Lack of functional redundancy in the relationship between microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning.

Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Giaramida, Luca; Reich, Peter B.; Khachane, Amit N.; Hamonts, Kelly; Edwards, Christine; Lawton, Linda A.; Singh, Brajesh K.

Abstract

1. Biodiversity is declining worldwide with detrimental effects on ecosystems. However, we lack a quantitative understanding of the shape of the relationship between microbial biodiversity and ecosystem function (BEF). This limits our understanding of how microbial diversity depletion can impact key functions for human well-being, including pollutant detoxification. 2. Three independent microcosm experiments were conducted to evaluate the direction (i.e. positive, negative or null) and the shape of the relationships between bacterial diversity and both broad (i.e. microbial respiration) and specialized (i.e. toxin degradation) functions in five Australian and two UK freshwater ecosystems using next-generation sequencing platforms. 3. Reduced bacterial diversity, even after accounting for biomass, caused a decrease in broad (i.e. cumulative microbial respiration) and specialized (biodegradation of two important toxins) functions in all cases. Unlike the positive but decelerating BEF relationship observed most frequently in plants and animals, most evaluated functional measurements were related to bacterial diversity in a non-redundant fashion (e.g. exponentially and/or linearly). 4. Synthesis. Our results suggest that there is a lack of functional redundancy in the relationship between bacterial diversity and ecosystem functioning; thus the consequences of declining microbial diversity on ecosystem functioning and human welfare have likely been considerably underestimated.

Citation

DELGADO-BAQUERIZO, M., GIARAMIDA, L., REICH, P.B., KHACHANE, A.N., HAMONTS, K., EDWARDS, C., LAWTON, L.A. and SINGH, B.K. 2016. Lack of functional redundancy in the relationship between microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning. Journal of ecology [online], 104(4), pages 936-946. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12585

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Online Publication Date: May 9, 2016
• Publication Date: Jul 31, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 21, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 10, 2017
• Journal: Journal of ecology
• Print ISSN: 0022-0477
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2745
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 104
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 936-946
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12585
• Keywords: Bacteria; Broad functions; Ecosystems services; Freshwater ecosystems; Microbial richness; Pyrosequencing; Respiration; Specialised functions; Toxin degradation
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/1516