functional redundancy stabilize ecosystems functions through compensatory dynamics under realistic environmental scenarios. Despite temporal variations in the community structure occurred, a high stability in macroalgal coverage was found at the community-level driven by taxa asynchronous fluctuations. No relationship between functional redundancy and stability occurred, suggesting that functional compensation cannot surpass the influence of environmental fluctuations on the performance of ecological functions. Declines in Sargassum species abundance, along with its low functional redundancy, indicate that this canopy-forming algae must be prioritized in conservation efforts in the SWA. Our study adds to the comprehension and generalization of biodiversity-stability findings in natural systems across distinct geographical areas, also contributing to their operationalization in marine ecosystems.
功能冗余可以稳定生态功能，因为功能相似的物种之间的异步波动可能会缓冲环境变化。我们研究了温暖的亚热带西南大西洋海岸（SWA）的潮间带大型海藻群落的时间动态，以评估在现实环境情景下，功能冗余是否通过补偿动态来稳定生态系统功能。尽管群落结构发生了时间变化，但由于分类群的异步波动，群落水平的大型藻类覆盖率仍然很高，表现出很高的稳定性。功能冗余与稳定性之间没有关系，这表明功能补偿不能超过环境波动对生态功能表现的影响。马尾藻属物种丰度的下降及其功能冗余度低表明，在 SWA 的保护工作中，这种冠层形成藻类必须优先考虑。我们的研究增加了对不同地理区域自然系统中生物多样性-稳定性发现的理解和概括，也有助于在海洋生态系统中对其进行操作化。
